When classes resumed in August, a number of school districts in the Florida Panhandle found that many of their students never came back.

In Bay County, the school district lost more than 3,200 students.

In rural Jackson County, 114 fewer students showed up than in the previous year.

And, in Calhoun and Gulf counties, school officials reported 83 and 32 fewer students enrolled, respectively.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Dorian wrecked the Bahamas, a potential tropical cyclone is looming over the island chain.

Weather experts on Friday predicted “Potential Tropical Cyclone 9” could develop into Tropical Storm Humberto by the weekend, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to once again shift his focus to Florida’s Caribbean neighbors.

“As we monitor this depression, our prayers are with the Bahamas as they are impacted by another tropical system,” the Republican governor tweeted Friday morning.

Days after deadly Hurricane Dorian decimated parts of the Bahamas, the slow-moving storm’s destructive winds and torrential rains continued to wreak havoc in the Carolinas.

But Florida was spared a direct hit by Dorian, prompting state officials at week’s end to shift their focus from storm preparation to recovery efforts for the Sunshine State’s damaged coastline, while offering assistance to neighboring regions that were less fortunate.

If Floridians approve a constitutional amendment next year to block possession of assault weapons, a panel of economists on Thursday estimated the state budget could take a $26.9 million hit in lost revenue.

But the head of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research said the amount would likely be smaller because revenue lost in taxes from gun sales would be balanced out with other purchases that can be taxed.

Florida’s largest K-12 scholarship funding organization put at risk assistance to more than 500 students with special needs ahead of the 2018-2019 school year because staff members made a “processing error” involving enrollment documentation, a Florida auditor general report found.

The audit, issued last week, said special-needs students who were eligible for awards under the Gardiner Scholarship Program saw a delay in funding due to the error by the organization Step Up for Students. The error affected 583 students before it was fixed.

A panel of state economists on Tuesday estimated it would cost $4 million to build a registry to carry out a proposed constitutional amendment that targets possession of assault weapons, if Floridians approve the measure in November 2020.

The ballot proposal, backed by the political committee Ban Assault Weapons NOW, would prohibit possession of assault weapons but would provide an exception for people who own the guns at the time the measure takes effect. Those people would be able to keep assault weapons if they register the guns with the state.

As Hurricane Dorian barrels toward Florida this weekend, all eyes are on the storm’s path and on how Gov. Ron DeSantis handles his first major natural disaster since taking over as the state’s commander-in-chief in January.

So far, the Republican governor has urged Floridians to prepare for the storm’s impact, which he said Friday could be a multi-day “major event” with a “host of issues” for the Sunshine State. 

John Morgan, a political rainmaker, on Wednesday threatened to sue Andrew Gillum, if the Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate runs for office again. 

Morgan’s remarks to the Tiger Bay Club in Tallahassee were an escalation of a public tirade over Gillum’s decision to sit on more than $3 million ahead of the November election, which the Democrat narrowly lost to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has threatened a criminal investigation into a state organization that helps Floridians with disabilities, after learning about potential misuse of millions of dollars and alleged “incompetence” on the part of its leadership.

His threats, outlined in an Aug. 15 letter obtained by The News Service of Florida, have already prompted a leadership shake-up at The Able Trust, a non-profit organization for the state education department’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

With very few Florida Senate seats up for grabs next year, political insiders are eyeing a South Florida district Democrats are eager to flip to make gains in the upper chamber.

But late this week, the Dems were left without an official candidate in the battle for what is viewed as the state’s most competitive Senate seat in 2020.