🏠 News From Your Neighborhood
Florida
This Southern state shatters records with all-time population high — 350K new residents yearly
Move over, California and Texas — there’s a new heavyweight in town.
Florida’s population has officially crossed the 23 million mark — an all-time high — thanks to a massive influx of new residents flocking to the Sunshine State from other parts of the US and abroad.
As of April 1, Florida boasts 23,002,597 residents, according to the latest estimates from the state Demographic Estimating Conference, as reported by the Sun Sentinel. This milestone makes Florida the third most populous state in the nation, trailing only California’s 39.5 million and Texas’ 30.5 million.
The surge is nothing new — Florida has been adding between 350,000 to 375,000 people each year for more than a decade, with nearly 359,000 newcomers last year alone. However, the growth rate is expected to peak this year at 1.6% before slowing down in the coming years, as the baby boomer generation ages out of the workforce.
Interestingly, Florida’s population boom is entirely driven by migration. Since just before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, deaths have outpaced births in the state, a trend that is expected to continue. Almost 10% of Florida’s residents are 75 and older, second only to Puerto Rico among US states and territories.
Other Republican southern states have seen similar growth spurts, while liberal northern states like New York experienced declines. The country’s population grew by 1.6 million over the past year, with 87% of that increase concentrated in Texas, Florida and South Carolina, according to new Census Bureau data.
Texas led the nation in population growth between July 2022 and July 2023, adding nearly half a million new residents amid the ongoing migrant crisis at the border. Following closely behind were Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, all benefiting from outmigration from other states.
“The growth in 2023 can largely be attributed to the region’s migration patterns,” the report explained, noting that 706,266 people were added via net domestic migration, while net international migration contributed almost 500,000 to the total.
States like New York, California and Illinois saw their populations shrink as residents fled high taxes and the soaring cost of living. California lost 338,371 residents to other states, New York shed 216,778, and Illinois saw 83,839 leave. While these losses have been offset by new migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, the overall populations of these states still declined due to the exodus.
The South, however, is now facing a potential housing market crisis. The post-2020 rush to build new homes in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas has led to a glut in supply.
Homebuilders went into overdrive during the pandemic, meeting the demand from Americans seeking cheaper living and remote work opportunities. This has created a potential bubble that could spell trouble ahead.
But unlike the 2008 financial crisis, today’s homeowners have substantial equity in their properties, particularly in the South. “Historically, Florida has a high share of homeowners that own their home outright,” Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, said in that previous report.
“There’s a lot more equity in housing right now, which makes it less likely we’ll see the kind of price declines that led to trouble in the mid-2000s.”
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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