Florida
Florida Gators baseball coach, AD issue apology after getting called out
The NCAA Baseball Tournament got underway this past weekend with regional play, including the Florida Gators playing in the Conway Regional at Coastal Carolina University.
Tempers were flaring at Coastal Carolina on Sunday after Florida’s game against East Carolina was delayed in order to get the field ready. Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan was caught on camera yelling profanities at tournament officials and members of Coastal Carolina’s staff.
Needless to say, Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall did not appreciate the outburst by O’Sullivan.
“I believe in standing up for what’s right, and what transpired this morning, on our field, another coach disrespected our Associate AD, who works as hard as anybody in our entire program. He disrespected our field crew, who are the salt of the Earth. These guys would do anything for our program,” Schnall said.
“It’s not OK. And this needs to be brought up. Absolutely disrespectful. As a coach it’s our job to mentor young kids. And the way he treated the two site reps, the way he treated our Associate AD, the way he treated our field crew, was absolutely unacceptable.”
As you can see, Kevin Schnall was not happy with what transpired, and he didn’t stop there.
“This is a national champion coach who thinks he can come in here and try to bully people around. Disappointed,” Schnall said. “Disappointed in somebody that a lot of coaches look up to.
“For him to act that way, really disappointed. He disrespected a Hall of Fame coach who’s the site rep here.”
The comments from Schnall came after his Coastal Carolina team beat ECU in the regional final to advance to the super regionals this coming weekend.
The Chanticleers will face Auburn in a best-of-three series this weekend, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.
As for Kevin O’Sullivan, he did issue an apology for his actions on Monday.
“Prior to yesterday’s NCAA Tournament game against East Carolina, I let my emotions get the best of me and channeled that energy in a way I should not have. I want to sincerely apologize for my actions and behavior to the entire NCAA Regional field of Coastal Carolina, East Carolina and Fairfield — the NCAA, including site representatives Rick French and Mark Scalf — as well as all of Gator Nation,” O’Sullivan said.
“I did not represent the University of Florida to the appropriate standard yesterday and take full responsibility for that, and promise to learn from this experience and be better moving forward.
“I appreciate all of the tireless efforts on behalf of Coastal Carolina, their tournament director Bryan Stiles, and the NCAA over the course of NCAA Regionals, and am sorry for allowing this instance to get in the way of an otherwise great weekend of postseason baseball.”
Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin also issued a statement about the incident.
“This afternoon I met with Kevin O’Sullivan and told him that his actions prior to yesterday’s NCAA Tournament game fell well short of expectations of how Gators treat people,” Stricklin said. “One of our department’s core values is respect, and coach O’Sullivan’s unacceptable actions failed to demonstrate that.
“On behalf of Florida Athletics, I want to personally apologize to everyone impacted — including NCAA representatives, Coastal Carolina and their staff, East Carolina and their team — as well as to Gator Nation.”
Both men were in their 20s.
Two men are dead following a shooting early July 19 in Port St. Lucie, police said.
Officers responded at about 3:30 a.m. to the 1300 block of Southeast Rivergreen Circle and found two men suffering from bullet wounds in a driveway of a home.
The men were taken to separate hospitals where they died, according to police. Dead are 24-year-old Carl Loubeau and 22-year-old Juliun Stokes, police said.
Loubeau and Stokes were apparently arguing outside the home over a key and entrance to the home when they exchanged gunfire, according to police. Loubeau and Stokes knew each other and neither lived at the home, police said.
The shooting was an isolated event, and no threat to the public exists, according to police.
Keith Burbank is TCPalm’s watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.
For the first time since the end of 2024, Florida’s unemployment rate went down last month.
A report released Friday by the Department of Commerce shows the state’s jobless rate for June at 4.7%, a reduction from 4.8% the prior two months. The rate is still 0.5 percentage points higher than the national average.
Driven by increases in restaurant, hotel, health care, transportation, and warehousing jobs last month, the state saw an 11,100 increase, 0.1%, in overall new positions from May to June.
The June numbers show 525,000 Floridians qualified as out-of-work, up 107,000 from a year earlier, from a workforce of 11.14 million, up 56,000 in the same time.
The state’s unemployment rate had been on a gradual upward trend since ticking down from 3.5% in November 2024 to 3.4% in December 2024.
Nationally, the jobless rate stands at 4.2%, up from 4.1% a year earlier.
Even with the one-month decline, the state’s unemployment rate stands 0.9 percentage points higher than a year ago.
Construction jobs have decreased by 3,200 over the past year, including a 900 drop from May to June. Positions in the retail trade were up 100 from May to June but still are down 5,900 from a year earlier.
The field of finance and insurance reported adding 1,600 positions in the past month, but is still down 8,700 over the year.
Real estate jobs dropped by 1,000 and are down 4,200 over the last 12 months.
Governments in Florida shed 900 jobs in the past month and 10,500 over the year, with the federal government accounting for 7,700 of the decrease over the past year.
The biggest gain over the past year involved health care and social assistance, adding 5,500 in the past month and 32,400 on the year.
