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Hurricane Milton ravaged one of the most popular areas for 'snowbirds' on Florida's Gulf Coast

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5 days ago

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Hurricane Milton ravaged one of the most popular areas for 'snowbirds' on Florida's Gulf Coast


BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The start of “snowbird” season in Florida is only weeks away, but many Florida Gulf Coast beaches, regularly voted some of the best in the United States, are closed to the public because of the devastation from Hurricane Milton two weeks ago.

Most restaurants and shops in the tony St. Armands Circle district of Sarasota were flooded with water from Milton and Hurricane Helene, which tore through Florida almost two weeks ahead of Milton. The dominant performing arts hall in Sarasota is closed until January because of extensive damage. Mounds of debris are scattered along Gulf Coast roads.

Hurricane Milton’s devastating toll along Florida’s Gulf Coast hit one of the most popular areas for snowbirds — temporary residents who spend winter months in the Sunshine State — right before the start of the season which generally runs from after Halloween to around Easter. Milton landed on a barrier island in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm swamped coastal homes with mounds of sand, pushed water inland and caused tens of billions of dollars in privately insured losses up and down the Gulf Coast.

Visitors need to stay away for the time being so they don’t interfere with the work of residents and recovery workers, said Larry West, a construction contractor who has been pulling long hours digging out 4-feet (1.2-meter) drifts of storm-driven sand at a condo complex on Manasota Key, about 32 miles (19.8 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

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“Give this area time. Don’t come here,” West said. “It doesn’t help when you get people in the way.”

Other Floridians on the Gulf Coast are taking the opposite view. In Clearwater, more than 55 miles (34.1 kilometers) north of Sarasota, Mayor Bruce Rector said he has been fielding calls from as far away as Canada, asking him, “Mayor, when will it be safe for Canadians to return to Clearwater?”

“I told them, ‘Today,’” Rector said during a recent meeting of the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council. “It’s not going to be perfect, but you’re going to have a similar experience to what you’ve always had here.”

Shawn Kaleta, one of the largest property owners on Anna Maria Island, about 20 miles north of Sarasota, also feels bullish about this season as reservations at the rental properties he manages are trending up from where they were last year.

Florida, a state with 23 million residents, has about 1.5 million seasonal residents annually, with about a third coming from Canada.

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Evan Rachkovsky, communications director of the Canadian Snowbird Association, said he hasn’t heard of any members canceling their plans, even those whose homes were damaged, although some are delaying their trips until the situation improves.

“Most of our members are still going to be proceeding south as planned,” Rachkovsky said.

Some snowbirds have already made their annual migration south despite the latest storms, returning to their pickleball groups and tennis leagues even as some of their neighbors’ condos remain unlivable.

Because of Sarasota’s renown for a thriving performing arts scene, a sizable chunk of its snowbirds are performing arts patrons. Milton caused extensive damage to the Van Wezel performing arts hall, which hosts the Sarasota Orchestra and the Sarasota Ballet, and all performances have been canceled until the beginning of the new year.

During the past few years, many snowbirds have delayed coming to Florida, choosing to return after hurricane season ends in late November. As a result, some performing arts groups are pushing back the start of their seasons to later in the year, said Richard Russell, general director of Sarasota Opera, where about 40% of season subscribers are snowbirds.

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“If people for a couple of years delay coming back because of storm activity in late October, that may be the new pattern,” Russell said.

Owners of vacation homes outside Florida see opportunity in the Gulf Coast’s misfortune. Gary Sacks advertised his two-bedroom condo in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the “Florida Snowbirds 2025” Facebook page less than a week after Milton made landfall, targeting those “whose plans for being a snowbird were impacted by the two hurricanes that hit Florida.” He didn’t respond to a request for an interview.

Jim Lenz, 96, who lives outside Dayton, Ohio, and spends the winter months in The Villages, a sprawling central Florida retirement community, believes the storms may give pause to some snowbirds’ winter plans, “particularly people who are older and may decide, ‘I don’t want to take that chance anymore.’”

“Some may give up on it. Others may decide, ‘We just can’t stand the cold up here and we are going down,’” Lenz said.

Some snowbirds like Joe Singer say the growing number and intensity of the storms aren’t going to keep them away. Singer, who has spent the past five winters in Parkland, Florida, instead of his native New Jersey, said he and other snowbirds are adapting by purchasing homes further inland or on higher ground and acquiring generators.

