The University of West Florida is making the move to the NCAA Division I level this year and joining the Jacksonville-based Atlantic Sun Conference as a multi-sport member.

After Hurricane Helene flooded Mark Collins's childhood home with 3 feet of saltwater, he returned two weeks later to see the destruction left by Hurricane Milton. Both storms resulted in two different types of damage. Milton's wind reached 90 mph along Pinellas County's coast crushing glass windows and lofting a roof over his home into the front yard.

With one of the largest populations of unhoused residents in the nation, second only to California, the state saw an increase last year of nearly 5,000 in the number of those without homes.

A dozen teams are still standing in the high school football state playoffs with some major all-local showdowns heading our way.

The high school softball state playoffs are spread over two nights this week, with state semifinal berths on the line.

Only six area teams survived the second round — Baker County, Bolles, Nease, Pierce County, Trinity Christian and Union County.

The first night of the high school football playoffs are in the book. How did your favorite area team do and who’s moving on to the second round?

The Bishop Kenny girls basketball team celebrates its 51-27 win over West Florida in the Region 1-4A final on Friday night. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On to the girls basketball final four for Bishop Kenny, Oakleaf and St. Augustine. The Crusaders (20-9) jumped out to an 18-0 start before West Florida managed to hit a bucket 11 minutes into the game. In Region 1-5A, St. Augustine reached its first state semifinal since 2001 with a 52-47 victory over Fort Walton Beach. The Yellow Jackets (26-1) have been on a tear and enter their state semifinal game against Palm Bay on Thursday at 2 p.m. on a 21-game winning streak.

Location 85 miles SE of Wilmington North Carolina Wind 45 mph Heading ENE at 21 mph Pressure 29.65 Coordinates 76.8W, 33.3NDiscussionAt 400 AM EST (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Eta was located near latitude 33.3 North, longitude 76.8 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east-northeast near 21 mph (33 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed through Saturday. On the forecast track, Eta is expected to gradually pull away from the southeast U.S. Coast today. Eta could intensify a little as an non-tropical cyclone during the next day or so before it becomes absorbed by a larger non-tropical cyclone on Saturday or Saturday night. Tropics Models at 3:34 Friday Night, November 13thLand HazardsSURF: Swells generated by Eta will affect portions of the southeastern United States coast today.

West Florida computer science professor Ashok Srinivasan, who led the study, said its goal was to determine whether government mandates are needed to prevent social interactions during a pandemic or whether people will distance themselves on their own using their common sense. Our results show that Floridians decreased social contacts before the lockdown, which supports the commonsense school, Srinivasan said. One of the deaths reported Wednesday was a 9-year-old girl in rural north Florida. The state reported that 9,518 people were hospitalized Wednesday with COVID-19, about a 1% increase from Tuesday. Five more federally funded testing sites are being opened in hard-hit South Florida, bringing the statewide total to 19.

Bishop Kenny volleyball players celebrate a point during a match against West Florida in the state playoff opener on Oct. 23. On Tuesday night, three area teams with strong playoff histories will compete for berths in the state semifinals. The other area team that plays host, Christ's Church (23-6) will face Seven Rivers Christian (22-3) in the Region 1-2A regional final. Coach Suzanne Winkler has led teams to the state semifinals in 12 of her 16 seasons, including seven straight. Ponte Vedra and Christ's Church both won state championships in 2017, the year that the finals were held at UNF.

Bishop Kenny volleyball player Cameron Fenner sets a ball during the Region 1-4A playoff opener against West Florida. A matchup between a pair of local teams, Bishop Kenny hosting Yulee, headlines the regional semifinal round. The second-seeded Crusaders (18-10) swept West Florida, while Yulee (22-4) topped Pensacola, 3-1 in the Region 1-4A opener. 1 seeds, both Ponte Vedra and Christ's Church would host those finals, should they win. Among the local teams left, three have won state championships since 2014 Kenny, Christ's Church and Ponte Vedra.