Florida
Graham Mertz, Florida Gators Reset and Recharge ahead of UCF Clash
After their resounding victory in Starkville, the Florida Gators get to take a breath and collect themselves. Although they do not hit the field again until October 5th against UCF, the team can examine what worked and what didn’t.
Despite the tumult surrounding the head coaching situation that could derail the season, a respite allows the mind, body, and soul to relax.
The Two-QB System
The Gators currently shuffle in two quarterbacks, Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway, to the chagrin of many outside of the locker room. After Saturday’s win, the senior Mertz continues to show his leadership while splitting time with Lagway.
“Yeah it did I was talking to DJ, I thought we were just really efficient,” said Mertz. “I was most proud of him, we had a great plan going into the game, I thought we did a good job of seeing the field today, kind of a lot of plays, RPO answers stuff like that. When you get in that mode where you can move fast and have answers for what they are doing, it’s always on attack mode. So, I thought we did a good job.” said Mertz
Austin Barber was named SEC offensive lineman of the week for his efforts against the Bulldogs, and he understands each quarterback brings something different to the game.
“Yeah I mean they bring two elements of the game,” said Barber. You definitely saw it today. They both do a great job of communication and seeing the field and telling us different points and checks and stuff like that which is really good. I have full confidence in Graham and DJ that like. I trust them, that whoever is on the field we’re gonna be really good. It’s really fun blocking for both of those guys, a lot of fun.”
An extra week will help both quarterbacks prepare for their swap roles, but if Mississippi State is any indication, Mertz will get the lion’s share of the snaps. He had 21 pass attempts to seven for Lagway.
Mental Fortitude
Mertz deals with the type of internal and external pressure that few truly understand. With his NFL hopes banking on playing well, Mertz also wants to get the Gators back to a bowl game. Furthermore, the freshman that everyone with a social media account wants to start plays well, which applies extra heat.
“I think the biggest thing is realizing the ship’s always been right,” said Mertz. “I think that if you have a foundation, you know who you are, and nothing can really throw you off of your plan of what you’re doing. For me I got a great family, great friends, teammates, and my faith is one thing that I really rely on. So for me I mean if you can always keep the ship right, that’s what life is about.
Obviously there’s going to be stuff that’s going to be thrown at you, but how do you stay committed to what you’re doing, doing it with the people you’re doing it with, and have fun doing it, so, it’s been awhile, it’s been awhile. These past couple weeks have been long.”
After being concussed in the Miami game to open the season, it’s understandable that Mertz has had a long month. The bye week will help him recharge as it seems he and Lagway are settling into more defined roles heading into October.
Breather
With eight games remaining in the season, the team needed to step back. The vibe around the fanbase, and more importantly, the team did not sit well with anyone. The Florida Gators despite all of the drama, headaches and speculation sit at 2-2. While the wins came at the expense of struggling teams, the wins count regardless.
Now, the team must recalibrate and focus on an unbeaten UCF and beyond.
Plans for a new Wawa to open in Port St. Lucie were approved.
A new Wawa fuel station and convenience store will open in Port St. Lucie now that the plans have been approved.
The Wawa will be at the corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road in front of the Lowe’s which is expected to open in the summer of 2026, according to the city’s website.
The plans for a Wawa convenience store and eight fuel pumps were submitted to the city Dec. 3, 2025.
What will go in Port St. Lucie’s Southern Grove?
The plans for the Shoppes at Southern Grove show there will be a new Lowe’s store and six additional outparcels.
The six additional outparcels include the following:
- Gas station: 5,915 square feet
- Outparcel A: 1.2 acres
- Outparcel B: 1.14 acres
- Outparcel C: 1.83 acres
- Outparcel D: 1.04 acres
- Outparcel E: 1.02 acres
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
SUNRISE, Fla. – Five Florida Panthers players and five staff members will represent their home countries at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship, taking place May 15 through May 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States.
Marek Alscher, 22, will represent Czechia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time. He previously played for his home country at the 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, skating in seven games to help the Czechs capture the bronze medal over Finland. Alscher made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, notching three assists over four games played. He also skated in 52 American Hockey League (AHL) games with Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, recording 11 points (3-8-11).
