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October debate dates at FAU announced for Florida’s U.S. Senate and Governor races

Florida Atlantic University will host two debates in October for Florida’s top two statewide races, for U.S. Senate and Governor.

The events were formally announced by Decision 2026: Before YOU Vote, providing the longest-running televised debate series in state history.

The Republican and Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate will face off Tuesday, Oct. 13, while the major contenders for Governor will hit the same stage on Thursday, Oct. 15. Both debates will air statewide from 7-8 p.m. EST. The debates will be executive produced by Alongi Media’s Phil Alongi Sr. and Phil Alongi II, a father-and-son team.

“As voters prepare to make important decisions that will shape the future of our state and nation, Florida Atlantic University is proud to serve as a trusted convener for these debates,” said FAU President Adam Hasner.

“While the debates present an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from the candidates and participate in the democratic process, they also provide a great educational experience for our students, who will be able to witness democracy in action.”

Here’s why Florida Gov. DeSantis vetoed e-bike speed limits

This year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on over 200 new state laws, many of which took effect last week.

However, he didn’t OK all of the bills that were sent to his desk.

Among the large batches of bills that he approved, there were several — including one that would have implemented speed limits for e-bikes — that he instead opted to veto.

Our sister station in Orlando, WKMG, collected the veto letters from each of these bills, in which DeSantis explains his reasoning for doing so.

The full list of veto letters is as follows:

HB 145 — Government Claims

“HB 145 imposes new costs on taxpayers by increasing the damage caps awarded in lawsuits against local government entities. Florida law already provides a well-established and thoughtful claims bill process to review and ultimately determine if a judgment above the statutory limits should be awarded.

For these reasons, I withhold my approval of HB 145 and do hereby veto the same."

A Florida butterfly was thought extinct. Now it's thriving 

A Florida butterfly, notable for a brocade of blue on midnight dark wings and a firework red abdomen, was dragged from the abyss of extinction by cunning naturalists who rediscovered the ecological treasure in the late 1970s.

It was a rare triumph over the brutish loss of other Sunshine State natives. And the results from decades of recovery efforts may be in your backyard right now.

Summer is the peak of activity for the evanescent atala butterfly, which can gather in romantic fluttering kettles, hard to capture on video, but mesmerizing nonetheless.

Instead of alerting government wildlife officials to the presence of atlas three decades ago, which may have brought a blockade of federal rules down on the population, butterfly enthusiasts spread the caterpillars of the atala through South Florida leading to a resurgence that has found them as far north as Gainesville and Tampa as the climate warms.

“Atalas have gained a mystique,” said Teri Jabour, treasurer for the Atala chapter of the North American Butterfly Association in Palm Beach County. “We’re getting into the season now. They are ephemeral.”

Tampa begins bridge work for West Riverwalk extension, marking major project milestone

The West Riverwalk extension is also expected to support continued economic growth in West Tampa, 'a community in the midst of a renaissance.'

Construction is ramping up on one of the most technically complex pieces of Tampa’s West Riverwalk extension, as crews install the supports for new overwater pedestrian bridges and overlooks.

Crews are installing nearly 70 drilled shafts and piles to support three overwater structures: the Platt Street Pedestrian Bridge, the Brorein Street Pedestrian Bridge and the Tony Jannus Park Observation Overlook. The supports are being drilled about 40 feet into the riverbed, with some shafts reaching nearly 50 feet deep, according to the city. Each structure will be able to support more than 130 tons. That phase of construction began in May.

The work is part of the nearly $60 million West River BUILD project, an effort to complete the public portions of a 12.2-mile multimodal corridor. The project includes about 2 miles of Riverwalk along the west bank of the Hillsborough River and is intended to better connect surrounding neighborhoods with downtown Tampa, Ybor City, Bayshore Boulevard, Hyde Park, West Tampa and Ridgewood Park.