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DeSantis taps state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia as next Florida chief financial officer

Governor Ron DeSantis is tapping Spring Hill GOP state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia to become the next chief financial officer of Florida.

Ingoglia is a DeSantis ally in the legislature and will now take over the remainder of former CFO Jimmy Patronis' term. He officially left his role in April after he won a seat as congressman in Florida's First District.

Ingoglio is the former chair of the Florida GOP, a state representative, and has served in the state Senate since 2022. He also currently chairs the Banking and Insurance Committee.

Kyandra Darling leads HD 62 pack in fundraising — by a lot

Kyandra Darling is easily outraising her competitors for the open House District 62 race, bringing in more than five times as much as her closest competitor.

Darling is running to replace Democratic state Rep. Michele Rayner, who, despite not facing term limits, is leaving office to run for Florida Senate. Darling faces two opponents so far in the Democratic Primary for the seat: former state Rep. Wengay Newton, who held the seat before Rayner, and Upton Fisher, Rayner’s current legislative aide.

Darling has raised more than $53,000 for the race so far, blowing past Fisher by about $50,000, and raising about five times as much as Newton, who has brought in less than $10,000.

The fundraising totals are as of June 30.

Darling is a former staffer for former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and worked as a legislative aide to former St. Pete City Council members Steve Kornell and Lisa Wheeler-Bowman. Darling has also worked in the nonprofit sector, collaborating with more than 40 nonprofit organizations serving health equity, education and economic opportunity issues in the Tampa Bay region.

Her latest haul, spanning April through June, includes more than $21,000 in contributions, including notable support from former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink ($200), St. Pete City Council member Lisset Hanewicz ($500), Ruth’s List Florida ($500) and former congressional candidate Whitney Fox ($150), among others.

State leaders call Everglades restoration a top priority as they celebrate milestone

Gov. Ron DeSantis was on hand for the opening of the Caloosahatchee River reservoir, a move that officials called an important step for Everglades restoration.

The reservoir can store up to 55 billion gallons of water and will capture excess runoff from Lake Okeechobee in Southwest Florida during the rainy season.

Opening the reservoir, which covers 18 square miles, is “one of the most “significant projects that’s ever been done in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said, adding that it was a “massive project.”

“We are, in opening this reservoir, protecting the Caloosahatchee estuary from harmful discharges and ensuring a healthy balance of fresh and salt water, which is essential to the survival and health of our fisheries, oyster bed, sea grasses, and the entire coastal economy,” DeSantis said at the Hendry County press conference. “This will benefit Southwest Florida in particular, in a really, really significant way.”

Senate President Ben Albritton, who spoke alongside DeSantis Tuesday, celebrated the ribbon-cutting to fight against algae blooms and protect the communities where people’s economic livelihoods depend on the water. He vowed to make Everglades restoration a priority in the 2026 Legislative Session.

Patrick Zalupski, the man buying the Tampa Bay Rays, has a Stetson University connection

The man reportedly buying the Tampa Ray Bays has a strong Stetson University connection.

He went there.

A Jacksonville group led by billionaire developer Patrick Zalupski has agreed to purchase the franchise for approximately $1.7 billion, according to The Athletic. The deal with current principal owner Stu Sternberg is expected to be finalized by September.

Sternberg acquired the team in 2004 for $200 million.

Zalupski, 44, earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Stetson in 2003.

After graduating, he worked as a financial auditor for FedEx’s internal audit department in Memphis, Tennessee.

In December 2008, Zalupski founded Dream Finders Homes. It is based in Jacksonville but has grown to service eight states, primarily in the Southeast. Dream Finders went public in 2021.

In 2025, Zalupski was named Builder of the Year by Builder Magazine. He holds a net worth of $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. He is also a member of the board of trustees at the University of Florida.