Florida

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Spring Breaker Sees His 210 Beers Go Down the Drain

19-year-old was traveling with a whole lot of Natural Light: cops

(Newser) - While his buddies were partying in Destin, Fla., an Alabama teen spent the start of his spring break in jail. Police in Okaloosa County, Fla., say they pulled over 19-year-old University of Alabama student Alden Whiteside on suspicion of reckless driving on Friday but soon discovered his alleged need for...

Florida Has a Beef With Creamery's 'Skim Milk'

Court rules skim milk is still skim milk without added vitamins

(Newser) - A small, all-natural dairy isn't being deceptive when it calls its skim milk "skim milk," a federal appeals court ruled Monday in a victory for the creamery that's fighting the state's demand to label the product "imitation" because vitamins aren't added to it,...

No Charges for Guards Who Allegedly Boiled Prisoner Alive

The state disregarded testimony of Darren Rainey's fellow inmates

(Newser) - The state has declined to file criminal charges against four corrections officers who allegedly boiled a schizophrenic inmate alive in a Florida prison shower five years ago, the Miami New Times reports. Darren Rainey was serving time in Dade Correctional Institute for cocaine possession when corrections officers allegedly trapped him...

Woman 'Almost Crashed Car' When Snake Came Out of Vent

Monica Dorsett swerved across two lanes when she saw the creature

(Newser) - Something more than air came slithering out of a car vent in Florida, the AP reports. Monica Dorsett says she "almost crashed her car" when a red rat snake crawled out the air conditioner vent as she drove down a highway in Venice. Dorsett tells Fox 13 she was...

Prosecutor Won't Seek Death Penalty, Fla. Governor Reacts

Gov. Rick Scott takes murder probe away from Aramis Ayala, hands it to Brad King

(Newser) - Orlando's police chief said this week he was "extremely upset" to hear prosecutors wouldn't be going for the death penalty in the case of a man accused of killing a cop and his own ex-girlfriend, the Orlando Weekly reports. Those feelings may be soothed after hearing Florida...

A Drive-Thru Worker Just Redefined Customer Service

He jumps out window to save unconscious customer in SUV

(Newser) - McDonald's employee Pedro Viloria doesn't typically jump through the drive-thru window, but a shocking moment during his Tuesday breakfast shift in Doral, Florida, led him to do just that. Now, he's being deemed a hero for his quick actions. Mashable reports that after handing over an order...

Mom Allegedly Pushed Teen to Suicide, Watched It Unfold

Gina Caze says she thought it was fake

(Newser) - A woman allegedly encouraged her daughter to commit suicide with comments posted on a live stream before the 14-year-old hanged herself in a bathroom, according to a horrifying report from the Florida Department of Children and Families. But an attorney for Naika Venant's mother calls the allegation "absolutely...

Cobra Escapes, Is on the Loose in Florida

Pet snake escaped from its room

(Newser) - If you're in the area around Ocala, Fla., watch out: A pet cobra escaped from its home Monday night and a search has been launched. Per First Coast News , police and the state Fish and Wildlife Commission are urging residents to "use caution" until the 2-foot-long snake is...

Cruise Ship Just Misses Jet Skiers
Cruise Ship Just 
Misses Jet Skiers
VIDEO
Mar 13, 2017 7:21 AM CDT

Cruise Ship Just Misses Jet Skiers

Young women rescued right before Carnival Magic barreled into them off Florida coast

(Newser) - "There's people on a Jet Ski … right in front of the boat, and now we're going to hit the Jet Ski." That's an observer's play-by-play in a YouTube video now making the rounds after a very close call in Florida waters over the...

Cops: 'Genius' Drunk Guy Loses Keys, Swipes Forklift

Man 'needed something to drive,' took forklift because he knew 'how to drive one'

(Newser) - Florida Keys authorities say a drunken man from Rhode Island stole a forklift and crashed into a gate in Marathon, telling deputies he lost his car keys and needed something to drive, reports the AP . The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says in a news release that 44-year-old Edward Quinton...

Cops: Man Starts Fire at Store He Thought Was Muslim-Owned

It wasn't

(Newser) - Authorities say a 64-year-old Florida man tried to burn down a convenience store Friday because he thought it was owned by Muslims. It wasn't. The Palm Beach Post reports sheriff's deputies were called to a Met Mart in St. Lucie for reports of a suspicious person. Deputies say...

Woman Arrested at Florida Stadium Claims to Be Tebow's Girlfriend

She even had the 'I heart Tim Tebow' sticker to prove it

(Newser) - On Feb. 26, the day Tim Tebow arrived for the New York Mets' Minor League Baseball camp at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla., a woman arrived at the stadium early in the morning, hung around all day, and asked lots of questions about Tebow. That prompted staff...

City Fires Cop Who Killed Woman, 73 in Drill

Fla. officer had been on leave since last summer

(Newser) - The Florida cop who killed a 73-year-old librarian when he fired real bullets during a role-playing exercise is now an ex-cop. Punta Gorda Officer Lee Coel has been on administrative leave since last summer, when he shot Mary Knowlton dead in front of her husband of 55 years, but he...

Lawyer's Pants Catch Fire During Arson Trial

Florida attorney argued that client's car spontaneously combusted

(Newser) - Jurors trying to assess the truthfulness of defense lawyer Stephen Gutierrez's closing arguments in an arson trial Wednesday may have been dismayed to notice that his pants were literally on fire. Witnesses say the lawyer had to flee the Miami courtroom with smoke billowing from his pocket, the Miami ...

1st Margaritaville Retirement Community Opening in Florida

A match made in heaven

(Newser) - Good news, Parrotheads, Jimmy Buffet is cooking up something that, as company CEO John Cohlan tells the Orlando Sentinel , will allow seniors to "live the Margaritaville lifestyle as they grow older, but not up.” That's right, the world is about get its first Margaritaville senior-living community. ABC...

7 States With Most Unsheltered Homeless

California has double the national average

(Newser) - An estimated 31% of the 549,928 homeless people in the US last year were living without a roof over their heads, meaning they did not stay in shelters or other housing programs, reports 24/7 Wall St . But the percentage in California, home to 21% of all homeless people in...

Boy, 2, Dies After More Than 5 Hours in Hot SUV

He was left in vehicle outside Fla. day care

(Newser) - Yet another child has died after being left in a hot car all day. The latest tragic death was in Brandon, Fla., where 2-year-old Jacob Manchego died Tuesday after being left for more than five hours in an SUV outside the day care center where his half sister worked, WFLA...

Face-Biter Says He Fled Demon Named Daniel Before Killings

Never-shown interview between Dr. Phil and Austin Harrouff made public

(Newser) - A Florida college student accused of randomly killing a couple in their garage and chewing on the dead man's face told Dr. Phil he was fleeing a demon-like figure named Daniel and only had a vague recollection of the slayings, the AP reports. In an interview released Tuesday by...

Manslaughter Charge for Cop Who Mistakenly Killed Librarian

Mary Knowlton was shot during Punta Gorda role-playing drill

(Newser) - An elderly Florida woman taking part last August in a citizen's role-playing drill with police was accidentally killed during the exercise. Now, per WINK News , Lee Coel, the cop who pulled the trigger has been arrested and charged with felony manslaughter—and Tom Lewis, the chief of the Punta...

Internet Sleuth Busts Cheater in Half-Marathon

Jane Seo cut the course, then biked it to get GPS data

(Newser) - Jane Seo's second-place finish at the Fort Lauderdale half-marathon Sunday was impressive, not least because race times showed she'd kept a pace of about seven minutes per mile for the first half of the race, but managed 5:25 per mile in the second. As an internet sleuth...

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