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Photos From the Florida Gators’ Final Four Win Over Auburn

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9 months ago

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Photos From the Florida Gators’ Final Four Win Over Auburn


SAN ANTONIO– For the fourth time in program history, the Florida Gators will play for a national championship after a 79-73 win over Auburn on Saturday in the Final Four.

Sparked by a 34-point outing from Walter Clayton Jr. and a strong defensive effort in the second half, Florida defeated the Tigers for the second time this season and will now play Houston on Monday in the national championship game.

Tip-off between the Gators and the Cougars is at 8:50 p.m. ET with television coverage on CBS.

All photos via Gators Illustrated’s Kyle Lander.

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Saturday, April 5, 2025: Florida 79, Auburn 73

Florida Gators

The Florida Gators’ win over Auburn in the Final Four clinched the program’s first appearance in the national title game since 2007 and fourth overall in program history. “I’m incredibly proud of these guys forgetting this win. We’re alive, man. We’re playing for this national championship on Monday night,” head coach Todd Golden said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated
Gators

The Florida Gators advanced to the national championship after a 34-point performance from Walter Clayton Jr. “He’s poised, calm and collected, confident in himself. We have that confidence in him. We see him practice, see his work ethic. We’re glad everybody else is getting to see him do it in a game,” Will Richard said of Clayton Jr. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

HC Todd Golden

Todd Golden

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden is just the second coach in program history to lead the team to the national championship game alongside Billy Donovan. “I was thinking how amazing it was that he’s here, a guy that is the face of Florida basketball, had such an amazing career in Gainesville, and obviously after. What he was able to do. He raised the bar pretty high at Florida. There’s some pretty high expectations now because of what he was able to do in his time there,” Golden said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated
Todd Golden

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden, after winning his first NCAA Tournament game in his head coaching career, has led the program to its first national championship appearance in nearly 20 years. “It’s pretty incredible, man, you know? We worked pretty hard to get here. In three years, been fortunate to build a great staff that is aligned, that works really hard for each other,” he said/ / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

G Walter Clayton Jr.

Walter Clayton Jr.

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. set a new program-high for points in a Final Four with a game-high 34 points in the win over Auburn. ” He’s special,” Will Richard said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

G Alijah Martin

Alijah Martin

Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin had two highlight plays with dunks in transition in the team’s win over Auburn in the Final Four. “We’ve been waiting on him all year,” guard Walter Clayton Jr. joked. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated
Alijah Martin

Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin finished with 17 points in his second Final Four appearance. He became the first player in NCAA history to start in the Final Four. “From the moment he got to campus in the summer, we knew that his experience and his mentality and the way he approached workouts and practice would really help this group,” head coach Todd Golden said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated
Alijah Martin

Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin may have had a strong 17 points, but his defensive effort across the season has stood out, and it was no different in the second half of Saturday’s win over Auburn in the Final Four. “Yeah, we know what we need to do. We just had to trust each other, play harder, get the job done,” Martin said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

G Will Richard

Will Richard

Florida Gators guard Will Richard hit five free throws and recorded six rebounds in the team’s win over Auburn in the Final Four. “Walt, Will and Alijah, senior leaders, guys that have been through the fire a little bit before. Great players with really, really a high level of confidence. They just kind of breathe it into the rest of the team,” head coach Todd Golden said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated
Will Richard

Florida Gators guard Will Richard hit five free throws and recorded six rebounds in the team’s win over Auburn in the Final Four. “Walt, Will and Alijah, senior leaders, guys that have been through the fire a little bit before. Great players with really, really a high level of confidence. They just kind of breathe it into the rest of the team,” head coach Todd Golden said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Auburn HC Bruce Pearl

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Florida Gators

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl has now lost both matchups this season against his former assistant, Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden, after Saturday’s Final Four. “Credit Auburn. Obviously an incredible team, one of the best college basketball teams in the past couple decades. You all know how much I love Bruce and Steven and their program,” Golden said. / Bruce Pearl

F Thomas Haugh

Thomas Haugh

Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh has turned from a largely unknown recruit to one of the nation’s top players in his sophomore season. He recorded 12 points and two blocks, helping Florida rebound after a poor defensive effort in the first half. “That’s not the game of basketball, that’s not the style of basketball we played at the beginning, out-physical us. That gave us extra motivation. Coach Hartman got on us a lot at halftime, too. That helped a lot going into that second half,” he said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

G Cooper Josefsberg

Cooper Josefsberg

Florida Gators walk-on Cooper Josefsberg celebrates with the Rowdy Reptiles after the team’s win over Auburn in the Final Four. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Victor Lopez

Victor Lopez

Florida Gators’ strength and conditioning coordinator Victor Lopez celebrates as the team defeats Auburn in the Final Four. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

The Rowdy Reptiles

Florida Gators

Florida Gators fans celebrate as the team punches its ticket to the national championship. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated



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Florida

Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

7 hours ago

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January 9, 2026

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Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis


ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.

A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.

Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.

The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:

  • immigration crackdowns
  • ICE and National Guard deployments
  • on-again-off-again tariffs
  • his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government

More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.

Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.

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Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida

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US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.





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Florida

Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year

Published

19 hours ago

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January 9, 2026

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Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year


Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.

Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?

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In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.

The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.

“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”

When will flight taxis be available in Florida?

Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.

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Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.

The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.

Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state

  • Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
  • Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
  • Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
  • Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee

Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections

  • Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
  • Part B: Sebring out east and west
  • Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
  • Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee

What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis

  • Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
  • Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
  • Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
  • Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
  • Miami International Airport (MIA)
  • Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
  • Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
  • Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
  • Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
  • Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
  • Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
  • Tampa International Airport (TPA)
  • Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)

Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. 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://floridatoday.com/newsletters.



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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say

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1 day ago

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January 8, 2026

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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say


ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.

The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.

The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.

“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.

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An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.

A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.

Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.

The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social



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