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Sydney Sweeney buys $13.5M oceanfront Florida mansion: Aquarium, 520-bottle wine room and more

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Sydney Sweeney buys .5M oceanfront Florida mansion: Aquarium, 520-bottle wine room and more


Sydney Sweeney is officially bicoastal living. Instagram/sydney_sweeney

Sydney Sweeney is the proud new owner of an oceanfront Florida compound.

The “Anyone But You” star snagged up a pricey piece of property in the Sunshine State for $13.5 million on Tuesday — $4.5 million less than its asking price, Page Six has learned.

The 7,720-square-foot home features six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, a 520-bottle wine room, a 330-gallon aquarium, an elevator, a home gym, a game room and carport parking.

The actress purchased a palatial home in Florida on Tuesday. MEGA
The property features a massive pool, a spa, an aquarium, a game room and more. MEGA

As seen in photos obtained by Page Six exclusively, the mansion is located on a large piece of land approximately 30 minutes from Key West, giving the actress lots of privacy during her days off.

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The property includes a massive heated and chilled infinity pool with a swim-up bar, a hot tub and a private boat launch.

It is unclear whether Sweeney, 26, purchased the home on her own or if it was a joint investment with her fiancé, Jonathan Davino, 40.

Sweeney bought the property for $13.5 million. MEGA
The “Anyone But You” star got the home for way under its asking price. MEGA
The property is 30 minutes from Key West. MEGA

TMZ reported Wednesday that the “Euphoria” star, who has already hunkered down in Florida, also plans to keep her home in Los Angeles.

Sweeney purchased her Tudor-style home in California for $3 million in November 2021 — something she never thought she’d accomplish.

“I always thought that when I turned 18, I’d have all this money and I’d buy back my parents’ house and put them all back together again. And I never was able to, and I never did,” she told the Associated Press that December.

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“So now being able to be in a house is such an incredible, humbling, amazing accomplishment that I still can’t believe I was able to pull off.”

It is more than 7,000 square feet. MEGA
This is the fourth home Sweeney has purchased since 2021. MEGA

The 3,200-square-foot home, built in 1933, boasts five bedrooms and four bathrooms and is situated atop a hillside in the Westwood neighborhood of LA.

While Sweeney wasn’t able to immediately buy back her parents’s home, she purchased a family heirloom in 2022.

“My great-grandma had this beautiful house. It’s a two-bedroom, cute house that they lived in,” she explained on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in December 2023. “My grandma was born in it, my mom was born in it, and then as the kids got older, they built on the property another home.”

Her real estate portfolio now totals more than $23 million. sydneysweeney/Instagram
The actress plans to keep her place in Los Angeles despite her new Florida digs.

“When my great-grandpa passed away and my great-grandmother got old, they just couldn’t afford to keep it anymore,” she continued. “Last year, I called up the owners and I said, ‘I want to buy my great-grandma’s house back.’”

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It is unclear whether the “White Lotus” alum still owns the home.

Sweeney also bought a 4,477-square-foot fixer-upper in Bel Air, Calif., for $6.2 million last year — despite once claiming she was strapped for cash.



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Sunblotch disease resurfaces, threatening South Florida avocado trees and backyard growers

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Sunblotch disease resurfaces, threatening South Florida avocado trees and backyard growers


If you have an avocado tree growing in your backyard, experts say you need to be vigilant about a disease that has made a comeback and can destroy your fruit.

It’s called Sunblotch Viroid, a microscopic invader that can spread easily.

CBS Miami spoke with tropical fruit specialist Dr. Jonathan Crane at the University of Florida’s Research and Education Center in Homestead about the disease. He says a local farmer spotted the disease and notified him, prompting Crane to issue a warning.

Laurel wilt wiped out half of trees 

Crane has worked for decades at the research center. He says that while the laurel wilt fungus wiped out nearly half of the avocado trees in South Florida, newly planted avocado trees are now susceptible to Sunblotch Viroid.

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The disease leaves deep yellow scars on the fruit.

“You can have Viroid in a tree that doesn’t show symptoms. It can spread from seeds and root stock,” Crane said.

Crane advises growers with infected trees: “If it has it, they need to properly remove the tree entirely.”

Farmers inspect trees for signs 

David Maes, manager of Marando Farms and Ranch in Davie, said the operation has had no Sunblotch issues but that he inspects the organic avocado trees regularly.

“It’s always a concern. You worry you will have to dig up a row,” Maes said. “That’s what happened with the citrus greening outbreak that happened 15 years ago. Tens of millions of citrus trees had to be destroyed because of a bug.”

