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The Point, Nov. 5, 2020: Budget Argument Pitting Sadie Darnell Against Alachua County Commissioners Reaches Supreme Court

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The top stories near you

• Fresh Take Florida: Florida Supreme Court Hears Darnell’s Case That Could Affect Sheriffs’ Budgets Statewide. "The case stems from a 2017 lawsuit filed by Alachua County commissioners against recently defeated Sheriff Sadie Darnell, who until her failed re-election earlier this year was Florida’s only female sheriff. Darnell and commissioners disagreed over whether she could spend money for goods and services after the county had already approved spending the same amounts of money in the budget on other items. The decision is expected to have wide-ranging effects over the authority of sheriffs across Florida to reallocate their funding."

• WUFT News: Marion County School Board Terminates Administrator For Medical Marijuana Use. "Wednesday’s hearing was the bookend to about 10 months of battle focused on the legitimacy of (Michael) Hickman’s firing in December after he tested positive for marijuana use. The district has since argued that continuing to employ someone who uses medical marijuana jeopardizes its federal funding, even though the usage is permitted under Florida law. The hearing ended with the Marion County School Board unanimously voting to terminate the veteran and former dean of Belleview High School."

• WUFT News: Gainesville Activists Rally In Favor Of Counting Votes And To Urge Action Post Election. "The local branch of Socialist Alternative, a national organization focusing on workplace and community injustices, began planning for the event a month ago in case Trump sought to 'steal the election,' said Sean Trainor, one of the organizers."

• WUFT News: Children’s Trust Of Alachua County Hopes To Create Better Community Services Through Interdependency. "The trust is nearing the end of its first fiscal year. Its board met with the Gainesville City Commission on Wednesday night to discuss the program’s future and how the city could help meet the needs of children and their families in Alachua County."

• WUFT News: Buchholz To Receive Athletic Facility Funding Amid Tensions Over Elections, Equity And Health. "The School Board also voted to proceed with plans to rubberize the asphalt track, among other renovations at Buchholz High School. This despite concerns from some board members and citizens. Funding for the improvements would come from the 1.5 millage rate on property taxes, which allows spending for athletic facilities. The total cost of the improvements will tentatively be upwards of $1.3 million and could take about a year to complete."

• WUFT News: What Has COVID-19 Changed About The Florida Georgia Game? Things To Know If You’re Attending. "The annual Florida Georgia game will not be the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party this year, with COVID-19 to blame."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Westwood Estates neighbors nervous about growing sinkhole. "Four homes in the neighborhood have been evacuated, and six neighbors have been issued notices about the sinkhole, which on Monday had increased to 125 feet at its widest point."

• Spotlight on Levy County: State Says It Doesn’t Have to Plow New Ground for Toll Road. "A representative of the Florida Department of Transportation Tuesday said the final report for the Suncoast Connector indicates there isn’t a need to carve the proposed toll road out of forests and farmlands."


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Around the state today

• Associated Press: Yes, It Is True: Florida Ran A Smooth Election. "In the nationwide madness surrounding Election Day and ballot counting in numerous states, it would be easy to overlook a rather amazing fact given Florida’s elections history: It isn’t part of the chaos."

• Miami Herald ($): ‘It was a bloodbath.’ How Miami’s rightward shift changed the face of Florida politics. "The Miami-Dade GOP also pulled off upsets in two Democratic-leaning congressional districts that Trump lost by double digits four years ago. Republicans were in position to sweep two state Senate races, one of which was headed to a recount. And they won almost every competitive state House seat on the Miami-Dade ballot — a drubbing that raised questions about whether a significant political shift had occurred in perhaps the most important region of a state that, at least until Tuesday night, was considered a perennial presidential nail-biter."

• Politico: ‘Old white men are dying,’ so Trump looked elsewhere for votes in Florida. "For Trump, that meant adding to his support of conservative-leaning Cuban Americans and older white voters. The campaign wooed non-Cuban Hispanics and put a greater emphasis on conservative South Florida Jewish voters."

• WMFE: John Morgan to Legislature: Thwart Minimum Wage, ‘I’ll Sue The State. And I’ll Win.” "'I don’t know what they’re gonna do or try,' Morgan said. 'I hope not. I’m lucky I’m friendly with them, so we can have a conversation. But if they try to undermine the will of the people, I’ll do what I did last time: I’ll sue the state. And I’ll win.'"

• Orlando Sentinel ($): Florida Democrats call for new party leadership and strategy after yet another GOP rout. "'We need to clean house,' said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, one of the party’s younger progressive voices. 'Leadership within the [state] Democratic Party and the caucuses needs to resign. Step back and let others step in.'


From NPR News

• Politics: Biden Wins Michigan, Per The AP, Putting Him 6 Electoral Votes From Presidency

• Politics: Trump Campaign Targets Vote Totals In 3 Battleground States

• Politics: Trump's Rural Voter Strategy Didn't Pay Off In Every State

• Politics: How Did President Trump Appeal To Voters Of Color?

• Business: California Voters Give Uber, Lyft A Win But Some Drivers Aren't So Sure

• Business: Another Black Eye For Polling Industry, Media That Rely On It

• World: As America Waits Out An Uncertain Election, Much Of The World Sees Chaos

• Health: A New Hippocratic Oath Asks Doctors To Fight Racial Injustice And Misinformation

• National: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Wishes Trump 'Had A More Happy Relationship With Masks'

About today's curator

I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org