HRT for Women in Oakland, FL

Of all the Reuben and tuna melt-peddling, pancake and egg-slinging joints in the Sunshine State, Oakland Park restaurant Peter Pan Diner has just been declared the best.

The general-interest family magazine Reader’s Digest picked the 44-year-old eatery last week in its ranking of the most memorable and delicious greasy spoons across the country — based, it said, on a rigorous scientific method of investigating “customer ratings, Tripadvisor scores, and local gossip to find the absolute best diner in every state.”

While other enduring pit stops just as deserving spring to mind — Lester’s, the Floridian, Olympia Flame, for example — it’s easy to imagine why Peter Pan wins the crown. The distinctive green-and-white building with a Disney Lost Boy on its logo, perched where Oakland Park Boulevard meets Dixie Highway, is a whole nostalgic vibe, refusing to grow up even as Fort Lauderdale sprouts skyscrapers around it.

Opened in 1979 by Panagiotis Kourkoumelis, Peter Pan has courted regulars as much for its belly-filling breakfasts as for its Greek specials, like marinated pork kabobs, pastitsio and “Greekified” stuffed cabbage rolls. Since 2001, Koukoumelis’ son, Jeronimos, has operated the diner.

Its 1990s-inspired dining room — massive, low-key, with palm-leaf ceiling fans and many hanging planters — seems to stretch to the horizon, which is actually a separate full-liquor bar in the back. And its menu, at five pages (double-sided!), is an exercise in restraint, touting every comfort-food dish imaginable from corned beef hash and Mi Hammi Slammi (eggs, pancakes, ham) for breakfast to lamb shanks and moussaka for dinner.

The brown gravy that coats an open-faced turkey, the cucumber-flecked tzatziki sauce that glistens inside a chicken gyro, even the pat of butter that melts in a cocoon of mashed potatoes is all housemade, prepared by the cooks. They even bake the desserts and pastries, including platters of strawberry-crowned, New York-style cheesecake, baklava and carrot cake that beckon at the entrance.

Here, the waitstaff have been scribbling shorthand orders on blue-striped checks for decades, and seem to have missed their calling as acrobats, judging from the six plates of meatloaf they can balance on one arm.

Peter Pan Diner is at 1216 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park. Visit MyPeterPanDiner.com or call 954-565-7177. To see the full Reader’s Digest rankings, go to rd.com/list/most-iconic-diner-every-state.

A Powerball ticket sold in Florida is worth $1 million. And it wasn't the only winning lottery ticket sold in the same city Wednesday.

Winning numbers from the March 8 Powerball drawing were: 26, 27, 43, 61, 69, the Powerball was 4. The Power Play was 3X.

Nobody won the $31 million jackpot in Wednesday's drawing. Estimated jackpot for Saturday's drawing is $45 million, with a cash value of $22.9 million.

Top 10 lottery jackpots:Who won and where winning tickets were bought

Mega Millions winner:Jensen Beach man wins $1M prize from Mega Millions ticket bought at local Cumberland Farms

The $1 million winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket on East Commercial Boulevard in Oakland Park, which is located north of Fort Lauderdale, according to the Florida Lottery.

The winning quick pick ticket had five out of five of the white numbers.

That wasn't the only winning ticket sold in Oakland Park.

A quick pick Fantasy Five ticket sold at the Chevron station on East Oakland Park Boulevard is worth $47,331.18.

How do you win at Powerball?

Here are the prizes for getting each of the numbers correct. The jackpot starts at $20 million and rolls over until there is a winner.

What are the odds of winning Powerball?

According to Powerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.

What's the current jackpot for Powerball?

Estimated Powerball jackpot for Saturday's drawing is $45 million, with a cash value of $22.9 million.

Drawings are held three times per week at approximately 10:59 p.m. eastern time every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?

According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."

However, the site states, since May 25, 2022, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."

What are the Top 10 largest Powerball jackpots ever?

Here are the Top 10 Powerball jackpots as of Feb. 2, 2023:

Largest jackpots − ever

Did you know? Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have surpassed $1 billion six times in the history of the games (see below for the dates). Fun fact: The Jan. 13, 2023, winner (aka the Friday the 13th winner) marks the third time a billion-dollar jackpot was won in January.

Florida Audience Team Lead Producer Jennifer Sangalang contributed.

