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Florida
Gov. DeSantis: Florida ranks No. 1 in nation for vocational education
Gov. DeSantis in Titusville: Florida is No. 1 in workforce education
Gov. DeSantis, along with the state education commissioner, was at Titusville High Feb. 17 to highlight the success of Florida’s workforce education program
For students at Titusville High, the Space Mechatronics Lab gives them the chance to develop workforce skills before they even receive their diploma.
“You are seeing more than a lab,” said Titusville High’s Principal Jennifer Gonzalez, flanked by Gov. Ron DeSantis during a Feb.17 press conference at the school.
“You are seeing Florida’s workforce in the making.”
Speaking from a podium at the school’s lab, one with a sign on the front that read “THE WORKFORCE EDUCATION STATE,” DeSantis and other state officials announced that Florida has become the No. 1 state in the country for workforce education.
“When I became governor, I made the point very strongly that there’s more than one way you can succeed as a young person,” DeSantis said.
Vocational work education, he said, can be both an opportunity for young people to fill a niche in Brevard with the space industry and to enter the workforce without debt.
“I know there have been people from Brevard Public Schools who have been hired by Elon Musk at SpaceX right when they graduate,” DeSantis said. “That’s a pretty good opportunity to have.”
Factors that made Florida No. 1 in workforce education included the state’s top ranking in talent attraction for three years, a No. 1 ranking for college graduation rates for two years and No. 1 spot for education freedom for four years, DeSantis said.
In addition to Gonzalez, DeSantis was joined at the podium by Florida’s Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas and Congressman Mike Haridopolis. Also in attendance were Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Mark Rendell; School Board Chair Matt Susin; School Board Vice Chair Megan Wright; school board members Gene Trent and Katye Campbell; and Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Vocational education makes school ‘relevant, engaging’
Over the course of the 40-minute meeting, officials praised the opportunities workforce education can provide students, highlighting Brevard Public Schools’ offerings.
“For our students, the (career and technical education) pathway has made education relevant, engaging and purposeful,” Gonzalez said, adding that Brevard has everything from training in the way of cyber security to culinary arts in the way of vocational education. “They graduate with not only a high school diploma, but with credentials, confidence and direction.”
Kamoutsas praised DeSantis for building up vocational education, crediting him for the increase in career and technical education participation.
“We heard the governor say we have more than 818,000 K12 CTE students who are not participating in our state, and almost 512 (thousand) CTE post-secondary students,” Kamoutsas said. “That’s an increase of 30% in post-secondary CTE enrollment since the beginning of this administration.”
Florida, he said, has “the most aligned, impactful and industry-driven workforce education system in the nation.”
“Thanks to Gov. DeSantis, we will continue to strengthen these pathways so that every student has access to programs that prepare them for in-demand careers with wages to support their families because of our governor’s leadership,” Kamoutsas said.
Commissioner condemns walkouts, union
Student walkouts were also briefly addressed during the meeting, with Kamoutsas thanking Rendell, Susin, Wright and Trent for taking a “strong stance” on the walkouts students organized on Feb. 6 protesting recent Immigration and Customs Enforcements actions.
“I am seeing across the nation, these walkouts that are being huge disruptions related to student safety concerns,” Kamoutsas said.
He also called out the Florida Education Association for calling the walkouts “reasonable.”
“There was no condemnation from the union,” he said. “There was no calling out the statement. In fact, they stayed silent, and it wasn’t until this weekend, where they received national backlash that now they’re having to change the narrative.”
On the Space Coast, Brevard Federation of Teachers has not made any statements related to the walkouts. Brevard students held a second protest against ICE actions on Presidents Day, a holiday.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.
Florida
Traffic stop goes viral after Florida deputy accuses driver missing right hand of holding phone
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Video of a traffic stop in Palm Beach County is going viral over an awkward exchange between the driver and a deputy who accused her of holding a phone while driving.
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“You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone,” the deputy tells 36-year-old Kathleen “Katie” Thomas.
“Obviously not,” Thomas says while laughing and holding up her right arm, showing that she’s missing her right hand.
