Tuesday, Aug. 20 isn’t the big day. But it is a big day.
Voters all over Florida will head to the polls to cast a ballot in the primary, setting the field for the Nov. 5 general election. Incumbent Republicans like U.S. Sen. Rick Scott will have to fend off opponents from their own party before moving on to November. Others, like U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who didn’t draw primary challengers will soon know their general election opponents.
Some races down the ballot will be decided Tuesday. For example, in the Hillsborough County District 3 school board race, voters will decide between Myosha Powell, who was endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Jessica Vaughn, who’s been backed by the Florida Democratic Party.
A winner could be chosen in school board races with more than two candidates if a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote. If not, the top two finishers advance to the general election.
With so many results set to pour in, here are the major storylines to focus on.
In the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has benefited from support from her national party. When President Joe Biden came to Tampa to campaign, Mucarsel-Powell was the only Democrat in her race who spoke at the rally. Others were not offered time.
Scott has largely ignored the Democrats other than Mucarsel-Powell, training much of his fire on the former U.S. representative from South Florida. In multiple cities, Scott has paid for mobile billboards calling Mucarsel-Powell a “socialist” — a label the Democrat vehemently denies.
Mucarsel-Powell is running against former attorney Brian Rush, Navy veteran and technology executive Stanley Campbell and Army veteran Rod Joseph.
Scott faces two primary challengers, Keith Gross and John Columbus. Both Mucarsel-Powell and Scott are expected to cruise to victory.
Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign committee has reported about $14.4 million in fundraising, according to the Federal Election Commission. That’s more than 10 times what her three opponents’ committees have raised combined. Scott, one of the richest members of the U.S. Senate, has loaned his campaign more money than his opponents have raised put together.
“I know that I can defeat Rick Scott, and that’s what I’ve been focusing on, but we need to get through the primary first,” Mucarsel-Powell said in an interview this month. “I’m not taking anything for granted.”
Campbell appears to be Mucarsel-Powell’s closest competitor. In June, the labor group Florida AFL-CIO endorsed him, and he’s loaned his campaign $1 million.
In an interview, Campbell said it was clear the Democratic Party had picked Mucarsel-Powell as its preferred candidate early on.
“It’s hard enough fighting the battles of an election, but it’s much more difficult when you have to go against (Senate Democratic Leader) Chuck Schumer in your race.”
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Scott’s team, meanwhile, is projecting confidence. They claim that few voters know who Mucarsel-Powell is and that she could be in for an embarrassing showing.
“The fact that Stanley Campbell’s name comes first on the ballot is a real fear for her,” said Scott political adviser Chris Hartline.
For years, Florida’s Republican governor has made partisan control of local education policy one of his top priorities. In 2022, DeSantis endorsed 30 candidates, and 80% of his picks won.
This year, DeSantis is following that effort with a slate of 23 endorsements. In a July post to X, DeSantis wrote that his preferred candidates “have pledged to serve with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency.”
Five of his picks this cycle come in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. In Hillsborough, the board is mostly composed of registered Democrats; DeSantis is hoping to change that.
Three of DeSantis’ candidates have just one opponent, meaning their races will be decided Tuesday. There’s Hillsborough’s District 3 race between Powell and Vaughn. Incumbent Laura Hine will have to fend off a challenge from the DeSantis-backed Danielle Marolf in Pinellas’ District 1. And DeSantis’ pick Erika Picard is hoping to unseat Eileen Long in Pinellas’ District 4.
Edwin Benton, a professor of political science and public administration at USF, said Tuesday gives Democrats an opportunity to showcase how serious they are about contesting races up and down the ballot.
“It’s very important for the Democrats to show up, because in past elections, they have been unenthusiastic,” Benton said.
Every major election cycle, prognosticators, journalists and voters spend months poring over polling data hoping to glean insights into American politics. Who will win the presidency? How will voters decide on major consequential constitutional amendments about abortion and legal marijuana?
In theory, Florida’s primaries, held a dozen weeks before Election Day, offer a real-world look at how motivated people are to get to the polls. Surely an August election offers insight into how people will vote, right?
Not exactly, political experts say.
