Sunday, September 27, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1864, Union cavalry defeated Confederate defenders at the Battle of Marianna in Jackson County. The fight ended Confederate control of Florida west of the Apalachicola River.

Food delivery robots are one step closer to coming to St. Petersburg after a city council vote. Learn more in Around Florida.

In case you missed it on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla reported on the 10 most popular home remedies for headaches and what neurologists had to say about them. Most of us reach for the same fixes every time our head starts pounding, but one popular trick can actually make the pain worse. And the remedy with the strongest scientific evidence might not be in your medicine cabinet at all. Ayla walked through the full list and the experts' comments on each one. Tune in here!

Later today, watch for an email from our partner, Insurify, about a quick way to compare car insurance rates from more than 100 companies and potentially save up to $1,100 a year.

Today's sponsor, PuriProduce, offers a simple, chemical-free way to help clean your fruits and vegetables, giving you added peace of mind with every meal.

Clearwater Deploys Fish against Dengue

Clearwater released 10,000 mosquitofish into four city lakes Friday to eat the larvae of mosquitoes that spread dengue fever.

The native fish went into Prospect, Glen Oaks, Moccasin, and Salls lakes. Each adult can eat up to 100 larvae a day.

"They are a native fish, and they actually reproduce on their own," said Clearwater Emergency Management Chief Jarett Hood. The city has purchased another 31,000 for other waterways.

The release follows Pinellas County's local state of emergency Thursday, matching orders in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Pinellas has seven confirmed cases, while Hillsborough carries the bulk of the region's outbreak.

The disease killed a Hillsborough woman this month. Officials are urging residents to dump standing water and wear insect repellent.

New State Laws Arrive Oct. 1

Renting a home under a fake identity becomes a felony Oct. 1, one of more than a dozen Florida laws taking effect that day.

House Bill 1293 targets people who lie on rental applications, present forged documents to landlords, or impersonate someone to take possession of a unit. Most of the 200-plus laws passed this year took effect in July.

Senate Bill 432 makes selling or manufacturing certain forms of xylazine, a veterinary sedative, a first-degree felony with a mandatory three-year prison term.

Senate Bill 488 states that drivers will only have to report crashes to law enforcement when damage exceeds $2,000, up from $500.

Other changes add five specialty license plates, including one for UFC, and mark career offenders' driver's licenses with the statute number "775.261."

Florida Groceries Rank 10th Priciest

Florida has the 10th most expensive groceries in the country, with prices 5.7% above the national average.

The ranking comes from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's first-quarter 2026 cost-of-living data. Florida's grocery score of 105.7 is the highest in the Southeast, ahead of Georgia at 96.9 and Alabama at 95.

Hawaii topped the list at 136.3, followed by Alaska at 126.6. Mississippi had the cheapest groceries at 93.2.

Florida ranks high despite growing a large share of the nation's produce. Higher wages and store operating costs in coastal markets can push prices up.

Groceries are Florida's priciest category in the index. The state's overall cost of living scores 100.7, nearly even with the national average.

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➤ Vernon: Golf developer Michael Keiser Jr. is building Old Shores, a Washington County resort with two 18-hole courses. The project is expected to bring about 100 jobs, and preview play begins in the coming months. (Read Story)

➤ Gainesville: Florida's education commissioner wants to suspend Gainesville High teacher Lauren Watts' teaching certificate for a year after she gave a former student a "most likely to become a dictator" award. (More)

➤ St. Augustine: The city's free STAR Circulator shuttle adds 15 stops on Anastasia Island and in St. Augustine Beach starting Oct. 1, including the Alligator Farm and St. Augustine Beach City Hall. The expansion follows the route's popularity during last season's Nights of Lights. (See Details)

➤ Winter Garden: Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida opened its 30,000-square-foot June Family Branch, raising its local capacity more than 400% to over 300 children and teens a day. The club reports a 100% graduation rate among its high school seniors. (See Details)

➤ St. Petersburg: The City Council voted unanimously to explore letting self-driving robots deliver restaurant orders on sidewalks. Council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders pitched the idea as parking relief for small restaurants, while acknowledging concerns about sidewalk congestion and theft. The proposal now goes to committee. (More)

➤ Fort Lauderdale: Crews finished clearing two cranes from a Rio Vista home Friday. The first collapsed onto the house Thursday during a renovation, and the second fell while hauling it away. The home is tagged unsafe, and officials are investigating the cause. (See Details)

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➤ No. 21 Florida routed No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28, snapping a 12-game losing streak against top-five opponents. Jadan Baugh ran for three touchdowns, joining Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor as the only Gators with five straight 100-yard games. (More)

➤ UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins set a program record for completion percentage, completing 19 of 20 passes as the Knights beat TCU 21-13 in their Big 12 opener. (More)

➤ No. 6 Miami hosted Central Michigan as a massive 41.5-point favorite, while Florida State beat Central Arkansas 34-7 at home. (See Scores)

➤ The U.S. men's soccer team beat Peru 4-1 in Orlando as Justin Ellis, a South Florida native who plays for Orlando City, scored in his debut. Cavan Sullivan, 16, became the second-youngest U.S. player to start his first match. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | Soccer | NHL | Golf | F1

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➤ A Florida softshell turtle and an American alligator were photographed basking side by side on a grassy bank in the Village of Collier. The truce is notable, since alligators are the primary predators of adult softshells, according to FWC. (See Photo)

➤ St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue firefighter Autumn Kelso holds the Guinness World Record as the world's shortest female firefighter, measured at 4 feet, 10 inches. She serves a department that runs two stations covering a 5-mile barrier island. (More)

➤ FSU film school graduate Costa Karalis will open the Tallahassee Film Festival Oct. 9 with his debut feature, Frogtown, set in Marianna. The genre-bending film follows a woman trying to prove that a magical swamp creature she befriended as a child is real. (See Details)

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➤ Journey to Patmos, the island where John wrote the Book of Revelation, and explore the real history behind three of its seven churches. Times of Fire brings ancient prophecy to life through archaeology, history, and Scripture — free to watch from RevelationMedia.

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.

➤ France’s first papal visit in 18 years brought 700,000 people to a Paris Mass. (Hear More)

➤ Could your belly button hold clues to brain health? A small study found intriguing patterns. (Listen Now)

➤ A recruiter’s iced coffee rule stirred up a surprisingly heated hiring debate. (Podcast Available)

A 400-pound silverback named Bakari now leads the gorilla troop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, taking over for Gino, who held the job for nearly 30 years. He’s still meeting the females through mesh barriers.