As Florida voters weigh a proposed property tax cut on the November ballot, realtors, sheriffs and local officials are clashing over whether Amendment 3 will strip funding from local police, fire and emergency services.

For many election cycles, civil rights groups and political parties have fanned out to monitor polling places, but the charged midterm environment has many organizations stepping up efforts this year.

Hurricane Isaias shattered the peace of one of the quietest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record as it grew into 2026’s first Atlantic hurricane and made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast near Destin, Fla., late on Oct. 9. As an atmospheric scientist who has studied hurricanes for years, I can tell you that wind shear and the climate phenomenon known as El Niño both play important roles.