Florida

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

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Next Up: Saharan Dust Clouds
Next Menace: Dust Clouds
Jul 8, 2023 5:15 PM CDT

Next Menace: Dust Clouds

Plumes from Sahara Desert reach Florida, with more to come

(Newser) - The southeastern US dodged the dangerously unhealthy smoke from wildfires in Canada, but a similar menace is moving in: dust clouds. Plumes moving from the Sahara Desert have been spotted by satellite over the eastern Caribbean Sea, southern Gulf of Mexico, and off the western coast of Africa, Accuweather reports....

18-Month-Old Dies After Being Left in Car Overnight

Florida parents are charged with aggravated manslaughter

(Newser) - A toddler died after her parents left her in a hot car overnight following a Fourth of July party in Florida, authorities said Thursday. The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Lakeland couple Joel and Jazmine Rondon have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. Authorities said the Rondons...

7-Year-Old Fatally Shot Amid Jet Skis Argument

Boy in Tampa hit by stray bullet as his grandfather tried to shield him

(Newser) - A 7-year-old boy in Tampa lost his life because two groups of people arguing over jet skis started shooting at each other, say police. The boy was hit by a stray bullet after his grandfather pulled him into his pickup truck when the shooting began, reports CBS News . The bullet...

Federal Judge Blocks New Florida Election Rules

Obama appointee calls restrictions unconstitutional

(Newser) - A federal judge on Monday blocked Florida from enforcing part of a new elections law that bans noncitizens from handling or collecting voter registration forms, saying the state can't restrict individual rights and gave no proof it was necessary to do so. The ruling also blocks a ban on...

Watch Guy Not Tell His Wife There's a Shark Behind Her

Ricky Tribble didn't want Malea Tribble to panic as she paddleboarded to the safety boat he was on

(Newser) - A paddleboarder raising money for charity as part of a long-distance relay had quite the close call last weekend when a shark appeared to be stalking her in the water. WPBF reports that Malea Tribble of Fort Lauderdale was about halfway through the 80-mile-plus journey from Bimini in the Bahamas...

Sheriff: It Wasn't Rip Current That Led to Ex-NFLer's Death

'No indication' of that as cause of Ryan Mallett's apparent drowning on Florida beach, per officials

(Newser) - Officials are now saying that ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett's death earlier this week in an apparent drowning off of Florida's shores wasn't caused by a rip current. Per CBS News , the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted a video Wednesday on Facebook with an update on the...

Officers Allegedly Jail Son, 3, for Potty Problems

Florida dad reportedly claimed an investigation into the incident was 'insane'

(Newser) - Two Florida police officers reportedly thought the proper way to respond to their toddler's potty-training problems was to handcuff the boy and put him in jail. Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety launched an internal investigation following the October incident involving Lt. Michael Schoenbrod and Det. Sgt. Jessica...

Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Is the 'Prison Karen'

She's said to have made more than 400 complaints while behind bars

(Newser) - In the appeal of her conviction for helping Jeffrey Epstein traffic and sexually abuse underage girls, Ghislaine Maxwell complained of "inhumane" conditions inside the low-security prison in which she's serving a 20-year sentence. Now, a source is revealing more about what she finds so cruel, including standard-issue pillows...

Watch Chimp's Reaction to Seeing Sky for First Time

Vanilla in awe upon being released into the open in Florida, after 28 years of being kept in cages

(Newser) - Imagine being alive for nearly three decades without ever seeing the sun. That's been the fate of Vanilla, a former research chimpanzee who's spent her entire 28 years inside cages—until recently, when she was transferred to a Florida primates sanctuary and was released into the open for...

He Was Told Not to Put Hands in Water. Shark Explains Why

Florida fisherman bloodied by suspected bull shark after ignoring friend's advice

(Newser) - The fisherman only wanted to rinse his hands. But it was a move the Florida man will be cursing himself for after a shark apparently mistook his hands for a tasty fish. The unidentified man was fishing with a group in Everglades National Park on Friday morning when he leaned...

