Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
A Pet technology company, Fi has launched a new dog tracker that relies on SpaceX's Starlink satellite service to help dog owners keep track of their pets. WFIT’s Terri Wright explains.
"A new GPS dog tracker can help owners locate their pets even in remote areas without cellular coverage. The Fi Ultra uses T-Mobile's T-Satellite network, powered by Starlink's constellation of nearly 11,000 satellites. The tracker costs $199, with annual service plans starting at $189. Since Starlink's first launch five years ago, the satellite internet service has grown to nearly 7 million users in 150 countries."
Orange County Fire Rescue Chief Anthony Rios [[REE-ohs]] is resigning, effective this Friday, just over a year after stepping into the role.
It follows Rios’s statement, during the county’s recent budget work sessions, that he did not have a new county-issued vehicle. Rios was responding to questions from District 3 Commissioner and mayoral candidate Mayra Uribe about where fleet purchases were in the department’s budget. Uribe says she wasn’t expecting Rios to resign.
"No, I was very surprised. I just would have assumed that he would have apologized, corrected it, and we would have moved forward. .... He's been with Orange County for a long time. And that was nowhere on my radar that that would have taken place."
Rios spent 24 years working for the department, beginning as a firefighter-paramedic, before he was appointed as Fire Chief April of last year.
In his resignation letter, Rios wrote that the purchase of a county-assigned vehicle “complied with all county procurement policies and procedures" — but that his response could, quote, “only be perceived as inaccurate,” since it did not fully communicate all context.
Three weeks away from the August 18th primary election, Florida Democrats hold a slight edge in votes cast through mail ballots statewide. But the political party ratio is flipped in Brevard County. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the numbers:
"More than 10,000 Brevard County voters have already cast their ballots by mail. Republican voters account for the largest share of returned mail ballots, with nearly 4,300 ballots cast. Democratic voters have returned over 3,800 ballots. Another 1,600 ballots have been submitted by voters with no party affiliation. Florida’s 2026 Primary Election is on Tuesday, August 18."
The Broward County schools superintendent said the recent termination of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians could affect the district’s budget.
On Tuesday, the Broward County school board and district officials discussed the tentative budget for the upcoming school year. Enrollment declines come at a staggering financial cost to the district… as state funds depend on student head-count.
Here’s Superintendent Howard Hepburn.
"One of my biggest or largest concerns right now is what's going on with the TPS status for our Haitian families. From just listening, from asking questions, I have a fear that it's going to impact enrollment in the Tri-County area for sure."
South Florida is home to the largest Haitian population in the U.S. – While Broward is the sixth-largest school district in the country.
It is not yet known just how MANY students had to unenroll. The school board and district expect to have a better idea at the start of the school year when they have more data.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk