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The stories near you

• Associated Press: Nebraska senator Ben Sasse is likely to resign his seat to become University of Florida president. "The school said in a statement that its presidential search committee had unanimously recommended Sasse as the sole finalist, a decision that will have to be be voted on by the school’s board of trustees and then confirmed by the board of governors. He is to visit the campus on Monday to meet with students, faculty and other members of the university community, the school said."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Ben Sasse could be UF’s new president. Here are some of his views. "Sasse would assume the role at a particularly political time for Florida’s flagship university, a period in which the school’s independence from Gov. Ron DeSantis has been repeatedly called into question."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Split GNV commission passes zoning on 1,778 acres. "The property contains many wetlands and borders the Deerhaven Buffer Area as well as the Murphree Wellfield Conservation Easement. State Road 121 also splits the property. Owned by the Weyerhaeuser Company, the land has been used for silviculture timber production since at least the early 1900s."

• WUFT News: Pride festivals returning to north central Florida. "After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, both the Ocala and Gainesville Pride festivals are coming back."

• Ocala Gazette: Former Sears at Paddock Mall slated for redevelopment. "The two buildings were shuttered nearly four years ago after Sears Holding Corp., the parent company of Sears and Kmart, filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close underperforming stores. Now residents of Marion County can look forward to new options in the retail and entertainment scene soon."

• WUFT News: 2022 UF Homecoming Parade: How to watch live, the parade route and other details. "The Homecoming parade, a Gainesville tradition that has become a staple of Homecoming week, will be following a new route this year. The route will begin at Norman Hall on 13th Street and Museum Road, and will travel north all the way to University Avenue and Bo Diddley Plaza."

• WUFT News: Gainesville residents and restaurants deal with congested city on game weekends. "Attendance for UF’s homecoming game Saturday, when the Florida Gators play the Missouri Tigers at noon, is expected to reach a similar record turnout."

• WUFT News: National initiative turns to the arts in Gainesville to address youth gun violence. "Gainesville and eight other U.S. cities have joined a national initiative called One Nation/One Project that uses the arts to improve community well-being. Each city selects an issue for the focus of the project. The Gainesville City Commission recognized youth gun violence as its local issue."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Helping the animals: UF veterinary team in Fort Myers to treat pets affected by Hurricane Ian. "While Hurricane Ian has displaced Floridians from their homes as well as caused injuries and deaths, the storm has also taken a toll on the state’s pets."

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Around the state

• NPR News: When flooding from Ian trapped one Florida town, an airboat navy came to the rescue. "After Hurricane Ian dumped record levels of rain across Florida, rivers flooded, leaving thousands stranded on newly created islands."

• News Service of Florida: Florida lawmakers say they'll free up more money for Hurricane Ian relief. "House and Senate leaders announced Wednesday the Joint Legislative Budget Commission will hold an emergency meeting next week to release an additional $360 million into the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, which was established this year with $500 million."

• FOX 35 Orlando: 'Your whole life is disrupted': Florida residents commute to homes by canoe through flooded neighborhoods. "Water levels continue to rise in Sanford, Florida. One neighborhood is buried in almost three feet of water, as people are commuting to and from their homes by canoe, trying to make the best of the situation."

• Spectrum News: Ian is Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. "By wind speed, it’s tied for the fourth strongest hurricane at landfall in Florida history, only behind the “Labor Day” Hurricane (1935), Hurricane Andrew (1992) and Hurricane Michael (2018)."

• New York Times ($): Governor’s Wife Has High-Profile Role After Florida Hurricane. "Casey DeSantis has led a state effort to raise money for relief efforts in Ian’s wake, appealing for donations during her husband’s news briefings."

• NPR News: Florida officials are scrambling to limit Hurricane Ian's impact on the election. "Election officials in Florida say they are going to meet Thursday's deadline to mail ballots to voters for this year's midterm elections, despite the widespread flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ian last week. However, in hard-hit areas, in-person voting remains the biggest concern."

• Associated Press: Parkland shooter chose Valentine's Day to ruin it forever. "Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz calmly told a psychologist why he picked Valentine’s Day to massacre 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago: Because no one loved him, he wanted to ruin the holiday forever for anyone associated with the school. Prosecutors concluded their rebuttal case Thursday after playing that video clip from jailhouse interviews Cruz did with their psychologist hoping it bolsters their contention that he wasn’t driven to kill by a mental disorder he couldn’t control, but planned his attack and chose to carry it out."

• WFTV-Orlando: ‘Meaningful change’: Orlando FreeFall ride to be taken down following Tyre Sampson’s death. "An investigation determined that he exceeded the ride’s weight limit by more than 100 pounds and that the ride had been tampered with, causing his safety harness to appear as if it were fully closed even though it was not."

From NPR News

• Politics: Biden to pardon simple federal marijuana possession convictions

• Politics: Biden has $52 billion for semiconductors. Today, work begins to spend that windfall

• Health: Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'

• World: U.S. announces new sanctions on Iran, even as it seeks a new nuclear deal

• Business: Judge gives Elon Musk and Twitter until the end of the month to close their deal
Ethan Magoc curated today's edition of The Point.