Here’s Brunch, a pop-up, weekend email about the 2026 Election Cycle — 10.11.26

Good Sunday morning, and welcome back to “Brunch,” a pop-up newsletter about the 2026 Election Cycle and more.

There are 23 days until the General Election, with early voting beginning in my home county of Pinellas on Oct. 19. Look for an advertising opportunity for that soon!

Be sure to check out our choices for the Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics here.

Also worth your time: Steve Schale is out with the sixth edition of his biennial table setter on Florida elections. It lays out what has to happen for Democrats to win in 2026 and, unlike the last two cycles, it’s not purely academic.

I must be sacrificing all of my football joy (the Cowboys, Seminoles, and Knights all lost this weekend, as did the Gators), at the altar of the baseball gods so the Tampa Bay Rays can advance to the World Series. The first game of the ALCS is at the Trop on Monday night.

Now, enjoy Brunch!

— Powering back —

About 318,000 Florida customers were still without power early Sunday, two days after Hurricane Isaias hit the Panhandle as a Category 2 storm, down from about 448,000 Saturday morning.

— Where it’s dark: Escambia (109,000 customers, 63%), Santa Rosa (84,000, 86%), Walton (48,000), and Okaloosa (43,000). Santa Rosa Sheriff Bob Johnson says 80% of his county’s traffic signals are out.

— Monday target: FPL has restored power to 98,000 customers and expects 95% of its customers back by the end of Monday, with 16,000 workers in from 29 states. CHELCO still had 69% of its system out.

— State muscle: 5,000 National Guard, 400 State Guard, and 1,100 FDOT workers. Every state bridge, I-10, and U.S. 98 reopened before dawn Saturday.

— Still waiting on D.C.: The state’s emergency declaration covers 27 counties, but only for protective measures. The federal government has not yet issued a major disaster declaration, which would unlock Individual Assistance and SBA loans. Watch for Gov. Ron DeSantis to ask.

— Buyer beware: Attorney General James Uthmeier already has “a handful” of price-gouging reports. CFO Blaise Ingoglia is sending three disaster-fraud strike teams to the Panhandle.

— Santa Rosa’s long haul —

Santa Rosa County took the worst of Isaias and is under a dusk-to-dawn curfew “until the emergency ends.”

— Two deaths: Both in Escambia: a woman was killed by a falling tree and a man died a man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from running a generator indoors. Four others in the house were hospitalized. Sheriff Chip Simmons said deputies found the house next door doing the same thing and stopped it.

— Four weeks: That’s the county’s debris estimate. The EOC lost power during the storm and 911 moved to the Sheriff’s Office. Milton took the worst wind damage, including the high school.

— No school Monday: Escambia and Santa Rosa schools are closed, along with Pensacola State College. Tuesday is TBD.

— Grounded and boiling: Pensacola International Airport is closed with “no clear timeline.” ECUA has a boil-water notice across Escambia, and Pace is under one too.

— Hot meals: Mercy Chefs is serving in Pensacola, and Convoy of Hope is staged in Pace.

— East of the eye —

Okaloosa and Walton took less wind than Pensacola but are still digging out, with washed-out roads, closed parks, and water trouble on Okaloosa Island.

— Walton washouts: Some roads washed away, and Palm Beach County’s urban search and rescue team is working the county. Grayton Beach State Park lost its road and is one of more than 35 state parks closed across the Panhandle and Big Bend.

— Island life: Okaloosa Island lost water and sewer Saturday morning, and Santa Rosa Boulevard was underwater. Evacuees were told to wait for an official all-clear.

— Coming and going: Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s airport reopened Saturday afternoon with flight schedules still scrambled. Northwest Florida Beaches in Panama City is open too, and Tallahassee is open and doubling as the state’s staging hub. The Tarpon Dock drawbridge in Panama City can’t be raised for boats.

— Standing down: Eglin lifted its limited evacuation order, Okaloosa’s shelters began closing Saturday morning, and Fort Walton Beach says debris pickup starts midweek.

— Feel the Bern —

Supporters of U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon are about to get warmer, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders headed to the Sunshine State for four rallies next weekend.

— Oligarchy on notice: Sanders says this is part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The tour has him “hitting the road to have real discussions across America on how we move forward to take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country.” We assume he’ll do more talking than listening, though.

— Two stops a day: Sanders and Nixon will hit Tampa’s Cuban Club next Saturday, Oct. 17, with the program at 1 p.m. Melbourne is next, with speaking at 6:30 p.m. They will be in Gainesville at noon Sunday, Oct. 18, speaking at UF’s University Auditorium. Then, The Moon in Tallahassee, where the speeches start at 8 p.m.

— Not just Nixon: Sanders endorsed Nixon shortly after she won Florida’s U.S. Senate Primary against the significantly better-funded Alexander Vindman. He said he will support her candidacy, along with Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. He’s also pledging to give these candidates money from his super PAC. While we can’t speak to the action in the Midwest, we know Nixon needs the funds.

