Florida's Latest News

Sternberg reflects on decision to sell Rays before his final game in charge

After sending a farewell letter to fans, Stuart Sternberg addressed the imminent sale of the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday before his final game as the team’s principal owner.

A season of chaos — sparked when Hurricane Milton ripped the roof of Tropicana Field last year — ended with a 13-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving Tampa Bay with a 77-85 record. It was a second straight season with a losing record and missing the playoffs.

The stadium damage forced the Rays to play this season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field and instigated the demise of a long-sought plan to build a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg. Sternberg said the fallout from his pulling out of that deal led to his decision to sell.

“There's some days I'm 70/30 I wish I weren't doing it, and other days I’m 70/30 I'm glad I am,” Sternberg said in his first public comments over selling the Rays to a group led by Florida homebuilder Patrick Zalupski.

“I have said since the very beginning, and I meant it: I was never going to threaten to move this team. I never did. And in soul-searching over the last 10 months, I wanted to make sure I stood by that. And this, to me, gave it the best opportunity to keep this team in Tampa Bay.”

Florida's minimum wage set to increase on Tuesday

Starting Sept. 30, Florida workers will see a pay increase. The state's minimum wage is going up again as part of a gradual plan voters approved to reach $15 an hour.

Florida's minimum wage will rise to $14 an hour. For tipped employees, that means a base wage of at least $10.98 an hour, plus tips.

This change is part of a state constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2020.

Local business owners, like Great Harvest Bakery owner Evan Delaney in Orlando, say he's already been paying his employees over minimum wage to help support the rising cost of living.

“I try to think about that — don’t try to pay people less, just try to earn more in sales, and that will kind of solve any issues you might have in the business,” he said.

The plan gradually increases Florida's minimum wage until it reaches $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026.

UWF gauging interest in opening free K-3 school on campus

A new school for kindergarten through third graders may be coming to the University of West Florida.

The university is currently surveying faculty, staff, and students about the interest in opening a K-3 laboratory “lab” school, charter school, or philanthropically funded school on the Pensacola campus.

Housed in the university’s School of Education, the school would provide tuition-free schooling for children of UWF employees and students. If successful, Manny Diaz, UWF interim president, said at some point, the school could expand up to sixth grade and possibly be offered to other local students.

It would also give UWF students seeking degrees in education an opportunity to gain firsthand experience in an actual school setting, Diaz noted.

Over 17,000 surveys were emailed out this week, and Diaz clarified that the proposal is in the preliminary phase but is not new to UWF.

Marie Kane appointed to the top slot of UF research facility on national security

The National Security Research Institute at the University of Florida has a new Assistant Vice President.

Marie Kane has been appointed to the newly created post at Florida’s flagship public university, according to a news release. The post is designed to enhance the school’s strategic research in defense, intelligence, and national security.

Kane has an extensive background in the field, including two decades in research and program leadership, most notably with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. She’s transitioning to UF after a stint as program deputy for stockpile sustainment and production with Sandia National Laboratories, which worked on the Nuclear Deterrence Program Management Office.

Kane managed a $600-million portfolio of surveillance, sustainment, and production on the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.  She’ll be assigned to the new UF facilities located in Jacksonville.