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The top stories near you
• WUFT News: Close Vote On County Growth Management Area Amendment Leaves Lawsuit Against Alachua County In Question. "While the city commissioners had agreed to drop the lawsuit (against Alachua County) if the amendment was rejected by voters, on Election Day, the amendment was narrowly approved by 64,327 voters, accounting for 50.07% of the vote total. That narrow margin of 175 votes meant the results were deemed too close to call, so the votes will be recounted on Sunday. Now, the lawsuit proceedings are still in question. If the vote total holds after the recount and cities decide to move forward, it will be up to a judge to decide the legitimacy of the suit."
• WUFT News: Federal And State Law Enforcement Seek To Reduce Gun Crime In Alachua County Through Gainesville’s Gun Violence Initiative. "Gainesville’s initiative, established in April 2019, brought in the federal government to create a partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement to reduce gun violence in the area, according to Graham Glover, the Gainesville Police Department’s Public Information Officer."
• WUFT News: On Election Day, Democracy Rested In His Hands. "(Precinct captain) Dekova Batey woke up on Tuesday more than two hours before the sun came up. 4:30 was early. Even for him. But it was the day that all of America had been anticipating. Election Day."
• WUFT News: Marion County Real Estate Is Booming. Here Are The Factors Driving It. "Realtors and other industry members say new jobs coming to the county from companies like FedEx, Amazon, Chewys, and more are driving the demand for houses in the Ocala area and beyond. The boom can be explained by new job opportunities, new construction of real estate, historically low interest rates, and movement from areas most affected by COVID-19 surges and shutdowns, including New York City, Nevada, California, and Michigan."
• Gainesville Sun ($): 'We'll challenge each other in the right ways': Alachua County Commission to be majority female. "When Democrats Mary Alford and Anna Prizzia are sworn into the Alachua County Commission on Nov. 17, they and current board member Marihelen Wheeler will comprise the first female-majority board in decades."
• The Alligator: Gainesville tourism industry takes a hit amid COVID-19 pandemic. "Each year, tourism brings in about $763.3 million to Alachua County through direct spending, said Jessica Hurov, the tourism development manager for Visit Gainesville, Alachua County. But without popular visitor draws like UF Parents Weekend, graduation ceremonies and sold-out football games due to COVID-19 safety precautions and restrictions, the industry is suffering."
• WUFT News: Local Food Drives Prepare For Thanksgiving During COVID. "At one event this year, participants must be in their vehicle in order to receive food, and volunteers will distribute meals into their trunks on a first-come, first-served basis."
• WUFT News: Florida Board Of Governors Discusses Students' Mental Health. "Separately, the board appointed Marsha Powers and Chris Corr to the University of Florida Board of Trustees."
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Around the state today
• WJCT: As COVID Hospitalizations Rise, Jacksonville Nurse Says ‘Recovered’ Patients Are Returning. "The nurse has also seen patients return to the hospital after they’ve gone home and tested negative. "'Their lungs are so scarred that they're still having to come in because they can't breathe,' she said. 'I don't feel like we know what the lasting effects of COVID are yet, so it's a problem, a big problem.'”
• Fresh Take Florida: New Florida Rules Would Tighten Restrictions On Invasive Reptiles. "Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proposing tighter regulations on invasive reptiles. Reptile breeders, exhibitors and shop owners said the proposals threaten the nature of their business, including public education about species. A vote is expected in December. The proposals would place on the prohibited species list all species of tegus, a type of large lizard, and green iguanas. That means no one in Florida would be allowed to own, sell or breed them except for limited licensees, such as zoos."
• New York Times ($): After a Big Trump Win, ‘It’s Really Hard to Argue Florida Is a True Swing State.’ "On Thursday, Terrie Rizzo, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, promised a 'deep dive' into what had gone wrong."
• Politico: Even if Trump loses, DeSantis is a winner. "In the run-up to Election Day, (Gov. Ron) DeSantis raised money for the president, campaigned on his behalf, attended rallies and walked in lockstep with Trump on the coronavirus pandemic, advocating for school and business reopenings."
• Florida Politics: Donald Trump Jr. condemns ‘lack of action’ from ‘2024 GOP hopefuls’ … except for Ron DeSantis. "Indeed, the governor, who helped to catalyze a Trump win in the state most pollsters didn’t see coming, has been an unstinting advocate for the President, including by calling into question the ways that other states run their elections."
• NPR News: Why Joe Biden Saw Mixed Success With Latinos. "President Trump's reelection campaign has aggressively courted Latino voters in Florida for years, particularly conservative Cuban Americans, in an effort to offset likely losses among suburban voters and seniors. Trump won a significant majority of Cuban American voters in Florida, as Republican attacks on Joe Biden and Democrats as 'socialists' have resonated."
• Tampa Bay Times ($): Pam Bondi throws herself into Trump effort to stop counting votes. "One of the central players in President Donald Trump’s effort to sow doubt in the American election system used to be Florida’s top law enforcement official."
• WTSP: No Florida judges were voted out of office, once again. "In the 2020 general election, one Florida Supreme Court Justice and 23 appellate court judges were on Florida ballots. Voters chose to keep every single one."
• WUFT News: Experts Weigh In: How The Amendment To Raise Florida’s Minimum Wage Could Affect The State. "The amendment to raise the minimum wage in Florida passed Tuesday. Experts and the attorney who championed the initiative weigh in on what this will mean for the state."
• St. Augustine Record ($): Drones take larger role at Sheriff's Office. "Drones are becoming a key tool for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in documenting crime scenes, finding missing people and assisting with routine problems."
From NPR News
• Health: U.S. Sets Coronavirus Record With Daily New Cases Pushing Past 100,000
• Politics: Trump Launches Broad Legal Gambit Paired With Moves To Raise Public Doubts On Results
• Politics: Wall Street Bet On A 'Blue Wave,' But Divided Government Suits It Just Fine Too
• World: Denmark To Kill Up To 17 Million Minks After Discovering Mutated Coronavirus
• Business: Pandemic Expedites ESPN Employee Purge, Hundreds Laid Off
• Business: These Women Built Careers In Retail. The Pandemic Tore Through Their Stores
• Education: To Report Abuse, Or Not? Zoom Classes Create Dilemma For Teachers
• Science: Clots, Strokes And Rashes. Is COVID-19 A Disease Of The Blood Vessels?
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.