The area of transportation, warehousing, and utilities grew by 4,100 in June, which put the field at a positive 900 over the past year.
Manufacturing is up 400 on the year after reporting the addition of 600 positions in June.
Educational services, which are up 6,600 jobs on the year, posted a drop of 500 jobs in the June report.
Hotel and food service jobs grew by 4,000 in the June report but remain down 2,700 from a year earlier.
South Florida continues to have the lowest unemployment rate, with the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area at 3.9%, up from a revised 3.7% in May and 3.3% in June 2025.
The Orlando and Panama City regions were next at 4.6%.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was at 4.7%. Jacksonville, Naples and Melbourne were at 4.8%. Pensacola and Sarasota both stood at 4.9%.
Tallahassee has a 5 % unemployment rate, followed by Daytona Beach at 5.3%, Gainesville at 5.5%, Vero Beach at 5.6% and Lakeland at 5.7%.
The Wildwood region, including The Villages has the highest unemployment rate at 7.8%, followed by Homosassa Springs at 6.7% and Sebring at 6.6%.
Copyright 2026 WUWF
The Florida Lotto jackpot has been climbing steadily for weeks. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, the prize had grown to $2.75 million.
Recently, a trip to the grocery store really paid off: A $2 Florida Lotto ticket made someone a multimillionaire.
Because as they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
One ticket matched all six numbers in the $6.75 million Florida Lotto drawing on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, a few days before July Fourth.
After four rollovers, including the most recent one on Wednesday, July 15, the Florida Lotto has grown to $2.75 million for Saturday, July 18. That follows the National Lottery Day holiday, which was Friday, July 17. Check back after 11:15 p.m. ET for Saturday’s winning numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover.
In case you’re wondering, Wednesday’s winning Florida Lotto numbers were 13-17-31-37-38-45. Double Play numbers were 3-8-18-22-35-38.
Who won $6.75 million Florida Lotto drawing Wednesday, July 1, 2026?
Was it you?
The Wednesday, July 1, 2026, winning Florida Lotto numbers were 4-5-25-33-42-52. Double Play numbers were 7-17-22-44-46-47. According to the Florida Lottery’s site, there was another perfect match in Fort Lauderdale just before the July Fourth holiday.
The quick pick ticket was purchased from Publix, 1415 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is worth $6,750,000. On Saturday, July 11, the ticket was reported as claimed with the Fort Lauderdale winner opting for the one-time lump sum of $3.6 million, the state’s lottery posted on its site.
Below is what to know about lottery odds, how long to claim the cash option if you bought a ticket in Florida, and what happens to unclaimed prize money, according to the Florida Lottery.
Winning Florida Lotto numbers for Saturday, July 18, 2026?
Florida Lotto drawings are at 11:15 p.m. ET every Wednesday and Saturday, including holidays. Check back for Saturday, July 18, winning Florida Lotto numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover.
How do you play the Florida Lotto?
According to Florida Lottery game rules, Florida Lotto players pick 6 numbers between 1 and 53 or select a Quick Pick ticket. There are prizes for matching three to six numbers. Players who match two of 6 winning Florida Lotto numbers get a free ticket.
The Florida Lottery site states game add-ons include Double Play for $1, a bonus drawing where players could win up to $250,000 using the same numbers (Double Play drawings are held immediately after Florida Lotto drawings). Another Florida Lotto game add-on is EZmatch for $1 per play. If players match any EZmatch number to their Florida Lotto numbers, they instantly win that prize.
Tickets start at $2. Good luck!
When was the last Florida Lotto won? How long has the jackpot rolled over?
Florida Lotto drawing for the 2026 July Fourth holiday started fresh at $1 million after a ticket from a Fort Lauderdale Publix store won the Wednesday, July 1, 2026, drawing.
The new streak for Florida Lotto reset to $1 million for the Saturday, July 4, 2026, drawing. Below is a recap of lottery drawings for the latest streak.
When is the next Florida Lotto drawing? What are the odds, chances of winning Florida Lotto lottery?
Florida Lotto drawings are held at 11:15 p.m. ET on Wednesdays and Saturdays, including holidays. According to floridalottery.com, players have a 1 in 22,957,480 chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $1 million or $36 million. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
The next Florida Lotto drawing will be on Wednesday, July 22.
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
(This story will be updated to include new information.)
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
-
Colorado3 minutes agoPolice searching for suspect after shooting at gas station in Denver metro area
-
Connecticut9 minutes agoMeriden police shoot suspect in fatal baseball bat attack
-
Delaware15 minutes agoMan’s body found in retention pond near Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware
-
Florida21 minutes agoTwo men die after shooting in Florida city over key and home entry
-
Georgia27 minutes agoAnother Georgia officer arrested over alleged Flock camera misuse as internal audits continue uncovering cases
-
Hawaii33 minutes agoWhat It Takes to Retire in Hawaii at 62 on $1.5 Million Without Touching Your Principal
-
Idaho39 minutes ago‘Skeletal remains’ found in Idaho river identified as 24-year-old single mom who vanished in December
-
Illinois45 minutes ago3 people rescued by Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff’s office after going missing in water near Lake Villa
