A bad day for Pete Hegseth, the money behind St. Pete's new mayor, two viral posts that didn't hold up, and the first real chill of the season. FMNN published 15 stories Monday. Here's the short version.
By Joseph J. Jackson | TAMPA BAY (Nov. 9, 2026)
The short version
A Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The House has until Wednesday to act. Hours later, MS NOW reported that his office blocked promotions for at least 12 senior officers.
State records show Charlie Crist's committee paid $946,617, 41 cents of every dollar it spent, to firms tied to Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch and his wife, who chaired it.
A strong cold front arrives late Thursday. Tampa could wake up near 52 on Saturday, with the upper 40s inland.
Hegseth and the Pentagon
Eight articles, a Wednesday deadline. Massie filed the articles on the House floor. The charges include an Iran war Congress never approved, at least 243 people killed in boat strikes, the Maduro raid, Yemen, and going after Sen. Mark Kelly. Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are a "hard yes." Hegseth calls it a "sham." Read more
Blocked promotions. MS NOW reports Hegseth's office stopped promotions for at least 12 officers already picked by military boards. The reasons cited include a Pride event, a Women's Day panel, COVID shots and ties to Gen. Mark Milley. The orders came by phone, not in writing. Officials told MS NOW that women and officers of color were hit hardest and that the moves may have broken federal law. These promotions are not part of Massie's articles. Read more · Both stories in one place: A Bad Day for Hegseth
Trump
"I do hate some of my enemies, and I always will." That's what Trump told 60 Minutes when asked whether he could forgive Comey and Pelosi to get into heaven. He also said deportations had been "too tough." Fact check: the viral "I would rather go to Hell than forgive" line is a news headline, not his words. Read more
Opinion: The Revenge Tour. From "I am your retribution" in 2023 to Sunday's interview, our list of who the Justice Department went after, and where the system held. Read more
St. Pete and Tampa Bay
The Schorsch Machine. Crist has said he hired Michelle Todd Schorsch, not her husband. State records show his committee paid her firm, her husband's company and her personally $946,617. Both firms share one mailbox with Florida Politics. We've asked Crist and both Schorsches for comment by 5 p.m. Tuesday. Read more
Crist won by 24. Now the hard part. Crist and new council members Gabriel Hament and Linsey Grove are sworn in Jan. 7. Still open: the Gas Plant deal, a Rays team that says it's committed to Tampa, and the budget cuts behind Crist's tax-cut pledge. Read more
MacDill. Reps. Kathy Castor and Gus Bilirakis say a criminal investigation is checking whether mold repair records at the base's privatized housing were falsified. The contractor has failed seven straight quarterly reviews. Also: CENTCOM's new Iran task force, Iron Gate, is run from its Tampa headquarters. Gates run modified hours Nov. 11–12 for Veterans Day. Read more
Florida
Opinion: Amendment 3's seventh bullet. The amendment lists seven things property taxes can pay for. The last one covers everything else a city does, "except as otherwise prohibited by general law." That line lets Tallahassee limit local spending by ordinary bill. 108 Florida cities lose 90% or more of their homestead tax base. Read more
Opinion: Brevard drowned. Palm Bay got about 20 inches of rain. Two men are dead and about 2,000 people have reported damage. FEMA can't step in until the governor asks. Update, Nov. 10: the state announced Monday evening that it has sent a request for a federal major disaster declaration. FEMA help still needs the president's approval. Read more
Opinion: Musk lost Texas. Next stop, the Space Coast. Musk gave more than $445 million this cycle and Texas went blue anyway. SpaceX is rebuilding Kennedy's Pad 39A for Starship. Florida should set the terms first. Read more
Who paid to bring this circus to Jacksonville? Jake Lang called Muslims "cockroaches" at Monday night's Duval County School Board meeting. His Senate campaign reported raising under $6,000 from donors in 21 months. Crowdfunding pages in his name have raised hundreds of thousands, with no public accounting required. Read more
Fact checks
FALSE: El-Sayed "denied a security clearance." Senators don't go through a clearance check, so there's nothing to deny. The viral post traces back to an account that calls itself a comedian. Read more
TRUE, with a catch: Klayman disbarred. The U.S. Supreme Court disbarred Larry Klayman, Laura Loomer's longtime lawyer. He was not disbarred in Florida, where he's suspended for two years, and he hasn't represented Loomer since December. Read more
Weather
Enjoy the low 80s through Veterans Day. A strong cold front crosses late Thursday with a 30% to 40% chance of showers. Saturday is the cold day: about 52 in Tampa at sunrise, upper 40s inland and a high near 66. Sunday warms into the low 70s, with choppy water on Tampa Bay. Bring pets in and cover tender plants. Read more
New on FMNN
FMNN Investigates now has two desks: National and Florida. FMNN is also on YouTube now: @FloridaManNewsNetwork.
What to watch Tuesday
5 p.m.: comment deadline for Crist and the Schorsches.
The House's Hegseth deadline is Wednesday.
Veterans Day is Wednesday. MacDill gate hours change Nov. 11–12.
Florida certifies the election results Nov. 17.
Sources
Each FMNN story carries its full source list.
FMNN, "Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth," Nov. 9, 2026
FMNN, "Hegseth Blocked Promotions Over DEI and Vaccines, Report Says," Nov. 9, 2026
UPI via Yahoo, "CENTCOM creates task force to disrupt Iran's weapons ground routes," Nov. 7, 2026
FMNN, "No, Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed Was Not 'Denied a Security Clearance,'" Nov. 9, 2026
FMNN, "Who Paid to Bring This Circus to Jacksonville?" Nov. 9, 2026
Tampa Bay 28, "Forecast: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low and mid 80s," Greg Dee, Nov. 9, 2026
FOX 13, "Tampa weather: Cold front to drop temperatures this weekend," Nov. 9, 2026