“I wouldn’t really look too closely at turnout numbers for August and draw any conclusions about what it might mean for November,” said Michael Binder, a professor at the University of North Florida who runs that institution’s public opinion research lab.
First, there’s the issue of no-party-affiliated voters. Although dedicated citizens who don’t belong to a party will vote in Tuesday’s primary, they won’t be able to choose Democratic or Republican candidates in high-profile races for Congress. Instead, they’ll be left to pick local school board members, judges and other municipal officials.
That means we will learn almost nothing about the millions of no-party-affiliated Florida voters who don’t show up Tuesday.
Many who are affiliated with a party will also skip Tuesday’s primary. Those who vote in primaries are typically the most dedicated political observers in the state, Binder said.
General elections in November are decided by everyone else.
• • •
2024 primary voter guide: Over 100 local candidates on the issues: Here’s who’s running for office and their stances on abortion, immigration, local schools and more.
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Cape Coral has one. So do Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples.
And now it’s Fort Myers Beach’s turn to get its very own food truck park.
Access 26 Family Food Truck Park is expected to open early next year at 2500 Estero Blvd. and Beach Access 26. On June 8, Stevens Construction broke ground on the project, which will highlight five yet-to-be-announced food trucks, all with unique menus.
And there’s more. A bar with covered seating, Manny’s Scoops ice cream and retail area will be featured in a two-story, 3,000 square-foot structure. Storage, office space, restrooms, coolers, a freezer and a dumbwaiter system for beer kegs and supplies will take up the second floor.
A 569-square-foot comfort center with restrooms, storage and three outdoor showers is also planned, along with a curbside table rail, artificial turf play area, three shade canvas structures, guest parking lot and beach access.
And it’s designed with storms and hurricanes in mind — the building’s generator and mechanical equipment will be above flood level, metal flood panels and waterproof walls will help with storm surge and flooding, and the foundation’s design lets water flow through more easily.
Access 26 is the latest food truck park to join Southwest Florida’s growing eatertainment scene. Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina opened a year ago on July 4 with food trucks, a large covered central bar, live music daily and more in Cape Coral.
Bay Street Yard first brought its vibrant food and entertainment concept to downtown Fort Myers in May 2024, while Backyard Social debuted its food trucks and family-fun daytime and 21-and-up nightlife format in south Fort Myers in October 2023.
Bonita Springs welcomed Rooftop at Riverside’s two-story, two-bar (one on the rooftop) open-air venue with food trucks in January 2024.
Naples’ Celebration Park — a waterfront destination with gourmet food trucks, bar and live music — led the way, opening in November 2018.
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.
NASA’s next great observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center aboard the agency’s massive Pegasus barge late Sunday morning.
The spacecraft was nestled inside its protective case, which NASA nicknamed the “Chariot” in keeping with the “Roman” theme. That said, telescope is named not for the ancient empire, but instead for NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, Nancy Grace Roman.
“She was a key person in our exploration of space. She understood that in order to better understand the universe, you have to go in space,” said Lucas Paganini, the program executive for Roman. “That’s why she’s called the ‘Mother of Hubble’ because she made Hubble possible.”
The 43-foot-tall observatory disembarked from the barge shortly after 7 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC), following a stream of thunderstorms that delayed its departure by about an hour. The spacecraft will travel to the south end of the KSC campus to a building called the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.
There it will undergo a roughly 70-day prelaunch campaign involving checkouts, fueling, and finally the encapsulation inside the payload fairing of a Falcon Heavy rocket. The observatory is set to launch from Launch Complex 39A no earlier than August 30, moved up from the original September launch date.
“A lot of credit to this great team. They’ve been able to accommodate schedules, to accelerate to be able to launch earlier,” Paganini said. “There’s a lot of things going on at the Cape and of course the team has been amazing.”
This was the second trip to Florida for the Pegasus barge this year after it dropped off the propellant tank section of the core stage for the Artemis 3 Space Launch System rocket back in late April. While the spacecraft arrived safely, Neil Patel, the Roman mechanical engineer who traveled with the observatory, said it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing after leaving from Massachusetts.
“We do have a tight temperature tolerance on the observatory. We need to stay below 74 degrees. We have two cooling units: we had a primary and a redundant unit and they just weren’t getting the job done down here, so we had to make a stop, add additional rental units,” Patel said.