Pulte Homes developers says its committed to finding permanent solution to drainage issue

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A historic Oakland cemetery flooded after a rainstorm overnight into Monday morning brought at least 4 inches of rain.

The Tildenville Oakland Cemetery was established in 1947 and is home to generations of local families.

“I have my sister out here, my mother, my grandmother, my aunts, my uncles-- everybody out here,” said Deborah Fryar.

Fryar was wiping her tears after seeing that many of her family members' burial grounds were underwater at the Tildenville Oakland Cemetery after the Sunday storms.

[TRENDING: Florida moves to phase 3 of coronavirus reopening | New Jurassic World coaster announced | What authority do local leaders have in Phase 3 of coronavirus reopening?]

“This is like burying them all over again,” said Fryar. “Nobody should have to go through this. It’s very emotional.”

Families tell News 6 they’ve never seen flooding like this. Some of the caskets were floating out of the water. They are putting the blame on faulty drainage from the new Pulte Homes Longleaf housing development next door.

Sharon Ranson is the president of the board that oversees the cemetery and said the storm water is supposed to go to a retention pond on the other side of the new development but is ending up in the cemetery.

“Now the cemetery is a retention pond," Ranson said. “It’s because of the poor drainage, Pulte subdivision doesn’t want to take care of the problem.”

[WATCH BELOW: Graves underwater as Oakland cemetery floods]

The developer, Pulte Homes, called crews to pump some of the water out of the cemetery.

“They come out and pump the cemetery to drain the water. That is not going to fix this problem,” said Ranson.

Pulte Homes sent a statement to News 6 on Tuesday.

“Following the tremendous rainstorms that happened overnight and the resulting flooding discovered at the site this morning, our development team quickly implemented actions to remove standing water. Today, we also met with the town and the water management district to discuss long-term actions to address the flood-prone nature of the area, and have additional meetings scheduled to work towards a more permanent solution. While our community is not the source of the water, we share in the community’s commitment to preserving this historic site and being good neighbors where we build," the statement read.

Families just want a permanent solution to the drainage problem so their family members can rest in peace.

“Ridiculous, we have to pay the price for them to be at peace, just because they want to build a subdivision," Fryar said. “This is wrong.”

Below is the statement the Town of Oakland sent to News 6.

"The Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery is experiencing flooding due to significant rainfall.

The Town takes this matter very seriously, as the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery is a resting place for our community’s beloved family members.

Pulte, the owner of the neighboring development and adjacent road, is currently pumping water from the cemetery. Town staff is on scene offering emergency assistance to the developer. Due to the serious and sensitive nature of this flooding issue, the Town has called upon the developer to swiftly work on a permanent solution. Pulte Homes has expressed it is committed to providing a permanent solution to the flooding.

The Town recorded 4.14 inches of rainfall in approximately two hours, with 3 inches coming down between 8 and 9 p.m. [Sunday] night. The ground had already been saturated from more than 4 inches of rain during the past month, and low-lying areas were inundated when the summer storm passed through.

The Town experienced significant flash flooding last night, washing out some of our unpaved roads."

Copyright 2020 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

Residents evacuate from Hurricane Ian's path

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis updated the situation on Tuesday telling residents in evacuation zones to leave immediately. As many as 8,000 people have lost power as Hurricane Ian prepares to land with Category 4 force on Wednesday.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Power outages, downed trees, and tornados gave Florida residents a preview of the Hurricane Ian's destructive power as it barreled toward the eastern Gulf Coast overnight Tuesday with a potential Cat 4 force.

Images from Broward County in southern Florida showed branches ripped from tree trunks, crashing onto cars due to a potential tornado.

Evacuation orders were issued, affecting some 2.5 million people in Florida, as Governor Ron DeSantis told residents to leave evacuation zones immediately.

"If you are in an evacuation zone particularly in those southwest Florida counties, your time to evacuate is coming to an end. You need to evacuated now," said DeSantis, "There will be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge in the Gulf Coast region."

There is also concern about the hurricane spawning tornadoes.

"Tropical tornadoes will occur very quickly. They will happen overnight tonight and will occur during heavy rain. You will not be able to see them coming,," said Kevin Guthrie, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Late Tuesday night, video from the North Perry Airport in Hollywood, Florida near Fort Lauderdale shows more than 15 planes damaged by suspected tornado. Several aircraft were flipped over, others had wings twisted.

