The Point

The Point, Oct. 7, 2025: Bamboo might be a popular Florida crop

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published October 7, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

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The stories near you

A picture of Blue Bamboo “Bambusa Chungil” at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, Fla. (Krista Jensen/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: Clumping bamboo expected to grow in popularity and as a Florida crop. "Bamboo can grow on the same land where the citrus trees once were, as the current irrigation systems already in place can still be used, making the transition smoother for the growers."

• Mainstreet Daily News: GHS teacher fights bullying accusations with state. "Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said he found probable cause against Lauren Watts over bullying accusations."

• WUFT News: Citrus County’s scalloping season wraps up amid a cautious economy. "From early July through late September, the area comes alive during scalloping season, drawing visitors eager for a hands-on outdoor experience."

• WCJB: ‘A really long process’: Test drilling stopped for Waccasassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative. "Test drilling for the Waccasassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative recently started at an ag well, but it took years just to get the project underway. Now, crews have been forced to stop after hitting a pipe 131 feet down, in the well, just a week after starting the drilling."

• The Alligator: Gator Motorsports captain races against the clock in his last year on the team. "Gator Motorsports, a student organization founded in 1991, designs, builds and manufactures formula-style cars in its garage across from Gator Corner Dining Center. Members work all year to complete a car for the annual Formula Society of Automotive Engineers competition in Brooklyn, Michigan."

• WCJB: University of Florida trustee Bill Heavener faces accusations of fraud from US government. "A complaint by federal investigators in California alleges that Heavener and his Full Sail University in Winter Park defrauded the government of tens of millions of dollars over the past decade."

• FPREN: Monitoring the tropics: Invest 95L and a Caribbean disturbance. "Environmental conditions are becoming more favorable for this tropical wave to develop into a tropical system, with windshear decreasing as it travels over warm waters. The next name on the list is Jerry."

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Around the state

• WUSF-Tampa: Changes to Florida's Sunshine Law went into effect this month. "Some new exemptions passed this year make the personal info of elected officials and their families private and remove info from noncriminal court records that could defame or harm someone’s reputation."

• Central Florida Public Media: Enrollment down at Central Florida’s public schools. Most blame voucher program. "The universal voucher program took effect during the 2023-2024 school year, and now, more students in Florida attend a school of choice rather than their neighborhood public school."

• WFLA Tampa: 'It's a big deal': TGH doctors find surge in kids, ages 12-15, injuries on e-bikes. "Tampa General Hospital said in 2024, they had about nine kids injured on e-bikes. From January to July 2025, they said they had about 24 kids injured on the e-bikes, and they expect more."

• Spectrum News: State hearings begin for proposed FPL rate hike. "The proposal, if approved, would increase the average household bill as early as next year. Bills would rise by about $2.50 per month in 2026, and continue increasing through 2029, reaching about $8 more per month."

• News Service of Florida: Florida lawmakers start filing budget proposals ahead of the 2026 session. "Only a handful of budget proposals have been submitted for the session that begins Jan. 13, but that will rapidly increase over the next few months as legislative leaders say another tight budget year lays ahead."

• News4JAX: County-by-county fall events list: 2025 pumpkin patches, haunted houses, hayrides and events around Northeast Florida. "Fall is here and the pumpkin patches, hayrides, haunted houses, and more spooktacular events are back!"

• Central Florida Public Media: FAFSA clinics pop up in Central Florida after Department of Ed layoffs. "Local nonprofits are offering free help to students and families filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, after more than 450 federal workers who worked on the application were fired."