Florida

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

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Miami Herald Editorial: We Hope Nation Is Watching

Newspaper blames governor for loss of huge Disney development, but not all agree

(Newser) - Disney has pulled the plug on a $1 billion project in Florida, and most (but by no means all) see the company's ongoing feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis as the primary reason. That feud, of course, started last year when the company criticized the state education law that detractors...

Hacked Traffic Sign in Florida Read 'Kill All Gays'

Police investigating message shown hours before laws were signed targeting transgender care

(Newser) - On a day meant to highlight discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, a traffic sign in Orlando broadcast a clear example: "Kill all gays." The hateful message in bright orange capital letters was shown in the area of Lake Nona Medical City early Wednesday on a digital traffic sign,...

Disney Cancels $1B Office Plan for Florida

Iger had suggested company could cut back during feud with DeSantis

(Newser) - After CEO Bob Iger hinted last week that the company might do something like this, given what it sees as the hard time Gov. Ron DeSantis is giving it, Disney dropped its plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Florida. Josh D'Amaro, the head of theme parks,...

DeSantis Signs Laws on Trans Kids, Pronouns

Florida governor also signed law targeting drag shows

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of "preferred pronouns" in schools, and force people to use certain bathrooms. DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he prepares to seek the Republican presidential...

Florida Moves to Shield Space Companies From Lawsuits

Passengers, crew members will be required to sign waiver before liftoff

(Newser) - The spaceflight industry is big business in Florida—and lawmakers have moved to protect space companies from getting sued if things go wrong. A bill passed by Florida lawmakers shields companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin from civil lawsuits if spacecraft passengers or crew members...

7-Year-Old Gets Caught in Dust Devil During Baseball Game

17-year-old umpire Aidan Wiles rescues Bauer Zoya in odd phenomenon in Jacksonville, Florida

(Newser) - A young baseball player in Florida got quite the scare over the weekend when he was caught up in what looked like a pint-size tornado of dust in the middle of the game. WPLG reports that 7-year-old Bauer Zoya, a catcher for the Ponte Vedra Sharks, was on a field...

DeSantis, Trump Disagree on Florida Abortion Ban

Trump says even pro-lifers think it's 'harsh,' DeSantis hits back

(Newser) - Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump are publicly disagreeing once again. In an interview with digital news startup The Messenger published Monday, Trump said Florida's six-week abortion ban, which has not yet taken effect, may have gone too far even for some on the right. "If you look at...

DeSantis Makes Big Move on Colleges
DeSantis
Makes Big
Move on
Colleges
May 15, 2023 3:01 PM CDT

DeSantis Makes Big Move on Colleges

Bars diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida, tells complainers to go to Berkeley

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his campaign on Monday against what he views as "woke" ideology in the education system. The governor and presumptive 2024 presidential candidate signed into law a measure that prohibits the state's public colleges and universities from spending money on what are known as...

Florida Investigating Teacher for Showing Disney Film

She was reported to state department of education for showing 'Strange World'

(Newser) - A fifth-grade teacher in Florida is under investigation for showing students the Disney film Strange World, which features a gay character. Jenna Barbee, who released a TikTok video telling her side of the story over the weekend, says she showed the movie while part of her class finished state testing,...

Professor's Underwater Stay Sets Record

Joseph Dituri is teaching classes from Jules' Undersea Lodge

(Newser) - A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization this weekend at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers. Joseph Dituri's 74th day residing in Jules' Undersea Lodge, situated at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, wasn't much different than...

How Wife Allegedly Got Away With Killing This Man in 1961

'Corrupt influences' aided Frances DiMare, now blamed for first husband's 1961 murder

(Newser) - Many considered Frances DiMare a victim when she died in 2006 at age 82. Four decades earlier, she told police that she and her husband were kidnapped at gunpoint and Joseph DiMare was fatally shot in the head. Miami-Dade police now say her story was a lie. "Investigators met...

Has Anyone Seen Bruce?
Has Anyone
Seen Bruce?
May 13, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

Has Anyone Seen Bruce?

Liz Atkinson is 'completely desperate' to find stuffed elephant with late son's ashes, lost in Florida

(Newser) - "I am completely desperate and hoping this blows up and we find our elephant!" So begins a May 6 Facebook plea from Liz Atkinson, an ER nurse from Iowa who's doing all she can to find a stuffed animal that went missing during a family vacation in...

Mother of Teen's Killer Sentenced on Evidence Charge

Plea deal keeps Crystal Smith out of prison after her son killed a 13-year-old classmate

(Newser) - With her evidence-tampering trial scheduled to begin Monday, Crystal Smith accepted a plea deal Friday and was sentenced to five years' probation for trying to cover up her son's involvement in a teenager's slaying. She'll also have to serve 30 days in jail. Smith, who had faced...

Critics Slam DeSantis' New 'Medical Freedom' Law

Florida bill allows doctors, insurers to refuse services based on religious, moral, ethical beliefs

(Newser) - On Thursday, Ron DeSantis signed what his office is touting as "the strongest legislation in the nation for medical freedom," with four separate bills that the Republican governor says offer "expanded protections [that] will help ensure that medical authoritarianism does not take root in Florida." One...

Publix Wouldn't Write Pro-Trans Message on Cake

Grocery store reps have since apologized over incident at Orlando-area bakery

(Newser) - Having a message written on a cake at a Publix bakery doesn't typically make national headlines. Two representatives of a nonprofit advocacy group, however, say a day that should have been filled with joy was soured by a refusal to honor the wording they asked for at an Orlando-area...

Florida Is Ready to Pave Roads With Radioactive Substance

Critics of the bill worry toxic phosphogypsum could taint local waterways

(Newser) - Lawmakers in Florida have proposed legislation that could change the fabric of the state's infrastructure, reports NPR . The controversial proposal aims to use radioactive material, specifically a waste substance produced by the fertilizer industry called phosphogypsum, as a component in pavement on the state's roads. Bill advocates argue...

Florida Executes Man for 37-Year-Old Crime

56-year-old Darryl Barwick murdered woman in 1986, when he was 19 years old

(Newser) - A Florida man was executed Wednesday for breaking into a woman's home and stabbing her to death in 1986, a crime committed months after he was released from prison for a rape. Darryl B. Barwick, 56, was pronounced dead at 6:14pm Wednesday following a lethal injection at Florida...

Florida Killings Called 'Absolutely a Tragedy'

Suspect dies in police shooting after 4 bodies found in Lake Wales apartment

(Newser) - The discovery of four bodies inside a Florida apartment on Tuesday sparked a manhunt that ended early Wednesday when the suspect was killed in an officer-involved shooting, according to Lake Wales police. "It's absolutely a tragedy," Police Chief Chris Velasquez tells WFTS . Officers were called to an...

Underwater in National Park, an 'Intriguing Find'

1861 grave of Fort Jefferson laborer is discovered submerged within Dry Tortugas National Park

(Newser) - The graves of dozens of people—including US soldiers—who died at Florida's Fort Jefferson in the late 19th century are now believed to be underwater. In August 2022, divers identified a grave carrying the name John Greer and the year 1861 on a submerged island near Garden Key...

DeSantis Board Approves Countersuing Disney
DeSantis Board OKs Disney Suit
May 1, 2023 2:30 PM CDT

DeSantis Board OKs Disney Suit

Company is seeking to block Florida governor's takeover of district

(Newser) - Days after Disney sued Florida's governor in federal court for what it described as retaliation for opposing the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, members of Disney World's governing board—made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees—authorized a lawsuit Monday against the entertainment giant....

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