At a late night news conference, Gov. DeSantis said the Florida Highway Patrol might begin closing bridges as early as Wednesday.

DeSantis also said 8,000 residents had lost power Tuesday night, and warned that millions more customers could lose power when the storm moved onto land.

Passengers scrambled Tuesday to get flights out of Florida.

Orlando International Airport plans to stop all commercial flights at 10:30 Wednesday morning.

"It's a little nerve-wracking because everybody is trying to get out," said Adrian Adams, a passenger who was trying to catch a flight home to Indiana.

At SFO, spokesman Doug Yakel said several Florida flights had already been canceled.

One man named Anthony arrived in San Francisco and said he rushed to leave Florida, worried he'd be stuck and miss his son's wedding in Napa.

"We didn't know if we would be able to get out, so we decided we had to do that because my son's wedding is on Saturday," said Anthony, "My kids, ex-wife were leaving. They left at 2 o'clock in the morning, I left 4 o'clock in the morning to get out."

Walt Disney World announced it is close theme parks on Wednesday, and Thursday,

Concern is mounting that the storm could cause major power outages for millions of customers in Florida.

President Biden promised federal aid to local and state officials in Florida.

"I told each one of them, my conversation separately, whatever they need. I mean this sincerely. Whatever they need, contact me directly," said President Biden.

As monster storm, Hurricane Ian, stalks the Sunshine State, many government agencies, healthcare professionals, foundations and companies in California are waiting to see if they will be needed. As each minute passes, Hurricane Ian draws enormous power from the warm sea.

In Hurricane Ian's path are more than 5 million coastal Floridians in the 250 miles from Key West to the Tampa Bay metroplex; one of the nation's longest, low level elevations. "In this scenario, we're talking about the potential of a 6 to a 10-foot wall of water potentially going a mile inland," said Mark Neveau, an emergency response expert.

Under a Presidential Emergency Disaster, FEMA is sent in to coordinate any and all needs the state might have beyond its own resources. And so, that brought in a specific type one incident Management Team. There's only three of them in the country," said Neveau.

FEMA calls in whatever expertise it can.

"There are 28 FEMA Task Forces throughout the United States. There are eight in the state of California. We are one of them," said Menlo Park Fire District Chief Mark Lorenzen.

Bay Area first responders may play role in Hurricane Ian preparations

As Hurricane Ian stalks Florida many government agencies, healthcare professionals, foundations and companies in California are waiting to see if they will needed.

Not yet called up, Menlo Park's 90-member Task Force draws from 16 fire agencies from San Francisco to the South Bay. "We are up and ready to go based on what the impacts are from the hurricane. Deployment is dependent on FEMA's decisions," said the Chief.

If summoned, the 90-person team, within four to six hours, would fly on military aircraft, likely from Travis Air Force Base which told us it's on standby mode. Also, not called up yet, Pacific Gas and Electric's mutual aid crews, some already deployed to Puerto Rico's power restoration.

For Floridians, such as Tim Tullis, who lives just south of Tampa, it's wait and watch and worry about this. "Winds of 90 miles an hour or more; gusts up to 125. Rainfall ranging 7 to 15 inches," said Sarasota-Bradenton resident.

SEE MORE: Hurricane Ian could make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast as a dangerous major hurricane near Tampa Bay

What's not going on at the lake behind his home is ominous. "Beautiful tropical birds mostly, and it's usually very busy all during the daylight hours. It is now totally devoid of any wildlife," said Tullis.

Wait, watch and worry, indeed.

BAY COUNTY — The Oakland Cemetery was recognized as an official part of Bay County history on Wednesday.

The City of Panama City and the Bay County Historical Society held a ceremony to honor the cemetery with an official Bay County Historical Marker to recognize the site as an important and essential part of local history.

City Manager Mark McQueen said it was important to recognize those who have gone before the current generation and helped provide the lives everyone now enjoys.

“When we think about today, we think about acknowledging our past, our present and looking to the future,” McQueen said. “Today is a singularly outstanding day because of commitment and passion and dedication.”

The Oakland Cemetery was established in 1908 by George M. West, a founding father of Panama City. Prior to this, there were some graves already on the site, with the oldest being that of Armina Mosher in 1895. West farmed and plotted the land himself.

The ceremony was attended by some of the West family, including Buddy West, who is the great-great-grandson of George West. Buddy West said the marker was a surprise to him but he and his family think it is fantastic.

