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Saturday, May 17, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1980, a jury's not-guilty verdict in the Tampa trial of four police officers charged in the killing of Arthur Lee McDuffie triggered a violent, three-day riot in Miami.

Some elementary school students were surprised when a hot air balloon landed in the field next to their school. Learn more in Et Cetera.

We're sponsored this weekend by Remedy Meds, your online source for GLP-1 weight-loss medication with a limited-time offer.

Don't feel like reading the national edition of The Flyover? Tune in to The Flyover Podcast! New episodes drop daily—watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, all in under 15 minutes.

DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Fluoride

Florida has become the second state—after Utah—to ban fluoride in public drinking water, following a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday. The law is effective July 1.

"Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that's fine. But forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people. They don't have a choice," DeSantis said.

However, the Centers for Disease Control has named adding fluoride to drinking water as one of its 10 greatest health achievements of the last century, citing its protective benefits to teeth.

Some local governments had already voted to ban the additive. Earlier this month, Miami-Dade county commissioners voted to override a veto by the mayor and move forward with removing fluoride.

255 Arrested in Human Trafficking Operation

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrest of 255 individuals, including some illegal immigrants, during a nine-day undercover operation dubbed "Fool Around and Find Out." The sting resulted in 102 felony charges and 284 misdemeanor charges.

"About 15% of all of our arrests in the human trafficking operation and our predator operation ... were here illegally in this country," Judd said.

One of the people arrested was Adarius Taylor, a former NFL linebacker who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who was also charged with child neglect after leaving his child alone in a car.

"The 6-year-old child has a lot of medical issues and he (Taylor) left this child alone that should have never been left alone because of medical conditions ... He must have hit one too many people as a linebacker because his brain cells are scrambled," Judd said.

Conservation Land Swap Proposed

Upland LLC has asked for 600 acres of land within the Guana Research Reserve in St. Johns County in exchange for 3,066.23 acres in four locations in the state. No plans for the property were announced.

State Rep. Kim Kendall (R) said, "To me it leans in on the proof that the 600 acres are going to be used for some serious economic development. Why else would you give 3,000 acres away for 600 in four different counties?"

Environmentalists opposed the proposal, with Chris Farrell of the National Audubon Society saying, "This development would just cut a huge swath right through the middle, separating conservation land to the east and west, and would create many problems in the management."

The Department of Environmental Protection's Acquisition and Restoration Council will consider the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday in Tallahassee.

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➤ Mexico Beach: The city council is considering new regulations on food trucks amid concerns they may be discouraging the opening of brick-and-mortar restaurants. (Details)

➤ St. Johns County: Officials say an anti-vandalism program designed to protect public parks has been successful in preventing incidents since it launched in March 2024. (More)

➤ Orange County: The Sheriff's Office has help fighting child internet crimes from Luma, a dog trained to detect a chemical used in memory cards, chips, and more. (See Video)

➤ Citrus County: Citrus Springs residents have been left with unfinished homes after Van Der Valk Construction filed for bankruptcy. (Details)

➤ Miami: Condo owners in the Brickell neighborhood are asking the city to crack down on short-term rentals such as Airbnb, which are prohibited in the area. (More)

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➤ Florida State football is angling to schedule as many difficult opponents as possible to draw better TV ratings, and thus increase the school's ACC media rights payouts. (More)

➤ High school basketball powerhouse Prolific Prep is relocating from Napa, California, to Fort Lauderdale next season. The school cited "prime location and enhanced resources" as reasons for the move. (More)

➤ An LED-lit basketball court in Orlando has attracted NBA attention, allowing teams to track shooting data and diagram plays directly onto the iPad-controlled court. (More)

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➤ A mother manatee and her calf were rescued on Thursday after they were found entangled in fishing line near Key Largo. (See Video)

➤ A hot air balloon made an unexpected landing at an elementary school in Pasco County on Thursday, causing the students to line up to get a look. (See Photos)

➤ A high speed chase in Ocala ended with a car flipped upside down in an apartment complex parking lot. (See Video)

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