1. FAMU becomes the Black College Football National Champion
One Tallahassee college football team secured a national championship this year—FAMU. The Rattlers won the Celebration Bowl, marking their first major national title since 1978. The win capped several years of ascension for the team under head coach Willie Simmons. The victory put Simmons over legendary FAMU coach Rudy Hubbard for the most wins in their first five seasons with 45. The Celebration Bowl victory was even sweeter since it fell on the 45th anniversary of FAMU becoming the first and only Black college to win a Division 1-AA FCS national title.
2. FSU Women’s Soccer becomes the most decorated team in school history
With this year’s victory, FSU women’s soccer team became the school’s all-time leader in national trophies. This year’s team also got a double honor: the first in program history to finish with an undefeated season. The Lady Noles have won all four of their national NCAA Soccer titles within the last 10 years, going on a nearly unprecedented run.
3. Seminoles get snubbed by the CFP and sue to leave the ACC.
The battle has been more than a year in the making, and the College Football Selection Committee’s decision to exclude the Seminoles from a fourth national title bid has only escalated tensions between the university and its longtime conference.
4. Charlie Adelson found guilty of Dan Markel’s mother, Donna Adelson gets arrested
Nine years after Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was murdered at his Betton Hills home, his former brother-in-law became the first member of the family to be convicted of Markel’s death. Charlie Adelson was also the first member of Markel’s ex-wife’s family to be charged in what prosecutors have long said was a murder-for-hire, fueled by a custody fight between Markel and his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson. Shortly after Charlie Adelson’s conviction, his mother, Donna Adelson, was arrested as she tried to board a one-way flight to Vietnam. Donna Adelson is currently in the Leon County Jail, awaiting trial.
5. Hurricane Idalia hits North Florida/Perry’s paper mill shutters
A sparsely populated area of the Panhandle took a direct hit from Hurricane Idalia. The storm struck the sleepy coastal town of Keaton Beach and other rural enclaves near the coast. Four months later, and some areas have yet to recover. Shortly after the storm, the town of Perry got dealt another blow: the closure of one of its largest employers, the Georgia Pacific Paper Mill.
6. Andrew Gillum is found Not Guilty
Former Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum was a rising political star in Democratic party politics. But he narrowly lost his 2018 gubernatorial bid to Republican, and now presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis. During his campaign, and after, Gillum was dogged by an FBI investigation into bribery and fraud within city government politics—the same probe that brought down former City Commissioner Scott Maddox and developer J.T. Burnette. But in May, a federal jury found Gillum and his longtime political associate Sharon Lettman-Hicks not guilty of conspiracy and fraud related to steering campaign contributions and grant funds into Gillum’s bank account through Lettman-Hicks’ firm P&P Communications.
7. Congressional District 5 remains in legal limbo after dueling decisions
Former Congressman Al Lawson’s district is no more but the state and civil rights groups continue fighting over it. The old version of Congressional District Five initially stretched from Gadsden County to Jacksonville to make room for Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice. But Gov. Ron DeSantis successfully eliminated the district by forcing the legislature to adopt his version of a new congressional map. A state judge initially found the new map to be unconstitutional, but the decision was appealed. A federal appeals court ultimately upheld the new lines.
8. Rocky Hanna settles with DOE
Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna found himself in a fight with the state over whether his political views influenced his on-the-job decisions. The state investigation into Hanna was sparked after a local Moms for Liberty member wrote a letter to the governor complaining about Hanna’s stances on new state laws regarding LGBTQ issues, and a lawsuit between the district and a parent over a student’s pronouns. Hanna received an outpouring of community support, and ultimately settled with the Florida Department of Education in an agreement that would see him have to sit out for two years, pay a $1,000 fine during the probationary period, and enroll in a college education leadership and ethics course should he seek a position that requires a teaching certificate.
9. Statue of David Controversy
A principal lost her job and a national (and international) uproar ensued…all because of a photo of Michaelangelo’s statue of David. Parents at Tallahassee Classical School complained they weren’t told of the instruction materials ahead of time, as David is portrayed nude. Subsequently Hope Carrasquilla, who had been principal at Tallahassee Classical for about nine months, resigned. She told NPR that an email notifying parents had been written, but the administration accidentally forgot to send it.
10. Tallahassee vs. T-Pain
For weeks, a Tallahassee non-profit had advertised a free concert celebrating Hip-hop’s 50th birthday with a well-known local legend: T-Pain. There was just one problem…T-Pain never agreed to perform. In a multi-part Instagram post, the Tallahassee native outlined a litany of slights and grievances from city officials, promoters, the local justice system and some media outlets. At times, the truths cut deep, leading many to reach out to the beloved artist in support. The result…a phone call between the artist and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and the hope that maybe, in 2024 as Tallahassee turns 200 years old… the rift between the city and the artist that carries its name, can be healed.
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