Florida

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

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'Very Troubling' Footage of Airman's Shooting Released

Florida deputy shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson before telling him to drop gun

(Newser) - A Florida deputy shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson multiple times before ordering him to drop his gun, body cam footage released by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office shows. The footage shows that after the 23-year-old opened the door with a lowered firearm in his hand, the deputy told him...

Florida Cops Allegedly Bust Into Wrong Home, Kill US Airman

Ben Crump, who is representing the family, wants bodycam video released

(Newser) - Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old US Air Force airman, was alone in his off-base apartment in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, around 4:30pm on Friday when someone knocked on his door. Shortly after, he was dead. A woman who was on a FaceTime call with Fortson at the time says he...

Florida Clamps Down on Balloon Releases

Bill, expected to be signed by Gov. DeSantis, would ban the practice to cut down on ocean plastic

(Newser) - The sight of a balloon sailing toward the heavens until it's little more than a speck could soon become a super rare one in Florida, where lawmakers have voted to ban the intentional release of balloons filled with any gas that's lighter than air. Under current Florida law,...

These Are the Best US States
These Are the
Best US States
May 7, 2024 4:28 PM CDT

These Are the Best US States

And, by extension, the bottom-feeders

(Newser) - Because there's nothing quite like saying na-na-na-na-boo-boo at your neighbor, US News & World Report is out with its annual rankings of the best states in the union. The survey took a look at 71 metrics in eight categories that included health care, education, natural environment, opportunity, economy, crime...

DeSantis Bans Lab-Grown Meat
DeSantis Bans
Lab-Grown Meat
May 3, 2024 12:35 PM CDT

DeSantis Bans Lab-Grown Meat

He says state is fighting back against 'global elite'

(Newser) - If lab-grown meat ever reaches the stage where it is widely available commercially, it will be carnis non grata in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this week to ban the sale of lab-grown meat in the state, and a news release from his office cites "the World Economic...

Florida's 6-Week Abortion Ban Will Be Widely Felt
Florida's 6-Week Abortion
Ban Will Be Widely Felt
the rundown
May 1, 2024 7:21 AM CDT

Florida's 6-Week Abortion Ban Will Be Widely Felt

The state had served those in other Southern states with strict abortion laws

(Newser) - As of Wednesday, a law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant, took effect in Florida. As the Washington Post reports, the state went "from one with the fewest restrictions for the procedure in the South" to one where abortion is "...

Gaetz Says His Primary Challenger Is a 'DEI Instructor'

Florida congressman claims Kevin McCarthy recruited his challenger to run

(Newser) - Friday was Florida's qualifying deadline for federal candidates, and a primary challenger filed to run against Matt Gaetz just in the nick of time. Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer and aviator, is running as a Republican in the state's 1st Congressional District, which Gaetz currently represents in...

Trump Wants DeSantis to Help Close Fundraising Gap: Sources

And the sources say DeSantis agreed to help

(Newser) - Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis met in Miami on Sunday, marking the first time the two former rivals for the GOP presidential nomination have spoken since DeSantis ended his campaign in January. The meeting, first reported by the Washington Post , was confirmed by several sources who spoke anonymously to the...

One Victim in Florida Mass Shooting Is an NFL Player

Houston Texans' Tank Dell suffered 'minor wound'

(Newser) - A Houston Texans wide receiver was among 10 people shot at a Florida bar in the early hours of Sunday. Tank Dell received a "minor wound," the NFL team says in a statement, and has already been released from the hospital and is in "good spirits."...

'Toothy Airman' Found on Base's Runway

Florida base says 10-foot alligator was released in river

(Newser) - MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa says its "newest toothy Airman" has been relocated to a more suitable location than where they found it on Monday—on the runway, resting beside the landing gear of a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft. In a Facebook post , the base shared video of...

