Florida

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

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Sanford Takes Down Trayvon Memorial

Some are outraged, but officials say it had gotten 'incredibly shabby'

(Newser) - The city of Sanford, Fla., is taking heat for removing a makeshift memorial to Trayvon Martin that cropped up outside the gated community where he was shot. The memorial consisted of a curbside heap of teddy bears, laminated photos, silk flowers, and other bric-a-brac, and some activists say removing it...

Miami School Board Members: Ax Michelle Event

Michelle Obama's campaign event inappropriate, they argue

(Newser) - A couple of Republicans on the Miami-Dade School Board are not happy with Michelle Obama's plan to hold a campaign event at one of their high schools tonight. The first lady plans to push voter registration and enlist residents to volunteer for President Obama's re-election campaign—and two...

Alligator Bites Off Teen&#39;s Arm
 Alligator Bites Off Teen's Arm 
Jul 10, 2012 1:15 PM CDT

Alligator Bites Off Teen's Arm

Officials retrieved Kaleb Langdale's limb, but it couldn't be reattached

(Newser) - Another harrowing tale from Mother Nature : An alligator at least 10 feet long lunged at a teenager swimming in a Florida river and bit off the teen's right arm below the elbow, state wildlife officials said today. Kaleb Langdale, 17, survived yesterday's encounter in the Caloosahatchee River—but,...

Florida Kept Lid on Worst TB Outbreak in Decades

Strain linked to 13 deaths and 99 cases: Palm Beach Post

(Newser) - Florida is in the midst of the worst tuberculosis outbreak the CDC has seen in two decades—and the Jacksonville outbreak was largely hidden from the public, finds the Palm Beach Post in a disturbing report. The outbreak apparently originated in 2008, when a schizophrenic patient came down with TB...

Fired Hero Lifeguard Rejects Rehiring Offer

Tomas Lopez will stick to studies for now

(Newser) - The lifeguard sacked for saving a life outside his assigned area has been offered his job back—but he's not interested. Tomas Lopez, 21, "humbly declined" the offer, though he noted that "the company offered a real good apology." Lopez, a Broward College student, plans to...

Lifeguard Fired for Saving Drowning Man

6 others fired for saying they'd do the same

(Newser) - Florida lifeguard Tomas Lopez got fired this week for helping save a man whose life he wasn't being paid to guard. After being alerted to a man struggling in the water, the 21-year-old lifeguard ran out of his patrol zone to help the man. He helped other beachgoers pull...

Florida Nixes 2 ObamaCare Features

Gov. Rick Scott says state can't foot the bill

(Newser) - And then there were three: Florida will join Wisconsin and Louisiana in refusing to implement two features of the Affordable Care Act, said Gov. Rick Scott yesterday, stating that Florida does not have the money to expand Medicaid or to create a private insurance exchange, reports Reuters . The Medicaid expansion...

Strong Currents End Palfrey's Cuba-Florida Swim

Palfrey was about 26 miles from Florida when she got out of water

(Newser) - Endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey has abandoned her effort to become the first woman to swim unassisted from Cuba to the Florida Keys, ending her odyssey after almost 41 hours in the water and about three quarters of the way through the more than 100-mile swim, her support team said early...

Palfrey Passes Halfway Point in Swim From Cuba to Florida

Penny Palfrey cruising along in warm waters

(Newser) - Endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey crossed the halfway mark today as she pushed through the Florida Straits, enduring jellyfish stings but otherwise encountering perfect conditions in her attempt to become the first woman to swim unassisted more than 100 miles from Cuba to Florida. A GPS tracking device on Palfrey's...

Guy Cleared in 'Stand Your Ground' Case Shot Dead

Stray bullet hits Greyston Garcia

(Newser) - In a stunningly ironic turn of events, a Miami man who was freed just three months ago in a controversial "Stand Your Ground" case was killed by a stray bullet this week. Greyston Garcia—who was granted immunity by a judge in March after chasing down and killing a...