Aleksander Barkov, 30, missed the 2026 Winter Olympic Games due to injury but had been named to Finland’s preliminary roster in June of 2025. He previously earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games alongside current Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu, and earned a silver medal representing his home country at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. At the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Barkov served as captain of Finland.
Anton Lundell, 24, will be participating in his second IIHF World Championship after earning a silver medal with Finland in 2021, where he posted seven points (4-3-7) in 10 games as a 19-year-old. He helped Finland capture the bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this season and previously earned gold at the 2019 IIHF U20 WJC and 2018 IIHF U18 WJC, as well as a bronze medal at the 2021 U20 WJC.
Sandis Vilmanis, 22, will represent Latvia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in his career. He played for Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February as well as at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, serving as an alternate captain in 2024 where he produced four points (2-2-4) over five games. Vilmanis made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, logging five points (3-2-5) in 19 games with Florida while compiling 38 points (17-21-38) in 48 American Hockey League (AHL) contests with the Panthers affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Matthew Tkachuk, 28, will attempt to become the first American to join the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, World Championship Gold Medal and Olympic Gold Medal), as well as the first player in NHL history to win all three parts of the Triple Gold Club within a 12-month span. This will be Tkachuk’s first time participating in the IIHF World Championship.
In addition to his 2026 Olympic gold medal, Tkachuk also earned gold representing the United States at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship and the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge, as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF U20 WJC. He served as alternate captain for the U.S. at the 2026 Olympics and 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida will have four staff members representing the United States. Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson is serving as General Manager for the second time after holding the position in 2024. Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will serve as equipment manager and Florida’s Head Athletic Trainer Dave DiNapoli will work as athletic trainer. Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito will serve on the Advisory Group.
Panthers Assistant General Manager Gregory Campbell will assist with evaluating and selecting players for Canada.
Panthers fans can stay up to date on all the Cats’ representatives at the 2026 IIHF World Championships at FloridaPanthers.com/WorldChampionship.
2026-27 Florida Panthers Territory Memberships are available now! Click here to learn more. For all the latest in Panthers news, concerts and events at Amerant Bank Arena & FTL War Memorial, sign up for ’93 Society newsletter and receive information straight to your inbox. Visit FloridaPanthers.com or SeatGeek.com for all ticketing needs.
A Martin County slaughterhouse near Lake Okeechobee could increase toxic algal blooms in the C-44 Canal, St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
There have been 81 algal blooms in the past two years within 2 miles of a proposed slaughterhouse in western Martin County, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Algal Bloom Dashboard.
The slaughterhouse will increase pollution and bring more potentially toxic algal blooms to Lake Okeechobee, whose waters sometimes are released into the C-44 Canal and flow into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon in Stuart, opponents say.
Chancey Bay Ranch owner Tuny Mizrachi has proposed building a 56,784-square-foot slaughterhouse on 26 acres of his 2,046-acre-property at 8401 SW Connors Highway, abutting Lake O.
5 ways a slaughterhouse can increase Lake Okeechobee pollution
The Guardians of Martin County have raised at least five concerns with the Martin County Commission:
- Meat processing facilities, though necessary, have the potential to be noisy nuisances and significant sources of disease and pollution for air and water.
- The facility would be a new source of pollution in a watershed that’s designated as “impaired” because of elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
- The facility would be a potential new source of pollutants near one of Martin County’s lowest income and most ethnically diverse communities.
- There’s no evidence the facility has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, or plans to follow effluent limitation guidelines or conduct water-quality monitoring.
- The South Florida Water Management District has permitted the facility to withdraw 6.7 million gallons of water per year for 20 years from Florida’s surficial aquifer, despite it being subject to varying levels of saltwater intrusion, especially in Martin County. The SFWMD has designated all of Martin County a Water Resource Caution Area.
Blood, feces, oil, grease, ammonia and antibiotic residue from the proposed slaughterhouse would contribute to harmful algal blooms, including toxic cyanobacteria, Martin County Administrator Don Donaldson wrote to the DEP and SFWMD.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
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