Florida

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

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Baby Dies After Eating Detergent Packet

7-month-old might be first such death in the nation

(Newser) - A Florida baby might be the first in the nation to die from ingesting a packet of laundry detergent, reports the Orlando Sentinel . The 7-month-old Kissimmee boy ate the packet after plucking it out of a laundry basket and immediately went into distress. Michael Williams died later at the hospital,...

Alleged Wife Killer Wrote Self-Help Book on Marriage

Discusses solving problems 'thru communication'

(Newser) - The Florida man who admitted killing his wife, then posting a photo of her body on Facebook was also a self-published writer—one who urged communication to resolve marital disputes. In one of his volumes, How I Saved Someone’s Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication, Derek Medina...

Florida Executes Man Who Says He Controlled Sun

Court didn't buy insanity argument

(Newser) - “I just want everyone to know that I am the prince of God and I will rise again." Those were the last words of mass killer John Errol Ferguson yesterday and a prime example of why his lawyers say he shouldn't have been executed in the first...

Guy Reports Girlfriend Kidnapped to Stop Her Moving Out

Cops see through his cunning plan

(Newser) - Brilliant idea of the day: Stop your girlfriend from dumping you and moving out by calling 911 and telling them your "wife" has been kidnapped by two men in a U-Haul truck. That didn't get Florida man Matthew Corp, 35, his girlfriend back, but it did get him...

Florida Gunman Ranted About Witchcraft

He called 911 hours before he killed 6 people

(Newser) - The motive for Pedro Vargas' murder of six people is still unclear, but a newly released 911 call gives some insight into his mind before the South Florida shooting spree . In the call, made several hours before the rampage, the 42-year-old complained that he was followed and somebody was casting...

Workers Missing After Huge Florida Gas Plant Explosion

 Explosions Blow Roof 
 Off Fla. Gas Plant 
UPDATED
Jul 30, 2013 7:49 AM CDT

Explosions Blow Roof Off Fla. Gas Plant

7 injured as human error, equipment fail blamed

(Newser) - All 15 night shift workers reported missing have been accounted for after a series of huge explosions at a plant that refills gas grill propane tanks in central Florida. A spokesman for the sheriff's office in Tavares says workers fled the scene—some driving themselves to the hospital—after...

Cops ID Florida Gunman Who Killed 6

42-Year-Old Pedro Vargas

(Newser) - Police have identified the now-dead gunman they say was behind the death of six people in a South Florida shooting spree as Pedro Vargas, 42, reports NBC Miami . At a press conference today, authorities also named five of the six victims: Italo Pisciotti, 79, Camira Pisciotti, 69, Carlos Javier Gavilanes,...

Florida Shooting Spree Began With Tenant Dispute

Gunman shot husband-and-wife managers first

(Newser) - A few more details are filling in on the shooting at a Florida apartment complex that left seven people dead , including the gunman. It began about 6:30pm yesterday in Hialeah when the building's husband-and-wife managers went to talk to a tenant about a complaint against him, reports the...

Florida Gunman Kills 6 at Apartment Complex

Police kill him in shootout near Miami

(Newser) - A gunman holding hostages inside a South Florida apartment complex killed six people before being shot to death by a SWAT team that stormed the building early today following an hours-long standoff, police said. Sgt. Eddie Rodriguez says police got a call around 6:30pm yesterday that shots had been...

$500K Fire Set by... Aspiring Firefighter

Joseph Brannen, 18, admits to arson

(Newser) - Firefighters who turned up to battle flames at a Florida library found a guy in firefighting gear was already on the scene. They asked Joseph Brannen, 18, where he'd gotten his protective clothing; he said he bought it on eBay, officials say. He added that he'd heard the...

US Sues Florida Over Kids Kept in Nursing Homes

DOJ suit says 200 kids with disabilities in nursing homes shouldn't be there

(Newser) - The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Florida yesterday, accusing the state of unnecessarily institutionalizing about 200 children with disabilities in six nursing homes around the state; the suit argues the kids don't need to be there and could benefit from care at home or elsewhere in the community....

Celebs Boycotting Florida Over Zimmerman Verdict

A whole slew reportedly joining Stevie Wonder

(Newser) - Because really, who hasn't been tempted to boycott the Sunshine State in its entirety ? Stevie Wonder started it last week, when he announced he was done with Florida in protest of George Zimmerman's acquittal and the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law. Until the law...

Zimmerman Surfaces, Rescues Driver in Crash

Sanford police captain confirms it

(Newser) - George Zimmerman has surfaced for the first time since his acquittal —in the most unexpected of ways. Sanford's police department captain today tells ABC News that what the network is calling "the first known sighting" of Zimmerman was a heroic one: He "pulled an individual from...

Mom Throws Infant at Deputy in Getaway Bid

Baby is fine, and woman faces charges of child abuse

(Newser) - How is it possible to rack up charges for shoplifting and child abuse at the same time? By tossing your infant daughter at the deputy coming to arrest you. Police say Pensacola's Ashley Wright, 23, was spotted by a store employee hiding about $250 worth of (adult) clothes in...

Tea Partiers Trying to Recall Rubio Hit Pesky Problem

You can't recall senators in Florida

(Newser) - You can't actually recall a US senator in Florida, but Tea Party activists aren't letting a little thing like that thwart their efforts to recall Marco Rubio. Radio host KrisAnne Hall says she and a group of other conservatives are helping draft legislation that would allow senators in...

Daily Show: Florida Needs New Motto

John Oliver slams Zimmerman case: 'The system worked'

(Newser) - The Daily Show returned last night, and interim host John Oliver had a bone to pick with Florida in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict. The problem, he said: "The system worked exactly as it's designed. How does 2013 Florida have a law that seems cut and...

$250K in Gold Found 100 Feet From Florida Coast

The 48 gold coins are from a 1715 shipwreck

(Newser) - You may want to pack your snorkeling gear the next time you're headed to Florida's eastern coast. The owner of a shipwreck-seeking salvage company has announced that he discovered 48 gold coins worth as much as $250,000 off Wabasso Beach on Saturday. And as CNN reports, he...

Zimmerman Jury Begins Day 2

Jurors deliberated for 3.5 hours last night

(Newser) - The jury in George Zimmerman's murder trial began a second day of deliberations today in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. Jurors reconvened in the courtroom at 9am. A few smiled as the judge addressed them before they left to continue their discussions. The jury began deliberations after contentious...

Die-Off of Manatees, Dolphins Baffles in Florida

Hundreds have died since last July in Indian River Lagoon; pelicans also hard-hit

(Newser) - Hundreds of manatees, dolphins, and pelicans are dying in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, and authorities don't know why. Some of the manatees—111 have perished since last July—have died so quickly, they still have food in their mouths, Wired reports; they appear to have died from shock...

Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers
Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers
LAWSUIT SAYS
Jul 10, 2013 9:33 AM CDT

Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers

Internet cafe ban so vague it made smartphones illegal

(Newser) - When Florida politicians banned Internet cafes earlier this year, the intention was to stop illegal online gambling. Only they may have accidentally banned a whole lot more. A new lawsuit against the state alleges that the ban was so hastily constructed and poorly written that it effectively bans any computer,...

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