Florida's Latest News

October 15th, 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 $27M in Infrastructure Upgrades, Includes Florida Panhandle

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $27 million in awards to fourteen small and rural communities for economic growth as part of Florida's Rural Infrastructure Fund while speaking at a press conference in Vernon this week.

“As we continue helping communities recover from Hurricane Isaias, we are also making investments to strengthen rural Florida and support economic growth,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Today in Washington County, I announced $27 million in Rural Infrastructure Fund awards for critical projects in 14 small and rural communities across Florida. We’re also awarding $24.3 million to 12 additional rural communities to invest in infrastructure and economic opportunity. Florida has made tremendous progress recovering from this storm. We are committed to supporting the families, businesses, and communities that have been affected so that they can rebuild in the short term and thrive in the long term.”

Jimmy Patronis aims to connect Hurricane Isaias-impacted homeowners with FEMA, state aid

Hurricane Isaias marks the 10th hurricane to which U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis had to respond. As many of his constituents deal with the aftermath for the first time, his office is already busy helping people with paperwork and communicating with federal officials.

Describing the “natural rhythm” of storm response, he feels confident that power companies restore electricity by Monday evening for 95% of homes who lost power. But Patronis knows the lingering recovery will be financial, both as individuals aim to make their homes livable again and local governments bear the cost of storm response.

“People are kind of getting their wits about them. They’ve never filed a homeowner’s claim before in their life, let alone one for hurricane damage,” Patronis said.

3 takeaways from Erika Donalds’ education discussion at New College

Erika Donalds, a school choice activist and the wife of Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, sat down with New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran Tuesday in Sarasota for a discussion on education.

Donalds, a former Collier County school board member who founded a company that started charter schools for classical education, was invited as part of the college’s Markovitz Socratic Stage series, which hosts speakers to discuss relevant policy issues.

She and her husband, a U.S. House member, made higher education headlines last month when they showed up to a University of South Florida football game alongside Sen. Ashley Moody.

Florida cyclosporiasis cases hit record high weeks after outbreak over

The national U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak ended weeks ago, but Florida cases just set a new record.

This year, an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection known for causing explosive diarrhea, officially ended on Sept. 11 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its investigation. Nearly 13,000 cases and two deaths were linked to iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and distributed to 31 states through grocery stores, restaurants, and Taco Bell.

Cyclosporiasis generally spikes every year in the U.S. between May 1 and Aug. 31 as infected fecal matter makes its way onto fresh, summery produce such as herbs, berries, and lettuce. But Florida produces fresh produce all year, and cyclosporiasis cases in the Sunshine State are still going up.