— Rattler roundtable —

Florida A&M University students will get face time with Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly at a campus town hall Monday night.

— Mark it down: The forum starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 in Lee Hall, 1601 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tallahassee, with doors opening an hour earlier.

— Q&A on campus: Students will hear Jolly lay out his agenda and plans for Florida if elected.

— Ticket talk: Jolly is running alongside former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham against Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

— Ground to make up: A James Madison Institute poll conducted Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 showed Donalds ahead of Jolly 52% to 42% among likely voters, with 3% undecided. Other surveys have shown a tighter contest, including a St. Pete Polls survey this week that found the race tied at 45%.

— Press pass: Reporters planning to cover the event should RSVP to jenn@sachsmedia.com; a check-in table will be set up on site.

— Paid in full —

Shevrin Jones collected $15,000 from Florida 2026, the political committee backing Jolly, according to campaign finance records.

— Paper trail: The Oct. 1 payment to the Miami Gardens state Senator was flagged on X by Mark Glaeser, who cast Jones as “moonlighting as consultant” for the committee.

— Fine print missing: The filing itself lists the payee and amount but doesn’t spell out what services Jones provided.

— Old allies: Jones was an early sounding board for Jolly, who met with the Florida Legislative Black Caucus in Tallahassee while weighing a bid as a newly registered Democrat.

— Exit ramp: Jones is on his way out of the Senate anyway. He left under the resign-to-run law to seek the open CD 24 seat and lost the August Primary to Oliver Gilbert.

— Frost warning —

While we’re still weeks away from a Winter chill, a different kind of frost, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, campaigns today with Senate District 38 candidate Richard Lamondin.

— Feeling the flip: Lamondin’s press shop says the Gen Z Congressman from Orlando is in town to help “break the Republican veto-proof supermajority in the Florida Senate,” starting with the seat held by Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud.

— Early start: Set your alarm if you want to be part of this effort. The canvass kicks off at 11:15 a.m. at Miami’s Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park.

— It’s on the record: Yes, you can take pictures of both of them. Reporters will also be able to interview the candidate and his special guest. They’ll be talking about lowering costs and “ending the corruption” in Tallahassee whether you ask them any questions or not, though.

— Ballot backup —

Florida voters who get stuck at the ballot box this Fall have somewhere to turn, as Common Cause rolls out its nonpartisan Election Protection effort statewide.

— Hotline help: Anyone hitting a snag can phone or text 866-OUR-VOTE and reach an expert immediately. Separate numbers serve Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Asian-language speakers.

— Boots at the booths: Volunteers trained by the group will staff polling sites, reach out to voters, and coordinate with elections supervisors to fix issues as they surface. Common Cause has helped steer the national version of the program for two decades.

— Mark the calendar: Early voting will be open at least from Oct. 24 through Oct. 31 in every county, though some start as soon as Oct. 19 and keep going until Nov. 1. On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls operate from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

— Mail call: Oct. 22 is the last day to request a mail ballot, which elections offices must have in hand by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The group advises dropping completed ballots in the mail no later than Oct. 24 or delivering them to a secure drop box.

Amy Keith, Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, told voters to store the hotline number in their phones now. Registration lookups and polling-place searches are available at makeaplantovote.com.

— Capping the levy —

Most Florida voters want a say before local governments raise more property tax money, according to a new poll from The James Madison Institute (JMI).

— Few in the know: Only 35% of respondents were familiar with the idea of capping property tax levies before the survey.

— Explain and gain: Once pollsters described how such caps work, 78% backed forcing a public vote whenever a local government wants to push total property tax collections past a set yearly ceiling. That includes 53% in strong support.

— Cross-aisle consensus: Republicans led at 83%, followed by independents at 76% and Democrats at 72%.

Targoz Market Research polled 1,200 registered Floridians online from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4; the results carry a 2.8-point margin of error.

— Equal footing —

That same JMI poll shows a majority of Florida voters favor funding K-12 students equally no matter which kind of school they attend.

— Same dollars, any desk: Fifty-four percent want the state to provide an identical base payment per student, whether that child is enrolled at a traditional public school, a charter or a private school, or splits time among several providers.

— Splitting the difference: Just over a quarter, 28%, prefer giving certain students a larger base allotment than others.

— Bipartisan buy-in: Independents backed equal funding at 58% and Republicans at 57%. Democrats agreed too, though by a narrower 46% to 36% split.

— Debate doubleheader —

Spectrum News will host mayoral debates in St. Petersburg and Orange County on back-to-back nights next week.

— Sunshine City showdown: Mayor Ken Welch faces former Gov. Charlie Crist Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. on Spectrum Bay News 9, with anchor Holly Gregory guiding the hour.

— Orange crush: Orange County mayoral candidates Chris Messina and Tiffany Moore Russell square off the following night, Wednesday, Oct. 14, also at 7 p.m., on Spectrum News 13. Anchor Ybeth Bruzual will ask the questions.

