AGP Executive Report

Community Spotlight: A Palm Bay photographer, Jason Collins, is rallying support for kids battling cancer through the Ahmad Butler Foundation after years of illness left him disabled and financially drained. Healthcare & Access: Watson Clinic Surgery Center South in Lakeland began its first outpatient surgeries, expanding care for hand, breast, ENT, orthopedics and more. Arts & Education: Ringling College of Art and Design is launching a dedicated 2D character animation degree in Sarasota, aiming to revive hand-drawn skills for studios and indie projects. Culture & Community: In Hudson, a couple’s handcrafted full-size replica “pirate” cannons keep Gasparilla spirit alive year-round. Policy & Privacy: U.S. senators grilled Flock automated license plate readers over wrongful arrests and stalking risks, with bipartisan calls for federal guardrails. Local History: A Confederate monument in Brandon was vandalized—its marble soldier head cut off—prompting an active investigation. Environment & Daily Life: Florida citrus growers report major decline from greening and freezes, while drought restrictions remain in effect across water districts. Entertainment: “The Traitors: New Blood” returns with new episodes on NBC/Peacock.

Health & Food: Tampa-area surgeons say the FDA’s GLP-1 thyroid cancer boxed warning is narrow—medullary thyroid cancer and MEN2—not the common thyroid cancers most patients worry about. Public Life & Policy: Congress is still stuck on making daylight saving time permanent, leaving Florida and 18 other states waiting as clocks tick toward a Nov. 1 change. Arts & Community: Tallahassee Film Festival returns Oct. 8–11 with rare local programming and a standout live set by Negativland. Culture & Music: Placebo announces a 2027 Latin America tour celebrating its first two albums. Local Arts Calendar: Wednesday Night Poetry spotlights Zachary Crow at Kollective Coffee+Tea, with free open mic before and after. Food Scene: USA TODAY Network-Florida readers overwhelmingly want Publix to change its Florida-only BOGO rule. Crime & Safety: “Looksmaxxing” influencer “Clavicular” (Braden Peters) faces Massachusetts charges tied to an alleged rape and drugging of a 17-year-old. Local Dining Oversight: Escambia/Santa Rosa restaurant inspections include one temporary closure after raw sewage was found. Space & Science: NASA’s Marshall update pegs U.S. moon timing around 2028 for key Artemis milestones. Miami Lifestyle: Galderma opens a larger Miami Americas HQ as South Florida’s cosmetic boom keeps drawing global players. Sports Culture: ESPN’s College GameDay guest picker for Tennessee-Texas is already sparking buzz.

Military & Safety: A Florida fishing charter near Eglin Air Force Base hauled in a suspected US military drone believed to be a Shahed-136 clone, with base officials confirming a test article went down. Public Health & Food: Walmart stores pulled bettergoods plant-based lemon Alfredo fettuccine over possible listeria contamination, while Miyoko’s Creamery butter was recalled by multiple grocers for a specific lot tied to potential E. coli risk. State Politics & Rights: Tallahassee city commissioners weigh how Florida’s new DEI law affects a long-running status-of-women program, and Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon will pay a fine and do community service after a sit-in at DeSantis’ office. Scams & Consumer Protection: Florida AG James Uthmeier proposes tougher authority and penalties to crack down on spam calls/texts, fake warrants, and undisclosed AI voices. Environment & Science: Tall Timbers researchers are repeating a 2005 snake survey and report cottonmouths shifting into uplands. Culture & Community: STARability’s free Sept. 30 webinar spotlights how Naples Players uses theatre to build inclusion for people of all abilities. Entertainment: “Survivor” returns with Season 51 on Sept. 23, and Morgan State’s 159th Homecoming Concert lines up Fetty Wap as headliner.

Education & Community Care: University of Miami professor Dr. LaToya Lewis is training future nurses to lead with cultural understanding and compassion, pushing “humanized” care beyond textbooks. Public Safety & Tech: A Florida panhandle fishing charter recovered a suspected Shahed-136-style US military drone near Eglin Air Force Base, raising fresh questions about what’s missing and where it ended up. Legal & Civic Life: The Florida Bar’s inaugural Young Lawyers Summit in Orlando focused on competence and professionalism, pairing early-career attorneys with judges for practical guidance. Courts & Careers: Gov. Ron DeSantis opened applications for two Fourth District Court of Appeal vacancies, setting a Sept. 28 deadline for nominees. AI in Schools: Florida’s State Board of Education adopted binding AI rules for K-12 and colleges, emphasizing parental control, privacy, and guardrails for classroom tech. Culture & Reading: Scholastic’s “Baby-Sitters on Board!” graphic novel brings the Baby-Sitters Club to a new generation with a Florida-centered adventure. Local Arts: Tallahassee eco-artist Moey Hewitt’s natural-materials work is featured at COCA’s Movers & Makers exhibition at the Tallahassee airport through Nov. 2. Food & Health: Walmart-frozen lemon alfredo fettuccine was recalled nationwide over possible listeria contamination. Sports: FGCU men’s basketball began the 2026-27 season with first practice as Pat Chambers leans on returning leadership and new competition.

