Week Ahead · October 26, 2026

South Florida This Week: 5 Stories to Watch, October 26 – November 1

By the SFL Today team · Published October 26, 2026 · South Florida, FL

The Miami skyline over Biscayne Bay. This week brings the final days of early voting, the year’s highest king tides, Boat Show week in Fort Lauderdale, a downtown vote in West Palm Beach, and Halloween on a Saturday. Photo: Rolando Yera via Unsplash.

South Florida news this week is a countdown on two clocks. The first is political: early voting enters its final week before the November 3 general election, and hundreds of thousands of ballots are already in. The second is tidal: the year’s highest king tides peak on Tuesday, just as the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes over the waterfront. Add a Monday-night vote that will shape downtown West Palm Beach for decades and a Halloween that falls on a Saturday, and October 26 – November 1 is one of the fullest weeks of the fall. Here are the five stories to watch.

1. Early voting enters its final week — it ends Sunday, November 1

Early voting runs every day this week and ends Sunday, November 1 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. Miami-Dade early voting runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to the USA Today / Florida Today network, and registered voters can use any early voting site in their county.

Turnout is already strong. Miami-Dade voters had cast 242,311 ballots by Sunday morning, October 25 — 118,717 in person and 123,594 by mail — about 18.45% of the county’s 1.31 million registered voters, according to county turnout figures reported by Dua News. Across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties together, more than 416,000 ballots had been cast by October 25, according to county figures reported by Focal News.

Counties have added sites for the final stretch. Miami-Dade has 28 early voting locations, five more than for the primary, and Broward has 30, nine more, while Monroe County’s five sites stay open daily through October 31, according to Focal News. Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia told the outlet she expects turnout of at least 60%, with the governor’s race at the top of the ballot. If you still hold a mail ballot, election officials must receive it by 7 p.m. on Election Day for it to count — Garcia recommends mailing it at least five days ahead, or dropping it at any early voting site this week. Follow the final-week numbers in our SFL Today news feed.

2. King tides hit their annual peak on Tuesday

The fall king tide cycle reaches its highest point this week. The South Florida Water Management District lists Tuesday, October 27 as the annual maximum predicted peak for Florida’s east coast, according to the Palm Beach Post, with the Keys peaking October 28 and 30. Fort Lauderdale is warning of potentially record tidal elevations during its October 24–31 king tide period, with Tuesday around 9:45 a.m. expected to bring the highest tide of the year, according to the city advisory reported by FTL Review.

Rain and wind are stacking on top of the tide. FOX Weather reports major coastal flooding is expected during morning high tides early this week, with saltwater pushing through storm drains onto streets in Miami Beach, Brickell, Fort Lauderdale, and the Florida Keys, before water levels gradually ease after midweek. Reporting on the National Weather Service outlook, Cuba Headlines says the service put a Coastal Flood Watch in effect from Sunday into Monday, with the most critical flooding window on Monday and Tuesday as heavy rain bands coincide with the astronomical peak.

The practical rules do not change: never drive or walk through floodwater, obey barricades, move cars off flood-prone streets, and remember that saltwater damages vehicles while wakes push water toward homes. Fort Lauderdale residents can report impassable streets to 954-828-8000 or through FixIt FTL, per the city guidance in FTL Review. For the full background, read our explainer, King Tides in South Florida, Explained.

3. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opens Wednesday

The 67th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1 across six waterfront sites in Fort Lauderdale. Billed as the largest in-water boat show in the world, this year’s edition brings more than 1,300 boats, 1,000 exhibiting brands, and more than 100,000 attendees, according to Ocean Shaker’s show guide.

Hours are 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday for preview day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, across Bahia Mar, the Broward County Convention Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, and Superyacht Village, according to Biagio Yachts’ 2026 guide. Tickets are sold online only — there is no on-site box office — and a one-day adult ticket is $48, a two-day ticket $80, and kids 6 to 12 are $19, according to The Friendly Scoop’s local guide. New for 2026, per Haute Living: a floating pickleball court at Las Olas Marina and a helicopter shuttle linking the airports to Pier Sixty-Six. Even if you never board a yacht, expect the traffic, hotel, and restaurant ripple across the east side all week.

4. West Palm Beach votes Monday night on downtown’s future

The West Palm Beach City Commission meets Monday, October 26 at 5 p.m. for the first reading of Ordinance 5185-26, the Downtown Master Plan update — the city’s first full rewrite of its downtown growth rules since 2007–2009, according to the city staff report summarized by Haute Residence. The staff-recommended motion is to approve the ordinance on first reading and send it to FloridaCommerce for state review.

The fight is over the waterfront. An early draft would have allowed 25-story buildings along Flagler Drive; after months of resident opposition, the city removed that incentive. The Palm Beach Post reported in September that waterfront height limits would stay at current levels — five stories south of Datura Street and eight stories north of Banyan Boulevard — while the broader plan would still permit about 6 million square feet more development downtown. “Based on the feedback from the community, we are removing that incentive,” Development Services Director Ana Maria Aponte told committee members, the Post reported.

Watch Monday’s discussion item, though: the commission will also discuss the plan’s urban regulations, and Stet News reported last week that the city Planning Board recommended the commission consider increasing waterfront heights again — a setback for neighborhood groups and welcome news for Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, which hopes to build housing on its waterfront acre. If the ordinance passes first reading and clears state review, it returns for final commission approval on January 18, according to Stet News. SFL Today will follow the vote from Palm Beach.

5. Halloween falls on a Saturday — and the football weekend is loaded

Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31 this year, and the region’s two biggest street parties anchor the night. The Lincoln Road Halloween Block Party returns to Miami Beach from 5 p.m., starting with family trick-or-treating, candy stations, and costumed characters before shifting into an evening block party with live performers, a band, and DJs, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. In Wynwood, HalloWYN, the neighborhood’s official free Halloween block party, takes over Wynwood Marketplace at 2250 NW 2nd Avenue from 7 p.m., according to The Miami Guide.

Football bookends the party. The Miami Hurricanes travel to North Carolina on Saturday, October 31, per the schedule published by Sportradar. Then the Miami Dolphins — fresh off a 28–25 win at the New York Jets on Sunday, their first win of the season, according to Phin Phanatic’s schedule page — host the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, November 1 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, according to FanDuel’s Dolphins schedule. Costumes Saturday, kickoff Sunday — plan the drive home around Boat Show traffic in Miami and Fort Lauderdale alike.

What’s next

Vote early this week if you can — Sunday, November 1 is the last early day, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Check tide times before Tuesday morning’s peak, buy Boat Show tickets online before you go, and watch Monday night’s West Palm Beach vote for the first signal on waterfront heights. Catch up on last week’s coverage with our October 23–25 weekend roundup and last Monday’s October 19–25 week ahead. Our Wednesday deep dive lands in SFL Today Originals midweek.