The morning edition

Front Porch Florida — Monday, August 31, 2026

Monday, August 31, 2026

Same edition as the morning email.

Monday, August 31, 2026

Good Morning! On August 31, 1902, the three-masted schooner John F. Krantz sailed into Key West from Bath, Maine, with 900 tons of ice and ended an island ice famine. Conchs could buy it by the wagonload or at the warehouse for 75 cents a hundred pounds — cold cargo for a late-summer Keys kitchen before electric ice plants made the wait for a Maine schooner a memory.

On August 31, 1833, German naturalist Dr. E.F. Leitner reached Key West after a four-month solo crossing of the Everglades. Snakebite and rheumatic fever nearly killed him, and a Pavilion Key shipwreck had taken most of his first haul; he still came ashore with about 700 plant species, animal and bird skins, and a manatee skeleton.

In This Issue: Roman Space Telescope launched from Kennedy, about 440,000 Floridians dropped ACA plans, and the Rays walked off the Padres to sweep.

High pressure north of Florida keeps a deep easterly flow Monday, with a weak mid-level trough still nearby. Morning showers can work onshore along the Atlantic, then the sea breeze shoves storms inland through the afternoon. Coverage is highest from Gainesville and Orlando west to Tampa Bay and Fort Myers, where storms are likely, and lower across the western Panhandle, Jacksonville, Daytona, and the Keys (about 30–50%). Isolated stronger cells can bring brief downpours, gusty winds, frequent lightning, and street flooding. Highs run from the upper 80s at the Atlantic beaches to the low 90s inland, with heat-index values around 100–106 — hot and muggy, below Heat Advisory criteria for Monday.

No tropical cyclone threat to Florida Monday (National Hurricane Center). Invest AL97 in the northern Gulf is likely to become a short-lived tropical depression or storm before the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast Tuesday — not a Florida Monday land threat. Remnants of Dolly near Puerto Rico are a midweek SE Gulf watch item only. Rip-current risk Monday: moderate NE Florida, Panhandle (including Pensacola-area), Palm Beach, and Volusia/Daytona; low west-central/SW Gulf and Broward/Miami-Dade/Collier. Walton County’s High Rip Current Risk expires 1:00 a.m. EDT Monday.

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Lifts Off From Kennedy on Falcon Heavy

NASA said the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, beginning a three-month trip of about 1 million miles to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2.

CBS News put the mission at about $4.3 billion and said the 18,000-pound telescope rode the 13th Falcon Heavy flight; the two side boosters landed back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and NASA anticipates first images in early 2027.

NASA and SpaceX Delay Crew-13 After a Dragon Oxidizer Leak

NASA said it is adjusting the Crew-13 launch date to the International Space Station after teams found an oxidizer leak on the Dragon spacecraft’s propulsion system during standard prelaunch processing at the Cape. The mission had been aimed at Sept. 12; a new target will be announced once testing and any rework are done.

ClickOrlando reported the crew will still fly a Dragon on a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40: NASA commander Jessica Watkins, pilot Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos mission specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov.

About 440,000 Floridians Dropped ACA Plans After Subsidy Cut

The Associated Press said about 440,000 Floridians dropped Affordable Care Act marketplace plans this year after Congress let enhanced federal subsidies expire in January — more people than in any other state — and that Florida still has just over 3.8 million ACA enrollees, about a fifth of the national total.

NBC 6 ran the same AP package and noted KFF vice president Cynthia Cox’s reading that of roughly 443,000 Floridians who left the marketplace, most are likely going without insurance because the exchange is typically a last-resort source of coverage.

ProPublica: Pinellas and Orange Jails Rebooked Immigrants Past 72 Hours

ProPublica reported that the Orange County Jail in Orlando rebooked 559 immigrants held for ICE two or more times from July 2025 until early February 2026, when the practice stopped, and that Pinellas County rebooked 174 at least twice from July 2025 until the rebookings appeared to cease in July 2026.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told ICE in February that ICE inmates would be limited to one continuous stay of up to 72 hours; Pinellas later shifted toward longer single stays. A DHS spokesperson told ProPublica “ICE is NOT breaking any laws by making custody determinations based on bed space.”

