Florida's Latest News

Frederica Wilson grants her coveted endorsement in crowded congressional race

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson granted her coveted endorsement Monday to Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert in the crowded race to succeed her in the U.S. House after her retirement.

“It’s not a job for a neophyte, it's a job for experience, you have to hit the ground running,” Wilson said during a campaign event for Gilbert in Miami Gardens recorded by Hy-Lo News. “I need somebody who’ll fight just like I fought.”

She later handed a flaming torch to Gilbert in a symbolic gesture.

Wilson has represented the Miami-area district for 15 years, but sparked a mad dash of high-profile Democratic candidates jumping into the race after she announced last month that she wouldn’t run for the seat again.

As the district’s longtime representative, her endorsement carries significant weight in an election cycle where most of the candidates entered the race less than three months before election day in the Aug. 18 primary. Gilbert touted her influence Monday.

State planners detail $1.3B overhaul linking Sawgrass Expressway and I-95

A long-awaited project connecting the end of the Sawgrass Expressway to Interstate 95 is about to begin its first stages of construction later this summer, and the Florida Department of Transportation wants neighbors to know exactly what to expect.

The plan, known as the SW 10th Street Connector Project, aims to make it easier for commuters to get between I-95 and the Sawgrass Expressway. The project’s estimated cost is $1.3 billion.

The transportation department is hosting an in-person public presentation at the Johnny L. Tigner Community Center, 445 SW 2nd St., from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to give members of the public a chance to hear directly from planners about the construction.

The project, in the planning stage for at least eight years, addresses the fact that the Sawgrass Expressway sends its traffic onto local roads in Deerfield Beach, two miles before Southwest 10th Street reaches Interstate 95.

When the connector is completed in 2032, officials promise traffic will be able to travel seamlessly between the two highways without affecting local traffic crossing Southwest 10th from Military Trail to Powerline Road.

But that outcome will take a lot of time, and officials are asking the public for a lot of patience.

Florida gas price drops 20 cents in a week

As gas prices fell for a fourth consecutive week, analysts continue to caution that it could be weeks or months before returning to pre-war prices.

On Monday, the auto club AAA reported the average gallon of gas in Florida was $3.62, down 20 cents from the previous week following the announcement of an agreement to end the war with Iran.

“The real test now shifts to the Strait of Hormuz, where any reopening and resumption of normal oil flows would be the clearest signal that this relief is durable,” wrote Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “For now, the national average could continue falling, provided there isn’t a drastic reversal and the U.S. and Iran continue moving in a positive direction.”

The average in Florida has fallen 88 cents over the past month and on Monday was at the lowest since $3.49 on March 9.

“Even so, relief at the pump won’t arrive overnight, as analysts caution it could take months for shipping and refining to normalize, and crude remains more than 20 percent higher than when the war began and over 40 percent higher than at the start of the year,” De Haan wrote.

Florida Chamber backs Byron Donalds for Governor

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has formally endorsed Byron Donalds for Governor, throwing the state’s most influential business organization behind the Republican front-runner.

During a news conference held alongside the 2026 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solutions Summit, Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said the endorsement reflects Donalds’ record on issues the business community considers critical to the state’s continued growth, including workforce development, affordability, infrastructure and regulatory reform.

“Byron Donalds has spent a career in business. He understands local business issues,” Wilson said. “He clearly understands what it means to sign the front of a paycheck, and he’s clearly spent a career championing local businesses throughout Florida.”

Wilson noted that Donalds earned a 96% voting record with the Chamber during his service in the Florida House and holds a lifetime “A” rating from the organization.

Accepting the endorsement, Donalds cast Florida as the nation’s economic model and pledged to focus on issues ranging from taxes and insurance to housing, education, energy and healthcare if elected.