Well, friends, we didn't catch any snakes.

🐍 Why it matters: The 2022 Florida Python Challenge ended yesterday, and while the winners and total haul will be announced soon, rest assured Ben and Selene came in last place.

But, but, but: In trying, we learned a ton.

Be prepared: We got our "snake hooks" at Walmart's garden section and found ourselves doing a lot of Googling in the gun section. Ben forgot a screwdriver and planned to pith the snake's brain with a pencil.

Think like a snake: Ben was so excited when we got to the swamp that he pulled the car over and dove into some brush on the side of the Tamiami Trail, then had to quickly retreat after being attacked by fire ants.

• We found a very snakey-looking spot near Burns Lake in the Big Cypress National Preserve, strapped on our gaiters and waded through shin-deep water for about an hour.
• Selene eventually overcame her fear of every single thing, and even started poking around for snakes. She relaxed once she stopped wondering what animals would seek revenge on her for entering their home.
• She even admitted the swamp was beautiful. Alas, we didn't see any pythons.

The other side: We met trapper Kenne Helm turning in an 8-foot-3-inch python at a challenge checkpoint.

His advice: "Get a fortune teller."

• Successful snake hunters drive around at night, looking for the blue hue that will emanate from a snake when passed over by a flashlight. Your best bet is actually waiting for them to slither around the side of the road as you drive.
• But even the pros strike out often, he said. He recalled hunting for hours in the same spot some "kids" found the record-breaking 18-foot python and even coming across them before calling it quits for the night.

The bottom line: Maybe the real reward was the friends we made along the way?

What's next: We promised you snakes, and we will deliver. Ssssstay tuned.

Some Florida swing voters who former President Trump won over in 2016 say Gov. Ron DeSantis' agenda is too extreme for them.

Driving the news: Axios partner Engagious/Schlesinger conducted two online focus groups last week with 12 Floridians who voted for Trump in 2016, then Biden in 2020.

• One is registered as a Republican, four as independents, and seven as Democrats.

Of note: Although a focus group does not use a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.

🗳 The big picture: Some regretted voting for Biden — citing what they called a lack of action and unkept promises— and several said he makes them feel bored, hopeless and apathetic, but none would take Trump back.

• No one in the group wanted DeSantis as president, saying he was more extreme than Trump.

Some called his actions, like ending Disney's self-governing status and removing Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren from office, power plays to appeal to Trump voters.

What they're saying: "He's trying to be like, like the God of Florida instead of being the governor of Florida," one respondent said.

Zoom in: None of the respondents supported Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed by critics as "Don't Say Gay," or the Stop WOKE Act.

• But they all agreed with the governor's resistance to transgender health care for minors, Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming healthcare for trans adults, and transgender women and girls in sports.

Go deeper

• Florida has joined at least 10 other states in barring residents from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care. (Axios)
• A gunman who died in a shootout after trying to breach the FBI's Cincinnati office Thursday has lived at multiple Tampa Bay addresses over the years and was registered to vote in Hillsborough County as recently as 2021. (Tampa Bay Times)
• St. Petersburg City Council voted down a measure to put rent control on the ballot, a week after Tampa City Council did the same. (Creative Loafing)
• Tom Brady is taking some time off from the Bucs to "deal with some personal things" but plans to return after Sunday's preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. (ESPN)

Quote du jour:

"The concern I have is that children are seeing it."

The Consumer Price Index, an inflation measure, rose 1.3% from May to July in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

• The food index rose 2.7% in that period, while the energy index declined 1.8%.

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