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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Chad Scott declared Alachua County Sheriff in recount, 8 days after election. "The Supervisor of Elections Office said it would formally declare Scott the winner after its next canvassing board meeting to certify the results, which was expected to happen Friday. In the final results, Scott beat incumbent Republican Emery Gainey by 392 votes out of 133,650 total ballots."

• WUFT News: What happens to recycling on UF football game days? Most of it ends up in the landfill. "Shawn May, the company’s UF account executive, said in an email that roughly 65% of recycling bags on UF campus on game day are contaminated. That includes what’s collected inside and outside the stadium before, during and after the game."

• WUFT News: Alachua County residents still waiting for hurricane debris cleanup. "Throughout Florida, people are still awaiting debris collection and have encountered health risks and traffic issues as a result of the delays."

• Fresh Take Florida: US says more to be charged in UF-China smuggling plot; participant receives light sentence. "A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a confessed participant to five years of probation in a plot that diverted millions of dollars worth of biomedical drugs, toxins and research supplies from the University of Florida to China over seven years."

• Florida Storms: Potential Tropical Cyclone 19 forms; it's a slow mover. "PTC 19 is forecast to become Tropical Storm Sara, possibly reaching hurricane status just before Monday's landfall in Belize or the Quintana Roo state of Mexico. Although its speed is expected to remain very slow, whatever emerges over the Gulf of Mexico will swing much faster to the north and then to the east-northeast next week."

• WCJB: Levy County animal shelter deemed unsafe, dogs to be euthanized. "The office building has mold, dead animals, and feces in the attic. Weldon says he’s not sure how long this has been a problem, but it was discovered when radios were requested for the animal control officers."

• WUFT News: Ocala National Forest makes National Geographic's list of 25 best travel spots. "WUFT’s Elliot Tritto had an opportunity to speak with National Geographic's Starlight Williams, who explained why the magazine picked the Ocala National Forest, why it is important to seek new things in your neck of the woods and why road trips are the perfect way to travel under budget."

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Around the state

• Associated Press: Matt Gaetz once faced a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department he could now lead. "Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended last year with no federal charges against him."

• News Service of Florida: Court is set to hear arguments about Florida's restrictions on gender-affirming care. "A 2023 law prevented minors from beginning to receive puberty blockers and hormone therapy for treatment of gender dysphoria. Opponents argued, in part, that the restrictions reduced access to hormone therapy for adults."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Collier Mosquito Control District discovers new mosquito species. "A lab tech, Hunter Martin, found the new species in a trap in Collier Seminole State Park. The species first appeared in the United States in 2016, in Miami-Dade County. Since then, it has been moving west and north."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Surgeon General Ladapo eyed for the Trump admin. What has he done in Florida? "In the three years he has worked in Florida, Ladapo has bucked federal health guidance multiple times, and has stood lockstep with DeSantis on other health-related issues like opposing marijuana and prohibiting the medical treatment of gender dysphoria in children."

• WLRN-Miami: Broward-based Spirit Airlines prepares for bankruptcy reorganization. "A bankruptcy reorganization would wipe out the stock value for the budget airline. Shares dropped to about $1 in pre-market trading, giving the company a market value of just over $100 million."

• NPR: Florida power companies are trying to make the grid more resilient to hurricanes. "It took weeks to patch up the power grid after hurricanes Helene and Milton. Some customers who suffered long power outages wonder why the grid isn't built for the future, especially as climate change fuels more powerful storms. But making high-voltage lines harder to blow down is expensive. And as NPR's Frank Morris reports, building a fortress around the power grid isn't likely going to solve the problem."

• WUSF-Tampa: Health alert is issued for red tide at beaches in Sarasota County. "The reports of red tide are coming from an algae bloom that is more than 100 miles long, stretching along much of the Gulf Coast."

From NPR News

• National: Experts testify before lawmakers that the U.S. is running secret UAP programs

• National: 'Jump ball' for Alex Jones' media empire as it hits the auction block today

• Politics: 'Apprehensive and fearful': Federal workers await a dismantling under Trump

• Education: What a Trump presidency might mean for student loan forgiveness

• Economy: Fed up with high prices? Here's where things stand with inflation

• World: Pakistan's smog is visible from space. This activist is 'frustrated' but won't give up

• Science: Small fossil has big implications for bird brain evolution

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.