“This is great, just to know that the city is coming back in and fixing the cemetery up,” Buddy West said. “It really looks nice.”

Nancy Hudson, author and board member for the Historic St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership, was one of biggest advocates in getting a historical marker for the cemetery and is taking the steps to get a national marker for it in the future.

“We hope to complete the paperwork, we’re in the preliminary process right now to get it on the national register for historic places,” Hudson said.

Currently, Hudson has an exbibit at the Panama City Publishing Museum that highlights West and his friendship to fellow important figure, Hawk Massalina. The exhibit runs until Oct. 30, showing residents a glimpse of the town’s origins and the partnership between two settlers.

By having this marker and potentially soon a national one, Hudson said this will add one more feature to make residents proud of the city.

“Panama City and Bay County don’t have that many [historical markers] compared to a lot of other counties in the state of Florida,” Hudson said. “This would be nice to have this contributing site, it's part of a greater complex.”

Bay County leaders recognize how important it is to preserve and protect historical sites. Especially after Hurricane Michael, the city will do whatever it can do to uphold a piece of history so future generations can future enjoy it, officials say.

“There’s a lot of challenges that our citizens have faced,” McQueen said. “And all the while though, they're making history as we’re going through these journeys.”

Nearly a year after water damage forced the Mai-Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show to shut down for extensive repairs, its owners announced Tuesday night that the restaurant has found investors to help reopen in Oakland Park.

“The Mai-Kai will reopen!” wrote the Thornton Family, longtime owners of the Mai-Kai on their Facebook page Tuesday night. “We can’t wait to welcome you back … but until then, please stay turned for updates on the restoration and repairs.”

The announcement ends nearly a year of uncertainty about whether the tiki time capsule would survive.

The Mai-Kai has partnered with the Barlington Group, a Miami-based commercial developer whose tenants include Toasted Bagelry & Deli and multiple Little Havana business such as Blackbird Ordinary, Ball & Chain, 8 Burger and Little Havana Cigar Factory.

The restaurant has also partnered with Mad Room Hospitality, owners of iconic Eighth Street spots Ball & Chain, Los Altos and Taqueria El Mexicano.

The social-media post gave no indication when the Mai-Kai might reopen or the extent of its repairs, which are “extensive,” a business broker told the Sun Sentinel in January.

The family-owned restaurant shut down Oct. 25 after tropical-storm flooding and a busted sprinkler pipe in the kitchen ripped a pickup truck-size hole in the roof and stuck the family with costly bills.

“It was this perfect storm of bad luck and too much flooding,” Mai-Kai family member Kern Mattei said of the damage last December. “I knew right away we couldn’t open. The only silver lining was it happened when we were closed and no one was hurt.”

Ever since, Mai-Kai owners have deliberated how to reopen the 26,000-square-foot restaurant – and how to pay for it – and began seeking buyers to help revive the historic building.

“Once you exceed a certain level of damage, there are life-safety issues,” Stephanie Toothaker, a Fort Lauderdale attorney for the owners, told the Sun Sentinel in January. “To make it more complicated, you’ve got a 64-year-old restaurant that doesn’t meet current building codes.”

Property records show the Mai-Kai building is worth at least $3.97 million while the land – which includes a rear, 150-space parking lot – is valued at $570,000.

“Our search came to an end when we met their team and recognized the passion they share for honoring and preserving the legacy of the Mai-Kai,” the Thornton family wrote on Facebook, referring to Barlington Group and Mad Room Hospitality.

Brothers and tikiholics Bob and Jack Thornton opened the Mai-Kai on Dec. 26, 1956, on a then-desolate stretch of Federal Highway for $300,000, said to be the most expensive restaurant built that year. An intoxicating hub for Rum Runners, Mai Tais and other tropical kitsch in a glass, the Mai-Kai’s ability to draw levelheaded folks under its tipsy spell has only grown stronger over the decades.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

Today Spirit Airlines announced that it will add new summer seasonal nonstop service between Oakland International Airport (OAK) and Fort Lauderdale International (FLL) starting April 1, 2020. This is great news for Bay Area bargain hunters with plans to visit South Florida as well as the several destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America to which Spirit flies during summer vacation.

