Sunday, October 25, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1921, a Category 3 hurricane made landfall near Tarpon Springs and pushed a 10-foot storm tide into Tampa Bay. It remains the last major hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area.

A Panama City teenager was about to give his girlfriend a promise ring at the marina when an SUV crashed through the fence behind them and into the water. See what he did next in Top Stories.

In case you missed it on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counted down the five best and five worst fast-food chains in America, ranked by more than 16,000 customers based on food quality, order accuracy, and value. McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Panda Express all made the list. One sits near the very top, and one is tied for dead last. Plus, a champion that held the crown for 11 straight years just lost it, and the new No. 1 had never even been ranked before this year. Where does your favorite land? Tune in here!

A fresh start can begin long before someone leaves prison. For men and women behind bars in Florida, it can start with something as simple as receiving a Bible. Today’s sponsor, Prison Fellowship, invites you to help put God’s Word into the hands of someone asking for it.

Dengue Cases Top 400 Statewide

Florida has now recorded 425 locally acquired dengue cases this year, and the outbreak is spreading beyond its Tampa Bay core.

Hillsborough County still accounts for most infections. Pinellas County has seen a spike in recent weeks and is up to 51 cases.

Citrus, Manatee, and Brevard counties also reported new cases in state data running through Oct. 17. In Brevard, health officials stepped up mosquito spraying after confirming a local case.

Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties declared local states of emergency in September to bolster mosquito control.

Dengue spreads through mosquito bites, not person to person, and causes fever, aches, nausea, and a rash. Health officials urge residents to drain standing water and wear repellent.

Florida Manufacturing Output Hits $87.4B

Florida's manufacturing output has grown to $87.4 billion, according to the state's economic development agency.

FloridaCommerce Chief Manufacturing Officer Jason Mahon said the climb from $54.4 billion has made Florida a top 10 manufacturing state. The sector supports more than 426,000 jobs, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

State leaders want Florida in the top five for manufacturing employment by 2030. Their broader growth plan calls for 750,000 net new jobs.

Two Florida manufacturers are finalists in this year's Coolest Thing Made in Florida contest: Northrop Grumman's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, built in St. Johns County, and Naples-based Arthrex's TightRope PRO orthopedic device. The winner will be named Oct. 28 in Orlando.

Officials credit the state's lack of a personal income tax and fast permitting. Mahon said some industrial projects have gone from groundbreaking to production in under six months.

Teens Help Save Marina Driver

Two North Bay Haven sophomores helped pull a college student out of the water Thursday night after her SUV plunged off the Panama City Marina dock.

The Gulf Coast State College student had gone there to study. Officials said she meant to press the brake but hit the gas, sending the SUV through the fence at the end of the dock.

She rolled down her window, took off her boots, and climbed out, though officials said she didn't know how to swim.

Maxim Constantino said he was about to give Kendall Richmond a promise ring when he heard tires screeching and saw the car go in. He ran over and, using a fisherman's rope and help from bystanders, pulled her up.

EMTs determined she didn't need further care. A Panama City Fire Department dive team pulled the SUV from about 15 feet of water Friday.

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Florida has the third-largest state prison system in the country. It’s easy to think about that as a number. But every person inside has a story, and some are searching for a different ending.

Prison Fellowship runs its in-prison program at multiple Florida prisons, including Okaloosa Correctional Institution. Through its Bible outreach, you can help incarcerated men and women encounter God’s Word for themselves.

Your gift helps place a Bible into the hands of someone who wants one but doesn’t have access to it. Something they can read, return to, and turn to for guidance during a difficult chapter.

A simple gift can be the beginning of something deeply personal.

Help send a Bible today.