➤ Kendall: Devon Aire Park’s roughly $3 million field renovation at 10411 SW 122nd Ave. is still unfinished more than a year after a July 2025 deadline, with no completion date; Local 10 says arsenic in the soil has been addressed but drainage still floods the field, and youth teams are splitting games across five sites.

➤ Tampa: Tampa is spending $2.2 million to flood-proof the 1963 wastewater pumping station on 109th Avenue in Forest Hills — a new electrical building about nine feet up, a second pump, and a generator with a 600-gallon tank — one of 33 station upgrades in the city’s $2.9 billion Pipes Program, due 2027.

➤ Orlando: Orlando has halted the conceptual master plan for 50-acre Harry P. Leu Gardens (new visitor center, lakefront dining and retail, outdoor pavilion, children’s garden, expanded parking) after resident pushback and what city officials called uncertainty around Amendment 3 and future property-tax revenue.

➤ Jacksonville: Met Park Marina opened its docks Wednesday, Aug. 12, next to EverBank Stadium on the St. Johns River with 78 slips (power, water, fuel, Wi-Fi); reservations started that day.

➤ Broward: Broward’s Solid Waste Authority won an 80% city-vote threshold for a countywide waste master plan after 10 years of talks — 5 million tons of trash a year, a goal to divert at least 60% from landfills, and a standardized recycling/composting system the board wants in place by the end of 2027.

➤ Westlake: Palm Beach County’s still-unnamed three-story elementary in Westlake is a $48 million, 97,000-square-foot campus for 972 students, ahead of schedule and on budget for an August 2027 opening, with solar planned; Principal Darline Winewski is already assigned.

➤ North Port: Wellen Park High School opened Aug. 10 as Sarasota County’s first new public high school in 25 years; Spectrum Bay News 9 put the build at $250 million, principal Mark Grossenbacher said more than 1,000 students transferred in, and the campus is designed for a little more than 2,200.

➤ Panama City: Panama City broke ground Aug. 4 on Phase 1 of Joe Moody Harris Park in Millville — closed nearly eight years since Hurricane Michael — with playgrounds for ages 2–5 and 5–12, basketball court, walking trail, picnic pavilion and grills; Commissioner Janice Lucas said the park should be active again in about nine to twelve months.

➤ Port St. Lucie: Tradition Lakes K–8 opened one week late (Aug. 17) inside a new $76 million campus. Calendar not extended.

➤ Daytona Beach: Seabreeze beach approach repairs of about $65,000 (concrete slab, beam, and column) have the ramp closed, with work expected 60–90 days.

Gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds told Coastal Conservative News this week that if elected he will respect city and county bans or moratoriums on data centers — “No, we will respect them” — while still backing the industry and saying he will “share information” with Floridians about how to mitigate impacts; Florida Politics (Aug. 29) lists outright bans including Walton (over 50 megawatts), Escambia and Jackson (unincorporated), Indian River (hyperscale), Vero Beach, and Wakulla, plus moratoriums in Citrus, Clay, DeSoto (except one project), Hernando, Lake, Nassau, Pasco (unincorporated), Santa Rosa, Sarasota (hyperscale), Washington, and the cities of Lakeland, Pensacola (hyperscale), and Zephyrhills, and notes Democrat David Jolly backs a moratorium while Leading the Future has committed $5 million toward Donalds and AI education.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told Florida Politics (Aug. 30) she and U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon are “good,” days after Axios reported a heated call over Nixon’s Democratic Socialists of America membership following Nixon’s primary win over better-funded Alex Vindman; Fried declined to say whether Nixon should quit the DSA, said Republicans have called Democrats socialists since 2018, and cited July 31 registration of more than 5.6 million Republicans and under 4.1 million Democrats — while arguing 23 million Floridians, not party labels, will decide a “change” midterm.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 28 reappointed John “Cole” Oliver (attorney/partner, Lowndes Law Firm; SJRWMD treasurer; Brevard/Canaveral Port charter review alum) and Janet Price (Fernandina Beach; former Rayonier senior environmental-affairs manager) to the St. Johns River Water Management District’s unpaid nine-member board, which covers drinking water and related issues across 18 counties from the Treasure Coast north toward Georgia; Florida Politics (Aug. 30) and the governor’s release say both need Florida Senate confirmation.

