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The top stories near you

• Spectrum News: US Capitol Police Arrest 3 Floridians Amid Washington Riots. "Michael Curzio of Summerfield in Marion County and Matthew Council of Riverview in Hillsborough were arrested, the agency said Thursday. The third Floridian was identified as John Anderson of St. Augustine."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Kat Cammack goes all in on election claims. "Hours after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in hopes of stopping the certification of electoral votes, freshman congresswoman Kat Cammack doubled down on her actions designed to reject Joe Biden’s victory. ... Cammack would not talk to a reporter by phone the day after the violent flare-up, and representatives from her office insisted the questions be posed in writing because of her busy schedule."

• WUFT News: Funding Disagreement Leads To Slimmer Aerial Support For Gainesville-Area Law Enforcement. "The joint helicopter unit disbanded on Sept. 30, following months of fraught negotiations between Gainesville City Manager Lee Feldman and former Sheriff Sadie Darnell about a funding split between the area’s two largest law enforcement entities: the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Now, after more than two decades, it is run strictly by the sheriff’s office and is known as the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit."

• WUFT News: What It’s Like To Donate Plasma in Gainesville During The Pandemic. "Some give plasma because they see it as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who need life-saving treatment for the coronavirus. Others are enticed by the prepaid Visa card they receive on the way out. Those experiencing economic hardship brought on by the pandemic have been coming to donate plasma for a few extra bucks."

• Citrus County Chronicle ($): Publix vaccine appointments go fast. "A Publix employee told the Chronicle that as soon as the online reservation site was activated, it took just 15 minutes for all appointments to be claimed and the limited vaccine supply exhausted. That is true of all 22 Public pharmacies in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties that participated in the pilot program."

• WUFT News: North Florida Museums Interact With Public Despite COVID-19 Challenges. "Since March, museums that are otherwise community anchors and serve as economic engines haven’t been able to completely serve the public. Across northern Florida, they have been working hard to stay relevant and keep creativity alive as much as possible."

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Around the state today

• WUSF: Florida Sets New Single Day High For Coronavirus Cases With 19,816. "Florida has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day, with 19,816 on Thursday, health officials said. The Department of Health's daily report surpassed a single day record set Wednesday of more than 17,783."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): How Matt Gaetz spread a falsehood about antifa infiltrating the mob that attacked Congress. "To anyone watching television Wednesday, the identity of the violent mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol was unmistakable: Overzealous supporters of President Donald Trump. What with all the Trump flags, MAGA hats and attire carrying the Republican’s campaign insignia, their loyalties were obvious. Yet later that night, as a Congress returned to work, Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz attempted to sow doubt."

• Florida Politics: Florida lawmaker’s wife defends Capitol rioters, says they were ‘peacefully protesting.’ "Esther Byrd, a former candidate for Neptune Beach City Council, is the wife of Rep. Cord Byrd, currently the Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee, a position that gives him unique power in shaping the state’s law and order agenda. As order broke down Wednesday in D.C., Mrs. Byrd asserted that complaints about Donald Trump supporters brawling with the Capitol Police reflected a double standard."

• Sarasota Herald-Tribune ($): Harrowing day at the Capitol doesn't change Steube's vote against Electoral College results. "(Sarasota Congressman Greg Steube) doesn’t blame Trump, though, and he said he was glad to support the president’s efforts to overturn the election, saying there were “clear irregularities,” even though courts repeatedly have rejected the president’s claims of fraud and states have certified the results as accurate."

• Bradenton Herald ($): Parrish man caught on camera carrying U.S. House lectern during riot at Capitol. "Adam Christian Johnson, 36, smiled and waved as he was caught on camera carrying what appeared to be U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s lectern as he walked through the U.S. Capitol Building with other rioters on Wednesday. The podium bears the official seal of the speaker of the House."

• Miami Herald ($): Broward school district says all teachers must return to the classroom. They’re suing. "The union representing Broward County public school teachers filed a lawsuit Thursday against the school district seeking to prevent it from forcing all staff now working remotely because of COVID-19 to return to the physical classroom Monday."

• Naples Daily News ($): What is Florida's plan for vaccinating thousands of farmworkers? It's unclear. "Because of their high risk and role in bringing fresh produce to tables during the winter season, advocates and the state's agriculture commissioner say they should be included in the next wave of shots."

From NPR News

• Health: Here's How The U.S. Can Jump Start Its Sluggish COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

• Politics: DeVos Resigns As Education Secretary, Says, 'Impressionable Children Are Watching'

• Politics: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Resigns, Citing Violence At Capitol

• Politics: What The 25th Amendment Says About Removing A Sitting President

• Politics: On Far-Right Websites, Plans To Storm Capitol Were Made In Plain Sight

• Race: How The Storming Of The Capitol Was — And Wasn't — About Police

• National: Army Secretary Says A 'Non-Scalable' 7-Foot Fence Is Going Up Around U.S. Capitol

• Business: Facebook Bans President Trump From Posting For The Rest Of His Presidency

• Business: Boeing To Pay $2.5 Billion Settlement Over Deadly 737 Max Crashes

• Arts: A Biden Cabinet Secretary For Arts? Advocates Are Hopeful

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.