Education & Community Safety: Sanford residents are demanding answers after a shooting during a celebration of life left eight injured, with two still in critical condition. Local Schools & Surveillance: Pinellas County schools weigh closures and mergers as enrollment drops, while debate continues over Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission surveillance of activists. Arts & Campus Life: KU Theatre & Dance kicks off its season with “Songs for a New World,” and FSU hosts a lecture by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson titled “Saving the West,” drawing student concern over the framing. Politics & Civic Culture: Florida’s gubernatorial debate plans are in flux after David Jolly declined debates with Byron Donalds, escalating a campaign clash. Wildlife Wonder: A burrowing owl performs an almost impossible head-tilt, a reminder of Florida’s unique wildlife. Mental Health Spotlight: Suntree United Methodist Church’s Mental Health Fair returns Oct. 10 with free resources and seminars. Tech, Law & Public Impact: British Columbia sues OpenAI in federal court over a school shooting, alleging the company should have warned law enforcement.

Key Biscayne Anniversary: The Village of Key Biscayne marks 35 years since incorporating in 1991 with a Sept. 26 Community Festival featuring sports, a 5-on-5 soccer tournament, and a 5–9 p.m. Vendor Village with live music, kids’ activities, and local creators. Music & Pop Culture: Teddy Swims adds more UK and Ireland dates to his UGLY Tour, while Rockstar Games and Atlantic Records announce Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album (Nov. 19) with new tracks from Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Keith Richards and more. Local Arts & Community: St. Petersburg reopens the historic Manhattan Casino after a $4.8 million renovation, restoring a major Black music hub that once hosted Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles. Health & Safety: Florida confirms a dengue death in Hillsborough County, spotlighting higher risks for older adults even as mosquito testing hasn’t found new virus activity. Tech, Culture & Policy: Florida schools face new AI guardrails with parental permission requirements, as debate continues over how the state should handle classroom technology. Wildlife & Lifestyle: A Florida Fish Art Contest opens for K–12 students, blending conservation learning with original artwork of native fish.

Music & Community Loss: Florida-born pop-punk guitarist Chad Gilbert, a founding member of New Found Glory, died at 45 after years of cancer treatment, with bandmates and his wife saying he passed peacefully in his sleep. Local Culture & Lifestyle: Clearwater’s Courtney Campbell Causeway Pedestrian Trail is moving into its next construction steps, with a new overpass canopy and bike racks expected in about two weeks. Florida Business & Tech Education: Full Sail University in Winter Park was named an Apple Distinguished School for 2026–2029, expanding hands-on work with tools like Apple Vision Pro. Florida Economy & Growth Narrative: Lt. Gov. Jay Collins points to Buc-ee’s expansion and major corporate relocations as proof Florida’s appeal is driven by “math,” not politics. Weird-but-Florida: A Florida-based UFO investigator claims more than 700 alleged alien-abduction accounts stopped after people invoked Jesus. Sports (SEC spotlight): The latest AP college football poll keeps Notre Dame at No. 3, while Florida returns to the rankings at No. 22 and the SEC places 10 teams in the Top 25.

Everglades Watch: Asian swamp eels have been detected in Palm Beach County’s Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, verified by FIU ecologist Nathan Dorn, raising alarms about a new invasive predator reshaping the food web and making restoration harder. Community & Arts: Manatee’s All-County Orchestra students earned spots for a Oct. 3 performance at the State College of Florida’s Neel Performing Arts Center after blind auditions. Local Culture & History: The McLarty Treasure Museum in Vero Beach highlights the still-mysterious 1715 Spanish treasure fleet wrecks off Florida’s Treasure Coast. Family Life & Travel: TSA is confiscating popular liquid-gel squishy toys like NeeDoh from carry-ons because they break the liquids/aerosols/gels rules. Sports & Spotlight: FAMU’s rivalry with Tennessee State returned with a 29-26 loss, while Miss USA crowned its first married mother winner, Justus Kelley. Music & Giving: Holly Hill’s “Fall Into the Blues” returns Sept. 25 with JP Soars & The Red Hots, plus auctions and proceeds for veterans.

