Saturday, October 3, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra blasted off from Cape Canaveral aboard Sigma 7. He circled Earth six times before splashing down in the Pacific a little over nine hours later.

We want to thank all the loyal readers who referred Flyover Florida to their friends and family this week as a timely, unbiased news source to read every morning. It was an overwhelmingly positive response to us hitting a benchmark of 700,000 readers, and we truly appreciate it. If you’re enjoying Flyover Florida and want to share the newsletter with your friends, please click here.

Sick season is here. Plenty of people are coughing and clearing their throats through every conversation, but that stubborn tickle might have nothing to do with the cold going around. Doctors point to a surprising culprit, and your go-to remedy could be making things worse. Amy breaks down that stuck-in-your-throat feeling on today's episode of The Flyover Podcast. Is your trusty allergy pill actually helping? Which popular nasal spray should never be used for more than three days? And what if that lump in your throat isn't really there? Tune in here!

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No Wind Warning before Amazon Crash

An air traffic controller cleared an Amazon cargo jet to land in Miami last month without warning its pilots about a tailwind, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday.

Four minutes earlier, the same controller had warned a different flight about gusts up to 25 mph from the south. FAA rules require controllers to give wind direction and speed when a tailwind exists.

The Boeing 767 overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sept. 6 and smashed into a cleaning contractor's van, killing five people inside.

Cockpit recordings show one pilot repeatedly warned the other they were coming in too fast. The two had flown together for the first time that day.

Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air, the North Carolina carrier that operated the flight. The report doesn't name a cause, and a final report could take a year or more.

Layoffs Hit Orlando, Space Coast Workers

Three employers have filed notices to cut 208 Central Florida jobs by the end of the year.

Pharmacy company AssistRx will lay off 86 workers at its Sand Lake Road center starting Nov. 30, including 57 pharmacy technicians and 13 pharmacists. Another 137 jobs could follow between January and May 2027.

Hancock Whitney plans to let go 52 employees at its West Pineloch Avenue office in December as it absorbs One Florida Bank. The company called the cuts permanent.

On the Space Coast, contractor Amentum will eliminate 70 positions at Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 30. NASA is bringing the company's base operations work in-house.

Florida ZIP Codes Among Nation's Hottest

Port St. Lucie's 34987 ZIP code drew the third-most new movers per capita in the country in August, according to a new MovingPlace report.

The Panhandle's Inlet Beach (32461) ranked fourth, and Bradenton (34211) ranked sixth. Aurora, Colorado, took the top spot.

Winter Garden's 34787 placed fourth nationally in total moves, drawing close to 500 movers in a single month. The report credits its new subdivisions and revitalized historic downtown.

The report says Port St. Lucie keeps drawing retirees and remote workers from the Northeast. ZIP codes in Pensacola, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Zellwood, and Pasco County's San Antonio also cracked the top 50.

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➤ Wakulla County: Panacea's 49th annual Blue Crab Festival packed the town's streets, and a new antique mall downtown says its sales quadrupled in the days afterward. One food vendor doubled his supply from last year and still sold out about 90 minutes early. (Read Story)

➤ Jacksonville: Sheriff T.K. Waters, a Republican, filed Thursday to seek another four-year term in 2027, saying the agency has "built something that works." The only other candidate so far is Donzalo Solomon, who has no party affiliation. (More)

➤ Daytona Beach: Police will double traffic fines and can impound vehicles for up to three days inside a beachside special event zone from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday, ahead of an unpermitted truck gathering. The zone runs from University Boulevard south to Silver Beach Avenue. (More)

➤ Jackson County: Farmers are struggling with both the arrival of pasture mealybugs, which kill grass, and high fuel prices, with one farm paying $34,000 to $37,000 for each of its last two diesel tanker loads this harvest, roughly double the usual $17,000. (See Details)

➤ Sarasota: Aircraft Services Group opened a 30,000-square-foot private jet hangar at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on Thursday, adding ground crew, maintenance, pilot, and charter sales jobs. The company says an adjacent lot could hold a second hangar. (More)

➤ Fort Lauderdale: Floodwater swamped streets in the Victoria Park neighborhood for hours Thursday, stalling cars and leaving some residents stuck at home. The city pointed to higher-than-normal king tides, and a stormwater project for the area isn't expected to finish until early 2028. (See Details)

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➤ The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees in ALDS Game 1 tonight at Tropicana Field. Drew Rasmussen starts after going 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA against New York this season. (More)

➤ No. 8 Florida visits No. 25 Missouri today, while No. 4 Miami heads to Clemson tonight. The Gators are 5.5-point favorites, and the Hurricanes are favored by 16.5. (See Schedule)

➤ Frenchman's Creek Beach and Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens won first place among new clubhouses in Golf Inc.'s 2026 Clubhouse of the Year competition, while Kensington Golf and Country Club in Naples earned a renovation honorable mention. (See List)

➤ Lionel Messi bought a controlling stake in Spanish second-division club Eldense. It’s the Inter Miami star’s first investment in a fully professional Spanish club after buying fifth-division UE Cornellà earlier this year. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | WNBA | Soccer | Golf

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➤ A cow that escaped Cattlemen's Livestock Auction wandered onto westbound U.S. 92 in Polk County, where video appears to show it ramming a truck. By the time deputies arrived, it was off the road, and it was safely returned to the auction. (See Video)

➤ Five sea turtles named Waffles, Bashful, Buzz, Coconut, and Pepper returned to the Gulf at Inlet Beach on Thursday as a crowd watched. All five had been accidentally hooked, and some needed surgery at the Gulfarium Care Center before their release. (See Video)

➤ Fruit Fly Records in Coral Gables is selling an original copy of the Beatles' Yesterday and Today with the 1966 "butcher" cover for $5,000. The label pasted a new image over the raw-meat photo after backlash, and unpeeled copies keep getting scarcer. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country.

➤ Sick season is here, and doctors say relief for that stubborn throat starts with one surprising fix. (Listen Now)

➤ Nobel watchers say the International Space Station is a serious Peace Prize contender this year, alongside far more contentious earthbound names. (Hear Names)

➤ Pope Leo XIV is urging artists to join the church in a fight to protect human creativity from artificial intelligence. (Podcast Available)