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The top stories near you
• "I went big." Jennifer Reid, a 31-year-old with no political background, has joined Gainesville's mayoral race in an effort to effect change. Voter registration closes Feb. 19 for the city election on March 19. (The Alligator)
• The US Department of Education founda solution for students, including at least six from Santa Fe College, who were denied enrollment because they were unable to produce original tax documents due to the shutdown. (Gainesville Sun)
• At least half of the horses nominated for Eclipse Awards, which honor the best thoroughbred racing horses, have ties to Marion County. (Ocala Star-Banner)
• TheIchetucknee River may reopen to canoeing and kayaking this weekend if park employees can remove fallen trees from the waterway. (Gainesville Sun)
• Water pollution in the Reddick area is gaining national attention after a Broward representative asked for a criminal investigation of how the state handled the problem. (Ocala Star-Banner)
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Around the state today
• Gov. Ron DeSantis is off to a running start in his new position. He made history his first full day in office when he named Judge Barbara Lagoa to be the Florida Supreme Court's first female Cuban-American justice. (News Service of Florida)
• Democratic lawmakers are trying to repeal a 1997 statute that says Florida only recognizes a marriage between a man and a woman. The state has issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples for the past four years despite the statute, which has since been ruled unconstitutional. (Florida Politics)
• Panama City alone has cleaned 20 years worth of debris in the three months since Hurricane Michael, and there's still more to go. (Northwest Florida Daily News)
• A new bill, if passed, would require public high schools to offer Bible study courses. (Florida Politics)
• It's been two and a half years since the Pulse nightclub massacre that ended forty-nine lives. Now, Orange County is funding mental health training for first responders to help them cope with what they saw and experienced. (Orlando Sentinel)
• “That disaster is not a function of the gun itself.” A state representative filed a bill that would repeal gun regulations that were put in place following the Parkland massacre. (Sun Sentinel)
• Florida Department of Transportation is reminding drivers that toll invoices will go to your mailbox, but if you receive an email from "Sun Pass" with an invoice or collection request, it's a scam. (Miami Herald)
• President Trump signed a bill that will expand federal funding for research, monitoring and intervention of harmful algal blooms. (TC Palm)
News from NPR
• Politics: Democrats Want To Work On A Sound Border System, Rep. Thompson Says
• Politics: Democrats' Health Care Ambitions Meet The Reality Of Divided Government
• Politics: 'Bye-Bye': Trump Walks Out Of White House Meeting With Democrats About Shutdown
• National: How Is The Shutdown Affecting America? Let Us Count The Ways
• National: Trump Threatens To Cut California's FEMA Funding For Wildfire Relief
• National: Iran Says It Is Holding A U.S. Navy Vet
• Books: 'The First Conspiracy' Details Foiled Hickey Plot To Assassinate George Washington
• World: EU Group Blasts 'Harmful' White House Approach To Trans-Atlantic Relations