Florida

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

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Woman Pays $600, Flies 1K Miles to Vote

Med student Kaela Bynoe flew home to Florida from Baltimore after absentee ballot failed to show

(Newser) - Voters are heading out in record droves to cast their ballots in the 2020 election, but one medical student showed extra determination over the weekend to have her voice heard. Per NBC Miami , Kaela Bynoe, a first-year student at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine in Baltimore, became concerned...

Alleged Recipient of Bogus COVID Loan Made Flashy Buys

A 6-figure Mercedes and brand-new pickup were telltale clues for the feds

(Newser) - Bold move, Florida man. So say the feds, who accuse a Dade City man of receiving a federal COVID-19 loan under false pretenses and using the money to buy himself a $106,000 Mercedes and a Ford F-250 pickup worth $66,000, reports TampaBay.com . In a release , the Department...

Man Uses Most Unusual Way to Take Down Biden Signs: Cops

James Blight accused of stealing bulldozer, taking signs in mostly Black Fla. neighborhood

(Newser) - If you're a resident in Haines City, Fla., whose Joe Biden yard signs remain intact, consider yourself lucky that the bulldozer didn't end up at your place. That bulldozer, police say, was stolen from a local construction site by a young white man and used to terrorize a...

Listeria Outbreak Hits 3 States
Listeria Outbreak Hits 3 States
Oct 24, 2020 1:30 PM CDT

Listeria Outbreak Hits 3 States

Listeriosis can get worse if it moves to the nervous system

(Newser) - A listeria outbreak has hit 10 people across 3 states—apparently all sickened after eating deli meat, per Consumer Reports . The Centers for Disease Control hasn't identified a supplier, retailer, or brand yet, but nine of the victims said they had eaten Italian-style meats like prosciutto or mortadella bought...

Florida Cop Faces Suspension for Trump Mask

Miami officer will be disciplined, officials say

(Newser) - A Miami police officer who wore a Trump campaign mask at a voting station will be disciplined, the mayor says. "There were people claiming it was voter intimidation," Mayor Francis Suarez says, per Fox News . "Officers have a responsibility … to protect our residents and they have...

After 35 Years, Cops Identify Murder Victim

His belt buckle was the most important clue

(Newser) - If it wasn't for his belt buckle, the fate of William Ernest Thompson might have forever remained a mystery. Police in Escambia County, Florida say Thompson was identified as a murder victim after a relative searching for their missing uncle read a cold case listing on their website that...

Video Shoot Erupts Into 'Floating Fireball'

'The boat was fully engulfed in flames'

(Newser) - A music-video shoot turned to horror Thursday when the boat used a set erupted in flames, People reports. Thirteen were hurt, one critically, when two blasts rocked the 41-foot Wellcraft on the New River in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Twenty-one people were shooting the low-budget video at the time. "Out...

Sea Levels Have Florida Housing Market 'in Distress'

Prices and number of sales are dropping in exposed coastal areas

(Newser) - A 2018 study warned that 64,000 Florida homes were at risk to chronic flooding by 2045 because of rising sea levels. The figure rises to 1 million homes by 2100. Now, new research suggests this effect already is showing up in the state's real estate market, reports NPR...

Body of Mom Who Had Been Fasting Is Believed Found

Police find submerged SUV with remains thought be of Florida's Tracey Lynn Rieker

(Newser) - The search for a missing mother of four in Florida appears to have come to a sad end. In a Facebook post , police say they discovered a submerged SUV in a Venice pond with the body of a woman believed to be 44-year-old Tracey Lynn Rieker. She has been missing...

Principal Who Said Holocaust Was a Belief Is Reinstated

School board vote comes after judge found 'no just cause' for William Latson's firing

(Newser) - The same school board that voted last year to end the employment of a principal who told a parent that the Holocaust was a matter of belief has now rehired him. Florida's Palm Beach County School District voted 4-3 on Wednesday to reinstate former Spanish River High School Principal...

Voting Rights Groups Sue to Extend Florida Deadline

They say 7 hours added after website crashed wasn't long enough

(Newser) - Florida extended its voter registration deadline after the massive volume of requests caused the website to crash—but voting rights groups said the 7-hour extension was nowhere near long enough. Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Tuesday that she had reopened registration from noon to 7pm following Monday's...

Happy Ending After Days of Searching for Missing Swimmer

MMA fighter went into the ocean Friday, reappeared Monday

(Newser) - An incredible ending to the story of a Florida swimmer who went missing Friday: Alex Rojas was on Monday discovered to be alive. Rojas, who had last been seen entering the Atlantic Ocean carrying a flotation device in Boynton Beach, contacted his family from a West Palm Beach hospital Monday,...

Florida Voter Caught Seeking Ballot for Dead Wife

Larry Wiggins is charged with a felony

(Newser) - A Florida man is in trouble after requesting a mail-in ballot for his dead wife, WFLA reports. Larry Wiggins was arrested Thursday in Manatee County and charged with requesting a mail-in ballot on behalf of another elector, a third-degree felony. His explanation? "I heard so much about ballots being...

Sen. Scott 'Misspoke' About His Diagnosis

The Florida senator apparently said 'positive' by mistake

(Newser) - Sen. Rick Scott said he misspoke Saturday when he said on national television that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the AP reports. The Republican from Florida tweeted : "I misspoke this morning in my @FoxNews interview. I was tested yesterday for COVID and tested NEGATIVE." During an interview...

GOP Leads Voter Registrations in Key States
In 3 Key States,
a Narrowing Gap
Oct 2, 2020 10:25 AM CDT

In 3 Key States, a Narrowing Gap

GOP leads voter registrations in Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania

(Newser) - The Biden campaign is starting door-to-door canvassing just as data shows the Trump campaign leads in securing new voter registrations in closely watched states. There are still more people registered as Democrats than Republicans in Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina—all states the president won by less than five points...

This City Is Selling Off Its Swans for $400 a Pop

Lakeland, Fla., says due to overpopulation, it costs $10K a year to feed them all

(Newser) - Got an extra $400 lying around? Love swans? If you're near Lakeland, Fla., or can get there, you're in luck. CNN reports that, starting sometime in the next few weeks, the city will be selling off about half of the 80 resident swans that live on Lake Morton....

Lotto Winner Forfeits Prize After USPS Loses Ticket

They said, ‘no ticket, no prize'

(Newser) - A Florida woman says the United States Postal Service turned her lottery win into a loss. The woman says she had to forfeit a $1,000 prize in the state's Second Chance lottery after she followed the lottery's instructions and sent the winning ticket by certified mail, only...

Florida Men Arrested for 'Dangerous, Stupid' Use of Laser

They pointed it at police helicopter in flight

(Newser) - If two Florida men weren't already aware that flashing a laser at a pilot in flight is a felony in the state, they definitely are now. Police say two men were arrested in two days last week for pointing lasers at the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Air One helicopter,...

The Day After Florida Reopens, 107 Deaths

The state's death tally is 14,190 so far

(Newser) - Florida reported 107 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a day after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was lifting restrictions on restaurant capacity, the AP reports. The state also reported 2,795 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing its total since the pandemic began to just under 699,000. Overall,...

Florida Reopens, Ends Mask Fines
Florida Reopens,
Ends Mask Fines
Sep 25, 2020 2:45 PM CDT

Florida Reopens, Ends Mask Fines

Restaurants and businesses can reopen

(Newser) - Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in Florida on Friday, and prohibited local fines against people who refuse to wear masks as he seeks to reopen the state's economy despite the spread of the coronavirus. The Republican governor's order unleashed fresh debate in...

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