Hurricane Sandy made landfall last night in New Jersey, and is no longer considered a hurricane. Now Superstorm Sandy, it’s responsible for leaving millions without power and at least a dozen dead in the US. The storm set a record for surge in NYC, with 13 feet of seawater going into the city. The Stock Exchange will also remain closed today. Utility crews from the Bay area are heading to the east coast to help with disaster recovery.

One crew member from the HMS Bounty, which was headed to St Pete for a November 10^th appearance has been found, and the captain remains missing after the ship sank south of Cape Hatteras as the hurricane moved in yesterday. Claudene Christian’s condition is described as unresponsive. The Coast Guard had rescued 14 crew members earlier.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio left the campaign trail early this weekend, after his oldest daughter was involved in a golf cart accident that left her with a head injury. Twelve year old Amanda has been released from the hospital.

Early voting continues through Saturday; remember to bring a photo ID with you, and they are allowing you to bring a sample ballot along that you can fill out in advance. That will help a lot since the ballot is so long.

After cancelling appearances yesterday and today, it will be politics as usual tomorrow, as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, with U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack along for the ride, will hold an airport rally in Tampa on Wednesday morning at the Landmark Aviation terminal on Westshore Blvd,  near Tampa International Airport. Doors will open at 8:45 am, and the rally will begin at 10:45 am. Tickets are available at www.mittromney.com/FL.

So what will the Rays look like next year and who will be back? We’ll start to see the reshaping of the Rays starting tomorrow as the Rays have until then to accept or decline the 2013 options on pitcher James Shields and until Friday to do the same with the options on pitcher Fernando Rodney, catcher Jose Molina and designated hitter Luke Scott. They also retain exclusive rights until midnight Friday to negotiate with free-agent center fielder B.J. Upton, pitchers J.P. Howell, Joel Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth, infielder Jeff Keppinger and first baseman Carlos Peña. The free agents are able to negotiate with other teams beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.