➤ Fort Myers: President Trump announced a $275 million Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative at a rally Friday. Eligible nurses can receive up to $40,000 in student-loan repayment, a $10,000 stipend, or both for a three-year commitment to a qualifying nursing home, with applications opening Oct. 26. (See Details)

➤ Brevard County: Brevard Public Schools is adding OpenGate walk-through weapons screening to its middle schools, starting at Central Middle School, with every campus covered by March 2027. The district finished installing the systems at all 16 traditional high schools in March 2025. (More)

➤ Jacksonville: Dozens of volunteers gathered Friday at the former NAS Cecil Field to finish the first phase of the planned National POW/MIA Memorial. Executive Director Ed Turner said two men he served with are still missing. (Read Story)

➤ Broward County: A victims' advocate is criticizing Judge Allison Gilman after she asked a domestic battery suspect, a chef, for cooking tips during his bond hearing. "If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?" Gilman asked Christopher Johnson before setting his bond at $1,500. (See Video)

➤ Gainesville: Three UF students launched Parkey, an app that lets homeowners rent out their driveways to fans on game days. It logged 51 bookings during the Gators' game against Ole Miss this season, and the founders plan to expand to other schools and basketball. (See Details)

➤ Osceola County: Crews finished the steel beams for the new westbound Fortune Road Bridge over Florida's Turnpike a month early. The bridge, due to carry traffic early next year, is part of a project widening the Turnpike from four to eight lanes between Partin Settlement Road and Osceola Parkway. (See Details)

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➤ The Tampa Bay Rays scored four runs in the first inning of World Series Game 2, but the Milwaukee Brewers rallied to win 5-4 and take a 2-0 series lead. Yandy Díaz struck out on a disputed check-swing call with a runner on third to end the game. (Watch Swing)

➤ UCF stunned No. 2 BYU 39-31 in double overtime for its first win over a top-5 team, following a bizarre end to regulation that featured an overturned fumble and a blocked field goal. Fans stormed the field after BYU’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete. (Watch Highlights)

➤ No. 1 Miami rolled past Pitt 52-23 in its first game atop the AP poll since the 2002 season, as Malachi Toney set a school record with 16 catches. Dariah Mensah threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns. (More)

➤ British swimmer Matt Richards, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will join the Florida Gators for the spring 2027 semester, bolstering a team that finished second at this year’s NCAA championships. (More)

➤ The Miami Dolphins chase their first win today at the New York Jets, while Baker Mayfield returns from a thumb injury as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Carolina Panthers. (More)

➤ Ric Flair, the 77-year-old wrestling legend was hospitalized Friday after falling outside a Tampa restaurant and cutting his head and eye, hours after revealing a blood clot in his leg. Daughter Charlotte Flair posted that night that he's "going to be ok." (More)

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

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They’re asking for somewhere to turn.

For someone in prison, a Bible can offer words of forgiveness, hope, and purpose when those things feel far away.

You can help make that possible through Prison Fellowship. Your gift supports a direct, personal act of care: placing God’s Word in the hands of someone ready to open it.

There’s a person behind the request. You can help answer.

Give the gift of a Bible.

➤ Diners lined up almost an hour early Friday as Toucan's on the Beach in Mexico Beach reopened eight years after Hurricane Michael damaged it. The rebuilt restaurant adds a deck, tiki bar, and second-floor sports bar, plus memorabilia from the original, including a Tyndall Air Force Base sign. (Read Story)

➤ Florida A&M alumni Brian Hunter and Mareka Lovett, engaged in February, returned to campus as a couple for Friday's FAMFest at the Will Packer Amphitheatre. The two met in Orlando, then learned they'd been in Tucker Hall at the same time. (Read Story)

➤ Frank Lloyd Wright's only built planetarium is projecting stars again at Florida Southern College in Lakeland after sitting dark for more than two decades. Crews restored the 1950s dome's original circular seating and added a new digital projection system. (See Details)

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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.

➤ Linda McMahon pursues an unusual career goal: convincing Congress that her own department isn’t needed. (Hear More)

➤ Pooh’s rumored British homecoming fizzled before the bear could pack his pants, which he never wore anyway. (Listen Now)

➤ Michelin inspectors loosened their belts across the South and crowned three new stars, including a restaurant in rural Georgia. (Podcast Available)