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The stories near you
WUFT News Special Report: Today WUFT News launches The Cold, Hard Facts, a special report on air conditioning in an era of rising temperatures. AC has long been a fact of life in Florida. But as the state continues to break heat records, it can also be a matter of life and death. Read about the cool history of air conditioning, what to do when the grid fails and what it’s like inside Florida’s unairconditioned prisons in summer. And check out solutions rising from some unexpected places, including the animal kingdom.
The stories near you
• Associated Press: UF, other Florida universities to deputize campus police for immigration enforcement. "It's a significant shift in policy for schools that had previously been considered 'sensitive locations' to be insulated from such law enforcement activities, under a federal policy the Trump administration rescinded."
• WUFT News: Ocala man sentenced to 15 years in prison in Midtown shooting despite victim calling it an accident. "Fabian Marcel Rivera, 25, of Ocala pleaded no contest to second-degree attempted murder with a firearm for the Sept. 22, 2024, shooting of an Ocala woman that sent her to the hospital. Rivera initially pleaded not guilty, but on Thursday changed his plea to no contest."
• WUFT News: The invasion of the fuzz: Tussock moth caterpillars crawl across north central Florida. "Tussock moth caterpillars are native to Florida and the southeastern United States and feed on oak trees, among many others. Every year they hatch around the same time trees are getting new leaves for spring."
• WUFT News: Annual Florida Museum spring plant sale draws crowd of over 300. "The event, typically three days long, was shortened to one-day-only since the museum’s closure due to an expansion. The event attracted plant enthusiasts and causal gardeners alike, all who wanted a chance to peruse the 220 species of plants up for sale. All of the money brought in by the sale goes toward the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit."
• WUFT News: UF Hillel celebrates Passover while reflecting on Israeli hostages in Gaza. "Over 332 students and residents attended University of Florida’s Hillel chapter Passover Seder Saturday night. This year, Hillel’s religious leaders and attendees said the holiday offers an opportunity to connect with friends amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza."
• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Gators men's basketball team celebrated during halftime of Orange and Blue Game. "Todd Golden reveals a new championship sign during the men's basketball championship celebration at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, April 12, 2025."
• WCJB: Investigators secretly monitored conversations between deputies and their attorneys, FDLE report states. "The investigation was launched in February 2023 after Attorney Bobi Frank, representing deputies in the union, filed complaints alleging her conversations had been illegally monitored and recorded."
• Mainstreet Daily News: DeSantis appoints Janine Plavac to School Board of Alachua County. "This marks the second time in recent years that DeSantis has appointed someone to fill a vacated SBAC seat. In August 2021, he appointed Mildred Russell to fill the District 2 seat for Diyonne McGraw after it was discovered that McGraw lived outside her district. McGraw later re-won her seat but then lost a reelection bid last year."
• The Alligator: Alachua County Public Schools brace for potential cuts to advanced academic, career programs. "These funds currently support students who pass Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge and career certification exams, as well as those who earn an 'A' in academic dual-enrollment courses. Additionally, the funds support program equipment, certification exam fees, field trips and software, according to the press release."
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Around the state
• Associated Press: DeSantis defends a $10 million donation from state agency settlement to charity linked to his wife. "Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns that taxpayer funds may have been used to prop up the first lady’s key initiative, which could boost her resume in a potential campaign for governor in 2026. The current governor is in his second term and is term-limited."
• Central Florida Public Media: Pulse shooting survivors and victims’ families to visit inside site. "As the city of Orlando proceeds with a permanent memorial to honor the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, one crucial step is the building’s removal. A demolition date hasn’t been revealed, but the city will give survivors and victims’ families the opportunity to visit the interior of the site one last time."
• News Service of Florida: Florida House seeks records on how state agencies are spending money. "The inquiry into DeSantis-administration spending, ordered by House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, has raised questions about potentially missing state-owned vehicles, agency leaders earning six-figure salaries while living in other states and millions of dollars of interest paid on a prison facility that has not been built."
• WGCU-Fort Myers: Chinese tariffs may take the spark out of the Fourth; Phantom Fireworks pauses production. "The company has permanent outlets in Southwest Florida and other parts of the state, and erects multiple temporary tents during the Fourth of July season."
• WLRN-Miami: Broward Circuit Judge could face suspension over 'inappropriate' comments. "Farmer, a former trial lawyer, was elected as a judge in Broward County’s 17th Judicial Circuit in 2022 after six years in the Senate. He served as Senate minority leader during the 2021 legislative session but was ousted after a vote of no confidence by fellow Democrats."
• WGCU-Fort Myers: Fort Myers couple sentenced to federal prison for $3.4 million COVID relief fraud scheme. "According to the indictment and other court documents, between April and March 2021, Timothy Jolloff and his wife, Lisa Jolloff, submitted false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to the SBA, as well as PPP approved lenders."
• Central Florida Public Media: Love is in the lair: Florida alligators are pairing up for courtship. "During courtship, one of the main forms of communication from male alligators is bellowing – a low pitch growl that alligators make to signal to females in the area that they are looking for a mate and to establish dominance over other males in a territory."
From NPR News
• Weather: Major budget cuts proposed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Business: Smartphones and computers are now spared from Trump's reciprocal tariffs
• National: Will the SAVE Act make it harder for married women to vote? We ask legal experts
• National: White House doctor says Trump is 'fully fit' in medical report
• Law: The biggest trial in Meta's history starts Monday. Here's what to know
• National: Trump administration ends temporary protected status for thousands of Afghans
• Health: 'I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality,' VA therapists ordered to tell veterans
• Health: Here's how to retrain your brain to crave movement more than screen time
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.