UNF Poll finds razor thin leads for Florida Republicans.
There appears to be razor-thin leads for Republican candidates in the governor’s and U-S Senate races in Florida.
The latest poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab puts Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds ahead of Democrat David Jolly by just two percentage points. And in the race for U.S. Senate, Republican Ashley Moody has a four-point lead against Democrat Angie Nixon. But Lab Director Sean Freeder says the races are even closer than that.
“YOU KNOW, THE MARGIN OF ERROR IS A LITTLE UNDER 3% SO THAT MEANS IT COULD BE OFF POTENTIALLY 3 POINTS IN EITHER DIRECTION. THAT MEANS THE GOVERNOR’S RACE, WE’RE REALLY SAYING, IS TOO CLOSE TO CALL. IT’S POTENTIALLY ANYONE’S GAME. THE SENATE RACE – MOODY HAS A SLIGHT ADVANTAGE THAT TAKES HER OUT OF THE MARGIN OF ERROR. BUT NIXON IS THERE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE SO THAT LOOKS COMPETiTIVE TOO.”
The statewide survey of nearly 15-hundred likely midterm voters was conducted from October 12th through the 19th.
Florida fentanyl death drop by 60%
Florida law enforcement officials credit tough state laws for a 60% drop in fentanyl death over the past three years. More than 600 pounds of fentanyl, 800 pounds of cocaine, and nearly 1,000 firearms have been seized, and nearly 3,000 drug arrests were made in Florida since 2023. Looking forward, the Florida Legislature appropriated more than $22 million for the anti-fentanyl grant program in new state budget.
Florida Senate President says he’ll vote ‘no’ on property tax cuts.
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton had celebrated the vote to put Amendment 3 on the ballot. But now Albritton , says the cuts to property taxes would hurt law enforcement and rural counties. If approved by 60% of the voters on Nov. 3, Amendment 3 would increase the homestead exemption for all non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
Police to use flying car.
The age of "The Jetsons" is closer than we think. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares details of a police department's plans to be the first in the country to employ a flying vehicle as part of its force.
Florida Polytechnic University announced that the Lakeland University's police department would be the first law enforcement agency to employ an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
Named Astro after the dog in the 1960s cartoon, the vehicle was developed by California-based Jetson. Florida Poly is awaiting final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to officially use the vehicle in its police operations. The goal is to monitor the campus and surrounding area, assist with post-storm recovery, deliver emergency supplies as needed, and assist other law enforcement agencies.
Neil Armstrong’s jacket fails to sell.
We had reported last week that a jacket worn by astronaut Neil Armstrong was expected to sell for up to $1.2 million at auction. But the charity auction for Titusville's American Space Museum failed to sell Armstrong's Apollo 11 training flight jacket. According to the auctioneer, it received a bid that was so low that it was not in the "realm of rational reality.”
More 22 million expected to cruise.
AAA is predicting that more than 22 millionAmericans willl board a cruise ship next year. And Port Canaveral and Florida’s two other cruise ports are expected to be the top embarkation spots. Overall cruise passenger volume is expected to be 57% higher than pre-pandemic levels. While Port Canaveral held the title as the world’s busiest cruise port for one year, Port Miami expected to take the lead in 2027.
