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Florida Faces Another Potential Hurricane – Here’s What We Know

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Florida Faces Another Potential Hurricane – Here’s What We Know


As much of the western Florida Peninsula, including the Tampa Bay area, recovers from massive storm surge damage associated with Hurricane Helene, the next hurricane threat for the United States is also focused on Florida. Here’s what we know right now about the next storm.

At the time of writing on Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean (Kirk and Leslie) and a system in the western Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Kirk is a powerful, major hurricane, but it nor Leslie will threaten the U.S. However, the system in the Gulf of Mexico is a different story. NHC’s morning discussion said, “Showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of low pressure located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico are gradually becoming better organized.” The storm has a 70% chance of further development within the next two days, and a 90% chance within the next five days. My experience tells me that we could be looking at a tropical depression or named storm (Milton) later today or Sunday.

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We use several models when evaluating these threats, but I will focus on the American GFS and European models, respectively. Both of them are in strong consensus that the storm could move towards the western Florida Peninsula with a potential landfall by the middle of the week. NHC warned, “By early next week, the system is forecast to move faster eastward or northeastward across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico where additional strengthening is likely.”

At this point, I will not anchor to any single model solution outcomes. However, several outcomes show that the storm could intensify into a hurricane and potentially very strong one. Weather expert Michael Ventrice makes this point in the post above, but I caution you that is only one of the potential outcomes shown. His greater point is one that also worries me. When a storm like this gets into the likely climate-charged, abnormally warm Gulf of Mexico, I am always on high alert. If you are in Tampa Bay, Ft. Myers or anywhere along the Florida Peninsula or the Keys, I advise you to pay close attention to this storm. More immediately, the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico is likely to be affected.

There are several things that concern me about this potential storm. Irrespective of name (and it probably will get one), it is going to produce a significant amount of rainfall in Florida. Like Helene, it appears that rainfall could inundate Florida well ahead of the eventual tropical storm or hurricane. This is a recipe for flooding. Much of Florida is already recovering from Helene so this is the last thing they need. Also, both models suggest a landfall in a region spanning Tampa Bay to Fort Myers. There is still uncertainty, but the range of possibilities start to narrow since we are within the five-day window. With current track projections, even places like Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Miami, and the Bahamas should be paying attention.

Not surprisingly, the misinformation machine has been firing on all cylinders after Hurricane Helene. It is not unusual to have hurricanes in September or October. In fact, the peak of the Atlantic season is in September. The 2024 season was always projected to be quite active due to anomalously warm sea surface temperatures, La Nina and other factors. That’s it, that’s the explanation.



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Florida bill would provide standardized tests in multiple languages

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Florida bill would provide standardized tests in multiple languages


ORLANDO, Fla. — In an effort to help even the playing field, a bill filed in mid January hopes to help English language learners when it comes to standardized testing.

House Bill 159 and the similar Senate Bill 260, would give students still learning English a chance to take standardized tests in their first language to ensure they’re placed in the right classes.


What You Need To Know

  • House Bill 159 and Senate Bill 260 hope to give students a chance to take standardized tests in their first language
  • One of the co-sponsors of the bill, Democratic State Rep. Rita Harris, says the bills would help accurately assess students and place them in their correct classes
  • Richell De Jesus believes, if administered correctly, the bills could help students of multiple background showcase their capabilities in school
  • If passed, changes would go into effect during the 2027-2028 school year


The two bills are set to be considered for the next Florida Legislative Session in March, and were filed by Democratic State Rep. Rita Harris and Democratic State Sen. Kristin Arrington respectively, after hearing from teachers.

“During the course of the last year there were conversations about concern of you know kids who are ELL’s, or English Language Learners, being placed in the right classes,” said Harris. “And so, I worked with some stakeholders and thought this would be a great bill to file to ensure equity in learning.”

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The bills look to ensure students are accurately assessed and if passed, the bills would call for the Department of Education to develop a version of each statewide standardized test in the three most prevalent languages represented in the ELL population.

It’s a piece of legislation that former Florida ELL student Richell De Jesus says would have benefited her when she moved to the U.S.

“A bill like this can help students be placed in the correct place where they need to be in school and give them the opportunity to be advanced and ahead if that’s what they need and not be sitting in a classroom where they know half of the material and they’re only there because they don’t know the actual language,” De Jesus explained.

De Jesus says she received all As and Bs while in the Dominican Republic. She says she was still proficient in subjects like math and science, but she struggled early on when it came to classes and standardized tests involving reading and writing in English.

“I feel like I wasn’t excelling at my full potential,” said De Jesus. “I couldn’t reach my full potential because of the language barrier.”

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While De Jesus has been able to have a successful educational career and is currently a student at FAMU’s College of Law, the results from those first few standardized tests weighed on her confidence.

“So, I think it just affected my scores and my average performances and how I thought of myself because I wasn’t excelling like how I used to be back in the Dominican Republic,” she shared. “It was simply because I didn’t understand what I was reading and the materials.”

Harris says she has gotten great feedback from teachers as they feel this will help their students; while also giving families a say to choose what language they want their child to take standardized tests in.

It ensures that all students can properly showcase their capabilities.

“Here in Florida, it’s not just a bunch of Hispanic people, there is a lot of Hispanic people, but there’s also a lot of other minorities that speak Creole and other languages,” De Jesus said. “So, if they were to put the top three languages spoken other than English, then it would definitely benefit a lot more families and hopefully other states can implement things like this.”

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Harris says she has yet to hear any negative feedback from the other side of the aisle on the proposed bills.

If passed, these changes could be seen in the 2027-28 school year.



