Florida's Latest News

October 12th, 2026 

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

Gov. DeSantis: Power restoration after Isaias is ‘more targeted’ than past storms

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians, mostly in Panhandle counties, lost their power as Category 2 Hurricane Isaias swept through on Friday night.

But with the storm having moved out, Gov. Ron DeSantis says the 16,000-line workers positioned ahead of the storm are already working to get utility customers back online. Clearing obstacles started at 3 a.m. and as the sun comes up, the restoration work is back on.

“You know, some of it depends on the extent of the damage. If trees are knocking down lines, they can get the lines connected. If there was some type of total wipeout of a substation, then they’ve got to rebuild that. I’m not sure that’s the case. I haven’t gotten any reports of that. So, there’s going to be a strong response,” DeSantis said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

Unlike some other storms that affected the whole state, DeSantis said response was “more targeted” in this case. While areas near the Gulf Coast often are heavily populated, the inland areas are “more rural.”

Robert Prater faces Jane Aman in race for Florida House

Two Central Florida teachers are vying to represent Florida House District 37 in a November race pitting a veteran candidate against a political newcomer.

The veteran, Robert Prater, a history teacher in Orange County Public Schools, is running as the Republican candidate endorsed by the retiring incumbent Rep. Susan Plasencia. The first-timer, Jane Aman, an English lecturer at the University of Central Florida and former Seminole County Public Schools high school teacher, is the Democratic candidate.

Florida House District 37 encompasses parts of Seminole County and north Orange County. The electorate is split roughly equally among Republicans, Democrats and no-party-affiliation voters, with the GOP holding a slight, 1,800-voter advantage.

Aman provided an interview to the Orlando Sentinel, but Prater did not.

Aman said she wants to bring the qualities that make her a good teacher into office as a state representative. Being both an educator and a legislator means doing research, communicating well and being an active part of the community, she said.

Florida officials warn of price gouging, repair scams after Hurricane Isaias

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Saturday afternoon that his office has already received a handful of price-gouging reports after Hurricane Isaias.

Residents can report suspected gouging on fuel, groceries and other needed recovery supplies at myfloridalegal.com.

“If you see people that are taking advantage of the situation and gouged on fuel, groceries, other needed response supplies, you can go to our website, myfloridalegal.com, let us know and we’ll work quickly to shut it down,” Uthmeier said.

He warned businesses that violations can carry penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to $25,000 per day, and said the state has prosecuted price-gouging cases before.

“This happens to be the time when some scammers come into play — people that want to take advantage of this situation,” Uthmeier said at a news conference on Saturday morning.

When is next rocket launch in Florida? Time, dates for SpaceX, Blue Origin

An early morning rocket launch in Florida is on the agenda − as well as some big missions in the near future.

If all goes according to plan, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket from here, sending a Dragon spacecraft full of cargo to the astronauts onboard the International Space Station. Liftoff, which must occur on time, is targeting 6:33 a.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The resupply mission for NASA is known as SpaceX CRS-35, simply meaning it is the 35th resupply mission by SpaceX under its Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The Cargo Dragon spacecraft will deliver approximately 6,500 pounds of supplies and science to the space station, including an experiment by students at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida.

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.