Florida

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

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He Was Watching a Shark. Then a Swimmer Showed Up

Florida vacationer captures frightening video in Panama City Beach

(Newser) - A vacationer at a Florida resort watched for hours from his 28th floor balcony as what he thought might be a shark drifted through the murky waters of the beach below. It's when a swimmer at the Panama City Beach entered the picture that Stan Battles started recording—and...

He Opened the Toilet Lid, Snake 'Rose Up and Bit Him'

Fortunately, the ball python was nonvenomous

(Newser) - Like something out of a horror movie, a 4-foot-long snake slithered out of a toilet in Coral Springs, Florida, and bit a man on the arm Sunday. Fortunately, the ball python is a nonvenomous snake, and the 52-year-old man was able to be treated at his apartment. He had just...

He Admitted Killing His Wife at Sea. Now He Learns His Fate

Lewis Bennett to be reunited with daughter in 8 years

(Newser) - He faced up to eight years in prison, and that's what he got. Lewis Bennett—who admitted to involuntary manslaughter in the May 2017 death of his wife at sea, three months after their wedding—received eight years in federal prison at his Tuesday sentencing in Miami, reports ABC...

Florida Teens Killed in Accident Hours After Arriving in Peru

They were visiting country to celebrate graduation

(Newser) - A high school in Bradenton, Florida, is mourning two students who were killed in an accident while visiting Peru to celebrate their recent graduation. Albert Ales and Zachary Morris, both 18, were killed just hours after arriving in the country when a bus hit their motorcycle as they were exploring...

An Antibiotic for Syphilis Is Being Sprayed on Orange Trees
You Know About Antibiotics
and Meat. How About Oranges?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

You Know About Antibiotics and Meat. How About Oranges?

Two antibiotics are being sprayed on some of America's orange, grapefruit trees

(Newser) - We hear a lot about antibiotics used to produce our meat. Oranges, not so much. But that's the reality, reports Andrew Jacobs for the New York Times . It's all due to citrus greening disease, which is caused by a bacteria that is spread to orange and grapefruit trees...

Prank by Wendy's Worker 'Totally Unacceptable'

Now ex-employee took a bath in a kitchen sink in Florida, went viral

(Newser) - It's bad enough to think of fast-food workers not washing their hands before handling food, so the latest story out of a Florida Wendy's is giving plenty of customers angst. CBS Miami reports on a viral video that was apparently shot on Snapchat and started circulating on Facebook...

Woman Who Survived Killer's Murder Spree Watches Him Die

Bobby Joe Long, 65, killed 10 women in Florida in 1984

(Newser) - A serial killer and rapist who terrorized Florida with a murderous spree that claimed 10 women's lives in 1984 was put to death Thursday, his execution witnessed by a woman who survived one of his attacks and aided in his capture. Bobby Joe Long, 65, was pronounced dead at...

Judge Ditches Guidelines, Gives Man Life Over 1993 Killing

He cites toll on son, who witnessed the crime as a toddler

(Newser) - A quarter-century after a toddler told police his father hurt his mother, that man has been locked up. Michael Haim, 52, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 1993 murder of his 23-year-old wife, Bonnie. Haim lived for years off Bonnie's life insurance policy before his son...

A Friend Allegedly Killed Him—and NFL Dreams

Rising football star Joshua Ancrum fatally shot in Florida on Tuesday

(Newser) - "Stop the violence." It's a simple plea made with a lot of pain by the mother of a 17-year-old rising football star fatally shot Tuesday—allegedly by a childhood friend. Joshua Ancrum was at a friend's house in Miami Gardens, Fla., when there was an argument...

He Left 10 Bodies in His Wake. Today, His Own Death

Serial killer Bobby Joe Long set to be executed in Florida Thursday

(Newser) - A serial killer is facing execution Thursday for a murderous spree that claimed 10 women's lives and terrorized Florida's Tampa Bay area in 1984. Bobby Joe Long, 65, is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke, per the AP . Artiss Ann Wick was...