Otto Aerospace filed an Aug. 21 environmental-resource permit preapplication with the St. Johns River Water Management District for a two-building manufacturing/headquarters campus on about 80 acres near Hangar 825 at Jacksonville’s Cecil Airport — more than $430 million in investment, targeting 400-plus jobs by 2031 (about $90,000 average wage) with potential growth to 1,200 by 2040, plus $34.9 million in Jacksonville Aviation Authority incentives and a $20 million city REV grant tied to milestones — to build the Phantom 3500 business jet after Flexjet’s firm order for 300 aircraft (~$5.85 billion list) with first flight aimed at 2027 and deliveries in 2030 (Construction Review Online, Aug. 25).

Hernon Manufacturing Inc. opened a $2.8 million, 13,000-square-foot building at 120 Tech Drive in Sanford, directly across from its 60,000-square-foot headquarters, to expand production of dispensing systems and UV-curing equipment (WFTV Aug. 29; Orlando Economic Partnership). President Harry Arnon said the company, which relocated from New York in 1990, bought and renovated the building for its equipment department.

Brand Finance’s independent valuation, released by VISIT FLORIDA on Aug. 28, puts Florida’s tourism brand at a record $162 billion in 2026, up 14% from $142 billion in 2024 (Key West Citizen reprint; CEO Bryan Griffin).

Buccaneers Release Jake Browning; Jalon Daniels Is the No. 2 Quarterback

Ian Rapoport, via NBC Sports Pro Football Talk, said Tampa Bay is releasing Jake Browning as it sets the 53-man roster, leaving undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels (Kansas) as the only quarterback behind Baker Mayfield after Connor Bazelak’s Saturday exit. Daniels went 8-of-15 for 57 yards Friday.

Dolphins Trade for Kyle McCord to Back Up Malik Willis

ESPN said Miami sent a 2028 sixth-round pick — the same selection acquired Saturday for Quinn Ewers — to Green Bay for Kyle McCord to back up Malik Willis after waiving Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski left Willis alone in the room. McCord was a 2025 sixth-round Eagles pick.

Jaguars Lock Initial 53; Mullens Out, UDFA Bryan Thomas Jr. In

Jacksonville finalized its NFL 53-man roster by Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, releasing veteran backup QB Nick Mullens and waiving training-camp surprise CB Jabbar Muhammad and LBs Yasir Abdullah, Jalen McLeod, and Jack Kiser, among others, while keeping undrafted free-agent DE Bryan Thomas Jr. (South Carolina) — the only UDFA on the initial 53 after 2.5 sacks Friday vs. Tampa Bay — with all drafted rookies making the club and seventh-round edge Zach Durfee on IR/designated to return (News4JAX). Opener: Sept. 13 vs. Browns.

Scoreboard

Rays 5, Padres 4 (FINAL/11)

Marlins 6, Nationals 2 (FINAL)

Schedule

Mon Aug 31 — Mets at Rays, Tropicana Field, 6:40 p.m. ET

Mon Aug 31 — Marlins at Nationals, Nationals Park, 6:45 p.m. ET

Florida regular averaged $3.8947 a gallon Sunday, according to AAA — down 2 cents from Saturday ($3.9173) but up 3 cents from a week ago ($3.8608), and still 18 cents under the national $4.0787. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the dearest named metro at $4.0560; Panama City is cheapest at $3.6898.