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Serious threat to avocado production 

Crane says farmers and home growers should take the Sunblotch threat seriously.

“We have to look out. Because trees can be reduced 14 to 80 percent,” he said.

If you suspect you have an infected tree, Crane says you can take leaf samples to your local agricultural extension office. For a fee, they can test for confirmation.

If you’d like more information, contact the UF/IFAS TREC Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Homestead.   

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GOP candidates battle for momentum in Florida governor race

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GOP candidates battle for momentum in Florida governor race



In the face of challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.

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  • U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads in polls for the Florida GOP gubernatorial nomination with 45% support.
  • The election is a year away, but rivals like former House Speaker Paul Renner and perhaps Lt. Gov. Jay Collins are beginning to challenge Donalds.
  • But a large portion of Republican voters, nearly 50%, remain undecided in the race.

Less than 12 months until the election, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is comfortably ahead in polls for the GOP nomination to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But there are signs the sleepy race is sparking to life: Donalds’ rivals are lining up to attack the Naples Republican and chip away at his lead in the polls.

Former House Speaker Paul Renner released an extensive economic platform on Nov. 14 focused on affordability – a topic top of mind for voters in the recent off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022. DeSantis selected him to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position in August, fueling speculation he’d later run to replace the term-limited DeSantis next year.

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Collins hasn’t officially declared his candidacy but continues to tease his own run, and has recently started unsubtly slamming Donalds online.

“Let’s face it. Most members of Congress won’t pass a single meaningful bill for their district,” Collins posted on X on Nov. 13. “So they turn to Fox News or CNN to build name ID … and then run for Governor.”

A nonprofit organization, Florida Fighters, also started running ads featuring Collins.

There’s also the prospect of a wildcard in the race. James Fishback, the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has said he’ll officially announce his campaign soon. He has repeatedly attacked Donalds, particularly on immigration policies related to the federal H1B visa program, calling him “DEI Donalds” and “H1Byron.”

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Byron Donalds can boast he’s tops in the polls

In the face of these challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.

A Victory Insights poll conducted Nov. 11–13 of 600 likely Republican voters found he has 45% support, while Renner has 2.7%, Collins 1.2% and Fishback 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%), however, said they were undecided, leaving a pathway for the trailing pack to win over the electorate.

Donalds has continued to campaign, attending Turning Point USA events at University of Florida in the last week. And he’s started to talk more about the cost of living, telling Newsmax on Nov. 13 that Florida will have to develop its own health care plan if Congress can’t fix or replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies for coverage plans on ACA exchanges are set to expire at the end of the year, boosting monthly costs.

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“Health care costs are out of control. If the feds aren’t going to be responsive then Florida is going to have to lead the way,” Donalds said.

Affordability has become a catchphrase for campaigns as costs have continued to rise, including for housing and beef and grocery staples.

Renner’s plan would tackle housing costs by slashing property taxes and passing more litigation reforms to drive down property insurance rates. He also wants to keep tuition rates level for higher education and expand vocational programs to generate more high-paying jobs.

The plan would also eliminate H1B visas for workers at state agencies. DeSantis recently said he’s eliminating H1B visas for employees at state universities.

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The H1B visa program, started in 1990 by Congress, has been criticized by hardline anti-immigration hawks as being abused by large corporations to bring in foreign workers at the expense of Americans.

“We can provide residents with lower costs and a business climate that creates jobs with better incomes,” Renner said in a statement.

“This plan begins with an immediate and overdue property tax rollback, through legislative action,” he added. “This will ease the financial burden of hardworking taxpayers across the state while we await long-term reforms that require constitutional amendment a year from now.”

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On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings got in the race earlier this month, challenging former U.S. Rep. David Jolly who announced his campaign in the summer.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.



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Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

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Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired


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Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard’s Florida State jersey was retired Sunday.

Howard wore No. 33 for the Seminoles from 2010-14, starting 127 games. She also holds heralded spots in program history:

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  • 1,811 points, fourth-most
  • 1,046 rebounds, second
  • 186 blocked shots, fourth

Howard’s scoring total was second when she left the program. She led FSU in career rebounds before Fever teammate Makalya Timpson (2021-25) grabbed more. The blocks were third most when Howard left, but Timpson has more.

The Fever selected Howard fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and she played her first two seasons in Indiana. She returned in 2025 free agency, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for the league semifinalists.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.  Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.



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