Florida

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

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Killer Confesses to Old Murder. Another Remains Jailed for It

Leo Schofield, up for parole next month, was convicted of killing his wife, insists he's innocent

(Newser) - Next month, a parole board in Florida will decide whether 57-year-old Leo Schofield should be released from prison after more than three decades. Schofield was convicted of the 1987 murder of his 18-year-old wife, Michelle Saum Schofield, and as Richard Bockman writes in the Tampa Bay Times , he would surely...

DeSantis&#39; Disney Fight Worries Republicans


Did DeSantis
Miscalculate
Against
Disney?
the rundown
Apr 28, 2023 12:24 PM CDT

Did DeSantis Miscalculate Against Disney?

Even fellow Republicans are questioning his escalating fight against the company

(Newser) - Now that Disney has fired back in a big way at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a common theme in coverage has emerged, one that questions whether DeSantis has taken on too big of a fight ahead of his expected entry into the 2024 race. He may well prove the naysayers...

Cops: Florida Man Killed, Dismembered Uber Eats Driver

'This was demonic,' sheriff says

(Newser) - A Florida man is charged with murder and other offenses in the slaying and dismemberment of an Uber Eats driver who had brought food to the assailant's house, authorities said Tuesday. Oscar Solis Jr., 30, is charged with killing the driver during a delivery Wednesday, April 19, at a...

Disney-DeSantis Feud Hits Next Level: Disney Sues

Entertainment giant alleges 'targeted campaign of government retaliation'

(Newser) - The Disney-DeSantis feud just leveled up in a big way. The Walt Disney company filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida governor on Wednesday, alleging he waged a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" after the company opposed the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill last year, reports CNBC...

Woman Pleads Guilty in &#39;Killer Clown&#39; Murder
'Killer Clown' Pleads Guilty
Apr 25, 2023 5:06 PM CDT

'Killer Clown' Pleads Guilty

Sheila Keen-Warren could be out of prison in 10 months, lawyer says

(Newser) - Sheila Keen-Warren has admitted what authorities have suspected for more than 30 years: She was the person who, dressed as a clown and holding flowers and balloons, fatally shot a Florida woman on her doorstep in 1990. Keen-Warren pleaded guilty Tuesday to the second-degree murder of Marlene Warren and was...

Cops: Boy Found in Alligator's Jaws Was Drowned by Father

Taylen Mosley, 2, was thrown or placed in Florida lake, investigators say

(Newser) - A 2-year-old boy found dead in an alligator's jaws in Florida last month wasn't killed by the animal, police say. The St. Petersburg Police Department says Taylen Mosley was drowned by his father, NBC reports. The department says the cause of death was confirmed by the Pinellas County...

Ex-Disney Worker Could Get 5 Years for Alleged 'Guilty Pleasure'

Cops say Jorge Diaz Vega, 26, had 500 videos on phone that were recorded up women's skirts

(Newser) - Troubling news emerged out of Disney over the past few days, on both sides of the country. First, a 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon went up in flames over the weekend in California's Disneyland, though thankfully no one was hurt. Now, out of Florida, a disturbing development from Disney World. According...

Florida Apologizes for Errant Wake-Up Call

DeSantis promises 'swift accountability' after mistaken text alert

(Newser) - Many Floridians were not pleased at being awakened at 4:45am Thursday by an emergency text alert, especially when there was no emergency, and state officials have promised to do something about it. The text was a test—as it said—intended to appear on TV, not on cellphones, ABC...

Celebs: We Shouldn't Be Liable for FTX Endorsements

The idea is 'nonsense,' Tom Brady, Larry David, others claim in court docs

(Newser) - After five months of trying, lawyers for a group of FTX investors who are suing celebrity endorsers say they've finally managed to serve the last of them: Shaquille O'Neal. "Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house," the Moskowitz...