Cops: Man Fired at Pool Cleaner in 'Lawful but Awful' Incident

Under Florida's 'stand your ground' law, no charges for man who says he thought there was an intruder

(Newser) - No charges will be filed against a Florida man who fired 30 rounds from his AR-15 at his pool cleaner, thinking the man was an intruder, authorities say. According to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, 43-year-old Jana Hocevar heard noise coming from the lanai at her Dunedin home at around...

Death Toll Rises at Florida Beach
Death Toll Rises
at Florida Beach
Jun 26, 2023 4:57 PM CDT

Death Toll Rises at Florida Beach

3 Panama City tourists die in one day after plunging into rough Gulf surf

(Newser) - Three tourists who ventured into Gulf of Mexico waters, though Florida authorities had closed the area to swimmers because of rough surf conditions at the time, died Saturday. Police described the deaths as "three separate fatal water incidents behind three different resorts" off Panama City Beach, USA Today reports....

State High Court Won't Reinstate Prosecutor Fired By DeSantis

Andrew Warren waited too long to file petition, justices say

(Newser) - Florida's Supreme Court declined Thursday to Andrew Warren, the Hillsborough County prosecutor until he was fired by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after saying he was against prosecutions over abortions and gender-affirming health care, his job back. The justices said Warren, who contended that DeSantis abused his power, had taken...

District Sued After Restricting Access to Penguins' Story

Florida district keeps book about two male penguins and a chick from youngest students

(Newser) - Florida's restrictions on gender identity and sexual orientation as classroom subject matter are being challenged by the authors of a book about penguins—and students who want to read it. The Lake County school board decided last year to prevent students in kindergarten through third grade from having access...

Firefighter Adopts Infant He Found in 'Baby Box'

Florida couple had been trying to start a family for almost a decade when little Zoey appeared

(Newser) - A firefighter on duty in Ocala, Florida, suddenly detected a silent alarm. It told him that someone had opened the state's first Safe Haven Baby Box, installed two years earlier at the MLK First Responder Campus, home to Ocala Fire Rescue. When he looked inside the climate-controlled box, which...

Florida Imposes Quarantine Over Giant Snails. Again

Uber-invasive giant African land snail just won't let up in the state

(Newser) - Florida continues its game of whack-a-mole, more like whack-a-snail, with a formidable opponent. On Tuesday, the state imposed a quarantine of sorts in parts of Broward County to try to contain the invasive giant African land snail, reports NBC Miami . Meaning, residents in the affected areas can't remove snails...

Bad Weather Is Coming for the Deep South
Deep South,
Get Ready to
Get Walloped
Jun 14, 2023 11:08 AM CDT

Deep South, Get Ready to Get Walloped

Severe thunderstorms, winds, tornadoes, hail blowing through on Wednesday

(Newser) - Americans in the Deep South might want to find a nice Yankee cousin to visit for a couple of days, because the weather is looking to be, shall we say, unpleasant? As Weather.com reports, a strong jet stream is ripping through the region starting Wednesday, bringing with it severe...

Bizarre Traffic Stop Involves One Cop Accusing Another

Officer in Orlando has been relieved of duty pending an investigation

(Newser) - It must have looked for all the world like two police cars racing to a crime scene. Instead, it was one law enforcement officer trying to stop another for speeding. The strange scene unfolded in Orlando, Florida, where a deputy with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office says he spotted...

Florida Lawyers Reject Trump Case
Florida Lawyers
Reject Trump Case
Jun 13, 2023 6:49 AM CDT

Florida Lawyers Reject Trump Case

Multiple attorneys decline to join former president's legal team ahead of arraignment

(Newser) - A day before his arraignment in Miami federal court, former President Trump spent his Monday afternoon scrambling to find a Florida lawyer to join his legal team. Two lawyers on Trump's defense team, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, resigned suddenly after his indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents...

'Dr. Deep Sea' Resurfaces After 'Extreme' Endeavor

Dr. Joseph Dituri spent a record-breaking 100 days underwater for science in a Florida lagoon

(Newser) - A university professor who spent 100 days living underwater at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers resurfaced Friday and raised his face to the sun for the first time since March 1. Dr. Joseph Dituri set a new record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization during his...

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