Jupiter High School student John Abkemeier Jr. performed CPR for about three minutes on his father after John Abkemeier collapsed with a heart attack June 26 while the family watched soccer at their Palm Beach Gardens home — just two weeks after PE coach Ben Kennerson taught CPR in class — and was later honored with the American Heart Association Heart Saver Hero Award; WPTV quotes the father calling his son “my hero.”

Eastside High sophomore Kaayana Sharma, 16, completed her Eagle Scout project by installing two “take a book, leave a book” lending libraries outside Baby Gator’s Lake Alice and Diamond Village sites (UF Early Childhood Collaboratory), coordinating Troop 21 volunteers who painted the boxes; The Independent Florida Alligator (Aug. 25) says she is a former Baby Gator preschooler returning the literacy love, with admin Victoria Alexander donating the libraries and kids waiting for books the day of install.

While staying at her family’s Sanibel home, Tampa high-schooler Giada Brestelli volunteered 51.5 hours over two weeks with FISH of Sanibel Captiva — stocking the food pantry, unloading deliveries, greeting clients, and handing out youth food backpacks — and wrote a school essay on how service means making people feel welcomed; Santiva Chronicle quotes Volunteer & Office Coordinator MJ Hays and mentor Victoria Madaras on her enthusiasm and growth.

Joke of the Day

A Florida roundabout is not a traffic tool. It is a personality test.

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning Gibbous, 87% illuminated (USNO, noon local Monday Aug 31). Full Moon was 12:18 a.m. EDT Friday Aug 28.

Sunrise / Sunset (Monday Aug 31):
Tallahassee (EDT): 7:13 a.m. / 8:01 p.m.
Miami (EDT): 7:01 a.m. / 7:41 p.m.
Key West (EDT): 7:08 a.m. / 7:46 p.m.
Pensacola (CDT): 6:25 a.m. / 7:13 p.m.

Gardening Late August into September is fall-garden start-up. North Florida can start many cool-season crops plus a last warm-season round; Central can still plant tomatoes, beans, carrots. August/September plantings are extra susceptible to insects and diseases in the heat. Some municipalities ban lawn fertilizer June–September. (UF/IFAS)

Coastal / Red Tide (FWC): Written statewide report dated August 28, 2026 is still current. Past week: Karenia brevis in 13 East Coast samples; bloom (>100,000 cells/L) in one Nassau County sample; background to low in Duval and St. Johns; not observed in Southwest or Northwest Florida. No red-tide fish kills or respiratory-irritation reports that week. Next written report: Friday, Sep 4.

Florida by the Numbers

91,068 people in Florida prisons as of June 30, 2026. Agency: Florida Legislature, Office of Economic & Demographic Research, Criminal Justice Estimating Conference (July 29, 2026).

Today’s Poll

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday from Kennedy. Did you catch it?

Yesterday’s Results

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is set for 7:26 a.m. Sunday from Kennedy. Will you watch?

Yes, live 50% · I’ll catch a replay 32% · Not this one 18%

Florida Lottery

PICK 2 Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 0-7 Fireball 0

PICK 3 Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 3-2-3 Fireball 0

PICK 4 Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 0-4-0-6 Fireball 0

PICK 5 Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 9-8-2-9-4 Fireball 0

CASH POP Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 12

CASH POP Late Night — Sun Aug 30 — 5

Fantasy 5 Evening — Sun Aug 30 — 7-11-23-26-29

Jackpot Triple Play — Fri Aug 28 — 5-11-15-22-30-43

Mega Millions — Fri Aug 28 — 8-17-29-42-55 Mega Ball 2

Florida Lotto — Sat Aug 29 — 2-18-20-22-43-52 | Double Play 4-28-38-41-46-51

Powerball — Sat Aug 29 — 18-56-62-65-67 Powerball 18 Power Play 2x | Double Play 16-27-57-58-59 Powerball 7

Florida Lottery winning numbers

Like what you see? Join Below!

JOIN FRONT PORCH FLORIDA

Front Porch Florida

Florida News With No Spin

Unsubscribe