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How to watch #5 Florida vs. #8 Tennessee basketball: Time, TV channel, FREE live streams

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How to watch #5 Florida vs. #8 Tennessee basketball: Time, TV channel, FREE live streams


The 5th-ranked Florida Gators make the trek to Knoxville on Saturday for an afternoon top-10 matchup with the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. The game is scheduled to start at noon ET with TV coverage on ESPN and streaming on-demand.

#5 Florida Gators (18-2) at #8 Tennessee Volunteers (17-4)

NCAA men’s basketball matchup at a glance

When: Saturday, Feb. 1 at noon ET

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Where: Food City Center, Knoxville, Tenn.

TV channel: ESPN

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)

The Gators kick off a rugged stretch of games with four straight against top-25 competition that includes a Feb. 4 home game against No. 24 Vanderbilt and road trips to face No. 1 Auburn (Feb. 8) and No. 14 Mississippi State (Feb. 11). Florida enters Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee sitting two games back of SEC leader Auburn as one of the league’s 10 ranked teams.

Tennessee is in the midst of its own schedule challenges and a stretch of five straight ranked matchups. The Vols are 1-2 through three games of it, most recently falling to No. 1 Auburn (53-51) and No. 12 Kentucky (78-73).

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Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Vols: Know your live streaming options

  • FuboTV (free trial)excellent viewer experience with a huge library of live sports content; free trial lengths vary.
  • SlingTV (low intro rate) discounted first month is best if you’ve run out of free trials or you’re in the market for 1+ month of TV
  • DirecTV Stream (free trial) not the same level of viewer experience as FuboTV, but the 7-day free trial is still the longest in streaming.

The Gators and Vols are set for a noon ET start on ESPN. Live streams are available from FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).



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Florida House Speaker, Governor clash over controversial Immigration Bill

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Florida House Speaker, Governor clash over controversial Immigration Bill


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida House Speaker Danny Perez is challenging Governor Ron DeSantis about the true reason behind his opposition to a controversial immigration reform bill. As tensions escalate between the legislative and executive branches over this sweeping policy, Perez says he’s hopeful that the governor will pick up the phone to find a resolution.

Despite a reported lack of dialogue, in a chat about the ongoing infighting, Perez said this week he remains focused on turning that big immigration bill lawmakers passed Tuesday, known as the TRUMP Act, into Florida law.

“The legislature’s bill is significantly more conservative and tougher on crime when it comes to illegal immigration,” Perez said.

The 84-page proposal includes mandatory death sentences for undocumented individuals convicted of capital crimes, the elimination of in-state tuition for DACA recipients, and a half-billion-dollar allocation for state and city police to enforce immigration laws. It also proposes giving Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner the authority to oversee immigration enforcement.

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Perez noted not only is the commissioner an elected official, but the post has a statewide network and its own law enforcement.

“This is too important of a position to not be held accountable,” said Speaker Perez. “I wanted to ensure that it was a person elected statewide. The Commissioner of Agriculture’s job here is to make sure that local law enforcement and all levels of law enforcement are cooperating with the federal government and President Trump.”

However, Governor DeSantis has sharply criticized the bill, calling it “a very, very grotesque weak piece of legislation.” According to DeSantis, the bill was crafted too hastily and is potentially unconstitutional due to its siphoning of immigration authority away from the governor’s office.

“You have to do a ‘mother may I’ with the Commissioner of Agriculture about whether you can bring in the federal immigration authorities,” he said during one of four immigration roundtables this week. “How ridiculous is that? How does that help us do what we need to do?”

The controversy has escalated into a public battle, with Republicans openly criticizing each other through TV interviews, podcasts, and across social platforms. Accusations of being “Republican In Name Only” are rampant, along with personal attacks and recall petitions.

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“If the governor disagrees by calling the bill weak and liberal and all these other things that are just not true,” said Perez. “At that point, it is hard to collaborate with a partner that is unwilling to communicate.”

When asked what he would say to Governor DeSantis directly, Perez said. “I would ask him, what’s, ‘What’s the real reason that you’re against my bill?’ What is it? What don’t you like about the bill? Be honest about it. There’s no Twitter here. You know, he goes on Hannity and Laura Ingraham and like, three times a week. I would ask him to be honest with me: what is the real problem with the bill? Because this is not a weak bill. He knows it’s not a weak bill.”

DeSantis’s team has consistently said they want more stringent measures, like making illegal immigration a state crime, granting deportation powers to Florida, and establishing an immigration czar under the governor’s authority. DeSantis has threatened to veto the bill, and while lawmakers can override it, the necessary Senate votes might not be there.

Perez acknowledged the potential for a veto, saying, “You have to think about what he’s about to veto. He’s about to veto a bill that gives the death penalty to illegal immigrants that rape children. I mean, put that into perspective for a second. Think about that. We did our job. We made the best, most conservative bill that anyone could have ever imagined, the best in the country, and we passed it with a super majority of Republicans and not one Democrat.”

Despite the possibility of a legislative logjam, Perez remained unfazed about his relationship with the governor, emphasizing that in his mind, the rift isn’t a feud; it’s a “disagreement.”

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“There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone,” said the Speaker. “The important part is that once you realize that you are in a disagreement, that you were able to converse in order to try and find a solution. That’s the part that’s missing this disagreement. That’s it, right there. So, I mean, eventually, it has to happen. It’s just a matter of when. I would have it tonight. I’d have it after this interview. I would do it whenever.”

“I’ve gotten exhausted from FEMA. We’re 62 and 72 years old, and we’re on Social Security/Disability. What the hell does this country want from us?”
John King shared with ABC Action News the flooding in his Zephyrhills community – more than 3 months after Hurricane Milton.

Pasco County community remains flooded months after Milton





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