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The winter months are “like a mini-heaven,” said Singer, who is an avid walker. “I get up in the morning and go walking. I don’t have to scrape ice off my windshield. I don’t have to shovel the sidewalk. It’s just been very, very nice.”

___

Follow Mike Schneider @MikeSchneiderAP and Kate Payne @hellokatepayne on the social platform X.





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Florida

Florida schools ponder hurricane makeup days

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3 hours ago

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October 28, 2024

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Florida schools ponder hurricane makeup days


The big story: Students across Florida lost several hours of class time as their schools shut down for hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Once determining it was safe to resume classes, officials had another key decision ahead: How to make up the missed time, which for some children exceeded 50 hours. That’s nearly 5% of the year.

The choices included extending the school day, adding more days to the academic year and canceling vacations or parts of them.

“The driving question was constantly around, how do we make all the right moves for all the right reasons?” Pinellas County schools chief academic officer Donnika Jones said. Read more here.

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Eckerd College students return to campus after a month away because of hurricanes Helene and Milton, WUSF reports. The school moved to remote online classes after evacuating.

Hot topics

Lunch lines: The University of South Florida has cut ties with its longtime cafeteria services provider. The move will affect about 400 employees. • Duval County school cafeteria workers are discussing whether to walk off the job after reaching an impasse in contract talks seeking higher wages, WTLV reports.

Referendum politics: Opponents of the Hillsborough County school district’s local-option property tax referendum have made allegations against superintendent Van Ayres in their effort to detract support for the initiative, Florida Politics reports. • A campaign to extend Escambia County’s local-option sales tax supporting construction projects has strong support, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

Save Our School: Some Collier County residents are petitioning to prevent Bonita Springs Elementary School from being demolished, WINK reports. The school was damaged in Hurricane Irma. • Duval County residents want school district officials to consider equity, and not just the bottom line, as they prepare to shutter several schools as part of a cost-saving effort, Jacksonville Today reports.

School uses: The Highlands County school district is transforming its prekindergarten center, which sat about half vacant, to other program uses, Highlands News-Sun reports.

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Union busting: A group that tried to push out United Teachers of Dade says it won’t give up despite losing its initial effort, the Miami Herald reports.

Vouchers: Both the Democrat and the Republican seeking a state House seat representing Palm Beach want more accountability for Florida’s school voucher system, Florida Phoenix reports.

From the police blotter … The principal of a Lake County high school was arrested on an allegation of driving under the influence, WESH reports. • Schools in Bonifay in Holmes County have canceled all outdoor activities during a police investigation into a nearby weekend murder, WJHG reports.

Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to Friday’s roundup.

Before you go … What’s that? New Wallace and Gromit?

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Florida

Florida State Opens As Slim Underdog To North Carolina Tar Heels

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11 hours ago

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October 27, 2024

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Florida State Opens As Slim Underdog To North Carolina Tar Heels


There is still football left to play in Tallahassee despite the Florida State Seminoles being eliminated from bowl contention with four games remaining in 2024. Next up on the docket are the North Carolina Tar Heels as FSU returns to Doak Campbell Stadium for a Saturday afternoon affair.

The Tar Heels snapped a four-game slide with a 41-14 victory against Virginia on the road last weekend. North Carolina has turned to graduate transfer quarterback Jacolby Criswell, who has completed 124/217 passes for 1,660 yards with ten touchdowns to three interceptions, in the wake of Max Johnson’s season-ending injury. The team also sports one of the top running backs in the country in Omarion Hampton. The dynamic threat has rushed 181 times for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns.

An interesting fact worth knowing coming into the week; North Carolina head coach Mack Brown has never defeated Florida State – his alma mater – during his career (0-8). Two of those losses came to Mike Norvell in 2020 (31-28) and 2021 (35-25).

READ MORE: Blue-Chip Wide Receiver Decommits From Florida State Following 1-7 Start

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Despite the history in FSU’s favor, the team enters the week, to no surprise, as a slim underdog in the matchup. According to early lines from DraftKings, Florida State is a +2-point underdog against North Carolina. The over/under is set at 50 points. FSU also trails +110 to -130 on the Moneyline.

This is the fifth straight game where Florida State has been regarded as the betting underdog. At this point, the Seminoles might not be favored to beat Charleston-Southern in a few weeks. Maybe that’s a little harsh but the product on the field is that bad and there aren’t many positives to take away from anything the team has done this season.

