Florida

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

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DeSantis Signs Strict Social Media Law

It bans social media accounts for under-14s, requires parental consent for under-16s

(Newser) - Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors—if it withstands expected legal challenges—under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill, HB3, will ban social media accounts for children under 14. Those who are 14 or...

Warship&#39;s 1742 Sinking Left Crew on Deserted Island
Warship's
1742 Sinking
Left Crew on
Deserted Island
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 23, 2024 4:45 PM CDT

Warship's 1742 Sinking Left Crew on Deserted Island

HMS Tyger's survivors built Garden Key's first fortifications, a century before Fort Jefferson

(Newser) - A British warship that sank off Florida nearly 300 years ago, forcing its crew to embark on a remarkable survival journey, has been identified. HMS Tyger, first discovered within Dry Tortugas National Park in 1993, was identified after archaeologists visited the site in 2021 and discovered five cannons, believed to...

Florida Law Bans Homeless People From Sleeping in Public

Bill signed by DeSantis this week says cities can create authorized camps if shelters are full

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a law banning homeless people from sleeping overnight in public places including parks and sidewalks. HB 1365 says cities and counties can set up government-run camps if shelters are full. DeSantis and other Republicans say the legislation will help provide unsheltered people with "...

Baby Giraffe Found Dead With Broken Neck at Zoo Miami

Staff says it's possible something startled the animal

(Newser) - Another giraffe has lost its life in an accident that resulted in a broken neck, this time a baby giraffe at Zoo Miami. The giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found by the zoo's staff Saturday morning, spokesperson Ron Magill said. "Because the event that led to this...

Cops in Florida Beach Town Had Very Busy Hour Sunday Night

Jacksonville Beach saw 3 shootings in 41 minutes

(Newser) - Spring break and St. Paddy's Day must have brought the crazy, because Jacksonville Beach cops had an extremely busy Sunday night. As WJXX reports, three separate shootings occurred in the Florida city within an hour, killing one and injuring several. The beachfront, downtown, and bar area were put on...

More People Moved to One Florida County Than Any Other in 2023

Florida's citrus grove-replete Polk County is quite the draw these days

(Newser) - More people moved to a county rich with citrus groves located between two of Florida's most populous metro areas than to any other county in the US last year, according to estimates released Thursday by the US Census Bureau. More than 29,300 people moved last year to the...

Man's Appetite for Soft Bacon Leads to Brain Parasites

Case of pork tapeworm larvae infecting brain tissue described in new study

(Newser) - A Florida man who went to his doctor complaining his migraine medication wasn't touching his increasingly frequent and painful headaches was found to have parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain. After four months of pain, a CT scan revealed fluid-filled sacs throughout the white matter of the 52-year-old's...

Rare Crocodile Attack Takes Place in Florida

Man capsized his sailboat before the attack took place

(Newser) - A 68-year-old man fell off a sailboat at a marina in the Florida Everglades and was bitten by a crocodile as he tried to swim to shore, the AP reports. The rare crocodile bite occurred Sunday afternoon at the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park and left the man, who...

Fisherman Reportedly Loses Hand to Gator

Florida man was apparently trying to retrieve fish from pond

(Newser) - A Florida fisherman reportedly lost a hand in an alligator attack. "He took his hand off ... Hand is gone!" a witness who called 911 reported Sunday, per WOFL . A second 911 caller described a man "moaning and groaning constantly," per WKMG . The unnamed male was reeling...

Settlement Clears Up Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill

Teachers can talk about sexual orientation, gender identity, just not as part of instruction

(Newser) - Students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it's not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who'd challenged a state law that critics dubbed "Don't Say Gay." The settlement...

Beached Sperm Whale Off Florida Couldn't Be Saved

The 44-foot male appeared underweight

(Newser) - A sperm whale that became famous after beaching itself on a sandbar along Florida's Gulf Coast died Monday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. As the AP reports, police and wildlife officials began trying to free the male whale from the shallow sandbar off...

After Meeting With Trump, Elon Musk Clarifies One Thing

X owner was spotted at weekend gathering with Trump, wealthy GOP donors in Florida

(Newser) - After a report surfaced that Donald Trump met with Elon Musk as a potential campaign donor over the weekend, Musk is shooting down the possibility. "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," he tweeted Wednesday.

Miami Beach Is So Over Spring Break

Officials are upping security measures, but it's not clear whether it will work

(Newser) - Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it's not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos, including parking restrictions for non-residents and...

Court Dumps Florida's 'Positively Dystopian' 'Stop WOKE' Law

Administration 'reviewing all options' after court rejection

(Newser) - A court has ruled that one of the signature laws of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is unlawful. A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act, also known as the Individual Freedom Act, "exceeds the bounds of the First Amendment....

University of Florida Drops All DEI Positions

DeSantis applauds the move he'd worked toward

(Newser) - The University of Florida has shut down its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, an administrative memo revealed on Friday, in response to new state restrictions on the use of funding. The memo says the school closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, "eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments,...

See the Moment Deputies Find 5-Year-Old Lost in Swamp

Outcome could 'have been much different,' says Florida sheriff

(Newser) - Florida police helped deliver a happy ending to a terrifying situation that began Monday evening when a 5-year-old girl with autism walked away from her home near Tampa. "The panic starts to kick in," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tells ABC News of the moment parents realized the...

Justices Bring Orwell Into Social Media Case

Florida, Texas cases could have major effect on online debates

(Newser) - Supreme Court justices sounded hesitant Monday to dismiss First Amendment concerns about state laws that would restrict social media companies' ability to moderate users' posts. The court spent four hours hearing oral arguments about laws passed in Florida and Texas that are blocked for now, the New York Times reports....

In Ring Footage, Father Confesses He Killed Son

Florida man says 'fighting was unbearable,' so he shot 22-year-old son

(Newser) - "He's not breathing. He's dead. The fighting on the way home was unbearable," David de Jesus Contreras says on video recorded on his home's Ring camera. The "he" in question is his 22-year-old son, Eric, and Contreras has confessed to fatally shooting him after a fight on...

Amid School Measles Outbreak, Florida Rejects CDC Guidance

State surgeon general tells parents they can send unvaccinated kids to school if they want

(Newser) - Florida's surgeon general has told parents of children at a school experiencing a measles outbreak that they can feel free to ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In a Feb. 20 letter, Joseph Ladapo told parents at Manatee Bay Elementary in south Florida that the state's...

Florida Passes Bill to Release Epstein Transcripts

Measure to unseal records from 2006 grand jury is headed to governor's desk

(Newser) - The transcripts of a 2006 grand jury that investigated Jeffrey Epstein 's sexual assaults of underage girls will be released to the public under a bill heading to Florida's governor after it was unanimously passed by the Legislature. The bill, which passed the Senate on Wednesday after earlier...

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