Checking today, Oakland-Ft. Lauderdale fares are as low as $174 roundtrip this winter — that's quite a deal for a transcontinental trip. But, as usual, you'll find plenty of the restrictions and fees for which Spirit is famous. Spirit's fleet of Airbus jets are easily recognized due to their banana-yellow color (See slideshow above).

Spirit will not be the only player in the Bay Area-to-Fort Lauderdale market. JetBlue and United also offer year-round nonstops to the South Florida city from San Francisco International, but their fares are significantly higher. Alaska's SFO-FLL nonstops end in April. Like Spirit, JetBlue runs many of its Caribbean and Latin American flights from Fort Lauderdale, too. This means it's going to be a lot cheaper and easier for Bay Area travelers to get to those regions.

Currently there are no nonstop flights from the Bay Area to anywhere in the Caribbean and South America. The closest you can get with a nonstop is on Copa Airlines' SFO-Panama City (PTY) nonstop, or on a United nonstop to Cancun.

Related: One-on-one with Spirit Air CEO Ted Christie

Spirit's outbound flight from OAK is a red eye, departing at 9:30 p.m. and arriving at FLL at 6 a.m. the next day. The return departs FLL at 5:30 p.m. and arrives in Oakland at 8:45 p.m. Checking fares today, it appears that Spirit's one-stop fares to FLL are significantly cheaper than its nonstops, but that could change.

Fort Lauderdale is also a huge point of embarkation for many cruise lines, which is a big reason why there are now three airlines flying there from the Bay Area. Only American Airlines offers year-round nonstop flights from the Bay Area to Miami International, about 25 miles south of FLL. United's SFO-MIA nonstops don't run during summer months.

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Spirit began flying from Oakland in 2011 with a single flight to Las Vegas (LAS) and gradually grew to third place among Oakland’s largest carriers. The new daily Fort Lauderdale flight joins existing summer seasonal service to Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH) and year-round twice daily flights to Los Angeles (LAX) and four daily flights to Las Vegas.

In an interview with SFGATE last year, we asked CEO Ted Christie about Spirit's well-known tight seating, which could be a big factor on a 5-6 hour transcon flight. He said, "The average pitch on our planes is around 29 inches. We do offer The Big Front Seat, which has 34 inches. And exit rows, too, have more space. But we don't think about pitch, we think about comfort. Modern seat technology, like slimline seating and contouring of the seat back, has freed up space between seats that did not exist before. I'm 6'2" and I sit in row 3 or 4 on our planes and I'm comfortable because the way the seatback is designed is that it naturally contours around your knees [and bows into the space between your legs]. So I can sit normally."

You can check out the seat layout and customer reviews of Spirit's all-Airbus fleet on SeatGuru here.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.

By DANIEL KOZIN (Associated Press)

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday in Florida as a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, submerging homes and vehicles, turning streets into rivers, unmooring small boats and downing power lines in an area that has never before received such a pummeling.

More than 330,000 customers in Florida and Georgia were without electricity while rushing water covered streets near the coast. As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees.

“We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” posted the fire and rescue department on the island of Cedar Key, where a tide gauge measured the storm surge at 6.8 feet (2 meters) — enough to submerge most of the downtown. “We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island.”

Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph).

RJ Wright stayed behind on Cedar Key so he could check on elderly neighbors. He hunkered down with friends in a motel and when it was safe, walked outside into chest-high water. It could have been a lot worse for the island, which juts into the Gulf, since it didn’t take a direct hit, he said.

“It got pretty gnarly for a while, but it was nothing compared to some of the other storms,” Wright said.

The system remained a hurricane as it crossed into Georgia with top winds of 90 mph (150 mph), after drenching Florida mostly to the east of Tallahassee. Forecasters said it would punish the Carolinas overnight as a tropical storm.

Some models had predicted that Idalia could circle southward toward land again after that, but the National Hurricane Center predicted it would move deeper into the Atlantic this weekend.

In the town of Perry, the wind blew out store windows, tore siding off buildings and overturned a gas station canopy. Interstate 275 in Tampa was partially flooded, and toppled power lines closed northbound Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.

About 200 miles to the south of where Idalia made landfall, the roads around the chic shops and restaurants of St. Armands Circle in the Sarasota area were underwater.

Astounded by the flooding that turned Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard into a river, Bill Hall watched a paddleboarder ride along the major thoroughfare.

“This is actually unbelievable,” Hall said. “I haven’t seen anything like this in years.”

In Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey urged everyone to shelter in place. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas had been ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday at a news conference. “This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.”

Storm surge could rise as high as 16 feet (4.9 meters) in some places. Some counties implemented curfews to keep residents off roads.

Diane Flowers was sound asleep at 1 a.m. Wednesday in her Wakulla County home, but her husband was up watching the weather on TV when he got a text from their son after the storm was upgraded to a Category 4. He’s a firefighter/EMT in Franklin County, which is also along the Gulf Coast.

“He said, ‘You guys need to leave,’” Flowers said. “And he’s not one for overreacting, so when he told us to leave, we just packed our stuff, got in our car and got going.”

They quickly packed a few clothes, medicine, food for their two border collies, a computer, important documents and a bag of Cheetos. Motels were packed all the way into Alabama, where they ended up finding a room in Dothan.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. The state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous results.

Not everyone heeded the warnings to leave, and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said authorities couldn’t guarantee rescues for people who didn’t evacuate, since coastal roads would only get more flooded as high tide pushes more water inland.

“It’s going to do nothing but go up from here,” Nienhuis, whose county is north of the Tampa area, said Wednesday.

Idalia grew into a Category 2 system on Tuesday and then a Category 3 storm on Wednesday before peaking as a Category 4 hurricane. It then weakened slightly.

Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area and shelters were opened. More than 30,000 utility workers were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.

Both Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.

As he finished tying down about 20 sailboats and motor yachts docked on Wilmington Island east of Savannah, Georgia, Brandon Long said his biggest worry was that the storm surge was forecast to coincide with a higher-than-normal tide.

“If these docks float off their pylons or come apart because of the violent current and the choppy waters, then that’s what destroys a marina,” said Long, owner of the Bull River Marina.

Asked about the hurricane Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and “provided him with everything that he possibly needs.”

Ian was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. That Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 of which were destroyed or severely damaged.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak.

___

Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Mike Schneider in St. Louis, Missouri; Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Curt Anderson in Orlando, Florida; Chris O’Meara in Clearwater, Florida; Cristiana Mesquita in Havana; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Tara Copp in Washington; and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Fla. - Where have all the peacocks gone? Some community members in Oakland, Florida, a town west of Orlando, are concerned that the number of wild peacocks they normally see has apparently dropped significantly – and they're trying to figure out why.

Maureen Jacobson has lived in Oakland for years, and cannot imagine the town without its familiar feathered friends.

"These animals have been a part of the charm of Oakland since we’ve lived here for 18 years," she told FOX 35. For years, she said she would normally see dozens of peacocks around town – and her yard – on any given day. But in recent weeks, the number has dropped from dozens to less than 10.

What happened? Where did they go?

"Everybody is asking the same question, what happened to the peacocks? We put up signs saying ‘missing peacocks,’ ‘help us find our peacocks.’ People can’t find them," she said.

Carla Song is neighbors with Jacobson, and has lived in Oakland for four years. She has also noticed fewer peacocks.

"I can’t imagine Oakland without the peacocks any more than I can’t imagine Oakland without the oak trees like these," she said.

In Florida, peacocks are not native and are considered an invasive species. Residents are within their rights to remove them from their properties as long as they are relocated properly, according to officials.

So, what happened? It's not immediately known.

Both women do not believe the peacocks are being removed and relocated. Even if so, it isn't clear who would be removing them.

Two possible reasons for the decline they've thought of is either coyotes got to more peacocks, or the feathered friends moved to another town nearby.

"We don’t know if aliens came down and sucked them up. Honestly, people ask really weird questions," Jacobson said.

Either way, they're hoping the rest of the community steps up to help out. They're hoping to declare Oakland a peacock sanctuary. They've created a Facebook group: "Protect the peacocks of Oakland" to keep members updated on their efforts.

"We’re working at this point to get a petition together and get Oakland declared a peacock sanctuary where at least we can keep them safe from any potential trapping," said Song. They're planning to make their peacock sanctuary pitch later this month at the town's next meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

Two administrators' wives among those traveling on the university's tab

Detroit Free Press

Oakland University spent $155,000 to fly board members, administrators and other staff to Florida in early February for a private board meeting and winter event for donors at a gulf coast resort, according to more than 700 pages of expense records obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

Among those flying down on the university's tab were the campus golf pro and the wives of the school's top two administrators.

