DeSantis orders special legislative session to change congressional districts.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he would order the Florida Legislature to convene for a special session to redraw the state’s congressional districts before the 2026 election. His move formally places Florida in line with the national Republican effort. Democrats are already decrying the decision. Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa says it goes against state protections against partisan gerrymandering.
"This is an illegal partisan gerrymander happening, happening because Donald Trump asked for it. Trump wants to rig the midterm elections to prevent the American people from holding his administration accountable."
Florida's map already disproportionately benefits the GOP.
The special session, from April 20 through April 24, comes after the scheduled adjournment of the regular Florida legislative session.
Medical concern aboard the space station.
NASA says it's considering bringing a crew of four home from the International Space Station early…due to a medical issue with one of the crew members. Central Florida Public Media’s Brendan Byrne has more:
The agency describes the issue as a medical concern with a crew member aboard the orbiting lab. NASA did not share details about the issue, or which crew member is affected beyond noting that their condition is stable.
The medical concern cancelled a planned space walk today. And now, NASA says it’s exploring the possibility of bringing the crew home early. That would cut short the Crew-11 mission, which launched to the station back in August from Kennedy Space Center. Crews typically spend six to eight months living and working on the station. The crew consists of two NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut.
Flu surge overwhelms hospitals.
Amid a nationwide influenza surge that’s overwhelming hospitals, Florida has reached the top tier in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
The latest FluView report from the CDC rated the national positivity rate for flu-like illnesses at 32.9% — the steepest climb in nearly 30 years. Officials are estimating around 11 million cases overall this season, along with 120,000 trips to the hospital and 5,000 fatalities. Florida’s numbers are still spiking, putting the state in the CDC’s “very high” alert zone alongside California and Texas.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive an annual influenza vaccine.
Flu season officially runs through May in Florida, but experts say the current peak could linger into February if vaccination rates don’t improve.
No arrests two months after cruise ship death.
Two months after a Titusville teen’s body was found aboard a cruise ship during a family vacation, no arrests have been made and relatively no information has been released.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old cheerleader from Titusville, was found dead on Nov. 7 in a stateroom she shared with her 16-year-old stepbrother and a younger stepsibling. ABC News has reported the medical examiner determined Anna Kepner died as a result of mechanical asphyxiation. However, the medical examiner’s office told USA Today Jan. 6 that its office has not released any information and referred questions to the FBI. A spokesman for the FBI confirmed that the case was being investigated but said no comment could be given at this time.
Crackdown on trucks on US1
Yesterday we reported on the enforcement campaigns for drivers on Interstate 95. Today we learn that Melbourne police and the Florida Highway Patrol are focused on commercial vehicles traveling US1 in Brevard. Operation Overload targeted dump trucks with unsafe or unsecured loads.