Florida State and North Carolina will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 2. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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READ MORE: Luke Kromenhoek’s Legs Spark Florida State’s First Touchdown Drive Against Miami

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Football throughout the 2024 Season

Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

•  19 Notes Regarding Florida State’s Sizable Loss To Rival Miami

•  Full Comments From Mike Norvell Following Florida State’s Defeat To Miami

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• FSU Fans, Former Players React to First Loss to Miami In Four Years

• Florida State Falls to Miami For First Time In Four Years





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Florida

Florida reportedly using millions in opioid settlement money on anti-marijuana campaign targeting Amendment 3

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22 hours ago

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October 27, 2024

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Florida reportedly using millions in opioid settlement money on anti-marijuana campaign targeting Amendment 3


Florida state records have revealed that the state has reportedly channeled millions of dollars from a settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors into a campaign targeting the proposed Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) recently allocated nearly $4 million from the Florida opioid settlement trust fund to Strategic Digital Services, a Tallahassee-based marketing agency, for an educational campaign on the “dangers of marijuana, opioid, and drug use,” specifically directed at Floridian families and youth. You can view the purchase order information HERE.

Two ads were recently released as part of this effort to highlight the potential mental health risks of marijuana use in teens, including links to schizophrenia. One advertisement claims that modern marijuana is “engineered by corporations all for one purpose: to rewire the human mind.”

Below is one of the ads:

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Although the ads do not mention the amendment by name, supporters of Amendment 3 argue they represent a deliberate effort by the administration to sway voters ahead of the November election.

READ: Former President Trump announces he will vote yes on Florida’s Amendment 3 on marijuana legalization

Funding Scrutiny from Amendment 3 Supporters:

The use of opioid settlement funds, intended to mitigate the opioid epidemic, is raising questions among Amendment 3 supporters who argue the campaign is cannibalizing public money for political ads.

The $4 million contract with Strategic Digital Services will be funded by Florida’s opioid settlement trust, established as part of a multi-billion dollar agreement to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis.

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Over the next 20 years, Florida is slated to receive $3 billion from a nationwide opioid settlement, with funds directed toward combating the opioid epidemic. State law mandates the trust fund’s use in combating the opioid crisis, though it also includes provisions for broader substance use disorders.

The ads’ focus on a marijuana-focused campaign —rather than opioids—has raised questions about the DeSantis administration’s allocation choices in the run-up to the election.

Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, joined a bipartisan group of Amendment 3 advocates at a press event Friday, where he criticized the administration for using funds to allegedly advance a political agenda. “Tax dollars should not go to fund propaganda, bottom line,” Gruters said.

The DCF has yet to clarify if both recent ads fall under the $4 million contract with Strategic Digital Services, though they appeared after the contract was enacted, suggesting that opioid settlement money may be funding the campaign.

Anti-Amendment Campaigns:

In recent weeks, Governor DeSantis has intensified his anti-amendment campaigns, utilizing state resources against ballot measures like Amendment 3 and Amendment 4, the proposed amendment aimed at enshrining abortion rights in Floria’s constitution.

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READ: DeSantis escalates legal fight against Amendment 4 abortion ads, leveraging state resources in opposition

In numerous press conferences held across the state, the DeSantis administration warned of what he calls the “dangers” of legal marijuana, stating that he considers Amendment 3 as “more liberal” than laws in Colorado and California. At one press event, he invited a mother who lost her son to opioids to share how his struggle began with marijuana, which the administration described as a gateway to harder drugs.

Below is the referenced press event: (Note: The mother appears at the press conference starting at timestamp 37:30.)

Meanwhile, Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo have joined the anti-amendment efforts.

The First Lady has attended several events supported by law enforcement, where she has publicly opposed the amendment.

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“This is not about freedom. This is about corporate greed,” First Lady Casey DeSantis said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ladapo, previously criticized by federal agencies for spreading misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines, recently discussed the potential health risks of marijuana in a televised interview.

Upcoming Vote:

With early voting underway and a recent UNF poll showing 67% of people support Amendment 3, this election could represent a significant policy shift in Florida. While the DeSantis administration contends the measure risks public health, Amendment 3 advocates argue it would bring much-needed tax revenue to the state and regulate marijuana safely.

The final decision now rests with voters, who will cast their ballots on November 5. In Florida, each amendment requires a supermajority of 60% to pass, making your vote all the more critical in deciding the direction the state will go.

READ: What’s on Florida’s 2024 ballot?: A complete guide to the six proposed state amendments

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