Florida Extends 'Don't Say Gay' to All Grades in Public Schools

Educators in grades 4 to 12 banned from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity

(Newser) - Florida's Board of Education has extended the rule critics call "Don't Say Gay" to cover all grades in public schools. The amended rule says teachers in grades 4 to 12 "shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction" on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Orlando Sentinel reports....

DeSantis Suggests Building a Prison Next to Disney World

Governor is stepping up feud with theme park

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, apparently hell-bent on showing Mickey Mouse who's boss, announced new measures Monday in his ongoing feud with Walt Disney World. The Republican governor said new legislation would block the company's attempt to circumvent control by a DeSantis-installed board. DeSantis said he also plans to...

Producer Who Robbed Bank to Fund Film Sentenced

Baltimore man had been released early after other bank robbery convictions

(Newser) - A bank robber who said he was making a movie and needed money to finish filming has been given a 10-year prison sentence in Florida. Federal prosecutors said Nacoe Ray Brown of Baltimore took nearly $4,300 in cash from the McCoy Federal Credit Union in Belle Isle last June,...

Judge Who Hugged Parkland Prosecutor Disqualified From Case

Death row inmate argued Elizabeth Scherer showed unfair sympathy to prosecutors

(Newser) - The Florida judge who sentenced school shooter Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms last year after a jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty has been disqualified from another death penalty case. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Judge Elizabeth Scherer had shown unfair sympathy...

Florida Republicans Pass 6-Week Abortion Ban

DeSantis has said he supports the change

(Newser) - The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. A six-week ban would give DeSantis a political victory among Republican primary voters before officially launching a presidential candidacy...

Fort Lauderdale Airport Now Sits in Giant Puddle

1-in-1,000-year storm drops record rainfall on South Florida city

(Newser) - Fort Lauderdale may have never seen as much rainfall as on Wednesday when a slow-moving 1-in-a-thousand-year rainstorm "effectively became a stationary front," per the Washington Post . More than 25 inches of rain fell at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport over 24 hours, according to preliminary data from the National...

Florida Executes &#39;Ninja Killer&#39;
'Ninja Killer'
Executed in Florida
Apr 13, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

'Ninja Killer' Executed in Florida

Louis Bernard Gaskin, 56, wore ninja clothing during 1989 double murder

(Newser) - Florida executed a man known as the “ninja killer” on Wednesday for the 1989 slayings of a couple visiting the state from New Jersey, the AP reports. Louis Bernard Gaskin, 56, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm after receiving a lethal injection, the governor’s office said. He was...

Missing Teacher's Car Turns Up, With Body Inside

Robert Heikka's car found submerged in canal 6 miles from his Florida home

(Newser) - A body has been found in a submerged car belonging to a Florida middle school teacher who vanished two and a half years ago. Robert Heikka, then 70, was last seen at his home in Port Orange on Oct. 25, 2020, according to police. He failed to turn up at...

GOP Lawmaker Rants Against 'Demon' Transgender People

Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby got pushback from both Dems, Republicans after 'mutant' remarks

(Newser) - On Monday, a legislative hearing was held in Florida over the Safety in Private Spaces Act , which would bar anyone from using a restroom if it didn't match the sex they'd been assigned at birth. Comments from one particular lawmaker, however, stunned colleagues on both sides of the...

Final Juvenile Suspect in Murder of 3 Teens Arrested

3 young suspects all now in custody

(Newser) - The final juvenile suspected in the murder of three other teens in Florida was arrested Saturday, the AP reports. US Marshals located the 16-year-old and took him into custody. He faces charges of carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault, grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude...

Report: Florida's Top Doc Nixed Key Data From Vaccine Study

Analysis shows State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data on COVID being riskier than shot

(Newser) - An analysis that was the basis of a highly criticized recommendation from Florida's surgeon general cautioning young men against getting the COVID-19 vaccine omitted information that showed catching the virus could increase the risk of a cardiac-related death much more than getting the mRNA shot, according to drafts of...

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