Florida
Florida to Louisiana braces for likely tropical storm or Hurricane Helene as weather threatens Gulf of Mexico
Millions of people living along the Gulf Coast are being urged to make sure preparations are in place as the next tropical threat to the U.S. brews in the Caribbean, and there are increasing signs that the ingredients needed for a tropical storm or hurricane to form are coming together.
A number of computer forecast models depict a strong tropical storm or hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by the end of this week, but there still remains a lot of uncertainty in the forecast, with several potential outcomes.
The system expected to threaten the Gulf Coast has now been dubbed Invest 97L, which is simply a naming convention that allows the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to run specialized computer models to help forecasters obtain additional information on tropical disturbances being monitored for development.
The development odds for Invest 97L have been steadily increasing, and the NHC says there is a high chance of tropical development from the northwestern Caribbean Sea to the southern and eastern Gulf of Mexico over the next seven days.
The NHC says a broad area of low pressure is currently producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and portions of Central America.
“Environmental conditions appear favorable for development of this system, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form during the next few days while moving northward across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico,” the NHC said in its latest tropical weather outlook.
The system is expected to dump heavy rain over portions of Central America during the next several days, according to the NHC.
The NHC said areas of the northwestern Caribbean, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba should closely monitor the progress of the system.
Later this week, the NHC says the system is expected to move northward over the Gulf of Mexico, and communities along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also stay alert.
Where could the tropical disturbance go in the Gulf of Mexico?
“How strong the storm will be and exactly where the most intense effects will occur is an open question,” FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross wrote. “There is a general consensus in the various computer forecasts on how the steering pattern will evolve, but it’s the details that make a difference in whether a storm hits one location or another location hundreds of miles away.”
Through Monday, the development chances for Invest 97L will likely continue to increase, and a tropical depression or tropical storm could form in the western Caribbean by Tuesday.
Norcross said Hurricane Watches could then be issued for portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast, and we could be tracking Tropical Storm Helene by the middle of the week.
On Thursday or Thursday night, the storm, whether it’s a tropical storm or Hurricane Helene, could make landfall somewhere between Louisiana and Florida.
“Residents on or near the coast between Louisiana and Florida should stay well informed,” Norcross continued. “This will be a fast-developing situation, so now is the time to think through what you would do in the potentially affected areas if a significant storm comes your way late in the week.”
By Friday, the storm will likely begin to weaken as it moves inland across the Southeast. However, it will continue to produce heavy rain and gusty winds along its path.
Building a weather puzzle
Pieces of this complicated weather puzzle are slowly coming together. That includes a weather pattern known as the Central American Gyre.
The gyre is a sprawling area of low pressure that feeds off moisture streaming in from the Pacific Ocean and forms near or over Central America.
At its core, it is a heavy rain producer with impacts extending outwards hundreds of miles and leading to threats of torrential rainfall, flooding and landslides for more than a dozen countries centered in and around Central America.
However, organized low-pressure centers can develop into tropical storms or even hurricanes within the larger gyre if water temperatures and upper-level winds become favorable for tropical development. Current water temperatures in the Caribbean are near the record-warm levels set last season.
The ultimate fate of tropical development will depend on the location of the gyre, how strong it becomes and the atmospheric steering – or blocking – patterns occurring in the southern U.S.
Florida
Tallahassee gas prices rise due to Iran war; how to find cheapest pump prices
If you’re kicking yourself for not filling up your vehicle over the weekend or earlier this week, you have good reason.
Gas prices have been going up steadily — sometimes sharply — since the U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran started Saturday, Feb. 28.
In Tallahassee, prices have jumped 26 cents from last week with an average gallon of gas currently sitting at $3.08, according to AAA. The highest price on record in Florida’s capital city was $4.84 a gallon in June 2022.
Since Monday, March 2, Florida gas prices have jumped almost 36 cents for a gallon of regular, according to AAA.
The war is spreading throughout the Middle East and at least six U.S. soldiers have been killed, including one from Florida.
➤ Live updates: Senate won’t check Trump’s war
Here’s what you should know as the war with Iran continues.
Florida not alone in worrying about rising gas prices
Gas prices surge as Iran war closes Strait of Hormuz
Gas prices rise as Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz threatening oil supply and raising fears of global economic fallout.
Gas prices were already rising before the attacks on Iran began Feb. 28. It’s a regular seasonal swing as spring arrives, according to AAA.
➤ Americans fret over gas prices as Iran war widens
Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks that have now killed at least six U.S. servicemembers, including one from Florida.
➤ Florida Army Reserve captain killed in Iran war
Analysts said the war will likely drive up prices by an additional 20 to 30 cents per gallon, partly due to supply issues and partly due to global uncertainty.
Here’s a look at gas prices per gallon of regular provided by AAA this week:
- March 5: $3.251
- March 4: $3.19
- March 3: $3.061
Compare to:
- Week ago: $2.983
- Month ago: $2.891
- Year ago: $3.107
What’s average price of gas in Florida?
AAA posted the average price in Florida on March 5 was $3.241, slightly less than the national average of $3.251.
Here’s a comparison of the daily average price of a gallon of regular this week as provided by AAA:
- March 5: $3.241
- March 4: $3.198
- March 3: $3.068
- March 2: $2.883
In comparison:
- Week ago average: $2.940
- Month ago average: $2.882
- Year ago average: $3.084
Will Florida gas prices keep going up?