AI & Tech Policy: Trump says he’ll create an “AI Force” and appoint an AI “czar,” offering few details as national debate grows over whether the tech needs guardrails. Local Environment & Water: Northeast Florida officials warn the aquifer needs about 30 extra inches of rain as springs dry up, with watering limits still in effect. Public Health: Florida health officials confirm a Tampa woman’s death was from locally acquired dengue, part of a rare summer outbreak in Hillsborough. Housing & Community: Zillow data shows Seminole County’s typical home value down 2% year over year, while Lafayette County rises 4%—a reminder that Florida’s market is still uneven. Culture & Community Events: The Island Hopper Songwriter Festival keeps rolling on Captiva with dozens of free sets across venues. Arts & Identity: Miramar Cultural Center spotlights Caribbean diaspora storytelling in Elliot Bastien’s “Myths: Menace and Mischief.” Sports (Florida): Lightning delays push Florida State’s Alabama game start time, while UCF extends baseball coach Rich Wallace through 2030. Everyday Life: Cape Canaveral adds permitting rules for artificial turf, with a one-acre limit and steep daily fines for violations.

AI & Antitrust: A federal lawsuit alleges Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Elon Musk’s AI firms colluded to slow development, reigniting the debate over AI safety versus competition. AI in Florida Schools: Florida’s education board approved new classroom AI guardrails, including parental permission rules and limits on “AI companion” use. Public Health: Florida marked a grim milestone as an 80-year-old woman died of dengue fever, the first dengue-related fatality in the state in nearly 15 years. Local Government: Auburndale approved a $124.5M budget while keeping its millage rate unchanged, with the plan leaning heavily on capital improvements. Culture & Lifestyle: The Keys get a new locally hosted real estate/lifestyle TV series, “Keys Unlocked,” spotlighting homes, history, and community. Food & Travel: Treasure Coast diners get a guide to the best clams, and families looking for cooler weather can start planning fall beach trips—starting with Fernandina Beach. Community & Arts: Key West’s arts board approved funding for a possible LGBTQ+ mural, adding momentum to local public art efforts.

Florida Education & AI Rules: Florida school districts must roll out AI policies and are barred from using “AI companions,” with districts given until July 1, 2027 to finalize their own rules. Public Health: Orange County issued a dengue fever alert after two new locally acquired cases in Apopka, triggering targeted mosquito control and enhanced surveillance. Arts & Community: FGCU and the Visual Arts Center of Punta Gorda are teaming up to bring adult enrichment lectures back to Charlotte County, with an AI-focused kickoff talk planned for December. Legal & Culture: A Florida federal lawsuit claims Amazon’s Prime Video “Off Campus” used the “Drunk Shakespeare” trademark without permission, centered on an episode featuring a fictional production. Food & Safety: The FDA upgraded an ongoing jalapeño recall affecting 27 states to a Class I designation over Salmonella concerns. Local Sports & Heritage: Inter Miami’s Nu Stadium hosts Hispanic Heritage Night presented by Modelo on Sept. 20 with giveaways and pre-match performances. Reggae in Miami-Dade: The Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center announces a free Backyard Bash headlined by The Legendary Wailers (Oct. 17). Pets & Memory: Fort Myers’ Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial opens Sept. 19 at the Alliance for the Arts, offering a place to honor lost companions.

Local Safety & Schools: Jacksonville parents and a crossing guard say speeding drivers are repeatedly endangering kids at Oceanway Middle’s crossing, with complaints about a pedestrian signal that may not trigger. Aviation & Infrastructure: The FAA’s radar replacement rollout is slipping at least two months, now targeting September 2028, as supply-chain issues and damaged units slow progress. Community Memory & Culture: Tallahassee’s Florida TaxWatch headquarters moved into the former St. James CME Church tied to Black educator John Gilmore Riley, with a broader push to preserve local civil-rights history. Arts & Heritage: Palm Beach’s Friends of Manatee Lagoon launches a three-part film series on the science and conservation behind Lake Worth Lagoon. Sports & Local Pride: Florence renamed its football complex and fields for pro players with local roots, aiming to inspire young athletes. Health & Wellness: A dietitian shares simple inflammation-lowering habits for clearer skin, while a separate case highlights an MRI technician accused of sexual assault. Music Scene: St. Petersburg indie rockers Luxury Mane drop “Youth Envy,” a Gulf Coast-tinged single ahead of a new album.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Seminole Hard Rock Tampa kicked off “My Rhythm. My Flavor. ¡Mi Gente!” with a $100,000 donation split among 10 Central Florida Hispanic community groups, spotlighting culture through music and local partnerships. Education & community growth: Dreamers Academy in Sarasota broke ground on a new 42,000-square-foot upper school campus, expanding its Spanish immersion K-8 mission. School safety tech: Manatee County schools are integrating wearable panic alerts with nearby live video feeds so first responders can see what’s happening faster. Culture & arts: FSU’s Club Downunder hosted a “Fragrance Fête” where students built custom scents and enjoyed live jazz from the College of Music. Public health: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force added new leadership and members, shaping what preventive care insurers must cover. Consumer protection: Florida AG James Uthmeier proposed tougher penalties to crack down on spam calls and texts targeting seniors. Local lifestyle: Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse’s $16 million living shoreline and boardwalk project is reshaping the area ahead of December completion. Sports rivalry: Florida and Auburn’s renewed SEC matchup is drawing major attention as both programs chase answers under new coaching.

