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Staff Report

Fourth of July celebrations are set for St. Marks and Sopchoppy on Saturday:

• Sopchoppy Fourth of July Festival will begin with the annual parade at 4 p.m. through downtown, then music and fireworks at the City Park.
• St. Marks Fourth of July Celebration will be held beginning at 4 p.m. with vendors and food trucks. Fireworks over the river at dark.

Special to The Sun

Our family just got a little bigger – and a whole lot cuter!
Ashley Kinsey and Jay Blanco of Waterford, Virginia are proud to announce the birth of their son, Theodore Jorge Blanco, born June 7th, 2026.
He joins one brother Julien Miguel, who is 3 years old as of July 10, 2026.
Maternal Grandparents are Lynda Kinsey of Crawfordville and the late Michael Kinsey.
Paternal Grandparents are Teresa and Jorge Blanco of San Antonio.Texas.

By JIM TURNER
News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE – Florida heads into the hurricane season with a budget now in place, even if for a second consecutive year it took longer than expected, with a third special session on the horizon.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a $114.5 billion spending plan Friday, wrapping up a special session to complete the budget 77 days after they failed to do so during the regular session.

By JIM TURNER
News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE– Gov. Ron DeSantis still isn’t fully on board with cutting the state gas tax to counter mounting fuel prices.
But as legislative budget leaders head into the Memorial Day weekend having spent the past week of the special session quietly behind closed doors, DeSantis said Friday he’d sign a tax package that includes a reduction in the state’s 22-cent-a-gallon gas tax.
“If they put it in the tax package, I’ll happily sign it,” DeSantis said during a bill signing event in Jacksonville.