Trayvon Martin's Mom Makes a Big Announcement

Sybrina Fulton plans to enter Florida politics

(Newser) - Trayvon Martin's mother is running for political office, the Miami Herald reports. Sybrina Fulton—whose son was infamously shot dead by a neighborhood crime watch captain in 2012—plans to officially announce Monday that she's running for the Miami-Dade County Commission. "Our county must continue moving forward...

His Grass Got Too Long. Now He Could Lose His Home
His House Is Worth $125K.
Fine Over His Lawn Is $30K
in case you missed it

His House Is Worth $125K. Fine Over His Lawn Is $30K

Jim Ficken's grass exceeded 10 inches in length over two months last summer

(Newser) - When Jim Ficken spoke to the press recently in front of his Dunedin, Florida, home, his lawn was neatly cut. That hasn't always been the case, and that fact has made national news. That's because last year Ficken was fined $500 a day over his grass, which exceeded...

Man Calls 911 Over Comic's Middle East Joke

It 'really bothered me,' man told dispatcher

(Newser) - "I don’t think anyone has ever called 911 because they were offended by a joke," says Florida comedy club owner Brien Spina. Well, apart from on Sunday, when an audience member called 911 over remarks comedian Ahmed Ahmed made at Spina's Off The Hook club in...

Trump Gets an Unusual Thank You From 3 Radio Stations

Florida FM stations will air clips of his speeches every hour until the 2020 election

(Newser) - Gulf Coast Media's radio stations in Bay County and Panama City Beach, Fla., got ravaged during Hurricane Michael last fall. The company's senior management really appreciates how President Trump has stepped up to the plate since; he appeared last Wednesday in Panama City Beach and promised hundreds of...

Fla. Gov: Russians Hacked 2 Counties' Voting Systems

He says the FBI won't let him say which 2

(Newser) - Florida's governor says Russian hackers breached voter databases in two counties during the 2016 election—but he's not allowed to say which two. At a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said FBI and Homeland Security officials asked him to sign a nondisclosure agreement, Politico reports. He said...

3 Shootings Linked to Florida Hip-Hop Festival

2 killed, 1 injured in weekend of violence

(Newser) - Police say it is too early to say whether three shootings tied to a Miami-area hip-hop festival are related. South Florida police agencies are comparing evidence Tuesday to determine whether the shootings have a link beyond the Rolling Loud Festival, which concluded Sunday, the AP reports. A bystander died after...

1 Dead, 2 Injured in Shooting Near Trump Resort

Man across street was killed by stray bullet

(Newser) - Police are investigating a shooting near one of President Trump's resorts in Florida that left one person dead and two others injured. Miami Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta says that a call came in at 1:41pm on Sunday stating that shots were fired at the Trump International Beach...

'Hundreds of Bugs' Crawl Out of Girl's Backpack, Mom Arrested

Jessica Stevenson has been charged with felony child neglect

(Newser) - When a Florida second grader came to Bagdad Elementary School in Milton with an undesirable smell and soiled clothes, a staffer found out from the little girl she didn't remember the last time she'd bathed. Then, "hundreds of bugs crawled out" of the child's backpack in...

She Uses CBD Oil for Pain, Was Arrested for It at Disney

CBD oil found in purse at bag check caused a problem for Hester Burkhalter

(Newser) - Hester Burkhalter says she's never had so much as a speeding ticket. But while on a trip to Disney World, the 69-year-old great-grandmother spent 12 hours in jail and faced a felony charge stemming from a bottle of CBD oil, reports the Tampa Bay Times . An arrest warrant describes...

Florida Man Slips, Kills Friend
Florida Man Slips, Kills Friend

Florida Man Slips, Kills Friend

Victim was on roof, 10 feet from shooter's son

(Newser) - A Florida man stepped out his truck, slipped on a piece of construction debris, and shot and killed his longtime friend Wednesday. The unidentified male "was transitioning the gun from his waistband [to] his pocket" when he says it unintentionally fired as he slipped, a rep for the Hillsborough...

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