Florida

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

Stories 361 - 380 | << Prev   Next >>

Principal Quits After Being Scammed by Fake Elon Musk

She wrote $100K check after months of communicating with fraudster

(Newser) - The principal of a charter STEM school in Florida resigned this week after saying she had been taken in by a scammer pretending to be Elon Musk. "I am a very smart lady. Well-educated. I fell for a scam," Dr. Jan McGee told a board meeting, per WESH...

Disney Has a Big Surprise for DeSantis

Surprise language in 11th-hour deal effectively wrests power away from Florida governor's board

(Newser) - Last month, Ron DeSantis declared himself the "new sheriff in town" at Disney World, after he hand-picked members for a board that oversees what was formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special tax district for Disney's Orlando-area theme parks. His move came amid a contentious...

Man Accused of Threatening Sheriff Gets Surprise 'Welcome'

'Welcome to Florida,' threatened Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood tells extradited suspect

(Newser) - A New Jersey man extradited to Florida to face a charge of threatening a local sheriff was greeted Monday by that very man. As Richard Golden descended an escalator at Orlando Sanford International Airport in the company of officers, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood stood at the bottom. "Hope...

Florida School Yanks Ruby Bridges Movie

Parent complains story about desegregation is inappropriate for 2nd graders

(Newser) - An elementary school in Florida is taking criticism for pulling the Disney film Ruby Bridges out of circulation for its students. As the Tampa Bay Times reports, the movie tells the true story of how Ruby, a Black 6-year-old girl, set off a firestorm when she attended a previously all-white...

Michelangelo&#39;s David Was Too &#39;Pornographic&#39; for Florida Parent
Museum Invites
Florida Class
to Take a Look
updated
Mar 26, 2023 4:45 PM CDT

Museum Invites Florida Class to Take a Look

Principal was ousted in dispute over teaching about Michelangelo's David

(Newser) - The museum in Italy that displays Michelangelo's David has invited the parents and students of a Florida school whose principal was forced out in a dispute over teaching about the statue to come see it for themselves. The mayor of Florence and the director of the Galleria dell'Accademia...

Invasive New Mosquito Species Is Spreading in Florida
Florida Has a
New, 'Concerning'
Mosquito Species
in case you missed it
Mar 26, 2023 11:25 AM CDT

Florida Has a New, 'Concerning' Mosquito Species

There are a lot of unknowns with Culex lactator

(Newser) - With around 90 species of mosquito already buzzing around Florida, is one more going to make much of a difference? Scientists say they just don't know, which makes it important to track the spread of Culex lactator, an invasive species normally found in Central America and northern South America,...

Teenager Gets Life in Prison in 13-Year-Old's Stabbing Death

Killer's grandmother pleads for mercy, saying 'There's some good' in him

(Newser) - A Florida judge sentenced a 16-year-old Florida boy to life in prison on Friday for fatally stabbing a 13-year-old classmate on Mother's Day in 2021. Aiden Fucci, 16, was 14 when he stabbed Tristyn Bailey at least 114 times in the woods near where the teens lived in north...

DeSantis Acts to Bar Lessons on Sexual Identity in All Grades

Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' policy would apply through high school

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is moving to prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the law critics call "Don't Say Gay" as the Republican continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run. The proposal, which would not...

Disney Has Another Throwdown for DeSantis

Company to host major LGBTQ conference in September

(Newser) - Ron DeSantis' very public battle with Walt Disney World continues, now with another move by the latter to support LGBTQ rights. Disney World will be hosting a major summit from Sept. 11-14 to help boost lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the workplace, with execs and team members from...

Rapper Who Ratted Out Gang Members Is Attacked

Tekashi 6ix9ine beaten by several men inside Florida gym, says lawyer, who urges protection

(Newser) - The rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was rushed to a hospital Tuesday after he was beaten by a group of men inside a South Florida gym. The 26-year-old was inside a sauna at an LA Fitness when several men attacked him without warning, his lawyer Lance Lazzaro tells TMZ , which has footage...

Def Leppard Drummer Attacked After Florida Show
Def Leppard
Drummer Says
He's Recovering
updated
Mar 21, 2023 2:00 PM CDT

Def Leppard Drummer Says He's Recovering

Rick Allen was assaulted outside a Fort Lauderdale hotel

(Newser) - Rick Allen has thanked fans for their support after he was attacked outside a Florida hotel earlier this month. "Your love and prayers are truly helping," Allen wrote, per Deadline . The Def Leppard drummer posted that he's relieved that his wife, Lauren, wasn't with him at...

Report: Alabama Player Fled Cops at 141mph—With a Haul

Tony Mitchell, suspended from football, is charged with marijuana possession

(Newser) - An Alabama freshman defensive back has admitted to fleeing from law enforcement when he put the pedal to the metal and reached speeds of 141mph last week, according to a police report. Tony Mitchell, a five-star recruit and top 150 prospect, was arrested Wednesday in Florida on a charge of...

In Miami Beach, Spring Break Sees a Hard Crackdown

City sets curfew, declares state of emergency after 2 die in weekend gun violence

(Newser) - A fatal shooting took place in Miami Beach on Friday night, then another early Sunday, and now city officials are taking measures to curb the violence that's marred spring break in the South Florida city. Per a press release , a state of emergency has been declared in the city...

Florida Man Opens Front Door, Finds Gator, Gets Attacked
Knock, Knock.
Who's There? Gator.
Mar 20, 2023 3:01 AM CDT

Knock, Knock. Who's There? Gator.

Critter at Florida man's door bites him when he opens it

(Newser) - Hearing a bump at his door Saturday night and thinking someone might be looking for his son, a Florida man got up from watching TV with his wife and went to see who was there. Unfortunately, it was a 9-foot alligator, which promptly chomped down on his leg, WKMG reports....

Unvaccinated World No. 1 Pulls Out of US Tourneys

Djokovic is denied travel exception, but US Open has hope he'll play in August

(Newser) - The top-ranked tennis player in the world has given up hope on being allowed to enter the US soon, withdrawing from two tournaments. Novak Djokovic, 35, has not received a COVID-19 vaccination. So under US policy, he cannot compete in a tournament going on now in Indian Wells, California, or...

They Were Enjoying Spring Break. Then, Gunfire

One person is dead, one injured after shooting in crowded area of Miami Beach

(Newser) - Gunfire erupted in an area of Miami Beach crowded with people on spring break, killing one person, wounding another, and sending dozens scrambling for safety, police said. Two males were shot Friday night, and one person was detained at the scene, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted . It wasn't...

In Florida, Activists Turn Eye on Social Studies Textbooks

There's a move to make publishers make controversial moves on language in textbooks

(Newser) - Last year, Florida went to town scouring its math textbooks for any sign of nonallowable content, including topics tied to critical race theory and "unsolicited strategies" such as social emotional learning (SEL). Now, social studies in the state is also under the microscope, as the traditionally "boring" approval...

Inmate Serving 400-Year Sentence Exonerated

Sidney Holmes was convicted of robbery in 1989

(Newser) - A beaming Sidney Holmes walked out of a Florida jail Monday and hugged family members as he tasted freedom for the first time in the 34 years since he was wrongfully convicted of robbery. The 57-year-old was exonerated after the State Attorney's Conviction Review Unit determined that there was...

Seaweed Blob Off Florida One of the Biggest Ever

Sargassum may make beach visits on the Gulf coast smelly in the next few months

(Newser) - Scientists are keeping an eye on a massive brown blob of seaweed threatening to make beach-going along the Gulf of Mexico miserable once it comes ashore. As dire as that sounds, sargassum blooms are not a new phenomenon, reports WFLA —but at 5,000 miles wide, this might be...

Pythons Were Once in a Sliver of Florida. No More

They're now in the bottom third of the state, and spreading rapidly

(Newser) - Good news, anyone who's terrified of a) snakes or b) Florida ! You now have basically absolutely no reason to visit the Sunshine State, or perhaps the soon-to-be Python State. As the Sun-Sentinel reports, the population of invasive Burmese pythons has gone from a few in the very southern tip...

Stories 361 - 380 | << Prev   Next >>