“Again, it was an amazing effort to have a team come down on an emergency basis. Basically, a MacGyver crew came in and we added additional units and those units did maintain the temperature quite well.”
Roman is designed to operate near a fixed point in space called Lagrange Point 2, about 1.5 million km away from the Earth on the side opposite the Sun. It’s designed to operate there for a minimum of five years, but Paganini said with the propellant onboard, it will likely last for 10 years or more.
The telescope is+ equipped with a 300 megapixel camera called the Wide Field Instrument, which features 18 detectors. It was developed by BAE Systems (formerly Ball Aerospace).
“It’s going to allow us to observe at least 100 times wider field of view than what we can do with Hubble. Same resolution, but a wider area, 1000 times faster,” Paganini said. “So what takes Roman a year to observe, it would take Hubble thousands of years. So it’s definitely much more efficient.”
The observatory also features a chronograph instrument, developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which will allow Roman to observe the faint light of exoplanets near their stars.
Paganini said Roman will also help scientists better understand dark matter and dark energy, the combination of which he calls the “dark universe”.
“100 years ago, we discovered that the universe was expanding. 25 years ago, we discovered that it was expanding at an accelerated pace and that’s what led to a Nobel Prize,” Paganini said. “What we don’t quite know yet is if that acceleration is changing in ways. We don’t know if it’s actually dark energy, what is producing it, or is it simply that we don’t understand gravity at all.
“So eventually, we’ll see if the laws of physics that we use these days are the right ones for what we are observing. But at the end is, we’re trying to understand a very human question, which is where do we come from and where are wea heading in this universe that is our neighborhood?”
Uncrowded towns on Florida’s Emerald Coast are hard to come by—unless you know where to look. With kids off from school, summertime brings the added challenge of even larger crowds. Nonetheless, you can still find underrated, less-frequented vacation spots in Florida that are worth considering. In Blue Mountain Beach, a quiet morning might look like paddling past lily pads on a coastal dune. The endless stretches of sand and pier views in Navarre Beach will inevitably make you want to slow down to take a daily breather. Overshadowed, yet no less striking, each of the towns in this article promises crowd-free summer fun.
Blue Mountain Beach is a best-kept secret of Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A. Locals say the community got its name from sailors who mistook the flower-covered dunes for mountains. Today, these 65-foot sandy hills remain a stunning centerpiece of Blue Mountain Beach. Still, even in the summertime, a residential atmosphere keeps this towering beach town laid-back and uncrowded.
Blue Mountain Regional Beach Access features spectacular access to the Emerald Coast. Nearby, Red Fish Taco pairs authentic Mexican food with refreshing margaritas after your time in the sand. For more outdoor fun with even smaller crowds, the town also has 3 rare coastal dune lakes. Draper, Little Redfish, and Big Redfish Lake are all epic recreation spots for kayaking, paddleboarding, and fishing.
Santa Rosa Island is home to Navarre Beach, “Florida’s Most Relaxing Place.” Much like Blue Mountain Beach, this Emerald Coast suburb is a dream for introverted beachgoers. With zoning laws in place to prevent overdevelopment, Navarre Beach is less commercialized and less crowded than other resort towns.
Summer vacationers can snorkel and dive the artificial reefs at Navarre Beach Marine Park. Back above water, the 1,500-foot Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is a sweet spot for ocean views and angling. Capping its entrance, Windjammers on the Pier is a family-friendly restaurant and bar serving delicious seafood and tropical cocktails. On either side of this sightseeing haven, sunseekers can also sink their toes into the town’s white sands.
Gulf Breeze is an ideal town for zen vacationers and families. Since it is mainly a suburb and retirement haven, life here moves at a slower pace. Opposite Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach is a resort-style town and tourist magnet. By comparison, Gulf Breeze is the laid-back neighbor you visit if you want to relax.
Gulf Breeze beaches are not only less crowded, but naturally calmer. At the Naval Live Oaks Nature Preserve, the shores are shielded by Santa Rosa Island. This natural buffer accounts for the calm waters that families and novice swimmers love. The same applies to Deadman’s Island, a gorgeous place to kayak, snorkel, and sunbathe on Pensacola Bay. Afterward, the Gulf Breeze Zoo is a hit with all ages. Nearby, Florida seafood is a treat at Dave’s Oyster Bar and Grill.
