Florida's Latest News

October 30th, 2026 

Here's your roundup of the important stories shaping Florida this week. Stay informed — and share with someone to keep them updated!

DeSantis Awards $100 Million for Florida Water Quality, Supply Projects

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $100 million in funding for 45 projects across Florida aimed at restoring natural springs, improving water quality and expanding alternative water supplies, continuing the state’s investments in water infrastructure and environmental protection.

The funding, announced in Crystal River on Wednesday, will be divided equally between the Springs Restoration Grant Program and the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program, with each receiving $50 million.

The Springs Restoration Grant Program will support 23 projects designed to improve water quality and spring flows through wastewater infrastructure upgrades, septic system improvements and land conservation. Collectively, the projects are expected to reduce nitrogen pollution by more than 55,000 pounds annually.

Among the awards are $3 million for septic-to-sewer conversions in Citrus County benefiting Chassahowitzka-Homosassa Springs, Kings Bay and Crystal River Springs, and $4 million for septic system upgrades in Volusia County benefiting DeLeon Spring.

Juan Porras seeks third HD 119 term as long-shot challenger Rey Sordo pitches affordability plan

Republican state Rep. Juan Porras has made reining in homeowners’ associations a signature cause.

He’s seeking another term to push that effort and others further, but standing in his way is Democrat Rey Sordo, a first-time candidate campaigning on an affordability and accountability platform that might resonate more with voters if he had the campaign cash to get his message in front of them.

Both are Miami-Dade natives under 30 from Cuban families, but they enter the House District 119 contest with vastly different resources and political résumés.

HD 119 spans a western strip of Miami-Dade County between Southwest 232nd Street and Southwest 8th Street that abuts Krome Avenue and contains Miami Executive Airport. The district leans dramatically rightward, with 41% of the district’s 101,783 active voters registered as Republicans, compared with 24% who are Democrats.

Porras, 29, is Florida’s second-youngest currently serving elected state official. He won his seat in 2022 with 64.4% of the vote and secured another term two years later with 64.6%.

Do the clocks fall back this weekend? When daylight saving end

It's here! The time has finally come when we switch our clocks back an hour.

After celebrating Halloween this Saturday night, Oct. 31, our clocks will fall back an hour at 1 a.m. as Daylight Saving Time ends in 2026.

Most Americans want to end the twice-annual clock changes, but polls differ on whether standard time or daylight saving time should be permanent. Renewed efforts in Congress have sought to make daylight saving time permanent, with the U.S. House voting 308-117 on July 14 to send H.R. 139 to the Senate for consideration.

Meanwhile, the Senate version of the bill has been in limbo since the Senate referred it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Jan. 7, 2025.

H.R. 139, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, was filed Jan. 3, 2025, by Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida-District 16. Buchanan has brought the Sunshine Protection Act before each Congress since 2018. 

Florida weather: Avoid beaches as waves and rip currents threaten

The good news: with just over a month left of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, there is no tropical activity expected in the next week, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

The not-so-good news: Florida surf conditions are expected to remain dangerous into next week from the winds that have slammed the eastern coast for days, according to AccuWeather, and the state can expect scattered showers and rainfall through the weekend.

The king tides that have swamped southern Florida are subsiding, but flood warnings remain in effect for the St. Johns River near Deland and Astor, and coastal flood warnings of "significant coastal flooding" are in effect for the St Johns River Basin in North Florida through Saturday morning.

A coastal flood advisory across the east Central Florida coast is in effect through Friday afternoon, in St. Lucie and Martin counties until Saturday morning, and coastal Palm Beach County until Saturday evening.