Florida
2024-2025 FSU women’s basketball season preview
Florida State finished last season with a 23-11 record (12-6 ACC) before falling to Alabama in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
The year before that Florida State finished with a 23-10 record (12-6 ACC) before falling to Georgia in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Do you sense a pattern?
Florida State has established itself as a consistently good program but the Seminoles have struggled to break through when it counts the most – the NCAA Tournament. FSU last won an NCAA Tournament game on March 22, 2019 defeating Bucknell 70-67.
The Noles are blessed with a talented, deep, and experienced roster so the pieces are in place. The question is whether FSU will be able to take advantage of the opportunity.
Let’s take a closer look at the Seminoles.
Roster
Arrivals
Raiane Dias Dos Santos (R-So., Gulf Coast State College)
Morelia Chavez (Jr., Eastern Arizona College)
Sydney Bowles (Jr., Texas A&M)
Malea Williams (Gr., Cincinnati)
Departures
Alexis Tucker (Graduated)
Sara Bejedi (Graduated)
Lucia Navarro (Transfer, Oregon State)
Sakyia White (Transfer, UL Monroe)
Backcourt
The Seminoles are blessed with a talented and experienced backcourt. Of course it all begins with ACC Player of the Year candidate Ta’Niya Latson (21.4pts, 4.2reb, .438 FG, .853 FT). Her line in her freshman year was 21.3 points, 4.5 reb, .455 FG, .859 FT. In other words, she has been remarkably productive and consistent in her time in Tallahassee. Latson’s three point percentage fell from .362 to .270 last year so that is one area where she can improve. Nevertheless, Latson is clearly one of the best players in the nation. If she can improve that three point percentage while continuing to attack the rim and get to the line she is more than talented enough to lead this team well past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Latson is on the preseason shooting guard of the year watchlist. She has also been named preseason first team all-ACC.
Senior O’Mariah Gordon will join Latson in the backcourt. OMG has been bedeviled by injuries for much of her career in Tallahassee but last year she was largely healthy. Gordon started all 34 games (13.2 pts, .423 FG, .384 3pt, .791 FT, 3.32 ast.) and was the court general at the point guard spot that the Seminoles really needed. The Noles are an uptempo team and that style fits Gordon’s game perfectly. She always pushes the pace and is not afraid to take it into the paint. If she can improve her assist total just a bit that would pay big dividends for the offense.
Carla Viegas will be an important player for FSU adding depth off the bench. Viegas is a knockdown shooter from deep (.352). She struggled to find her form early in the year but improved later in the season. Viegas will be counted on to provide scoring off the bench. If she can hit open shots while playing good defense Viegas will be rewarded with plenty of minutes.
Wings
Brianna “Snoop” Turnage earned a position as a solid starter by the end of the year. She provides defense and rebounding which is what FSU needs from her on the wing. Turnage is a versatile player who combines the size and length to guard frontcourt players with the quickness needed to check guards. Turnage averaged 2.1 points but the more important statistic for her is the 6.2 rebounds that she averaged last year.
Amaya Bonner was a player that flashed her tantalizing talent last year. She came up huge early in the year against Tennessee leading the Noles to the 92-91 win with eleven big fourth quarter points. Bonner is another versatile wing who can slide into the backcourt when needed. If Bonner can improve her consistency she has the ability to earn plenty of minutes.
Sydney Bowles is a player to watch. Bowles was a top 40 recruit coming out of high school and she got off to a hot start as a freshman at Texas A&M. She led the Aggies in total points that year and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. She suffered a sophomore slump last year and that resulted in her transfer to FSU. Bowles is a streaky shooter who can be deadly from deep when she gets hot. She also features the size and length to help Florida State defensively on the wing.
Raiane Dias Dos Santos and Morelia Chavez are two newcomers who have the ability to space the floor with three point shooting. Dias Dos Santos (.363 3pt) and Chavez (.412 3pt) have the ability to knock down shots. Their amount of playing time will likely be largely determined by how well they do on the defensive end.
Frontcourt
Makayla Timpson is back to anchor the frontcourt and that is extremely good news for Nole Nation. Timpson averaged a double-double last year (14.3pts, 10reb.) and was simply one of the most consistent players in the nation last year. Timpson is a very good rebounder especially on the offensive glass and she offers extremely reliable scoring in the post. Timpson is on the power forward of the year preseason watch list. She has also been named first team preseason all-ACC.