The money for the trip came from various general fund budgets. The general fund is largely made up of money from state aid and tuition.

The trip came less than seven months after the Rochester school raised tuition by 8.4% for the current school year, the largest percentage hike in that time period among Michigan’s 15 public universities. The hike exceeded a state tuition cap and forced OU to give up some state aid, but officials said they needed the money to adequately fund increasing needs for professors and infrastructure at the growing school.

In total, the university paid $88,000 for plane tickets, dining out and drinks and lodging for 42 university employees and board members to attend the two-day, private board retreat, followed by the annual two-day Winter College attended by 110 employees, donors and alumni. Officials spent another $62,000 on banquet rooms, conference rooms and catered meals at the resort.

Among the expenses:

The board retreat and Winter College were held at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla., a resort described on its website as being located on “26 lush, tropical acres overlooking Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.”

In an interview with the Free Press, Hynd said he stands by the tuition hike — noting more faculty have been hired and infrastructure improvements are ongoing — but agreed the timing of the trip was bad.

Several carpooled, submitting one expense request for the nearly 50-mile trip from campus to the airport and parking there.

Others — including Hynd — used a car service. Hynd and his wife were driven in a sedan by Aristocat Chauffered Transportation from their campus residence to the airport for $111.15, records show.

Some folks, including board member Ronald Robinson, didn’t ask for any reimbursement for getting to the airport.

“I did not request any additional reimbursement for personal reasons,” he told the Free Press in an e-mail. “I think most if not all trustees incur miscellaneous expenses all the time in their duties as trustees and do not ask for reimbursement.”

OU ended up spending nearly $19,000 in airfare for 43 people to travel. Hynd reimbursed the university for an upgrade to comfort class on Delta.

Hynd said having his wife and Kunselman’s wife along was helpful.

“Part of the first lady’s job is to represent the university,” Hynd said. “She has no official role or job, but she is called on to represent the university.

“Both my contract and Mr. Kunselman’s contract allow for (travel with their wives) when appropriate to further the work of the university.”

Once in Florida, the OU employees and board members used taxis, car services and rental cars to make their way to the hotel.

The school spent more than $51,000 on hotel rooms and charges to the room. Some of the hotel charges were covered by the attendees, including a massage for the school’s golf pro, who was flown to Florida for a variety of events, including rounds of golf with donors.

The board retreat took place on Feb. 3 and 4.

It was held behind closed doors, and board members and top administrators discussed various topics related to the school’s future.

OU isn’t the only school to travel off campus for board retreats. The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents has traveled to New York and Los Angeles for board meetings and to spend time with donors. The Free Press has sued, claiming such meetings are a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Courts have so far sided with U-M, saying boards can hold “informal” meetings behind closed doors. The case is expected to end up before the state Supreme Court.

Those U-M trips cost about $28,000 each. No money from the general fund, which comes from state aid and tuition, was used to pay for the trips.

OU's Winter College took place from Feb. 4-Feb. 6 and offered a chance for donors and alumni to hear from various deans and other school employees about the school.

“We knew that the provost was going to have a retreat with the deans around this time and we thought we would have them come in and give lightning-round updates to Winter College attendees about what was going on in their colleges,” Hynd said. “It was very well received.”

The Winter College also was a chance for the university to hit attendees up for donations. More than $2.7 million in "asks" were made during the entire trip, Hynd said.

Last July, when OU announced it was hiking tuition 8.4%, Tim Maskill was upset. The 52-year-old has a son entering his junior year at OU, a daughter at Western Michigan University and a son who is a junior in high school.

“We’ve carefully planned out budgets and tried to help our kids with the cost so they don’t get buried in student loans,” Maskill said, recently while on OU’s campus waiting for his son. “That big of an increase all at once just meant my son had to borrow more money. I don’t think they needed to raise it this much.”

As for this trip?

“I know $100K is probably just a drop in the bucket in terms of their overall budget, but it just rubs me the wrong way. A trip to Florida after asking us to pay more? Just doesn’t smell right.”

Hynd understands that.

“I agree that the timing was not optimal,” he said. “It is very likely that next year’s Winter College will be substantially different.

“What we look at (with the trip) is return on investment. It will take a while to see exactly what that return is. It can take a while for gifts to come through.

“We made $2.7 million worth of asks. If half the asks we made come to fruition, that will be good.”

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj.