Florida

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Transgender Student Arrested in Challenge to Bathroom Law

College student informed state lawmakers of her intentions in advance

(Newser) - With the words "I am here to break the law," a transgender woman walked into a women's restroom at the Florida State Capitol, igniting a legal battle in what's believed to be the first arrest under controversial new bathroom restrictions passed by several states, the...

Republican Wins Closely Watched Special Election
Republicans Win
2 Florida Special Elections
UPDATED
Apr 1, 2025 8:03 PM CDT

Republicans Win 2 Florida Special Elections

Randy Fine defeated Democratic challenger Josh Weil in unexpectedly tight race

(Newser) - Republican state Sen. Randy Fine won a special election Tuesday to represent Florida's 6th Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger Josh Weil and squashing efforts by national Democrats who spent millions of dollars on the race. Fine had faced growing pressure during the race's final days as some Republicans...

Driver Kills 2 Passengers After 'Disturbance' on Bus

It's not clear whether Miami-Dade driver will be charged

(Newser) - A Miami-Dade Transit bus driver killed two of his passengers early Sunday, police say. Miami Gardens Police spokesperson Diana Delgado tells NBC6 that the driver fatally shot two men after "a disturbance with passengers on the bus" in Miami Gardens, a Miami suburb, around 3am. The men were airlifted...

Unexpectedly Tight Race in Florida Is in the Spotlight
GOP Sweating a Surprisingly
Tight Race in Florida
the rundown
Mar 31, 2025 8:31 AM CDT

GOP Sweating a Surprisingly Tight Race in Florida

Republican candidate is underperforming in House special election to replace Mike Waltz

(Newser) - Tuesday's election to fill a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is generating a lot of headlines, but another contest the same day in Florida has unexpectedly surfaced high on the national political radar. The details:
  • The contest: Voters in a heavily Republican district in the central part of
...

Cops: Man Killed Woman, 3 Kids in Domestic Shooting

Florida man is in critical condition after trying to kill himself

(Newser) - A 34-year-old man fatally shot a woman and three young children and injured another child before attempting to kill himself inside their apartment, authorities in South Florida said Friday. The woman and three of her children were pronounced dead on Wednesday night inside their apartment in Pembroke Park, Broward Sheriff'...

Florida's Idea to Replace Migrant Labor: Child Labor

GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, state Legislature pushing bill to loosen child labor laws, allow overnight shifts

(Newser) - Long before President Trump returned to the White House, Florida began cracking down on companies hiring undocumented immigrants. Now, a new dilemma: Who will take on the lower-paying jobs in the state that those immigrants held? The state Legislature has an idea: loosening labor laws so kids can slip into...

Andrew Tate Returns to Romania, Blasts 'Garbage' Accusations

Says Florida criminal investigation has been 'settled'

(Newser) - Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate checked in at a police station near Romania's capital on Monday, complying with judicial control requirements in the case in which they are charged with human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, per the AP . Outside the police station...

Florida Toys With Idea of Killing Property Tax
Florida Toys With Idea
of Killing Property Tax
in case you missed it
Mar 23, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Florida Toys With Idea of Killing Property Tax

Gov. Ron DeSantis is on board

(Newser) - Florida pulled in more than $55 billion in property taxes for the 2024-25 fiscal year—and some in the state are considering the idea of dropping that figure to zero. The Wall Street Journal reports that the state's property-tax system is among the hottest topics among legislators who are...

Wife of Murdered Doctor Must Pay Stepkids $200M

But so far, no criminal charges against Rebecca Schwartz for 2014 killing of Steven Schwartz

(Newser) - The spouse of a doctor found murdered in his Florida mansion more than a decade ago will have to open her wallet for the deceased physician's adult kids. WFLA reports that Rebecca Schwartz, 64, was ordered earlier this month by a civil court to pay her three stepchildren nearly...

Women's Group Launches Campaign to Extradite Tates

Ultraviolet has put up 'Unwanted in Miami' posters, wants them sent to UK

(Newser) - Posters have gone up in Miami with a photo of Andrew Tate and the slogan, in English and Spanish, "Unwanted in Miami." They're part of a campaign from the women's justice group Ultraviolet to have the influencer and his brother, Tristan Tate, extradited to the UK...

Cops: She Couldn't Take Dog on Flight, So She Drowned It

Florida woman allegedly killed dog before boarding flight at Orlando airport

(Newser) - A Florida woman has been charged with a felony after a disturbing case of animal cruelty at Orlando International Airport. Police say Alison Lawrence drowned Tywinn, her 9-year-old miniature schnauzer, in an airport bathroom in December after she was told she didn't have the right paperwork to fly with...

Mayor Wants to Evict Cinema for Showing Oscar-Winning Film
Mayor Drops Proposal
to Evict Cinema
UPDATED
Mar 19, 2025 5:02 PM CDT

Mayor Drops Proposal to Evict Cinema

Miami Beach commissioners oppose canceling lease for showing Oscar-winning film

(Newser) - Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner has dropped a proposal to evict an independent film cinema for showing Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. The Miami Herald reports that the vast majority of attendees—and five out of six city commissioners—opposed the mayor's proposal at a "raucous" city commission...

Cop Delivers Pizza After Delivery Driver Spots Huge Gator

Unwelcome 8-foot reptile was lurking under customer's car in Bradenton, Florida

(Newser) - A pizza delivery driver in Florida had quite the scare last weekend when an unexpected interloper interrupted her workday. Per ABC News , police in Bradenton responded to a call on Sunday of an 8-foot-long alligator wandering around the River Isles neighborhood—and when an officer arrived on the scene, he...

States With the Highest Tax Rates in America

Sorry, Illinois residents—WalletHub says it's the worst

(Newser) - "Every year during tax season, Americans are reminded of just how much of their hard-earned income isn't theirs to keep." That's the take offered by Chip Lupo, an analyst for WalletHub, which decided to see which US states claim the lowest (and highest) tax rates as...

In Just 120 Hours, Rays Will Make Yankees' Site Their Own

Temporarily homeless Tampa Bay team will rebrand NY team's posh spring-training facility

(Newser) - Extreme Makeover: Baseball Edition is about to premiere. On March 23, the Tampa Bay Rays staff will launch a 120-hour transformation of Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa, for the Rays' season in exile from storm-damaged Tropicana Field. By the time the Rays host their...

Cops: He Posed as NBA Player Rep, Swallowed $770K in Bling

Police say Jaythan Gilder, 32, made off with jewelry from Tiffany & Co. store in Florida

(Newser) - A Texas man has been arrested after police say he stole nearly $770,000 worth of Tiffany jewelry in Florida in the most desperately creative way. According to an Orlando Police Department arrest warrant, 32-year-old Jaythan Gilder strolled into a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando's Mall at Millennia...

Alligator Attacks 2 Florida Kayakers

Woman with injured elbow was airlifted to a hospital

(Newser) - A group of around 20 kayakers making their way through a Florida nature preserve had a very tense 45 minutes after an alligator attack on Monday. The alligator bit a woman on the elbow and ripped a man's life jacket off in the attack at the Tiger Creek Preserve,...

Florida Opens Criminal Investigation of Tate Brothers

'Florida has zero tolerance for people who abuse women and girls,' state AG says

(Newser) - Florida's attorney general announced Tuesday that his office has opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, days after they returned to the US. Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in a post on X that he directed his office to...

Golfer Uses Club to Redirect Alligator on the Course

Billy Horschel calls incident 'not that big of a deal'

(Newser) - Golfer Billy Horschel found himself facing an uninvited guest at the PGA National Thursday when an alligator strolled onto the green in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, just after Horschel finished the sixth hole. As the golfer walked to the seventh hole, he noticed a police officer trying in vain to...

Body of Tourist Who Vanished 2 Years Ago Found in Georgia

UK's Alex Doughty had vanished in September 2022 after getting into taxi in Florida

(Newser) - The body of a British tourist who vanished while visiting America more than two years ago has been found. The FBI's Jacksonville office in Florida announced Friday that the remains of 32-year-old Alex Hodgson Doughty were found on Feb. 4, in a wooded spot on private property in Kingsland,...

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