Back on Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A, Inlet Beach is another underrated beach town. Since the community is mainly residential, many will drive straight through to Rosemary Beach, a busier town with resort amenities. But if you avoid judging a book by its cover, this suburban seaside has a ton to offer, including the area’s largest public beach access.
The public shores in Inlet Beach have 3 boardwalks and plenty of sand to go around. Offshore, snorkelers and divers can also explore a unique fish-shaped artificial reef rich with marine life. On the eastern shore of Inlet Beach, Camp Helen State Park has even more to offer. Home to Gulf beaches and Lake Powell, the park is a serene place to swim, sunbathe, and beachcomb.
Niceville is a Choctawhatchee Bay town with striking waterfronts. With no beaches of its own, it is often eclipsed by nearby Destin; even so, this solitude is far from a flaw. The little bay town is one of the best places in the Sunshine State to experience Old Florida at its most authentic.
Its diverse shores anchor Niceville’s best sites. Turkey Creek Park is a peaceful place to cool off in the summer, whether swimming, canoeing, or walking the boardwalk. Elsewhere, the Rocky Bayou is a centerpiece of Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park. Boating and hiking are a few of the best pastimes here, crowned with breathtaking Panhandle sunsets. Alternatively, head to The Locals Eatery for Boggy Bayou sunsets and award-winning food.
30 minutes east of Niceville, Freeport is another laid-back place to cool down in the summer. Bordering Choctawhatchee Bay, nature lovers prefer the town for its unspoiled outdoors and unfussy attractions. You won’t find high-rise resorts or rowdy boardwalks here, which is just how Freeport locals like it.
Harry A. Laird Park is a great first stop for a boardwalk stroll along Four Mile Creek. Elsewhere, Grady Brown Park hugs the northern edge of Choctawhatchee Bay. The wide, scenic green space features picnic tables, a kayak launch, fishing piers, and a bayside beach. Just north of there, hungry parkgoers can find authentic bites at Mi Alma Taqueria Food Truck.
Mexico Beach flies under the radar despite its postcard shores. Located along Florida’s Gulf Coast Scenic Drive, the town’s sugar sands and emerald waters embody the best of the Emerald Coast. To the surprise of many, Mexico Beach lacks the congestion of other towns on this route—but you won’t find beachgoers complaining.
Mexico Beach is home to nearly 5 miles of beachfront and plenty of public access points. The shores stand out for their stark white color, attributed to quartz-crystal sands from the Appalachian Mountains. There are also plenty of restaurants within walking distance of the waterfront. At Caribbean Coffee & Cafe, you can recharge with sandwiches and island-inspired brews. Further east, Killer Seafood serves fresh and flavorful favorites like shrimp po’ boys and tuna tacos.
Coastal bliss extends to Seagrove Beach, another uncrowded stop on Highway 30A. Since this seaside suburb is mainly residential, it is less well known to vacationers. Even so, the public beaches and seafood restaurants in Seagrove Beach are well worth the stop.
As of 2026, the new Seagrove Regional Beach Access is open with a 100-foot public beachfront. Nearly 9 years in the making, this addition makes Seagrove Beach more accessible than ever. Once you’ve had your fill of fun in the sand, Seagrove’s commercial sites are another must. The Seagrove Village Market has thrived here since 1949, serving as both a seafood restaurant and a souvenir shop. Right next door, Surfing Deer is a more upscale seafood restaurant with patio dining.
Summer heightens tourist congestion on most of the Emerald Coast. But if your heart is set on this Panhandle stretch, these 8 uncrowded towns are the exception. In Blue Mountain Beach, Gulf-facing shores are sprawling and spacious, while the town’s coastal dune lakes are even less crowded. In Freeport, Choctawhatchee Bay views are never obstructed at Grady Brown Park. All in all, these 8 Emerald Coast towns prove obscurity has a silver lining.
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/4DLXMJBS6JDU3N75Q6AVJCW4H4.jpeg?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Rubio, Scott call fast-tracking of Florida state park golf course plan ‘ridiculous’")