Tropical Storm Debby Still Soaking Florida

Northern part of the state can expect lots more rain

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Debby is weakening and just barely keeping her name with winds about 40mph, but she's still not done with Florida, reports AP . Some areas could get about 2 feet of rain before Debby finally heads out into the Atlantic on Thursday, though most of northern Florida and...

Debby Changes Track, Stays Close to Florida

Forecast to hit panhandle on Thursday, disrupting oil production

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Debby slowly closed in on Florida last night, leaving one person dead in tornadoes spawned by its winds, and one man missing and presumed drowned at an Alabama beach, reports Reuters . The National Hurricane Center reported significant changes for Debby's predicted path. No longer expected to grow...

Oil Workers Flee; Tropical Storm Brewing in Gulf

Florida could see storm warnings, localized flooding

(Newser) - High winds are whipping up a 90%-chance tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico today and causing oil companies to evacuate rig workers, MSNBC reports. If Tropical Storm Debby does form, the northern Gulf Coast may see tropical storm warnings, and localized flooding and heavy rain could strike Mexico, Cuba,...

Millionaire Missing From Florida Yacht

Guma Aguiar's empty yacht runs aground in Fort Lauderdale

(Newser) - A Florida millionaire's yacht came ashore this week—without the millionaire. Fort Lauderdale police are hunting for Brazilian-born Guma Aguiar after his empty yacht beached with the ignition running and lights on. The Coast Guard suspended its search yesterday after 70 hours hunting for the missing man in vain,...

Romney to Florida: Hush Up on the Great Jobs News

Sources say campaign feels Rick Scott's good news is off message

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been touting the Sunshine State's sunny jobs news—and the Romney campaign would like his forecast to get a little cloudier, two sources tell Bloomberg . Scott's re-election campaign recently boasted that Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 8.6% in May from 8....

Police Chief Axed Over Trayvon Case

Bill Lee dismissed for 'losing community confidence'

(Newser) - The police chief whose officers failed to arrest George Zimmerman after the Trayvon Martin shooting has been fired. Bill Lee, who stepped down temporarily three months ago amid fierce criticism of his handling of the case, was dismissed by Sanford's city manager, reports the Orlando Sentinel . "I have...

GOP Govs to Romney: Hey, Economy's Not That Bad

Reelection interests clash with Romney's strategy

(Newser) - When Mitt Romney visited Iowa last month, he released an ad highlighting struggling, unemployed Iowans—which sort of irked Terry Branstad, the state's Republican governor. "My state is seeing significant growth," Branstad tells the Wall Street Journal , saying he didn’t know why Romney tried to stress...

Face-Eating Victim Awake
 Face-Eating 
 Victim Awake 
Jun 12, 2012 2:00 PM CDT

Face-Eating Victim Awake

Ronald Poppo walking in hospital

(Newser) - Ronald Poppo has lost his nose, his eyes are bandaged over, and he has scabs across most of his face—but he's "awake and alert," doctors say. A photo shown to reporters portrays Rudy Eugene's face-eating victim walking in the hospital with the staff's support,...

Florida Gov Slams Feds' Lawsuit Against Voter Purges

Rick Scott: 'It doesn't make any sense'

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott is showing no signs of backing off his showdown with the federal government, giving Fox & Friends today an earful over the feds' lawsuit to stop the Sunshine State's noncitizen voter purges . "We want to make sure that our voters get to vote and...

Feds Suing Florida Over Voter Purge
Feds Suing Florida Over Voter Purge
Jun 12, 2012 4:46 AM CDT

Feds Suing Florida Over Voter Purge

...while Florida sues feds over denied access to database

(Newser) - The Department of Justice is taking Florida's Board of Elections to court for disregarding its warnings and continuing to purge its voter lists . Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez has told Florida officials that the state's attempt to purge people it believes are noncitizens from the rolls needs to...

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