Florida Democrats are leading in returned vote-by mail ballots by about 60,000 so far. But political watchers say that isn’t surprising and the lead isn’t likely to last.
The race for Florida Senate District 3 is heating up. The campaigns for Republican incumbent Corey Simon and Democratic challenger Daryl Parks, have both spent millions of dollars fighting for a seat at the legislative table. Voters and a political expert weigh in on what makes this race so important.
Remember the shark swimming down the street after Hurricane Ian? It didn’t happen. But fake memes and dangerous rumors continue to swirl on social media as Florida grapples with the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton AND as voting in the presidential election is already underway. Janet Coats, the managing director for the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology at the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications, spoke about the issue on the most recent episode of the Deeper Dive with Dara Kam podcast from the News Service of Florida.
After a triple hit to the state from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, Floridians are working to recover. But for many that’s brought up questions about property insurance--ranging from how do they get their claims paid, to what do they do if they don’t have it.
After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, you've probably been seeing bucket trucks all across the region with line workers on electrical poles restoring power to thousands of homes and businesses. Suzy Macke is what's called a "troubleman" for Duke Energy - she's the first one on the scene to determine what the problem is before calling in the linemen. She has been volunteering to work sixteen-hour overnight shifts since just before Helene swept through with only one day off to prep her home for Milton. She's been in the male-dominated industry for fifteen years - three of them in Florida.
About 100 residents of a Manatee County senior living community gathered at a potluck chicken dinner. While some of their homes were hit by either Hurricanes Helene or Milton... OR BOTH... the group met to reconnect, and welcome back snowbird residents who returned to survey the damage.