Florida

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

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Florida COVID Data Whistleblower Turning Herself In

It's not clear what charge Rebekah Jones faces

(Newser) - Rebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist who was fired , then had her home raided , after she claimed the state was manipulating its COVID numbers, said she would turn herself in to authorities on Sunday night. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a warrant for Jones' arrest, and the former...

It Felt Like a Quake to Florida Residents. It Wasn't

USGS says there was no temblor in S. Florida on Friday—so what caused the rumbling and shaking?

(Newser) - Earthquakes in the Golden State are common. Ones in the Sunshine State—not so much. But that's what South Florida residents thought they felt Friday, even though the US Geological Survey says it didn't register any such activity in the state, per CBS Miami . "Did anyone else...

Deputy Who Had One More Shift Before Retirement Killed

Fleeing suspect struck Cpl. Brian LaVigne's cruiser in Florida, per sheriff's office

(Newser) - A Florida sheriff's deputy had one full shift to complete before retirement when he was killed on duty Monday. Cpl. Brian LaVigne had been called to assist fellow Hillsborough County deputies in apprehending a fleeing suspect when that suspect rammed LaVigne's cruiser, Sheriff Chad Chronister said . Deputies were...

'Trump' Carved on Florida Manatee's Back

$5K reward offered for information leading to conviction

(Newser) - Someone in Florida scraped the word "Trump" onto the back of a manatee. The animal (pictures here ) was found in the Blue Hole on the Homosassa River, about 90 miles from Orlando, the New York Daily News reports. Fox 13 reports the word was scraped into the layer...

Florida Men Allegedly Dug Up Remains for Religious Ritual

4 sets of remains allegedly used in practice

(Newser) - Two Florida men are accused of digging up four sets of human remains at a cemetery last month and using them in a religious ritual. Brian Montalvo Tolentino, 43, and Juan Burgos-Lopez, 39, allegedly removed the bodies, three of which were those of deceased veterans, from Edgewood Cemetery in Mount...

Doctor Dies Two Weeks After COVID Vaccination

Medical authorities are investigating Dr. Gregory Michael's death

(Newser) - Gregory Michael, an obstetrician in Miami Beach, got his first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination on Dec. 18. Some two weeks later, he was dead, CBS12 reports. “He was a very healthy 56 year old,” wife Heidi Neckelmann writes on Facebook , adding, “He was a pro...

Boat With 20 People Aboard Vanishes En Route to Florida

Coast Guard has suspended the search

(Newser) - The US Coast Guard on Friday suspended its search for a boat that went missing with 20 people on board, the AP reports. The travelers had taken the white and blue 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin vessel to Bimini, a chain of islands in the Bahamas, the Sun-Sentinel reports. It departed...

Florida's Newest Business Owner: Casey Anthony

Woman acquitted of killing toddler daughter in 2011 has opened a private investigation firm

(Newser) - While it's been a tough year for small businesses, a new one has just popped up in Florida. Per Fox News , state records show that paperwork for Case Research & Consulting Services, LLC, was filed Dec. 14, and the private investigation firm has a well-known name as its owner:...

Crash Will 'Stay With a Lot of People for a Long Time'

Brother and sister killed in wrong-way crash on I-95

(Newser) - "I think this is going to stay with a lot of people for a long time," said a Florida sheriff of a Tuesday night crash on I-95 that claimed the lives of two siblings. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the fatal crash was caused by a driver...

Some Thought It Was a Terror Attack. Others, a Movie Set

Dozens arrested after vehicles do doughnuts in South Beach, causing fear and gridlock

(Newser) - If you were in Miami Beach Saturday night, you may have been witness to quite a street spectacle. Per NBC News , a group of cars converged on an intersection in the neighborhood of South Beach, then start doing doughnuts, while people who appeared to be part of the group stood...

One State Wants to Put Pythons on the Menu

It has 'the texture of fish, but ... tastes more like chicken'

(Newser) - Python and a brew, anyone? That might just become a happy-hour special in Florida if it turns out the snakes are safe enough to eat. But state officials first have to figure out whether Florida pythons contain too much mercury, CNN reports. "We would like to use consumption as...

Man Comes Home 'Bleeding to Death' After Shark Attack

911 caller said Florida 39-year-old was 'bleeding to death'

(Newser) - A Florida shark attack victim was apparently "bleeding to death" after walking out of the water and back to his house on Tuesday. A woman at the home called 911 to report that a man had been bitten on his arm and hand while swimming off Siesta Key. She...

250K Chickens Likely Killed in Poultry Farm Fire

Three large coops deemed total loss on Florida farm

(Newser) - Nearly a quarter of a million chickens are believed to have been killed in a Florida poultry farm fire. Firefighters responding to Cal-Maine Foods in Dade City early Thursday found that three coops housing chickens had been devastated by flames, Fox 13 reports. The farm, said to be one of...

Cops: Florida Burglar Was Killed by Falling Window

Jonathan Hernandez was pinned and strangled, deputies say

(Newser) - A luckless burglar was killed mid-crime by a falling window, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office in southwest Florida. Police say 32-year-old Jonathan Hernandez died when the window of a Lehigh Acres home he was breaking into fell on his neck as he climbed through it, pinning and...

Florida Neighbors to Trump: You Can't Live at Mar-a-Lago

They say he's welcome in Palm Beach but can't live at private club

(Newser) - "Where will Donald Trump go after he leaves office?" That's the question posed by Town & Country last week, and if neighbors of his private club in Palm Beach, Fla., have anything to do with it, it won't be to there. As speculation grows about a move...

Basketball Star Collapses Face-First

Keyontae Johnson had just dunked the ball and celebrated

(Newser) - Alley-oop, celebrate ... and collapse. Florida Gators basketball star Keyontae Johnson fell face-first on the court Saturday after his team had broken a huddle, TMZ reports. His teammates shouted for help and Johnson was taken away on a stretcher to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he's in critical but stable condition....

She Released Video of Raid on Her Home. Now, the Cops' Video

Police bodycam footage released after fired Fla. data scientist Rebekah Jones put up her own online

(Newser) - Police bodycam video taken of the Monday raid at fired data scientist Rebekah Jones' home was released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with the agency saying it did so after its agents were "vilified" following Jones posting her own footage . Per NBC News , the police video...

Florida Takes Flak Over Controversial Home Raid

Lawyer resigns over raid on residence of data scientist

(Newser) - Florida is facing backlash over its raid of a data scientist's home . In the biggest public criticism, a Republican lawyer appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to nominate judges resigned in protest, reports the Washington Post . The raid on the home of Rebekah Jones made no legal sense, Ron...

America's Longest-Serving Nonviolent Pot Prisoner Freed

Richard DeLisi was behind bars for 31 years

(Newser) - After more than 30 years in prison for a nonviolent cannabis offense. Richard DeLisi will be spending Christmas with his family. The 71-year-old Florida inmate, believed to be the country's longest-serving inmate for a nonviolent pot crime, was released this week from Florida's South Bay Correctional Facility, CNN...

Couple Who Lost Both Kids Helping First Responders

Lauren Kirchgessner speaks out after Florida vacation tragedy

(Newser) - It has to be the darkest moment in her life, but Lauren Kirchgessner is still thinking of others. The Kentucky mom, whose two children were killed when a truck veered onto a Florida miniature golf course during the family's vacation, says that while she and her husband, Matt, are...

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