Florida State was a small team last year and the staff openly recognized the need to get bigger. Enter graduate student Malea Williams who transfers in from Cincinnati. Williams (8.3pts, 5.9reb) offers size at 6’4 but she also has the length and athleticism that the Seminoles need in the post. Williams is a stretch five as she shot .368 from deep last year. However, FSU really just needs Williams to provide rebounding and defense. Any offense will be gravy.
Avery Treadwell is another player who was ready last year when her number was called. Treadwell didn’t see a ton of action last year as a true freshman but with a year of experience under her belt she is poised for a bigger contribution this year. Treadwell is another player who offers size and rebounding.
Mariana Valenzuela is a player with a ton of upside. Valenzuela did not play for FSU last year due to a torn ACL that she suffered while playing FIBA basketball for Mexico in the summer of 2023. She was sorely missed. Valenzuela could potentially be a big piece of the puzzle for FSU this year. At 6’2 she shot .533 (40-75) from deep as a freshman two years ago. That stat says it all about her shooting ability. But it doesn’t end there. Valenzuela is also a rugged rebounder with the size to defend bigs in the post. Her absence last year was a major reason that FSU was not able to get over the hump in the postseason. Valenzuela has not fully recovered from her injury and will not be available to start the season. However, the staff is confident that she will be healthy enough to join the team at some point this season.
Outlook
Florida State has been an uptempo team under head coach Brooke Wyckoff. That will not change this year. In fact, the Seminoles will lean even more into playing as fast as possible. The Noles will extend their defense more often to pressure teams. The staff is confident in the depth of the team so they aren’t afraid to play substitutes off the bench.
If things break right (like getting Valenzuela back sooner rather than later) the pieces are in place for an impressive postseason run. The ACC is never easy and it will be particularly tough this year with six teams in the preseason top 25.
If Latson and Timpson can take the next step to become truly dominant players consistently and if Valenzuela can return soon (hopefully before the conference schedule starts) the ceiling is high for this group.
As always health will be a big factor in how FSU does this year. Assuming everything remains in place this team has what it takes to make some serious noise in both the conference and nationally.
Next Game
Florida State will host North Florida tomorrow at 11:00am in Tallahassee. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
Chandler’s bio from usajaguars.com:
At Georgia Tech: Saw action in one game during his freshman season … used the season as a redshirt year.
High School: Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … First-team all-district honoree … Versatile athlete played cornerback, wide receiver and quarterback over the course of his prep career … Four-year letterwinner earned one letter apiece at four different high schools … Began high school at Westside H.S. in Jacksonville, Fla. as a freshman (2020), then moving to the Tallahassee area, where he attended Godby H.S. as a (2021) and Munroe H.S. (2022) as a junior before returning to Jacksonville to attend Wakulla H.S. as a senior (2023) … Helped lead Wakulla to an undefeated regular season and berth in the Florida 2S state playoffs as a senior in ‘23 … Coached at Wakulla by Barry Klees … Also played basketball … Honor roll student.
Local voters weighed in. City Councils pushed back. School boards flipped. Yet, in Southwest Florida, 2025 proved that political gravity still pulls hard toward Tallahassee.
From airport governance fights and higher education shakeups to school board drama and rare recall elections, the year was defined by clashes over who holds power.
Florida Politics has curated the top stories that capture the moments that shaped local government and education across Southwest Florida in 2025. Familiar figures returned, institutions were reshaped, and community pushback met an increasingly centralized political reality.
Together, they tell the story of a region grappling with state influence, voter intent and the limits of local control.
New College expansion plans unsettle Sarasota’s higher education landscape
New College of Florida spent much of 2025 at the center of a high-stakes tug-of-war over control of Sarasota’s cultural and academic institutions, with support from DeSantis, who repeatedly floated proposals that would dramatically expand the school’s footprint.
The year opened with a DeSantis proposal to strip Florida State University of control over The Ringling Museum complex and place the internationally recognized cultural assets under New College’s management. Lawmakers ultimately shelved that plan in the Spring, along with a separate concept that would have placed New College in charge of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus.
But the issue resurfaced late this year in far more concrete form. DeSantis’ December budget proposal revived the push by directing a wholesale transfer of all USF Sarasota-Manatee campus facilities to New College. Around a week later, New College Trustees approved a new comprehensive plan that showcases plans for rapid expansion if certain political hurdles are cleared. And New College continues to hold out hope for a land purchase from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
The renewed proposal underscores the DeSantis administration’s commitment to reshaping New College into a larger, more influential institution in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Naples Airport Authority overhaul ignites home rule fight
A push by Collier County lawmakers to overhaul governance of the Naples Airport Authority became one of Southwest Florida’s most contentious political storylines of 2025, exposing deep rifts between state legislators, city officials and aviation stakeholders.