The national average price of gas is “likely to move toward $3.10 to $3.15 (per gallon) within one to two weeks … and to $3.20 to $3.25 within two to three weeks,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, on March 1.
On March 2, DeHaan said he expected gas prices “at average stations” nationally to increase by 10 to 30 cents in the coming week.
President Trump: Oil prices may be high ‘for a little while’
President Donald Trump told reporters March 3 oil prices may be high “for a little while.”
As soon as the war ends, “these prices are going to drop, I believe even lower than before,” Trump said.
In a post on TruthSocial March 3, Trump said: “If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD.”
How can you find the cheapest gas?
Whether you’re traveling or at home, gasbuddy.com offers information to find the cheapest prices for gasoline.
Enter your state, city or ZIP code to find the Top 10 gas stations and cheap fuel prices.
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
Florida
Florida college Republicans group chat reveals racist texts: ‘Avoid the coloreds like the plague’
It only took three weeks for a group chat for conservative students at Florida International University (FIU) to become a place where participants eagerly used racist slurs, prompting widespread condemnation from community leaders.
Abel Alexander Carvajal, secretary of Miami-Dade county’s Republican party and a student at FIU’s College of Law, reportedly started the chat after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, in September 2025.
But on Wednesday, the Miami Herald published leaked WhatsApp conversations in which the college Republicans made racist, sexist, antisemitic and homophobic comments, including variations of the N-word used more than 400 times. Knowledge of the chat’s existence was revealed on the same day that Republican lawmakers in Florida pushed forward a bill to rename a one-mile stretch of road alongside FIU in honor of Kirk.
William Bejerano, who the Herald noted once tried to start an anti-abortion group at Miami Dade College, was the most prolific user of the N-word. Using the slur, Bejerano called for dozens of acts of extreme violence against Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting.
Dariel Gonzalez, then the College Republicans’ recruitment chair, who has recently applied to become a GOP committee member, responded to the calls for violence by saying: “How edgy.” He repeatedly used “colored” to describe Black people, including writing: “Ew you had colored professors?!” and “Avoid the coloreds like the plague,” according to the Herald.
Carvajal, who was appointed to a two-year role on the city of Hialeah’s planning and zoning board earlier this year, confirmed to the paper that the group chat was his doing, but he denied knowledge of the problematic comments until the publication contacted him about its logs last week.
“It’s been five months since this was sent and this is the first time I’ve seen this message,” Carvajal told the Herald.
“I guess to an extent, I bear some responsibility, cause I created a chat. But if I had seen this at the moment, I would have removed [Bejerano] from the chat. I probably would have even blocked his number.”
The Herald found that Carvajal had deleted 14 messages sent by other participants in the chat and 42 of his own messages before the publication obtained the chat’s logs.
He also participated in some of the racist discussions. While referring to a Black student who allegedly left FIU’s College Republicans after a member of the group “called her a [N-word]”, the Floridian reported that Carvajal wrote: “Why didn’t miggress leave?” Elsewhere in the chat, the publication reported that Carvajal used “Miggress”, “Migglet” and “Migger” to refer to Black women, Black children and Black people, in general.
At one point, Gonzalez wrote: “You can fuck all the [K-word, a slur for Jewish people] you want. Just don’t marry them and procreate.”
Ian Valdes, the Turning Point USA FIU chapter president, responded, “I would def not marry a Jew,” before changing the group chat’s name from “Uber [R-word slur for disabled people] Yapping” to “Gooning in Agartha”. “Gooning” is a gen-Z slang term for male masturbation, while “Agartha” is a mythical white civilization promoted by Heinrich Himmler, one of the most powerful leaders in Nazi Germany next to Hitler.
Gonzalez reportedly described Agartha to the group chat as “Nazi heaven sort of”.
Kevin Cooper, the first Jewish chair of the Miami Dade Republican party, condemned the group chat in a statement published to X and called for Carvajal’s resignation.
“The majority of our board voted to request Carvajal’s resignation. We have commenced removal proceedings and look forward to resolution from the Republican Party of Florida,” he wrote.
That call was echoed by Juan Porras, a Republican state representative and Miami-Dade GOP state committee member, who said in a statement: “Leadership carries responsibility. When someone in a leadership role engages in this kind of behavior, it damages the trust placed in our party by voters across Florida. For that reason, I am asking the Miami Dade Republican party secretary to step down from this position.”
In a joint statement, Florida Republican state senators Alexis Calatayud, Ileana Garcia and Ana Maria Rodriguez denounced the chats and called for the expulsion from party leadership of its participants.
“The individuals in the group chat have exposed how profoundly misaligned their beliefs are to the views of the Republican party of Florida,” their statement said. “We call for the immediate expulsion of the individuals disseminating from any level of leadership of the Miami-Dade Republican Party … We will not tolerate bigotry or discrimination.”
Multiple leaked group chats from young Republicans have created controversy in recent years.
Last year, Politico published messages from a group chat of more than 100 conservatives across the country in which users also made racist and antisemitic comments. In 2022, a Young Republican group chat from North Dakota was revealed as a cesspool of homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric.
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