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Today's top Florida stories

• WKMG Orlando: Florida reports 9,085 new COVID-19 cases as state preps for vaccine. "The governor also released a video statement Thursday saying that preparations are already underway for when the vaccine is available. He expects the shots to be administered 'relatively soon' but also said Floridians will not be required to get inoculated."

• FLKeysNews ($): Key West approves a strict mask law, and it will affect everyone out in public. "The retooled law says everyone over age 6 must wear face coverings in public — whether or not they can social distance — and they must carry a mask with them when outside their homes."

• Bay News 9: Survey: Florida Tops Nation in Likely Evictions, Foreclosures. "(The U.S. Census Bureau's) Household Pulse Survey shows nearly 52% of Florida’s adults living in households not current on rent or mortgage are either somewhat likely or very likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months."

• WMFE: Shots fired at FHP trooper in Ocala. "A passenger in a fleeing car fired multiple shots at a Florida Highway Patrol trooper in Ocala on Thursday afternoon. The trooper was not injured."

• WUFT News: Critics Outraged By Marion County School Psychologist Saying Addiction Is A Choice. "It was not long before the presidential election when the Marion County Public Schools psychologist posted on Facebook an image of a T-shirt disparaging Hunter Biden. 'Crack is Whack' and 'BIDEN 2020' were seen on the shirt underneath three photos: Two of Joseph Biden’s son apparently experiencing a drug overdose as a younger man, juxtaposed with another one showing the former vice president smiling with his son during a happier time."

• WMFE: Ocala Christmas Parade canceled two days after City Council approval. "Ocala Christmas Parade organizers announced Thursday that a worsening pandemic and the Marion County School Board have caused the cancellation of this year’s event."

• WUFT News: LGBTQ Group Creates Safe Space Approaching Transgender Day Of Remembrance. "Each year on Nov. 20, groups like Unspoken Treasure honor transgender people killed in acts of anti-transgender violence. The society along with TranQuility, the Pride Community Center and other local LGBTQ groups will hold a vigil at 7 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): FAMU included in Dow Inc.'s $5 million initiative to diversify STEM workforce, scholars. "The investment is seeded by an initial $500,000 contribution in 2020 as part of the DOW ACTs commitment designed to address systemic racism and inequality in the areas of advocacy, community and talent, according to a release."

• WLRN: Why Are Some King Tides Worse Than Others? New UF Study Says Sun Spots Are To Blame. "Sun spots regularly occur on the sun’s busy, stormy surface, causing changes in heat in the earth’s atmosphere. That can influence atmospheric pressure, which helps control two broader weather patterns — El Niños and the North Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation — which are linked to higher king tides."

• Palm Beach Post ($): Pythons for dinner? Mercury levels studied to see if snakes could be new other white meat. "Florida is considering a new strategy to cull its Burmese python population by making the invasive snake what's for dinner. An initiative between the state’s wildlife conservation commission and department of health is looking at mercury levels in pythons with the possibility of issuing advisories on safely eating the Everglades scourge."

• WTSP: USF: No fans allowed at games for start of basketball season. "USF Athletics says it plans for the 2020-2021 men's and women's basketball seasons to start without fans in the stands at the Yuengling Center. This plan will stay in place through at least Dec. 15, the school says."

• FOX 13 Tampa Bay: Florida's first snow park officially opens in Pasco County. "Construction on the park started in Spring 2019, turning flat fields into a 60-foot hill with a snow-tube run that will be more than 400 feet long. Now, visitors can ride single, tandem, or family-sized tubes down the snow-covered slopes."

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From NPR News

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• Politics: History Suggests Delay In Trump-Biden Transition Could Mean Danger

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.