— En español: Spectrum Noticias will carry a live Spanish translation of the Orange County matchup.

— Tuning in: Tampa Bay viewers can find Bay News 9 on channel 9, while News 13 sits on channel 13 for Central Florida and Noticias runs on channels 47 and 920.

All three also stream through the Spectrum News App, Xumo, Roku, and Apple devices.

— Feds at FAU —

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security Chris Pilkerton and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler will visit Florida Atlantic University on Tuesday to promote foreign direct investment as what a press release calls “an economic force multiplier.”

— Agenda items: Organizers say the speakers will “highlight Treasury’s Strategic Vendor Program and Investment Security Technology Initiative, SBA capital programs that support the rebuilding of the U.S. defense industrial base, FAU’s cutting-edge research, workforce development, and South Florida’s growing technology ecosystem.”

— But that’s not all: “Representatives from D-Wave Quantum, Concurrent Real-Time, local economic development offices, community stakeholders, and senior leaders and professors from FAU” will also be on hand. The end goal, per the release: getting “technical experts across government, academia, industry, and the research community to help Treasury and its interagency partners evaluate critical and emerging technologies and anticipate new and evolving national security risks.”

— How to attend: The event runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Engineering East Building on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. Media members who want to be there should email patrick.mcmanus@treasury.gov by the end of the day Monday.

— Torts to arts —

The Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers has a new Chair of its Board of Directors: former state Rep. Spencer Roach.

— Stage presence: Producing Artistic Director Greg Longenhagen is glad to have him in the wings. “I’m thrilled to have Spencer step into this role.”

— Political expression: The North Fort Myers Republican sees a chance to do something politics rarely does: unite people.

— Community vision: “In an increasingly divided and distracted world, those shared experiences matter,” Roach said. “They remind us of what we have in common and help create the sense of community that brings us together.”

— Public résumé: Beyond three terms in the House, Roach also served in the Coast Guard and the State Attorney’s Office.

— Jags cross the pond —

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing the first of two consecutive games in London today against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network).

— Top of the table: Jacksonville (3-1) is already getting attention as one of the top teams in the NFL, with some pundits calling them the league’s best.

— Birds grounded: The Eagles (2-2) have been hit by a rash of injuries and are without five key players today, including wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Saquon Barkley.

— Repeat performance: Last season, the Jaguars started the year with four wins in the first five games and went on to win the AFC South with a 13-4 record. They are trying to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998 and 1999.

Next Sunday, the Jaguars will face the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium.

— Rays set the table —

For the third time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays will play in the American League Championship Series. Now they know the opponent.

— Bronx bombshell: The Rays swept the New York Yankees in the best-of-five Division Series, clinching with a 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

— Guardians of the gate: On Saturday night, the Cleveland Guardians eliminated the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in a decisive Game 5 to advance to the ALCS. Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez hit a two-run home run, and starting pitcher Gavin Williams held the White Sox to one hit while striking out 12 over 5 2/3 innings.

— Seven-game history: Both previous trips went the distance. In 2008 against the Boston Red Sox and in 2020 against the Houston Astros, the Rays won in seven games and advanced to the World Series.

Game 1 of the ALCS is Monday at 8 p.m. at the Trop.

— Brunching out —

The Original Bagel Bagel has endured the pandemic, tornado damage, and a changing restaurant industry. But the venerable Tallahassee deli just celebrated its 35th anniversary in a Pensacola Street strip shopping center, under its original ownership.

— Backstory: Growing up, John Stout traveled the world while his father was in the U.S. Air Force. He also worked in restaurants along the way. After visiting Tallahassee with friends, he decided to stay. He enrolled in Tallahassee Community College, now Tallahassee State College, where he met his wife, Sarah. In July 1991, when he was 23, Stout opened the Original Bagel Bagel. On May 10, 2024, the same tornado that damaged Railroad Square hit Bagel Bagel. Stout repaired the restaurant and still serves many longtime menu favorites.

— Setting: The casual restaurant has two seating areas and plenty of booths. Arrive early, especially on weekends, because the place fills up quickly with a crowd that spans generations.

— Menu: The Original Bagel Bagel has an extensive menu that features egg sandwiches, breakfast wraps, and bagel melts, plus lunch wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, and salads. I’m a fan of the Bacon Tomato Melt, with those desirable toasty spots, on an everything bagel. The Ham and Egg Melt, which we ordered with hash browns, is another hearty favorite. And who doesn’t love a bagel with a schmear? A long-standing lunch favorite is the RBCC, a roast beef sandwich with cream cheese and melted provolone on a toasted baguette. It comes with a side of au jus. All sandwiches are served with a pickle, naturally.

— Details: The Original Bagel Bagel is at 2401 W. Pensacola St.; 850-574-1814. Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The post Here’s Brunch, a pop-up, weekend email about the 2026 Election Cycle — 10.11.26 appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..

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