Subscribe to the Times

DayStarter

Wednesday, Aug 05, 2026

Good Wednesday morning. Expect some rain (high of 88, low of 75).

In today’s edition, read about all the new principals at Tampa Bay schools and what the mortgage rate increase means for Florida real estate. Also, did you know it’s National Oyster Day?

Lorae Malec, 60 and Colleen Sullivan, 63 listen to a court hearing at Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court Pinellas County Justice Center on in Clearwater. [ASHLEY NEYRA | Times]

Once well-attended spectator events, courtrooms in modern America have seen their audiences dwindle. These two Pinellas women, Colleen Sullivan and Lorae Malec, show up anyway.

At Malec’s retirement party, she fielded suggestions for activities that would keep her out of the bar. Sullivan’s wife recommended she check out the local court. The hobby stuck.

The way Sullivan and Malec see it, everyone in Pinellas County has a stake in the courthouse.

After two years of analyzing where seagrass would grow successfully, students and volunteers from AMIkids were ready to plant their first batch towards restoration. Together, they planted an acre of seagrass on the floor of Tampa Bay.

FIND MORE AT TAMPABAY.COM/POLITICS

Clear and neutral? Not yet. Florida's attorney general will have to rewrite the property tax proposal Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for. A Tallahassee judge ruled that the ballot summary and title were misleading and used language that was “more akin to a political slogan.”

No problem for the Rays: No Tarik Skubal. No Adley Rutschman. No Luis Arraez. Tampa Bay instead made three less glamorous moves at the trade deadline that will improve the roster without ruining the farm system, writes sports columnist John Romano.

5 lessons: Jilted quarterback Baker Mayfield is all about winning a Super Bowl. Bucs running backs will thrive under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The run defense is much improved. Plus, other things we learned during the first week of training camp.

For more in-depth sports coverage, sign up for Sports Today, our daily newsletter focused on your favorite Tampa Bay teams.