“So you wanna call this a day?” she asks.
“I don’t want to call this a day. You had a hand up, manipulating,” the deputy responds.
“You just said my right hand,” Thomas counters.
“Well, I thought I saw your right hand,” the deputy says.
“So you didn’t,” Thomas responds.
Thomas posted the bodycam footage on Instagram and TikTok where it gained millions of likes.
In the video, although she shows the deputy she doesn’t have a right hand, the deputy doubled down.
“I’m asking you now; did you or not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.
“I did not,” Thomas responds.
“You did not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks again.
“I did not,” Thomas responds.
“Hand to God, you didn’t have a phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.
“Hand to God,” Thomas says.
Court records show Thomas was given a $116 citation despite the presented evidence, but it was later dismissed at the request of the deputy involved.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Florida
Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on launch pad in Florida
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded Thursday night on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The explosion occurred at about 9 p.m. ET. Blue Origin said there were no injuries from the incident.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” Blue Origin said in a statement. “All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.”
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station also confirmed in a separate statement that “all personnel have been accounted for and there were no injuries/fatalities.”
Blue Origin was scheduled to fuel the rocket Thursday evening ahead of a planned test firing of the rocket’s engines.
Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its third New Glenn rocket last month.
This rocket was being prepared for the fourth New Glenn mission as soon as June 4 to launch 48 satellites for Amazon’s Leo internet service, which competes with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The 48 satellites were not aboard the rocket during the test. It was not immediately clear how much damage the launch pad and ground equipment sustained, or how long it might take to repair it.
Space Launch Complex 36, where the explosion occurred, is the only launch pad equipped to launch New Glenn rockets.
The New Glenn rocket is key to Blue Origin’s and NASA’s moon base plans, and the explosion will likely be a setback. Next year, the New Glenn is supposed to launch another Blue Moon lander as part of the Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit.
In a social media post, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote, “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”
The New Glenn rocket had just been cleared on May 22 to return to flight after being grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration after an anomaly with the second stage during an April 19 launch.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said it was aware that the rocket had “experienced an anomaly during a static fire test on the pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” adding that the “test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities.”
The FAA also noted that “there was no impact to air traffic” from the explosion.
Bezos wrote on X Thursday night, “It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
Musk wrote: “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
Florida
Florida to pay Sumrall’s assistants a combined $11.2M in 2026
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jon Sumrall’s assistants will make a combined $11.2 million in 2026, a significant investment for a program desperate to win more often.
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner tops the list after signing a three-year, $6.6 million contract to leave Georgia Tech and join Sumrall in Gainesville. Faulker will get $2.1 million in 2026 – the first $2 million coordinator in school history – and has a $100,000 raise set for each of the next two years.
Only six college offensive coordinators were paid $2 million or more in 2025, according to CBS Sports. Fifteen defensive coordinators topped $2 million.
Florida defensive coordinator Brad White signed a three-year, $5.85 million deal that starts at $1.85 million and also includes a $100,000 raise in 2027 and 2028.
The Gators released the contracts Thursday in response to a public records request.
Sumrall signed a six-year, $44.7 million contract last year that averages $7.45 million annually. The Gators will dole out more than $20 million to Sumrall, his staff of 15 assistants and a front office led by new general manager Dave Caldwell.
Four of the assistants are scheduled to earn at least $1 million during their deals.
Defensive line coach Gerald Chapman and offensive line coach Phil Trautwine will join Faulker and White in the seven-figure club. Chapman, the lone holdover from former Florida coach Billy Napier’s staff, will make $950,000 this year and $1 million in 2027. Trautwine, meanwhile, starts at $750,000 and jumps to $1 million. Both signed two-year deals.
Their salaries show Sumrall’s commitment to rebuilding the team along both lines of scrimmage in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.
Napier’s 12-man coaching staff was paid a combined $7.5 million in 2025. The Gators posted three losing seasons in Napier’s four years.
The rest of Sumrall’s staff range between making $350,000 and $600,000 annually, all of them on two-year contracts.
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