Friday, August 14, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano planted the first Spanish settlement in what's now the United States on the site of present-day Pensacola. A hurricane wrecked much of his fleet less than a month later, and the colony was abandoned within two years.

Today's Trivia question was provided by a reader who saw a group of alligators lounging by the water on her morning walk. You might know this one, but we didn't! Hit reply to let us know your favorite name for a gathering of animals.

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Reward Offered in Cemetery Thefts

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is offering up to $5,000 for help finding three people accused of prying open cemetery niches and stealing jewelry that families left with their loved ones' ashes.

Detectives have linked the trio to roughly 20 cases in Orange, Seminole, and Hillsborough counties, as well as in Winter Park, with more than $35,000 taken. The break-ins stretch across at least nine states.

Deputies identified the suspects as Drake Milam, 33, Porsche Bancroft, 32, and Bancroft's mother, Angela Garrett, 52, all from the Indianapolis area. They're wanted on full-extradition warrants, and the state attorney general's office is prosecuting.

"Imagine losing your wife or husband and placing their wedding ring, and yours, in the niche—only to have them stolen by thieves looking for an easy payday," the sheriff's office wrote.

Flock Adds Privacy Limits to Cameras

Flock Safety will require police to tie every license plate search to a case number, one of several privacy changes taking effect Jan. 1. The cameras read plates in every state but Alaska, and police can search the data without a warrant. Dozens of cities have canceled contracts, and vandals have attacked cameras nationwide.

Flock is cutting the time it keeps an image of your car from 30 days to seven days. Departments must also enable a tool that locks out officers whose searches appear abnormal.

Cities can now pick which crimes outside agencies may search their cameras for, letting them block immigration searches. CEO Garrett Langley said Flock's "end goal isn't a dystopian future of surveillance; it's one where we all feel safe."

The ACLU's Chad Marlow wants the data deleted after 48 hours and said Flock "collects location data on virtually every car in America every month."

High School Cancels Varsity Football Season

Booker High School in Sarasota canceled its 2026 varsity football season days before kickoff and will field only a junior varsity team. The Tornadoes have reached three straight state semifinals.

The move follows the mid-July firing of head coach Carlos Woods and the transfer of 21 players to other schools. The Florida High School Athletic Association fined the school $500 and placed it on probation until May 25, 2027, for allowing eighth-graders to practice with the team in the spring.

Principal Jamal Crook said rebuilding participation and trust will take time. "This is not a step away from football at Booker High School. It is an investment in its future," he wrote.

Retired area coach James Ward said he hates seeing players who built Booker into a strong program leave for other schools. Jefferson County scrapped both its varsity and JV seasons the same day, after 10 players showed up to practice.

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➤ Miami-Dade County: The state returned the Everglades airstrip that housed the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center to county control. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wants the land permanently protected. Gov. Ron DeSantis says the site processed and deported nearly 30,000 people before closing in June. (More)

➤ Florida City: A mother was ordered held without bond on an aggravated manslaughter charge after her 5-year-old daughter was shot on June 10. Ashley Hosendove, 32, told investigators the girl's 4-year-old brother found a gun in a fanny pack in her closet. (See Details)

➤ Orange County: Emails show the former county fire chief directed the $61,234 purchase of a 2026 Ford Expedition, then told a commissioner two days later that he had no new vehicle. Anthony Rios resigned. (See Emails)

➤ Tallahassee: A Tennessee man was federally indicted over the 2024 arson of the historic Exchange Bank downtown. The arson count carries five to 20 years in prison, and an interstate travel charge tied to racketeering adds up to five more. (More)

➤ Martin County: A deputy saved a senior citizen's $600,000 after a caller posing as his bank told him to protect the money by buying gold bars. The gold hadn't shipped, and the vendor canceled the sale and refunded him in full. (Read Story)

➤ West Palm Beach: Attorney General James Uthmeier charged seven people with running shell construction companies that underreported payroll to lower their workers' comp premiums, then renting insurance certificates to uninsured subcontractors. Nearly $100 million moved through the network. (See Details)

➤ Miami Lakes: A statue honoring a 5-year-old boy who died of brain cancer is back with his family after being stolen from the park named for him. Detectives arrested Derick Coca, 27, as he tried to drop off the $8,000 statue. (See Photo)

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➤ Miami Hurricanes men's basketball coach Jai Lucas agreed to a five-year contract extension this week after leading Miami to a 26-9 record and an NCAA tournament appearance in his first season as head coach. (More)

➤ Florida State will retire kicker Sebastian Janikowski's No. 38 jersey during the season opener against New Mexico State on Aug. 29. Janikowski won college football's best kicker award twice and remains the last kicker ever drafted in the first round. (More)

➤ The Tampa Bay Rays completed a perfect 9-0 road trip, sweeping series against the Rockies, Mariners, and A's. It's the first unbeaten trip of three or more series in franchise history, and just the 13th time any team has done it since 1900. (More)

➤ Dolphins rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas, a third-round pick out of Texas Tech, has been listed as a starter on Miami's initial depth chart after emerging as the standout of training camp. (More)

➤ Lionel Messi came on at halftime Wednesday, days after his father's death, but León beat Inter Miami 3-2 and ended the Herons' Leagues Cup run. Messi posted earlier that he has "serious doubts" about playing much longer. (More)

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➤ A single adult needs about $101,000 a year to live comfortably in Florida, which is enough to cover the basics, spend a little, and still put away 20% of after-tax pay. In Palm Beach County, it's $109,200. (See Report)

➤ Spirit Airlines' headquarters campus in Dania Beach sold for $93.25 million at a bankruptcy auction, going to an affiliate of Boston investment firm Hill City Capital. The airline shut down operations on May 2. (See Details)

➤ A Popeyes restaurant in Sumter County went dark after its landlord moved to evict the franchisee, who ran up $500,000 in unpaid rent. The closure is temporary. (More)

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➤ Coastersaurus, Florida's only fully wooden roller coaster, reopens Sunday at Legoland Florida in Winter Haven after a rebuild meant to keep it running another 20 to 30 years. Kids as short as 42 inches can ride with an adult. (See Video)

➤ A 117-mph driver on Interstate 95 told a Brevard County deputy he was racing to a Buc-ee's bathroom 60 miles away. Sheriff Wayne Ivey pointed out the jail has bathrooms, too, minus the snacks. The driver faces reckless driving charges. (More)

➤ A Gainesville documentary about a Mac's Drive Thru employee's final shift after 37 years has been picked up by Netflix. One Last Order won audience awards at the Aspen, Miami, and Nantucket film festivals. (More)

➤ A Maitland nonprofit gets paralyzed clients out of their wheelchairs for therapy after doctors told them they'd never walk again. Amanda Perla, quadriplegic since a car crash at 18, now helps run Next Step Orlando. (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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Hawaii's Big Island is under a hurricane watch as a strengthening Pacific storm threatens heavy rain and flooding. (Hear Details)

➤ Luigi Mangione is reportedly weighing a courtroom move that could upend his murder trial in New York. (Hear Episode)

➤ Tech executives are cloning themselves with artificial intelligence, and some of the digital doubles are already going rogue. (Listen Now)