Florida

Read recent news stories and current events about Florida on Newser.com

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Disney Accuses Employee of Dangerous Menu Changes

Fired employee listed foods as free of peanuts when they weren't, complaint says

(Newser) - As a menu production manager at Walt Disney World, Michael Scheuer was responsible for creating and publishing menus for all of the company's restaurants. A federal criminal complaint says that after he was fired in June for misconduct, Scheuer hacked the company's menu-creating software to show that some...

Police Chief 'Extremely Angry' About Polling Place Incident

Caleb James Williams of Neptune Beach allegedly brandished a machete

(Newser) - "This is a safe location to vote," a Florida police chief assured voters following the arrest of what he says was a machete-wielding 18-year-old outside a Neptune Beach polling location. Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael J. Key said Caleb James Williams "brandished a machete in an aggressive,...

Completed Ballots Fall Off Truck in Florida

The ballots were recovered, but an election worker ended up getting fired

(Newser) - An election worker in Florida has been fired after early-voting ballots fell off a truck during transport. The worker had forgotten to lock the back of the truck before leaving a library serving as an early-voting center, according to election officials. "As they drove off, one sealed bin and...

Jury Convicts Woman Who Zipped Boyfriend Into Suitcase

Florida prosecutors say Sarah Boone left Jorge Torres Jr. to die

(Newser) - A Florida jury has convicted a woman accused of zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase in 2020, where he eventually suffocated. Sarah Boone was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the death of Jorge Torres Jr., WESH reports. Defense lawyers argued that Boone suffers from "battered spouse syndrome"...

Python Scarfs Down Entire 77-Pound Deer

In the Florida Everglades

(Newser) - Florida researchers tracking snakes in the Everglades were recently treated to quite an "impressive feat": a female Burmese python devouring a 77-pound white-tailed deer, whole. And they've released the footage of when they made their discovery, showing the python's mouth stretched to 93% of its maximum gape,...

Cops: Mom Coached Daughter on Roblox on How to Kill Baby

2-month-old survived being dropped on floor by 10-year-old, but Tara Sykes has now been arrested

(Newser) - A Florida woman has been arrested after authorities say she urged her school-age daughter to kill an infant in the young girl's care, using the online video game platform Roblox to communicate her message. Per a statement from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, investigators on Thursday received a...

Woman, 105, Was Rescued From Rubble After Tornado

Jayne Huston's Florida home was destroyed in tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton

(Newser) - In what her great-grandson says was the scariest moment of her 105 years, Jayne Huston's home was wrecked by a tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton earlier this month. Neighbors heard her screams and pulled her from the rubble of her home in Port Salerno on Florida's east coast,...

Florida Man Who Rode Out Hurricane on Boat Is Arrested

Though the charges against 'Lt. Dan' don't appear to be related to the storm

(Newser) - The Florida man who went viral when he refused to ditch his boat as Hurricane Milton loomed was arrested Friday in Tampa. The charges against Joseph Malinowsky, a tattooed amputee known to his social media followers as "Lieutenant Dan," don't necessarily appear to be related to his...

Biden Surveys Damage in Florida, Promises Aid

Power outages, flooding, gas shortages persist after storms

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday looked over the storm damage in Florida for the second time in a little more than a week, seeing the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Milton on the Gulf Coast and announcing more financial aid is on the way. He was given an aerial view of the...

Florida Homeowners Fear for Last-Chance Insurer

State-backed Citizens already was trying to shed policyholders, before recent hurricanes

(Newser) - After the latest hurricanes in Florida, homeowners are wondering where they'll turn for coverage if their insurer of last resort is no longer an option. Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is Florida's largest provider of home insurance, having 1.3 million policies on the books as of September. It'...

After Milton, It Was Just Him, the Sea, and His Cooler

Coast Guard rescues fisherman stranded in the Gulf

(Newser) - It was "a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," a Coast Guard official said Thursday after a fishing boat captain was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico, where he'd been clinging to a cooler. It was the man's second rescue in four days, per...

Milton Got a Little Personal With Anderson Cooper

CNN anchor takes a hit to the face as he reports on Florida hurricane

(Newser) - Anderson Cooper went into not quite the eye of the hurricane to report on the devastating and deadly Milton as it roared onto shore in Florida on Wednesday, and as People reports, he took it a bit in the eye for his trouble. The 57-year-old CNN anchor was reporting amid...

Florida Escapes Milton's 'Worst-Case Scenario'

Hurricane still left a wide path of destruction across the state

(Newser) - The first assessments of the damage wrought by Hurricane Milton suggest things are bad, but not as bad as they could have been:
  • FEMA: "What we know for sure is we avoided that worst-case scenario that we were planning for," FEMA chief Deanne Criswell tells CNN . "But
...

Hurricane Milton: Where Things Stand
Hurricane Milton Leaves
Path of Destruction
THE RUNDOWN
Oct 10, 2024 6:21 AM CDT

Hurricane Milton Leaves Path of Destruction

Millions are without power, and the first deaths are reported

(Newser) - Hurricane Milton has left a wake of destruction across Florida, with authorities just beginning to assess damage and casualties in the worst-hit parts. The latest:
  • Milton made landfall Wednesday night on the west coast in Sarasota County as a Category 3 storm. By 5am Thursday, it had torn across the
...

Hurricane Milton Slams Into Florida

1.5M already without power as storm makes landfall

(Newser) - Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120mph, and about 1.5 million homes were already without power. Around 125 homes had been destroyed before Milton even came ashore, many of them mobile homes, the AP reports....

As Milton Looms, Florida Man Won't Ditch His Boat

The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore tried to warn Tampa-area amputee, but the guy is staying put

(Newser) - "Get the heck out of this water," the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore warned residents of Tampa on Tuesday, as Hurricane Milton continued to barrel toward the Sunshine State. Some are reluctant to evacuate the coastal Florida city, however—including a man nicknamed Lieutenant Dan who's refused...

In Florida, 'the Time to Get Out Is Now'

Final preparations being made for Milton, expected to bring tornadoes, huge storm surge

(Newser) - Florida is about to be hit by a second Category 4 hurricane in less than two weeks. Hurricane Milton remained a Category 5 storm at 5am ET Wednesday with 160mph wind speeds as it continued its approach to Florida, per NPR . When it makes landfall along Florida's western coast...

Hurricane Milton's Eye Is Drawing Eyes
Hurricane Milton's
Small Eye Is a Big Problem
the rundown
Oct 8, 2024 12:17 PM CDT

Hurricane Milton's Small Eye Is a Big Problem

It's way smaller than normal for a major hurricane, which points to its intensity

(Newser) - Much as one would look at an enemy, Hurricane Milton, the strongest ever hurricane to form this late in the Atlantic season, has been looking at us with a narrow eye—a signal of its intensity, experts say.
  • Pinhole eye: Though varying in size, Milton's eye has been as
...

Hurricane Milton Quickly Becomes a Category 5

Powerful storm is on a path to batter Florida Wednesday

(Newser) - The Atlantic storm named Milton turned into a Category 1 hurricane early Sunday afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, it already had grown to a Category 5, reports USA Today . The rate of intensification is "remarkable," says the National Hurricane Center, per the Washington Post . The Gulf of...

Florida's New Evacuation May Be Biggest in 7 Years

Hurricane Milton is coming, and it will test both the state and FEMA

(Newser) - Hurricane Milton is headed straight for Florida this week on the heels of Hurricane Helene, and it may force the largest number of evacuations in seven years, reports the Washington Post . In fact, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri warned Sunday that authorities would be "more assertive" about getting people...

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