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At oddities shops, customers may pick up anything from a bleached skull to a preserved puppy suspended in fluid to a painting featuring iridescent, pinned beetles.The growing fascination with the unusual has sparked a larger conversation about sustainability and where the items come from.

Big Lee’s popularity and the traffic it has brought to Ocala are just a glimpse of the area’s changing business demographics. From 2023 to 2024, Ocala’s population increased by 4%, making it the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Recent reports praising north central Florida’s Ichetucknee Springs prompted some area residents to post concerned comments on social media about excessive use of the area.

Four elected offices will be on the ballot for Ocala’s special municipal elections on Tuesday, but only the offices of mayor and City Council District 3 are contested races. Incumbent Mayor Ben Marciano faces challenger Zackary Arbor Feliciano, and District 3 incumbent Jay A. Musleh faces challengers Mark W. Clark and TamBoura Jenkins.

University of Florida medical students gathered on Friday to protest Florida’s plan to remove vaccine mandates in schools, aligning with criticism echoed by public health experts nationwide that the decision could lead to a reemergence of certain diseases and place a burden on healthcare systems.

UF/IFAS extension’s Family Nutrition Program will be discontinued Sept. 30 following $187 million in funding cuts to SNAP-Education stemming from the Big Beautiful Bill. All 76 employee positions in the program have been eliminated.

SWFWMD is expected to take the last step of approving the agreement with Citrus County at the next county commission meeting on Sept. 23.

The Gainesville Latino Film Festival kicked off at Museum Nights, “Noche de Museo,” at the Harn Museum of Art on Thursday. The festival continues at different venues through Sept. 28.

Florida is nearing completion on more $180 million Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, designed to withstand powerful hurricanes. The state-of-the-art facility will replace the current overcrowded center by the start of the 2026 hurricane season.

One Florida teacher is suspended, and at least three more are under investigation for comments they made about Charlie Kirk after his murder – not in the classroom, but on their personal social media accounts.