Florida

Florida elections officials seek flexibility on voting rules after hurricanes

Published

1 year ago

October 16, 2024

Florida elections officials seek flexibility on voting rules after hurricanes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida’s recent hurricanes could make it difficult for voters in affected areas to cast their ballots in the upcoming election unless Gov. Ron DeSantis waives and modifies some rules, county election supervisors said in a letter to state officials.

In a six-page letter sent Tuesday by the supervisors’ association to Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, who oversees elections, the group said Hurricanes Helene and Milton have destroyed polling sites and left some of their employees, voters and poll workers homeless.

Most of the affected counties are on the Gulf Coast, where both storms caused major damage.

Association Executive Director David Ramba listed 10 modifications for DeSantis to consider including granting extra time for setting up early voting and drop box sites, giving voters flexibility in requesting mail-in ballots and waiving training for some poll workers. State law gives the governor authority to modify voting rules after hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Florida is expecting a large turnout as voters will be casting ballots for not only president and Senate but ballot propositions that would legalize marijuana and overturn the state’s newly enacted ban on abortion six weeks after conception. Early voting starts Monday in some Florida counties and most mail-in ballots have already been sent. The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is next week.

Ryan Cox, Ramba’s deputy, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the state’s election supervisors will be able get their polls open and ballots cast if given some flexibility. While Florida long had a reputation as a national laughingstock for its election problems, starting with the 2000 presidential recount, its 2020 and 2022 elections were conducted with almost no problems.

“These supervisors are very, very, very good at working through what they need,” Cox said. “They are very good at making decisions very quickly and modifying what their set plan was to make sure that every single person that wants to vote has an opportunity to do that.”

The group’s letter listed multiple Florida counties that experienced “significant damage” following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, with repeated mentions to counties surrounding Tampa Bay: Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas and Pasco. The letter noted that multiple polling locations have been “destroyed or rendered inaccessible due to flooding and structural damage.”

Byrd’s office not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether the state would grant flexibility or accommodations. Byrd is appointed by DeSantis.

Following Helene, DeSantis did issue an executive order allowing counties to make changes to early voting sites and ease mail-in ballot restrictions. But he rejected the supervisors’ request to extend the Oct. 7 voter registration deadline. They said an extension was needed as some areas were cleaning up from Helene while also preparing for Milton.

Amy Keith, Florida executive director for the voting advocacy group Common Cause, said it and other groups have also sent a letter to DeSantis and Byrd asking them to extend the registration deadline because of the storms and to make other voting accommodations in the affected counties.

“I am extremely concerned that during this election, things will prove a lot more complicated for voters and their families who are still recovering from the catastrophic damages from both of these record-breaking storms,” Keith said.

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Florida

Sunblotch disease resurfaces, threatening South Florida avocado trees and backyard growers

Published

10 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Press Room

Sunblotch disease resurfaces, threatening South Florida avocado trees and backyard growers

If you have an avocado tree growing in your backyard, experts say you need to be vigilant about a disease that has made a comeback and can destroy your fruit.

It’s called Sunblotch Viroid, a microscopic invader that can spread easily.

CBS Miami spoke with tropical fruit specialist Dr. Jonathan Crane at the University of Florida’s Research and Education Center in Homestead about the disease. He says a local farmer spotted the disease and notified him, prompting Crane to issue a warning.

Laurel wilt wiped out half of trees

Crane has worked for decades at the research center. He says that while the laurel wilt fungus wiped out nearly half of the avocado trees in South Florida, newly planted avocado trees are now susceptible to Sunblotch Viroid.

The disease leaves deep yellow scars on the fruit.

“You can have Viroid in a tree that doesn’t show symptoms. It can spread from seeds and root stock,” Crane said.

Crane advises growers with infected trees: “If it has it, they need to properly remove the tree entirely.”

Farmers inspect trees for signs

David Maes, manager of Marando Farms and Ranch in Davie, said the operation has had no Sunblotch issues but that he inspects the organic avocado trees regularly.

“It’s always a concern. You worry you will have to dig up a row,” Maes said. “That’s what happened with the citrus greening outbreak that happened 15 years ago. Tens of millions of citrus trees had to be destroyed because of a bug.”

Serious threat to avocado production

Crane says farmers and home growers should take the Sunblotch threat seriously.

