The Point

The Point, May 19, 2025: Gainesville protest for postal protection

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published May 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

Today's Florida stories

Postal service employees participated in a rally organized by the Florida Rural Letter Carriers’ Association outside the post office on Southwest 34th Street in Gainesville on Thursday. (Candy Fontana Verde/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: Postal workers in Gainesville protest privatization and demand more protection. "It was part of a nationwide movement led by unions aiming to raise awareness about the potential negative impacts of privatization and to demand stronger protections for rural letter carriers."

• Florida Storms: Big improvement in the drought; which areas have officially started the rainy season? "South Florida's extreme drought has shrunk significantly, especially in the southeast. Only parts of extreme western Broward County and northwestern Miami-Dade are under an extreme drought. Parts of southwest Florida remain under extreme drought, but this area has also shrunk."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville to see $186M luxury condos built on Archer Road. "In recent years, Florida has seen a massive increase in people moving to the state and North Central Florida is no exception to this. On Thursday, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for a new $186 million luxury condominium complex in Gainesville."

• News4Jax: ‘If my car exists’: Garage fire at Jacksonville International Airport leaves travelers looking for alternatives. "A garage fire at Jacksonville International Airport has left many travelers wondering about the fate of their vehicles. The hourly garage remains closed following a fire on Friday that damaged several dozen cars and caused parts of the structure to collapse."

• Florida Trident: Will Florida be ready for a Black chief executive in 2026? "In America’s history, five Black men have served as governor, but only three of them were elected. Byron Donalds is looking to change that"

• Florida Phoenix: NRA appeals to U.S. Supreme Court on Florida ban of purchases of long guns by under-21-year-olds. "The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit denied the legal challenge by the NRA in March, two years after a three-judge panel similarly ruled against the organization."

• News Service of Florida: State appeals in manatee protection fight. "The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has gone to a federal appeals court after a U.S. district judge last month ruled that the state has violated the Endangered Species Act as manatees face threats in the Indian River Lagoon."

• WUWF-Pensacola: How changes in federal support are shaping Florida's plans for hurricane season. "In the past, when storms tore across Florida, the state could rely on the Federal Emergency Management Association, or FEMA, for substantial aid. State officials would submit a request, a team would review the damage, and, in many cases, federal aid would follow. But that model is changing."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: FAMU presidential selection reflects a trend in Florida higher education. "Marva Johnson has been selected by the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees as FAMU’s next president. The vote was 8 to 4 Friday in favor of Johnson—despite heavy pushback from community members. The decisions comes amid discussions surrounding transparency in the search for university presidents."

• WLRN-Miami: 'So much at stake': Club World Cup will bring some of the best in soccer to South Florida. "Soccer fans in South Florida are already salivating at the prospect of the World Cup coming to the Hard Rock Stadium in 2026. But next month brings an appetizer that will be a feast all on its own: the FIFA Club World Cup."