As 2022 nears an end, we pulled together some of the highlights – and lowlights – from the year in Tallahassee and across Florida.
Restaurants came and went, the community was rocked by back-to-back mass shootings, an election ensued, FSU football defeated the Florida Gators and FAMU football saw a Rattler resurgence.
Plus, see the hottest and coldest days of the year, the cheapest (and most expensive) gas prices, and celebrities with Florida ties we lost this year.
Find all of that — and more 2022 highlights — below.
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Rewind:Tallahassee’s Top 10 stories of 2021
Top viewed Tallahassee Democrat headlines from 2022
New evidence emerged in the 2014 murder of FSU law professor Dan Markel case. The evidence led to the arrest of Charlie Adelson, the brother-in-law suspected of being behind the murder, in April. Adelson, who is being held in Leon County, is expected to go to trial early next year.
Meanwhile, the trial for Katherine Magbanua and her relation to the Markel murder case concluded in May. After nearly eight hours of deliberation, jurors found Magbanua guilty and was unanimously convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder.
Gadsden County commissioner Jeffery Moore, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, resigns after a photo emerges of him from years earlier in KKK garb.
Throughout the year, Florida State University tested campus buildings for mold and radon after faculty pointed to cancer deaths related to concerns at its Sandels Building.
Ghislaine Maxwell sent to ‘low security’ Tallahassee prison for role in Epstein sex-trafficking ring.
A federal judge recommends reality TV couple Todd and Julie Chrisley serve prison time in Florida.
Rappers Real Boston Richey and Future visit Tallahassee to film for a music video and pass out shoes to the Holton Apartments community.
The year ended on a grim note with two mass shootings in the span of a month. Both shootings ended the lives of innocent bystanders who were mourned by family and friends. Their deaths and the bloodshed became a call to action for a city working furiously to halt a surge in shootings. As part of their strategy, city commissioners invested their first $1 million in a 5-year, $5 million commitment to get at the root causes of gun violence.
This death can’t be in vain:Family loving, ‘standup man’ caught in crossfire of Tallahassee mass shooting
The last ‘I love you’:Family, friends mourn 20-year-old fatally shot at FAMU basketball court
Tallahassee restaurants and businesses that opened (and closed) this year.
The city saw an influx of new restaurants and businesses, including a resurrected Toys “R ”Us at Governor’s Square Mall, an REI Co-Op for outdoors lovers and a Total Wine & More for lovers of the grape. Meanwhile on the restaurant front, a brewery came to north Tallahassee with Ology Northside and The Huntsman brought a menu of wild game dishes to the capital city. Meanwhile, downtown got some soul with the addition of JoEllen’s while a local chef entered the chicken sandwich wars with Hot Birdie’s Chicken. We also said goodbye to a couple Railroad Square institutions, All Saints Cafe and Voodoo Dog, and the beloved Kosta’s Subs N Salads and La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant.
Eateries – past, present and future:A look at Tallahassee restaurants that opened, closed in 2022 — plus what’s to come in 2023
2023 employment outlook:2023 employment outlook: Amid Amazon uncertainty, a roll call of Tallahassee job creators
Tallahassee weather: 2022 temperatures
- Hottest day: June 24 (104℉)
- Coldest day: Jan. 19 (19℉)
Source: The National Weather Service. December data is incomplete.
Leon County Schools: Top viewed stories from 2022
Sports moments of 2022: FSU, FAMU and Leon County schools
Florida High boys basketball team won state for the first time in 59 years. The team beat Riviera Prep (68-67) to win the 2022 FHSAA 3A Boys Basketball State Championship in March.
The Florida State University football team earned bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019. The Seminoles will play Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29.
The Seminoles defeated Florida Gators for the first time since 2017 in front of a sellout crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday, Nov. 25. The win prompted football fans to storm the field in an arguably warranted reaction.
Florida A&M University named Tiffani-Dawn Sykes as the new director of athletics, the second woman to hold the position, in October.
In August, FAMU football players took a knee and wrote a letter to President Dr. Larry Robinson to express their concerns over the overall state of athletics. Amongst a list of concerns: Late financial aid and fewer tickets for family and friends, having a voice on campus, and advising per NCAA guidelines.
Florida A&M football (9-2, 7-1 SWAC) overcame that adversity and ended the regular season on a nine-game winning streak. Many fans felt snubbed when the team was passed over for the playoffs, but still there was plenty to celebrate in what was widely seen as a stellar season under Coach Willie Simmons.
In December, the FSU soccer team made its 13th Women’s College Cup appearance in program history. First-year head coach Brian Pensky said — despite their loss in the NCAA semifinals against North Carolina — the team’s season was “an enormous accomplishment.”
2022 highlights across Florida
Florida’s purple state image fades to red after Republicans sweep general elections and influence Tallahassee elections.
Gov. Ron DeSantis won re-election. Republicans swept Cabinet races. Marco Rubio won his third six-year term in the U.S. Senate race. And the GOP flexed its muscle by helping topple two Tallahassee titans in the state Senate and U.S. House, Loranne Ausley and Al Lawson. They even helped Mayor John Dailey across the finish line.
See more election takeaways here.
Bitterly contested local elections at the city and county level largely ended in stalemate after incumbents beat back a push by progressives to undo voting blocs in the city and county commissions. While bringing in some new faces in races with no incumbents, the outcome of the election means we can look forward to more 3-2 votes on the city commission.
An erratic 2022 hurricane season:
Among the 14 named storms and 8 hurricanes in the Atlantic this year, September’s Hurricane Ian became one of Florida’s most damaging in history. Ian was Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935, and may also prove the costliest.