AI in Education: Florida’s Board of Education approved new statewide rules and guardrails for AI use in K-12 classrooms and colleges, including parental consent and student safeguards. Housing & Community Resilience: After Surfside, more Florida condo boards are borrowing for structural inspections and reserve-backed repairs—showing how policy and risk planning are reshaping everyday living. Culture & Arts in the Sunshine State: Bradenton is partnering with Point Park University to turn the historic Peninsular Telephone Company Building into a new performing arts campus, aiming to revive downtown through education. Local Lifestyle: Lovebugs are back for fall mating season, but swarms are patchy across Florida—drivers are dealing with the familiar windshield “goo” again. Public Health Watch: South Carolina reported cases of flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus in coastal waters and seafood; Florida officials say the risk is rare, but the reminder lands for anyone with open wounds or who eats raw seafood. Music & Streaming: New releases and streaming picks are driving the week’s buzz, from Vince Staples’ “Cry Baby” to Netflix’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.”

Sea Turtle Rescue: Bowtie, a juvenile green sea turtle hooked near Port Canaveral, was released back into Cocoa Beach waters after hook removal and a quick recovery. Student Support: Polk State College received $54,057 from the Florida College System Foundation to expand nursing and allied healthcare scholarships, including help for first-generation students. Arts & Community: Miami-Dade Public Library launched a Teen Poetry Contest (ages 13–18) with workshops and Books & Books gift cards, spotlighting the city’s spoken-word scene. Local Culture Calendar: Bonnet Springs Park unveiled its fall and holiday lineup, including a Hispanic Heritage celebration, a Central Florida Food Fest, and Light Up BSP. Health & Tech Reality Check: FIU research found many fitness watches overestimate calories burned—potentially derailing weight-loss efforts. Sports Spotlight: The NHL’s season starts Sept. 29 with a new schedule and league changes, while Boston Bruins confirmed they’ll name a captain before opening night. Florida Politics Meets AI: Governor candidates David Jolly and Byron Donalds are clashing over AI data centers, with proposals ranging from pauses to freezes. Education Watch: Florida’s rural counties improved third-grade literacy, but chronic absenteeism and poverty still weigh on results. Everglades Innovation: UF researchers are deploying robotic “rabbits” to lure invasive Burmese pythons for easier detection and capture. Powerball & Lotto: Powerball climbed to $271 million; Florida Lotto’s jackpot rose to $9.50 million for Wednesday’s draw.

Arts & Museums: St. Petersburg museums go admission-free Saturday, Sept. 19, as the city keeps the “Free Museum Day” tradition alive for families. Exhibitions: The Bass Museum announces Tokyo artist Yuko Mohri’s U.S. debut, “Yuko Mohri: Unviolated Imperfection,” running Sept. 17, 2026–May 30, 2027. Local Culture & Community: Overtown Performing Arts Center is profiled as a hub for culture and community. Nature & Coastal Life: A Florida Keys family found 64 baby sea turtles in a backyard pool after bright lights disoriented them; they were treated and released. Environment & Florida’s Reefs: A look at the Neptune Memorial Reef off Miami Beach highlights how a planned underwater cemetery became a major man-made coral habitat—and what that means as reefs erode. Education & Academic Freedom: Florida professors say they fear being targeted or “canceled” after DEI changes, with faculty survey concerns about student scrutiny and political pressure. Sports & Lifestyle: Rolling Loud returns to Orlando in 2027, with dates and ticket info coming this week. Tech & Privacy: Leon County moves to stop ALPR cameras, adding to the pushback on automated license plate readers.