The effort, led by Rep. Adam Botana, aims to replace the long-standing structure of the city-appointed Naples Airport Authority with an elected board. Supporters argue the airport serves the broader region and should be accountable to all Collier County voters, while critics warn the move would dilute Naples’ control over its own destiny and undermine home rule.
Tensions escalated after the Airport Authority rejected millions in federal aviation grants and Naples City Council attempted, but later abandoned the effort, to expand its oversight of airport development. Those decisions fueled frustration among pilots, tenants and some lawmakers, who questioned the board’s composition and its dependence on city politics.
The dispute spilled into public view through sharply worded exchanges between city and state leaders, highlighting broader friction over local authority, taxation and the Legislature’s growing role in municipal affairs. Despite vocal opposition from the City of Naples, Botana’s proposal advanced steadily, winning unanimous support from the Collier legislative delegation and clearing its first House committee without debate.
The bill is positioned to place all five Airport Authority seats on the 2026 ballot if approved by the Legislature in the new year.
Karen Rose, Bridget Ziegler and Sarasota education politics come full circle
Sarasota County’s education politics in 2025 were defined by reversals, returns and unresolved controversy, as familiar figures cycled back into power despite voter pushback and lingering scandal.
The year began with fallout from the 2024 election, when voters rejected several conservative Sarasota County School Board candidates aligned with Gov. Ron DeSantis, including incumbent Karen Rose. But DeSantis remedied that months later by appointing Rose back onto the School Board months later to fill a vacancy, effectively restoring her to office despite her recent electoral defeat.
The dance did not stop there. Rose’s return placed her once again alongside Bridget Ziegler, whose influence on the School Board has persisted despite national scrutiny. Ziegler, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, remained on the board after a 2023 sex scandal involving her husband, former Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, made headlines and fractured political circles. That dispute continued in 2025, when the Ziegler’s sued the City of Sarasota and police detectives alleging constitutional violations stemming from an investigation that ultimately produced no criminal charges.
Although Rose once called for Ziegler’s resignation in the early days of the scandal, the two women reemerged in leadership roles by year’s end. Once re-installed by DeSantis, Rose helped return Ziegler to the School Board Chairmanship. Simultaneously Rose herself advanced through confirmation to a powerful regional post on the State College of Florida Board of Trustees, another DeSantis appointment.
Together, their political resurgence underscores a broader theme that defined Sarasota’s education landscape in 2025. Voter backlash did not translate to lasting change, and controversies that once seemed career-ending have become ammo in court.
Schools of Hope expansion triggers backlash in Sarasota and across the state
Florida’s Schools of Hope program emerged as one of the most volatile education fights of 2025, with Sarasota County becoming an early focal point for the growing backlash against a state mandate that allows charter schools to claim space in public school buildings.
Budget language approved for the 2025–26 fiscal year dramatically broadened the program, allowing “Hope operators” to claim space inside any public school deemed underused, regardless of academic performance or local approval. Because every school district contains an opportunity zone, the change effectively opened thousands of campuses statewide to potential charter incursions.
In Sarasota County, Miami-based charter networks quickly signaled interest in occupying space inside campuses with strong academic track records. The letters of intent stoked fears that successful public schools could be forced to share classrooms, cafeterias and playgrounds with outside operators with no ties to the community, and without compensation for use of space and resources.
DeSantis defended the policy as a targeted intervention aimed at struggling communities, insisting most Floridians would never notice the schools being created. But data shows the program’s reach extends well beyond traditionally underserved areas. By Fall, bipartisan frustration had spilled into the Legislature. A bill filed by Sen. Darryl Rouson aims to repeal the co-location requirement entirely, arguing the policy amounted to an unfunded mandate that forced districts to subsidize private operators.
Sarasota’s experience is one of many similar tales in communities across the state, forcing communities to scramble to either respond or fight to protect classrooms from what many view as forced takeovers. Rouson’s SB 424 will be one to watch during the 2026 Legislative Session.
Fort Myers immigration vote triggers Uthmeier
In Fort Myers, a split City Council vote rejected an agreement with federal immigration authorities triggered a rapid response from state leaders. Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the city risked being labeled a “sanctuary” jurisdiction and suggested Council members could face removal from office. The standoff highlighted how little room local governments had to maneuver on immigration policy once Tallahassee drew a hard line.
Florida land purchase ends in court dispute over contaminated land
In Collier County, pushback took a more personal note. Parker Collier, matriarch of a powerful real estate family, sued a former adviser for defamation after allegations surfaced that contaminated land had been sold to the state as part of a major conservation deal. The case opened a bitter dispute that blends environmental concerns, political influence and the limit of public accountability on high-dollar land deals.