Blow-by-blow:How an erratic 2022 hurricane season brought concentrated suffering to Florida
After 50 years, the US takes its first step back to the moon with the launch of Artemis I:
NASA launched its massive Artemis I rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in November with plans to circle the moon. A successful return to Earth will let NASA determine whether astronauts can fly in the capsule for similar missions in the future.
Amazon’s push into Florida’s tight labor market garners mixed reviews:
Amazon is growing its national distribution network at an astonishing speed, but perhaps nowhere faster than in Florida.
See what’s driving that growth, and what small businesses in Tallahassee say about it.
Still by year’s end, cracks began to emerge in their growth strategy. The company laid off about 10,000 employees nationwide, abandoned some projects and others, like Tallahassee’s fulfillment center taking shape off I-10, were delayed. Originally set to open before Christmas as the biggest job generator in county history, local officials said in December they didn’t know when it would be up and running. An Amazon spokesperson didn’t provide a specific date but emailed the Democrat and said “the new robotics fulfillment center, which is anticipated to launch in 2023, will create 1,000 new, full-time jobs with industry leading pay and comprehensive benefits starting on day one.”
The latest:2023 employment outlook: Amid Amazon uncertainty, a roll call of Tallahassee job creators
The world’s oldest dog, a chihuahua named TobyKeith, breaks record:
At 21 years old, a Palm Beach County dog named TobyKeith was named the World’s Oldest Living Dog by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Florida’s abortion ban:
Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly signed into law a 15-week abortion ban that shortens by more than two months the current window available to legally terminate a pregnancy.
The new law, which went into effect July 1, significantly reduces access to late-term abortions in the southeast — North Carolina will become the only southern state to permit an abortion after 15 weeks. A subsequent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade sparked regular protests in the capital city and beyond.
Disney’s self-governing status revoked:
In April, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill to strip the Walt Disney Co. of the authority to govern its 37-mile Central Florida entertainment empire, dismantling Disney’s special tax district that operated since 1967.
The fall of a Democratic House leader:
Fallout was swift after the Tallahassee Democrat published detailed allegations of sexual harassment against the incoming Democratic leader of the Florida House of Representatives. The allegations came from a former Florida A&M University employee who shared sexually explicit text messages and employment complaints he filed against Rep. Ramon Alexander. When confronted, Alexander apologized for what he described as an adult, consensual relationship. The next day, he announced he would not seek re-election, another blow to a struggling Democratic party in Florida.
Lawsuit:Former FAMU athletics official who accused Ramon Alexander of sexting and groping sues university
Florida gas prices in 2022
According to our Average Regular Gasoline Price database, Florida residents paid the most at the tank in June and the least in December.
Average gas prices in Florida rose to $4.89 per gallon in June. In December — the cheapest month for gas of the year — prices averaged at around $3.
During the entire month of October, the state gas tax was reduced by 25.3 cents per gallon, according to the Florida Office of the Attorney General.
Florida celebrity weddings in 2022
Photographer Brooklyn Beckham — son of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham — married model-actress Nicola Peltz on April 9 at her billionaire father’s Montsorrel estate in Palm Beach.
The celebrity wedding had a long list of stars in attendance, including Eva Longoria, Serena and Venus Williams, three of the five Spice Girls, Gordon Ramsay, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, and Natalia Bryant.
Beckham-Peltz wedding highlights:Details from star-studded ceremony
Tiffany Trump — daughter to former President Donald Trump and Marla Maples — married Nigerian-born industrial heir Michael Boulos at her father’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Nov. 12.
Trump-Boulos wedding:Inside the lavish Mar-a-Lago wedding
Also worth noting: The divorce of NFL quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen after 13 years of marriage.
Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, leading the team to its first championship in 18 years, marking his seventh Super Bowl win. In September of this year, Bündchen said she had “concerns” about Brady continuing his career. The couple finalized their divorce in October.
Florida celebrities we’ve lost in 2022
These celebrities with Florida ties died this year:
Irene Cara, the voice behind Oscar-winning original song “Flashdance … What A Feeling,” died at age 63 on Nov. 25. Cara died at her Largo, Florida, home.
Comedian Freddie Roman, famed as former dean of The Friars Club and beloved on the Catskills comedy scene, died Nov. 26 at age 85. He suffered a heart attack and died in Boynton Beach, Florida, The Associated Press reported.
Jeff Cook, a co-founder of the pioneering modern country band Alabama, died Nov. 7 at age 73 after battling Parkinson’s disease for a decade. He died at his beachside home in Destin, Florida.
Wavy Navy Pooh (Shandler Beaubien) died Jan. 15 at age 28. The Miami rapper was killed in an ambush shooting as he drove with two young children. Beaubien is best known for songs including “M.I.A.M.I. (Murder is a Major Issue)” and “Money On My Head.”
Nick Bollettieri, a Hall of Fame tennis coach, died Dec. 4 at age 91 at his home in Bradenton, Florida. Bollettieri coached some of tennis’ biggest stars, including Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, and Maria Sharapova.
Mickey Kuhn, the last living cast member of “Gone with the Wind,” died Nov. 20 in Naples, Florida, at age 90. The actor portrayed Beau Wilkes, son of Melanie Hamilton Wilkes (Olivia de Havilland) in the Oscar-winning picture released in 1939.
More notable deaths in 2022:Remembering the celebrities who died this year
Grace Pateras is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter at @gracepateras.
