Sunday, September 13, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1944, the destroyer USS Warrington capsized and sank in the Great Atlantic Hurricane off Florida's east coast. Rescuers found 73 survivors; 248 men were lost.

A Melbourne community center has reopened after its roof collapsed in July 2025 with children inside. Senior Recreation Supervisor Tony Williams helped safely evacuate everyone during the storm, ensuring no one was hurt.

In case you missed it, on Thursday's episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla unpacked the Lindsay Clancy trial without the noise. Conspiracy theories, hot takes, and bad legal analyses have drowned out the actual facts, so she stripped away the bias and laid out what really happened, including the courtroom decision everyone was talking about. Plus, what three jurors revealed about the chaos inside that deliberation room. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor is RevelationMedia. Whether you’ve studied the Book of Revelation for years or are simply interested in the history behind one of the Bible’s most fascinating books, their acclaimed documentary brings the ancient world of Revelation to life, and they’re making it available to watch for free.

State Confirms Breach of Driver Database

Florida's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles confirmed Thursday that hackers got into DAVID, the state's driver and vehicle database.

The agency said it learned of the breach Sept. 4 and traced the entry point to the credentials of a single Plant City Police Department employee, stored improperly on a personal device. It called the breach "quickly mitigated" with nothing ongoing.

The group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, saying it holds about 200,000 driver's licenses, Social Security numbers, and home addresses. University of South Florida cybercrime professor Thomas Hyslip said the group's claims usually prove out because it is financially motivated.

The agency notified the Attorney General's Office and is working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Digital Service. Officials haven't said how many Floridians' records were taken, and the case remains under criminal investigation.

Senators Move to Overhaul DCF

State senators say they will file legislation overhauling Florida's Department of Children and Families after a grand jury found the agency "failing catastrophically" to protect children and the elderly.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R, Pensacola, is drafting bills to tighten oversight of DCF contractors, give parents more ability to challenge the agency, and penalize false information given to courts.

The grand jury, seated in the five-county Fifth Judicial Circuit, reviewed seven cases in which jurors said the agency's inaction allowed severe trauma and preventable deaths. In one, investigators visited a home 14 times before a child was killed.

Jurors also found caseworkers routinely ignored abuse hotline calls after 5 p.m. and on weekends, and cited 12 cases where police accused employees of falsifying records.

DCF said it takes the findings seriously, noting the cases span roughly a decade and that many of the panel's recommendations reflect reforms already in place.

Tourist Charged over Space Center Drone

Federal prosecutors charged a Chinese tourist with flying a drone through restricted airspace over NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and he is due in federal court in Orlando on Friday.

Xiaodong He launched the drone from a Playalinda Beach parking lot the evening of July 25 and kept it up about 12 minutes at roughly 230 feet, according to a criminal complaint filed Aug. 7. Investigators say it recorded video of launch pads 39A and 39B.

He faces two misdemeanor counts, violating national defense airspace and operating an aircraft without an airman's certificate, carrying up to a year in jail.

The tourist told officers he didn't know drones were banned there and offered to delete the footage, and a relative said the family was vacationing. Prosecutors charged him anyway.

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See the Real Places Behind the Book of Revelation

The seven churches described in Revelation were real communities in real places, and many of their ruins can still be visited today.

The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire takes viewers to the island of Patmos and to three of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, exploring the history, archaeology, and biblical events associated with these ancient sites.

Rather than simply reading about these places, you’ll see the landscapes, ruins, and historical context that shaped the world in which Revelation was written.

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➤ Statewide: Florida's congressional delegation is pressing President Trump to put the new U.S. Space Academy on the Space Coast. Sen. Ashley Moody and Rep. Mike Haridopolos led the letter, which members of both parties signed. (More)

➤ The Villages: Suza Barr told the Community Development District 2 board Friday that her Cordero Court block is the "tackiest street in The Villages," and asked supervisors to bring back anonymous deed-compliance complaints, saying residents won't report violations when their names are attached. (More)

➤ Ormond Beach: The city is working towards buying the 11-acre former Osceola Elementary campus from the Volusia County School Board for $2.5 million, hoping to keep the beachside ball fields and playground from becoming housing. (More)

➤ St. Augustine: The city has finished its Court Theophelia flood project and will cut the ribbon Sept. 18 on its first bioswale, a planted channel that filters street runoff. The low-lying neighborhood spent years with standing water and saltwater-chewed roads and pipes. (See Details)

➤ Washington County: Sheriff Kevin Crews closed out "Operation King of the Hill," a 16-month case he calls the largest meth investigation in county history. Investigators say Wendy Holloway and Isaac Noss ran 50 to 70 pounds of meth from the Atlanta area into the county. (See Details)

➤ Melbourne: The Joseph N. Davis Community Center opened its doors again Saturday following months of structural repairs and interior upgrades after heavy rainfall collapsed its roof last summer. (See Video)

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➤ South Florida quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. found Joshua Porter down the right sideline for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-5 with 19 seconds left, lifting the Bulls past Army 28-24 at West Point. (Watch Touchdown)

➤ The Tampa Bay Rays became baseball’s first team to clinch a 2026 postseason berth, defeating the Houston Astros 3-1 on Junior Caminero’s walk-off 40th home run Friday. (More)

➤ Vernell Brown III returned punts 64 and 70 yards for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in Florida's 52-3 win over Campbell, the first Gator to take two punts to the house in a game since Jacquez Green in 1996. (Watch Highlight)

➤ UCF managed one touchdown in a 12-7 loss at Pitt on Saturday, the Knights' 10th straight road defeat. (More)

➤ Florida’s NFL teams open today with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Cleveland Browns in the early slate, followed by the Miami Dolphins-Las Vegas Raiders matchup in the afternoon. (See Schedule)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | US Open | MLB | Soccer | FIBA Basketball

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Explore the History Behind Revelation

From Patmos to the ancient churches of Asia Minor, Times of Fire offers a fascinating look at the people, places, and events behind one of the Bible’s most discussed books.

If biblical history, archaeology, or the Book of Revelation interests you, this is worth a watch. RevelationMedia is offering the documentary for free at the link below.

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➤ Toa, an endangered Napoleon wrasse, moved into the 5.7-million-gallon tank at The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot recently, the first of his species the pavilion has kept. (See Photos)

➤ Gibson Garage opened its third store ever, after Nashville and London, in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. The 8,000-square-foot store has a custom shop where buyers pick their own wood and hardware, a stage for live shows, and murals by local artists Solano and Nate Dee. (See Video)

➤ Hundreds of people climbed the stairs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Friday, matching the flights first responders climbed inside the World Trade Center. The annual tribute at The Swamp drew firefighters, students, and local leaders on the attacks' 25th anniversary. (Read Story)

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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.

➤ America’s colleges receive a brutal free speech report card. (Hear More)

➤ While other retailers chase AI, one legendary retailer chooses models, cameras, and catalogs over tech shortcuts. (Listen Now)

➤ This tiny workout creates a surprisingly mighty molecular response. (Podcast Available)

St. Johns County deputies used a pool brush to guide a confused buck from a home's bathroom. The deer briefly jumped into the pool before returning safely to the woods.