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October 9, 2020

This morning (Friday,) a U.S. District Court judge i Tallahassee ruled against extending Florida’s voter registration deadline. Blaise Gainey reports this comes after the state’s registration web site crashed in the final hours leading up to Monday’s registration deadline.

Why do so many Latinos in Florida seem obsessed with Black Lives Matter? And why is that obsession so often racist? WLRN’s Tim Padgett explains that many Latinos who back President Trump bring the racial complexities of Latin America to their attacks on the racial justice movement.

This next series of stories seems particularly timely as the westernmost parts of Florida are even now feeling the ill-winds and surging tides of a hurricane.

It’s been two years since the Florida Panhandle town of Mexico Beach was leveled by Category Five Hurricane Michael. Rebuilding has been slow and steady. Mexico Beach is still waiting for approximately half of its anticipated 400-million dollars in FEMA reimbursements. The small town - referred to as “Mayberry on the Water” - has a population of roughly 1200 year-round residents. Al Cathey has been the town’s mayor for 14 years. At just shy of 73-years-old, Cathey has spent most of his life in this coastal town. He talked with Gina Jordan about life in Mexico Beach two years after Michael.

Two years after Hurricane Michael hit the region, now-leasing signs are posted at newly rebuilt apartment complexes across Bay County. Local real estate listings showcase numerous renovated homes for sale. But, as Valerie Crowder reports, permanent housing remains out of reach for many of the area’s low-income residents.

We do have one more Hurricane Michael anniversary story to share with you .Two years after Hurricane Michael, there’s still work to be done toward a full recovery. Ryan Dailey reports the group Rebuild 850 is trying to keep that focus front and center for Floridians.