Locals Attempt to Buy $14M Island by Chipping In $1K Each

Crowdfunding group wants to share local haunt nicknamed 'Beer Can Island'

(Newser) - A privately owned island off Tampa Bay is up for sale, and though the going price is $14 million, a group is trying to crowdfund joint ownership with a $1,000 buy-in price. According to News 6 , the nine-acre Pine Key on Paradise Island is a manmade island created by...

Podcast Subject Who Denies Killing Wife Granted Parole

Leo Schofield Jr. of the 'Bone Valley' podcast to be released into Florida halfway house April 30

(Newser) - The subject of a true-crime podcast who's maintained innocence in the killing of his wife while serving 35 years of a life sentence for the crime will soon walk free. Florida's Leo Schofield Jr., subject of the popular 2022-23 Bone Valley podcast , was granted parole on his fifth...

Florida Milkman Murder Solved After 56 Years
Florida Milkman Murder
Solved After 56 Years
in case you missed it
Apr 14, 2024 3:35 PM CDT

Florida Milkman Murder Solved After 56 Years

Killing of WWII veteran Hiram 'Ross' Grayam was county's oldest cold case

(Newser) - The Indian River County Sheriff's Office in southeast Florida says it has solved the oldest cold case in its history—the 1968 murder of WWII veteran Hiram "Ross" Grayam. The Purple Heart recipient "had faced the horrors of the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of...

Sheriff: 'Genius' Pre-Med Student Murdered His Mother

Emmanuel Espinoza allegedly confessed to the crime

(Newser) - A former high school valedictorian viciously stabbed his mother "in excess of 70 times" when she answered the door of her Florida home to greet him, law enforcement officials say. Emmanuel Espinoza, 21, allegedly killed Elvia Espinoza, a 46-year-old second-grade teacher, on Saturday afternoon in what Polk County Sheriff...

These States Have the Most Expensive Home Insurance

Florida comes in at No. 1 on Insurify's list, with an average annual cost of close to $11K

(Newser) - The average annual rate for home insurance comes in at just under $2,400, but in many parts of the country, what homeowners are paying exceeds that figure by far. Insurify lays out the damage, citing rates that rose an average of 20% over the past two years across America....

Security Guard Killed While Trying to Break Up Bar Fight

Shooter is also dead and 7 are injured after gunfire broke out at venue in Doral, Florida

(Newser) - A gunfight at a suburban Miami bar has left two people dead and seven injured. Investigators said a fight broke out around 3:30am local time on Saturday at the Martini Bar at the CityPlace Doral mall in Doral, Florida, per the AP . When a security guard intervened, an unnamed...

1 Killed, 3 Hurt After Part of Crane Falls Onto Florida Bridge

Construction worker who fell with it was fatally injured

(Newser) - One person was killed and two others were hospitalized Thursday afternoon when a section of crane fell from a building in downtown Fort Lauderdale, officials said. Crews were in the process of "stepping the crane" during the construction of a high-rise building when a section being prepared to increase...

2 Major Abortion Rulings From Florida's Top Court

6-week abortion ban can go ahead, but so can ballot measure on abortion rights

(Newser) - In two decisions Monday, Florida's Supreme Court ruled that one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bans could take effect—and that a measure that could overturn the ban can appear on the ballot in November.
  • The ban. The court ruled that the state's constitution does not
...

Ex-NFLer Accused of 'Gruesome' Acts Turns Himself In

Former Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton had evaded a domestic violence warrant for weeks

(Newser) - Cameron Sutton has turned himself in, ending a weekslong search for the former NFL defensive back who was wanted on a domestic violence warrant. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the 29-year-old Sutton arrived at a jail in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday night, nearly a week after it said...

Off the Florida Keys, 'Emergency Response' Over Spinning Fish

NOAA has implemented an 'emergency response' to strange behaviors of dying smalltooth sawfish

(Newser) - Endangered smalltooth sawfish, marine creatures virtually unchanged for millions of years, are exhibiting erratic spinning behavior and dying in unusual numbers in Florida waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced what it calls an "emergency response" focused on the Florida Keys starting next week. A NOAA news release...

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