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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2024

Good Morning! On this day in 1868, the Great Seal of the State of Florida was adopted by the Legislature.

Hurricane Debby affected much of Florida with flooding rains as a tropical storm before strengthening and making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the state's Big Bend region. You can see rainfall totals by county here. Today will still be wet in much of the state with strong thunderstorms. Stay safe!

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We're sponsored today by Nation Health MD: Here to help you with joint pain.

Hurricane Debby Causes Deaths and Delays

At least four deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Debby, which made landfall along the Big Bend near Steinhatchee at 7 a.m. Monday as a Cat 1.

The storm continued to blast the state as it moved inland with flooding rain, damaging winds, and a life-threatening storm surge.

After landfall, power outages skyrocketed to more than 300,000.

Airlines around the state reported thousands of flight cancellations and delays between Saturday and Monday, with the most disruptions out of Orlando International Airport, where 20% of scheduled flights were canceled.

New Space Academy Program Coming to Florida

Florida students now have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to excel in the aerospace industry and eventually secure high-paying jobs.

The Space Florida Academy Program was introduced last week by the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, and partners with 23 school districts around the state. See the list here.

The program focuses on target areas to meet current and future industry demand: aviation/aerospace, advanced manufacturing, construction, cybersecurity/IT, logistics, and semiconductors.

Florida #8 State for Top Earners

To be in the top 1% of earners in Florida, you need to earn or have a net worth of at least $852,206, according to the online financial information and advice tool SmartAsset.

The report lists the top 1% and top 5% of earners by state based on IRS data.

The Sunshine State landed on the list at #8. See the full list here.

Meanwhile, the income threshold for the state's top 5% of earners is $276,217, represented by more than 500,000 tax returns versus 101,940 for the 1% set.

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South Florida

➤ Fort Myers: Tropical Storm Debby flooded Southwest Florida as it inched closer to land before becoming a hurricane. Roads near Fort Myers Beach disappeared under deep floodwater. (Watch Video)

➤ Miami-Dade County: Fourteen days of early voting began today at 23 sites throughout the county ahead of the Aug. 20 Primary Election. (More)

Central Florida

➤ Citrus County: A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for areas within the county until further notice. The order applies to Evacuation Zone A, which includes all low-lying areas west of U.S. Highway 19 and some areas east of U.S. Highway 19. (More)

➤ Winter Park: The city and the Winter Park Library are hosting a community repair workshop, Fix it! Don’t Pitch It, on September 7. The program supports the city’s Sustainability Action Plan and offers volunteers to fix items. (See Details)

North Florida

➤ Volusia County: Two sand placement projects on the north and south sides of the Ponce de Leon inlet are being funded through an $82 million grant provided by the state for hurricane recovery efforts. (More)

➤ Law enforcement in St. Johns and Flagler counties collaborated over three days to prevent and stop crime on major roads, recovering over $500,000 in assets, dubbing the operation B.I.T.E. Back. (See Details)

➤ Three university professors have filed a lawsuit against a 2023 law that requires tenured faculty members to be tested every five years for productivity and gives university presidents the final say on tenure decisions. (Watch Video)

The Panhandle

➤ Dixie County: Hurricane Debby’s eastern eyewall hit Horseshoe Beach Monday morning, bringing 95 mph gusts as the storm made landfall near Steinhatchee. (Watch Video)

➤ Naval Air Station Pensacola announced last week it will host the commissioning of the Navy's most advanced amphibious warship, The Richard M. McCool Jr. (Watch Video)

➤ Clearwater native Bobby Finke won gold for Team USA and set a world record in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics. (More)

➤ Gainesville native Noah Lyles won the men's 100m final Sunday at the Paris Olympics, ending a 20-year drought for Team USA. The 27-year-old finished in 9.784 seconds to secure the gold medal. (See Photos)

➤ Check out this incredible throw and catch from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill during a Miami Dolphins training camp. (Watch Video)

➤ Lake Mary Little League All-Stars continued their incredible undefeated run with an 8-1 win over North Carolina on Friday. (More)

Yesterday's results: MLB

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➤ FlightPath is the tournament-legal tee with a revolutionary design that helps you effortlessly hit longer, straighter drives. Plus, it’s nearly unbreakable! (See It Here)

➤ SpaceX launched a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship into orbit on Sunday, carrying over four tons of supplies, spare parts, fresh food, and science gear for the International Space Station. (Watch Video)

➤ Orlando International Airport launched MCO Rewards on Aug. 1, a new program allowing travelers and employees to earn airline miles and other rewards. (See Details)

➤ Soarce, a new Lake Nona-based startup, is using seaweed to solve the global issue of toxic textiles. Founded by three UCF alumni, the company works with over 25 small to large-scale businesses. (More)

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Did you know 8 out of 10 Americans suffer from this dangerous health hijacker?

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➤ A Florida woman was arrested last week in Palm Bay for inflicting $5,000 of damage to a man’s car, including keying the word “cheater” and other thoughts on the hood. (See Details)

➤ America’s Oldest Man is buried in the Wildwood Cemetery in Bartow. Charlie Smith claimed to be 137 years old when he died. (See Photo)

➤ A St. Johns County student who battled cancer is one of this year’s Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Scholarship recipients. (Watch Video)

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➤ Flyover Florida has proudly collaborated with a host of remarkable American companies and has now diligently compiled a list of their top 12 American-made products. They stand as a testament to our nation’s ingenuity, directly addressing the everyday challenges faced by our fellow Americans. (See the list here!)