“We have to look out. Because trees can be reduced 14 to 80 percent,” he said.

If you suspect you have an infected tree, Crane says you can take leaf samples to your local agricultural extension office. For a fee, they can test for confirmation.

If you’d like more information, contact the UF/IFAS TREC Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Homestead.

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Florida

GOP candidates battle for momentum in Florida governor race

Published

1 day ago

November 18, 2025

Press Room

GOP candidates battle for momentum in Florida governor race

In the face of challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads in polls for the Florida GOP gubernatorial nomination with 45% support.
The election is a year away, but rivals like former House Speaker Paul Renner and perhaps Lt. Gov. Jay Collins are beginning to challenge Donalds.
But a large portion of Republican voters, nearly 50%, remain undecided in the race.

Less than 12 months until the election, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is comfortably ahead in polls for the GOP nomination to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But there are signs the sleepy race is sparking to life: Donalds’ rivals are lining up to attack the Naples Republican and chip away at his lead in the polls.

Former House Speaker Paul Renner released an extensive economic platform on Nov. 14 focused on affordability – a topic top of mind for voters in the recent off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022. DeSantis selected him to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position in August, fueling speculation he’d later run to replace the term-limited DeSantis next year.

Collins hasn’t officially declared his candidacy but continues to tease his own run, and has recently started unsubtly slamming Donalds online.

“Let’s face it. Most members of Congress won’t pass a single meaningful bill for their district,” Collins posted on X on Nov. 13. “So they turn to Fox News or CNN to build name ID … and then run for Governor.”

A nonprofit organization, Florida Fighters, also started running ads featuring Collins.

There’s also the prospect of a wildcard in the race. James Fishback, the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has said he’ll officially announce his campaign soon. He has repeatedly attacked Donalds, particularly on immigration policies related to the federal H1B visa program, calling him “DEI Donalds” and “H1Byron.”

Byron Donalds can boast he’s tops in the polls

In the face of these challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.

A Victory Insights poll conducted Nov. 11–13 of 600 likely Republican voters found he has 45% support, while Renner has 2.7%, Collins 1.2% and Fishback 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%), however, said they were undecided, leaving a pathway for the trailing pack to win over the electorate.

Donalds has continued to campaign, attending Turning Point USA events at University of Florida in the last week. And he’s started to talk more about the cost of living, telling Newsmax on Nov. 13 that Florida will have to develop its own health care plan if Congress can’t fix or replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies for coverage plans on ACA exchanges are set to expire at the end of the year, boosting monthly costs.

“Health care costs are out of control. If the feds aren’t going to be responsive then Florida is going to have to lead the way,” Donalds said.

Affordability has become a catchphrase for campaigns as costs have continued to rise, including for housing and beef and grocery staples.

Renner’s plan would tackle housing costs by slashing property taxes and passing more litigation reforms to drive down property insurance rates. He also wants to keep tuition rates level for higher education and expand vocational programs to generate more high-paying jobs.

The plan would also eliminate H1B visas for workers at state agencies. DeSantis recently said he’s eliminating H1B visas for employees at state universities.

The H1B visa program, started in 1990 by Congress, has been criticized by hardline anti-immigration hawks as being abused by large corporations to bring in foreign workers at the expense of Americans.

“We can provide residents with lower costs and a business climate that creates jobs with better incomes,” Renner said in a statement.

“This plan begins with an immediate and overdue property tax rollback, through legislative action,” he added. “This will ease the financial burden of hardworking taxpayers across the state while we await long-term reforms that require constitutional amendment a year from now.”

On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings got in the race earlier this month, challenging former U.S. Rep. David Jolly who announced his campaign in the summer.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

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Florida

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Published

2 days ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard’s Florida State jersey was retired Sunday.

Howard wore No. 33 for the Seminoles from 2010-14, starting 127 games. She also holds heralded spots in program history:

1,811 points, fourth-most
1,046 rebounds, second
186 blocked shots, fourth

Howard’s scoring total was second when she left the program. She led FSU in career rebounds before Fever teammate Makalya Timpson (2021-25) grabbed more. The blocks were third most when Howard left, but Timpson has more.

The Fever selected Howard fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and she played her first two seasons in Indiana. She returned in 2025 free agency, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for the league semifinalists.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.

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