Axios Hollywood

September 10, 2026
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This newsletter is 911 words — 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: 🗳️ Donalds' past positions
Congressman Byron Donalds is the only candidate in the governor's race with a record in state government. But if you're looking to it for a preview of how he'd govern Florida today, you'll come up short, my Axios colleague Yacob Reyes writes.
Why it matters: Donalds hasn't changed his political affiliation like his opponent, Democratic nominee David Jolly, but that doesn't mean he hasn't changed positions.
- The portrait his campaign paints is sometimes at odds with the Donalds who left Tallahassee for Washington, D.C.
Zoom in: In 2017, long before he vowed to make Florida the "most transparent" government in America, he filed a bill that critics said would have made our Sunshine Law "meaningless."
- The then-freshman state lawmaker sought to allow two members of a local board or commission to meet privately to discuss official business without public notice or a record of the meeting.
- He argued that local officials should operate under the same rules as state lawmakers. The First Amendment Foundation, however, panned the bill, and it died in the state House.
He also championed legislation in 2019 to raise the state's felony theft threshold from $300 to $1,000, a proposal his Republican rivals later seized on to paint him as soft on crime, calling it "pro-shoplifting."
- Donalds' bill went nowhere, but his idea did. Florida later raised the threshold to $750 through legislation he co-introduced.
- He also twice unsuccessfully sought to let judges impose sentences below mandatory minimums for drug trafficking defendants with no serious criminal history who cooperated with prosecutors.
Friction point: Asked whether he still stands by his public records legislation or the criminal justice reforms he championed in the Legislature, Donalds din't answer.
- Gates McGavick, communications director for Donalds' campaign, told Axios that he "will put affordability, accountability, and public safety front and center in his administration."
- "That's why he's endorsed by 58 Florida sheriffs and the Florida Police Chiefs' Association," McGavick added.
2. 🐬 Dolphins rebuild
The NFL season is officially underway, but you may not want to expect much from the Dolphins.
Why it matters: Coming off back-to-back losing seasons, the Dolphins aren't expected to be competitive this year as they rebuild for the future, my Axios colleague Martin Vassolo reports.
Catch up quick: Miami has the league's youngest roster and owes $183 million to players no longer on the team, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
- The Phins — under a new general manager and head coach — cut or traded away many of their star players in the offseason, including receiver Jaylen Waddle and linebacker Bradley Chubb.
By the numbers: The Dolphins are projected as underdogs in all of their games, according to ESPN's matchup predictor.
- The team is projected to win 4.5 games, the lowest in the NFL, per ESPN.
- Analysts are already looking ahead to the 2027 draft, where it's very possible Miami secures the No. 1 overall pick
What they're saying: Coach Jeff Hafley said in a recent interview that success this season won't be measured by wins and losses.
- "I just think this year is so much about developing who we are as a football team, finding the right guys, and then just by the end of the year, saying, 'You know what? We got something really powerful going forward.'"
3. Broadwalking: Hollywood Beach changes
🏖️ At its meeting that ended at 2:30am, the Hollywood planning board approved allowing taller buildings along the beach and creating a bonus density program.
- The board also unanimously approved one-story, 15-foot height for the 1301 Project.
🍎 The Broward School Board approved its budget for this school year without guaranteed salary increases for teachers. (WLRN)
🥗 Mediterranean fast-casual chain CAVA, known for its bowls, pitas and dips, opened its third Broward location yesterday in Pembroke Pines. (Press release)
4. 🛒 Grocery price squeeze
America's grocery squeeze has thus far been most painfully felt in a few expensive categories, like beef, coffee and chocolate, my Axios colleague Erica Pandey reports.
- Now, the forces pushing up food prices are starting to pile up: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.
Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and much wider.
The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it.
- The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate farm equipment for harvesting and to truck food from suppliers to stores.
- The war in Iran has disrupted fertilizer supply and price, as a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Corn and wheat prices are surging, hitting their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports.
Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples and corn is a major animal feed, so as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs.
Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items:
- Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%.
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This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.
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