Florida

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

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Ex-Disney Worker Could Get 5 Years for Alleged 'Guilty Pleasure'

Cops say Jorge Diaz Vega, 26, had 500 videos on phone that were recorded up women's skirts

(Newser) - Troubling news emerged out of Disney over the past few days, on both sides of the country. First, a 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon went up in flames over the weekend in California's Disneyland, though thankfully no one was hurt. Now, out of Florida, a disturbing development from Disney World. According...

Florida Apologizes for Errant Wake-Up Call

DeSantis promises 'swift accountability' after mistaken text alert

(Newser) - Many Floridians were not pleased at being awakened at 4:45am Thursday by an emergency text alert, especially when there was no emergency, and state officials have promised to do something about it. The text was a test—as it said—intended to appear on TV, not on cellphones, ABC...

Celebs: We Shouldn't Be Liable for FTX Endorsements

The idea is 'nonsense,' Tom Brady, Larry David, others claim in court docs

(Newser) - After five months of trying, lawyers for a group of FTX investors who are suing celebrity endorsers say they've finally managed to serve the last of them: Shaquille O'Neal. "Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house," the Moskowitz...

Florida Extends 'Don't Say Gay' to All Grades in Public Schools

Educators in grades 4 to 12 banned from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity

(Newser) - Florida's Board of Education has extended the rule critics call "Don't Say Gay" to cover all grades in public schools. The amended rule says teachers in grades 4 to 12 "shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction" on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Orlando Sentinel reports....

DeSantis Suggests Building a Prison Next to Disney World

Governor is stepping up feud with theme park

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, apparently hell-bent on showing Mickey Mouse who's boss, announced new measures Monday in his ongoing feud with Walt Disney World. The Republican governor said new legislation would block the company's attempt to circumvent control by a DeSantis-installed board. DeSantis said he also plans to...

Producer Who Robbed Bank to Fund Film Sentenced

Baltimore man had been released early after other bank robbery convictions

(Newser) - A bank robber who said he was making a movie and needed money to finish filming has been given a 10-year prison sentence in Florida. Federal prosecutors said Nacoe Ray Brown of Baltimore took nearly $4,300 in cash from the McCoy Federal Credit Union in Belle Isle last June,...

Judge Who Hugged Parkland Prosecutor Disqualified From Case

Death row inmate argued Elizabeth Scherer showed unfair sympathy to prosecutors

(Newser) - The Florida judge who sentenced school shooter Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms last year after a jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty has been disqualified from another death penalty case. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Judge Elizabeth Scherer had shown unfair sympathy...

Florida Republicans Pass 6-Week Abortion Ban

DeSantis has said he supports the change

(Newser) - The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. A six-week ban would give DeSantis a political victory among Republican primary voters before officially launching a presidential candidacy...

Fort Lauderdale Airport Now Sits in Giant Puddle

1-in-1,000-year storm drops record rainfall on South Florida city

(Newser) - Fort Lauderdale may have never seen as much rainfall as on Wednesday when a slow-moving 1-in-a-thousand-year rainstorm "effectively became a stationary front," per the Washington Post . More than 25 inches of rain fell at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport over 24 hours, according to preliminary data from the National...

Florida Executes &#39;Ninja Killer&#39;
'Ninja Killer'
Executed in Florida
Apr 13, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

'Ninja Killer' Executed in Florida

Louis Bernard Gaskin, 56, wore ninja clothing during 1989 double murder

(Newser) - Florida executed a man known as the “ninja killer” on Wednesday for the 1989 slayings of a couple visiting the state from New Jersey, the AP reports. Louis Bernard Gaskin, 56, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm after receiving a lethal injection, the governor’s office said. He was...

Missing Teacher's Car Turns Up, With Body Inside

Robert Heikka's car found submerged in canal 6 miles from his Florida home

(Newser) - A body has been found in a submerged car belonging to a Florida middle school teacher who vanished two and a half years ago. Robert Heikka, then 70, was last seen at his home in Port Orange on Oct. 25, 2020, according to police. He failed to turn up at...

GOP Lawmaker Rants Against 'Demon' Transgender People

Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby got pushback from both Dems, Republicans after 'mutant' remarks

(Newser) - On Monday, a legislative hearing was held in Florida over the Safety in Private Spaces Act , which would bar anyone from using a restroom if it didn't match the sex they'd been assigned at birth. Comments from one particular lawmaker, however, stunned colleagues on both sides of the...

Final Juvenile Suspect in Murder of 3 Teens Arrested

3 young suspects all now in custody

(Newser) - The final juvenile suspected in the murder of three other teens in Florida was arrested Saturday, the AP reports. US Marshals located the 16-year-old and took him into custody. He faces charges of carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault, grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude...

Report: Florida's Top Doc Nixed Key Data From Vaccine Study

Analysis shows State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data on COVID being riskier than shot

(Newser) - An analysis that was the basis of a highly criticized recommendation from Florida's surgeon general cautioning young men against getting the COVID-19 vaccine omitted information that showed catching the virus could increase the risk of a cardiac-related death much more than getting the mRNA shot, according to drafts of...

Feel Like Watching a Gator Body-Slam a Python? Voila!
In Gator vs. Python,
Guess Who Wins?
VIDEO
Apr 8, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

In Gator vs. Python, Guess Who Wins?

Woman records body-slamming encounter in Florida Everglades, in which reptile claims victory

(Newser) - It's survival of the fittest in the Everglades, and if you're wondering who might win in a showdown between an alligator and a Burmese python, this clip recorded by Katina Boychew should put that question to rest. Per NBC2 , the Florida woman was visiting the wetlands preserve last...

13-Year-Old Son of Florida's COVID Whistleblower Arrested

She says it's retaliation; police say he threatened to shoot up a school

(Newser) - The 13-year-old son of Rebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist fired and allegedly harassed after she alleged the state was manipulating its COVID data and posted what she said were the state's "real" COVID numbers , has been arrested. Jones tweeted Wednesday, "My family is not safe. My...

Traffic in Palm Beach on Friday Was a Bit Weird

Police: Woman drove Rolls-Royce through a yard, onto beach

(Newser) - A Florida resident's evening drive last week in her Rolls-Royce didn't end well. Palm Beach police say a 66-year-old woman hurtled through someone's backyard in her luxury car on Friday, then crashed through a seawall before ultimately coming to a halt with its nose in the sand...

DeSantis Signs New Concealed Weapons Law

Permit, training, background check no longer required

(Newser) - Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Monday, giving the governor another legislative victory as he prepares a campaign for president. The governor signed the bill in a private ceremony in his office. His only immediate public comment...

She's Charged After Deaths of 2 Grandkids in a Year

Florida's Tracey Nix faces charges after the most recent one, for leaving infant in hot car

(Newser) - A Florida grandmother faces criminal charges after the death of a second grandchild in her care in less than a year. The woman is 65-year-old Tracey Nix of Hardee County, and Nix's own daughter wants to see her in prison, reports NBC News . The details are wrenching:
  • In December
...

A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom at Work. He Never Came Back
A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom
at Work. He Never Came Back
in case you missed it
Apr 1, 2023 4:05 PM CDT

A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom at Work. He Never Came Back

No body has been found, but Florida plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski is charged with murder

(Newser) - The last time Florida attorney Steven Cozzi was seen was last Tuesday, at his office in Largo. Now, a local plastic surgeon is facing first-degree murder charges in Cozzi's death, though the lawyer's body still hasn't been located, reports FOX 13 . Police say that after executing a...

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