Fort Myers Beach voters force the recall of two Council members
On Fort Myers Beach, voters delivered one of the rarest rebukes in local politics: A successful recall. Residents ousted Town Council members Karen Woodson and John King — although King’s case is tied up in court — over support for a controversial high-rise redevelopment at the site of the Red Coconut RV Park after it was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The vote marked the county’s first successful recall in decades.
Enos resignation opens door for Karen Rose
Board Chair Tim Enos resigned mid-year to return to his former role as chief of the Sarasota County Schools Police Department. His departure reopened questions about continuity and control, temporarily leaving the board evenly split and handing Gov. DeSantis another appointment to tilt the board’s direction. He used that appointment on Rose.
Sarasota school board debates anti-discrimination policy
Board members also reconsidered the district’s long-standing anti-discrimination policy, weighing whether to replace explicit protections for specific groups with language more in line with federal guidance under President Donald Trump. Critics warned the change could weaken safeguards for vulnerable students and staff, while supporters framed it as compliance amid legal and political uncertainty.
Tension over Tom Edwards support for inclusion
Political tensions sparked again when local Republicans called for openly gay Board member Tom Edwards to resign after he accepted a leadership role with a nonprofit focused on inclusion. Edwards brushed off the demand as partisan noise, but the episode reflected how school governance in Sarasota remains entangled in culture-war politics.
PALM BEACH, Florida >> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, hoping to forge a plan to end the war in Ukraine, but the American leader’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before the meeting suggests obstacles to peace remain.
Zelenskyy has said he hopes to soften a U.S. proposal for Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, a Russian demand that would mean ceding some territory held by Ukrainian forces.
Just before Zelenskyy and his delegation arrived at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the U.S. and Russian presidents spoke in a call described as “productive” by Trump and “friendly” by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Ushakov, in Moscow, said Putin told Trump a 60-day ceasefire proposed by the European Union and Ukraine would prolong the war. The Kremlin aide also said Ukraine needs to make a quick decision about land in the Donbas.
Meeting follows Russian attacks on Kyiv
Zelenskyy arrived at Mar-a-Lago early on Sunday afternoon, as Russian air raids pile pressure on Kyiv. Russia hit the capital and other parts of Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday, knocking out power and heat in parts of Kyiv. Zelenskyy has described the weekend attacks as Russia’s response to the U.S.-brokered peace efforts, but Trump on Sunday said he believes Putin and Zelenskyy are serious about peace.
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“I do think we have the makings of a deal,” Trump said. “We have two willing countries. We are in the final stages of talking,” Trump said.
The U.S. president said he will call Putin again after meeting with Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy had previously told journalists he plans to discuss the fate of the contested Donbas region with Trump, as well as the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and other topics.
Russia claims more battlefield advances
Putin said on Saturday Moscow would continue waging its war if Kyiv did not seek a quick peace. Russia has steadily advanced on the battlefield in recent months, claiming control over several more settlements on Sunday.
While Kyiv and Washington have agreed on many issues, the issue of what territory, if any, will be ceded to Russia remains unresolved. While Moscow insists on getting all of the Donbas, Kyiv wants the map frozen at current battle lines.
The U.S., seeking a compromise, has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area, although it remains unclear how that zone would function in practical terms.
U.S. negotiators have also proposed shared control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Power line repairs have begun there after another local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the agency said on Sunday.
Russia controls all of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and since its invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago has taken control of about 12% of its territory, including about 90% of Donbas, 75% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and slivers of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to Russian estimates.
Putin said on December 19 that a peace deal should be based on conditions he set out in 2024: Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO. Zelenskyy’s past encounters with Trump have not always gone smoothly, but Sunday’s meeting follows weeks of diplomatic efforts. European allies, while at times cut out of the loop, have stepped up efforts to sketch out the contours of a post-war security guarantee for Kyiv that the United States would support.
Asked by a reporter if he was prepared to sign a security guarantee on Sunday, Trump called that a dumb question. “No one knows what the security agreement will say,” Trump said.
On Sunday, ahead of the Mar-a-Lago visit, Zelenskyy said he held a detailed phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump and Zelenskyy will hold a phone call with European leaders at some point during the Florida meeting, Trump said. The 20-point plan was spun off from a Russian-led 28-point plan, which emerged from talks between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, and which became public in November.
Subsequent talks between Ukrainian officials and U.S. negotiators have produced the more Kyiv-friendly 20-point plan.
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