On Tuesday, a Democrat flipped a state House seat in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024 by 11 points. That result shouldn’t be dismissed as an anomaly. It was a bad night for Republicans, but it’s also a reminder that voter loyalty isn’t a guarantee and coalitions aren’t permanent.

That’s why Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to redraw Florida’s congressional maps is a risky play. Starting April 20, lawmakers are scheduled to take up redistricting in a special session. Redistricting usually takes place once every 10 years, based on census data. An effort to challenge DeSantis’ call to revisit the maps was struck down by the Florida Supreme Court.

Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, told Politico, “I think the Legislature needs to be very cognizant of the fact that if they get too aggressive … you could put incumbent members at risk.” Districts that were won by eight or nine points could see their margins cut in half, he said, putting them within reach of Democrats.

Former speaker of the Florida House, Republican Rep. Daniel Webster urged caution, telling Punchbowl, “Don’t do it. I’ve said it from the beginning. I’ve been around enough reapportionments to know it’s a slippery slope.”

No more slippers or sweatpants in the terminal, the Tampa International Airport said in a social media post this week.

For Tampa Bay locals familiar with the airport’s often-satirical social media, the post announcing a ban on sleepwear was no surprise. But the message, which urged passengers to “help Tampa International Airport become the world’s first Crocs-free AND pajama-free airport,” quickly drew national attention.

“Today’s post about ‘banning’ pajamas was another playful nod to day-of-travel fashion debates,” read a statement that the airport’s communications team said it sent to roughly 20 national and international media outlets on Thursday. “We encourage our passengers to travel comfortably and appreciate our loyal followers who enjoy the online humor.”

Trump was going to invite the women's team until he found out they were all over 14

For years, astronomers debated the so-called “cosmology crisis,” especially the tension in how fast the universe is expanding. Now, Webb’s deep-field observations are adding fuel to the fire.
Instead of tidy, predictable early galaxies, Webb is revealing massive, surprisingly mature systems forming far earlier than standard models allow. These findings don’t just tweak the timeline—they pressure the very framework of dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic evolution. If galaxies grew this big this fast, then something fundamental is missing from the equations.

The crisis in cosmology isn’t about one anomaly. It’s about pattern after pattern refusing to fit. The expansion rate disagrees depending on how you measure it. Early structures look too advanced. Simulations struggle to keep up with observation. The universe isn’t behaving the way the textbooks promised. So what happens next? Do physicists patch the model—or rethink it entirely? The answers unfolding now could redefine the story of space, time, and everything in between.

TALLAHASSEE — The DeSantis administration dramatically escalated spending this summer on a years-old immigration emergency — with expenses ranging from private jet flights and restaurant tabs to custom badges, according to a state accounting of how his office is using an expiring emergency fund.

That spending included more than $166,000 on restaurant bills and catering, $717,000 on travel — including a $203,000 private jet bill two days before Christmas — and at least $1.7 million on outside attorneys defending the state’s detention centers in court.

The agency has used the fund to commit $380 million through 83 contracts with private vendors. The largest contracts include $92 million to porta-potty outfit Doodie Calls, $61 million to IRG Global Emergency Management and $52 million to Garner Environmental Services.

The money comes from Florida’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, a pot of cash controlled by the governor. It was first established by the Republican-led Legislature in 2022 to give DeSantis’ office faster access to money during crises. Democrats have long derided it as a “slush fund” for the governor to use as he pleases with scant oversight.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has earmarked $16.5 million for repairs to the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field.

St. Petersburg Assistant City Administrator Tom Greene let City Council members know in an email Tuesday about the expected reimbursement, calling it “an extremely promising step in the process.” He said the $16.5 million is based on estimated costs to date less any insurance collected.

Greene attached to his email a press release from FEMA dated Jan. 30 touting a $480 million federal package to support more than 500 disaster recovery projects throughout the state. Funding for the Trop is specifically mentioned.

Hurricane Milton in October 2024 tore the Trop’s roof off, rendering it unplayable. The Rays spent their 2025 season at the spring training home of their division rival New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Tampa Bay students walk out in ICE protest despite state warnings
Students protested across the region after lawmakers and state leaders called for districts to intervene.

Hundreds of high school students across Tampa Bay walked out of classes Friday in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, even as state officials pressured school and district leaders to put a stop to it.

The walkouts at more than a half-dozen high schools were the latest in a string of student protest incidents that have sprung across the nation in recent weeks, prompting state lawmakers to call for action and discipline.

On Tuesday, two Tampa Bay legislators asked Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas for an investigation into the principal at Lennard High School in Ruskin, where a protest took place Jan. 30. The commissioner sent a letter to districts saying disruptive students would face consequences, and educators who supported protests could have their credentials revoked. Gov. Ron DeSantis chimed in on social media, urging “education, not indoctrination.”