Florida

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

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Guy in Hummer Fills Up 4 Gas Containers. Then, Flames

Vehicle burst into flames shortly after

(Newser) - The latest in the US gasoline panic: A Hummer burst into flames at a Florida gas station moments after the driver filled up four 5-gallon gas containers Wednesday morning. Citrus County Fire Rescue crews were called to an intersection near the Homosassa gas station around 11am to find the vehicle...

Woman Infiltrates High School to Find Insta Followers: Cops

Audrey Francisquini, 28, is accused of posing as student, handing out pamphlets in Fla. high school

(Newser) - In 21 Jump Street, undercover cops snuck into a high school to bust up crime. In an incident out of Florida, a woman is accused of sneaking into a high school to commit crimes—and, apparently, to get the word out about her Instagram page. According to an arrest report...

Murder Suspect, 14, Allegedly Shared Chilling Selfie

Florida boy accused of killing 13-year-old classmate Tristyn Bailer

(Newser) - Police investigating the killing of a 13-year-old girl in northeast Florida say they will be looking closely at social media posts related to the case—including a selfie allegedly posted on Snapchat by the 14-year-old suspect. A St. Johns County Sheriff's Office spokesperson tells News4Jax that the teen in...

His Music Is Legendary. But His Art Is 'Rarely Seen'

Largest ever collection of Bob Dylan's artwork to be shown in US

(Newser) - More than 120 "rarely seen" paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Bob Dylan are to be exhibited in the US for the first time. The artworks, completed over six decades, will be displayed at the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University beginning on Nov. 30, to coincide with Miami...

COVID Variants Are On the Rise in Florida

They started surging after spring break

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all local COVID-19 restrictions by executive order Monday—the same day that state health officials released worrying figures on the spread of coronavirus variants. The county-by-county statistics, released as part of a legal settlement with the Orlando Sentinel , show that more than 11,000 cases...

Florida Principal Who Paddled Girl, 6, Was in the Right: Authorities

State attorney declines to prosecute

(Newser) - The Florida school principal caught on video paddling a 6-year-old girl did not break any laws, the Florida State Attorney found after conducting a review of the Clewiston incident. No charges will be filed, CBS 12 reports. Central Elementary School staffers say the girl purposely damaged school computer equipment. One...

Fox Says It Didn't Know What DeSantis Was Doing

Network says it never asked governor for an exclusive

(Newser) - A backlash quickly followed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' appearance Thursday on Fox & Friends, in which he signed a voting law —some of it from Fox News. Reporters and cameras from other outlets weren't allowed into the event, with the governor's aides telling the crowd that his...

DeSantis Signs Voter Law, Allows Only Fox News to Cover

In lawsuit, critics say rules are designed to curb voting by minorities

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a sweeping elections bill into law that voter rights advocates immediately challenged with a federal lawsuit. The Republican governor signed the freshly passed legislation ahead of his impending announcement that he'll run for reelection in the nation's largest battleground state, per...

Teen Faces Adult Charges in Rigged Homecoming Queen Contest

Emily Rose Grover turned 18 last month

(Newser) - Emily Rose Grover, the Florida homecoming queen accused of rigging the contest along with her mom, turned 18 after her arrest—and she'll be charged as an adult. Per USA Today , an assistant state attorney says the move is "not unusual," as juvenile court can't supervise...

Mom Secretly Recorded Principal Paddling Girl, 6

Corporal punishment is banned in Florida district

(Newser) - A 6-year-old girl in Florida got in trouble last month for damaging a computer screen at school—but the principal who paddled her could be in deeper trouble. The district superintendent and the Clewiston Police Department say they are looking into the paddling, which was secretly recorded by the girl'...

Florida to Drop Emergency Mandates
DeSantis Scraps
COVID Mandates
May 3, 2021 4:30 PM CDT

DeSantis Scraps COVID Mandates

Governor uses legislation and executive orders to end Florida requirements

(Newser) - Saying it's not necessary for the state "to be policing people at this point," Gov. Ron DeSantis moved Monday to cancel Florida's COVID-19 protocols. He gave widespread coronavirus vaccinations as a reason, CBS reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 15.5 million shots...

Bodies of Water Are Suing the State of Florida

Orange County lakes, streams file suit against state, housing developer under 'right of nature' law

(Newser) - Late last year, voters in Orange County, Fla., pushed through a "rights of nature" law, making it the largest US municipality to do so, per a November release from the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights. The legislation basically gives rights to rivers, streams, marshes, and lakes throughout the...

Florida Middle School Killer, 31, Dies in Prison

Michael Hernandez apparently collapsed, cause of death is not yet known

(Newser) - The teenage killer who lured a friend into a bathroom stall at their suburban Miami middle school 17 years ago and cut his throat has died in prison, the AP reports. Florida Department of Corrections online records show Michael Hernandez, 31, died Thursday. He had been incarcerated at Columbia Correctional...

Florida Passes New Voting Restrictions

Bill slammed as 'revival of Jim Crow'

(Newser) - Republican lawmakers in Florida have passed a controversial election overhaul bill despite the lack of problems in the state's 2020 election, which they say was the "gold standard" for the country. The state is the first swing state won by Donald Trump to introduce new voting restrictions following...

School Again in News Over Anti-Vaccine Sentiment

Teacher told students not to embrace vaccinated parents for more than 5 seconds

(Newser) - The Centner Academy was already in the news this week after reports that the Miami private school warned its teachers not to get the COVID vaccine, citing a debunked vaccination theory. Now, a new headline: A math and science teacher at the school told her fifth-grade students the vaccine is...

Private School Warns Its Teachers Not to Get Vaccine

Citing debunked theory, Fla.'s Centner Academy says staff will be kept from students if they do so

(Newser) - While many schools are encouraging staff to get the COVID vaccine, one private school in Miami is doing the opposite. Per CBS4 , the Centner Academy, which charges up to $30,000 per year for students in pre-K through eighth grade, emailed a letter to employees Monday citing debunked anti-vaccination theories,...

Couple Plans Lavish Wedding at Someone Else&#39;s Mansion
Couple Plans Lavish Wedding
at Someone Else's Mansion
in case you missed it
Apr 25, 2021 1:00 PM CDT

Couple Plans Lavish Wedding at Someone Else's Mansion

They allegedly crashed 'IHOP Mansion' in Florida

(Newser) - Courtney Wilson and Shenita Jones had an elaborate wedding weekend planned at a luxurious Florida mansion over the weekend. Just one problem: The 16,313-square-foot Southwest Ranches home belongs not to them, as they claimed it did in their online wedding invitation, but to Nathan Finkel, son of early IHOP...

DeSantis: Nothing Close to as Tough as New 'Anti-Riot' Law

It includes stricter punishments, and protections for drivers who hit protesters

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial anti-riot bill Monday that will more strictly punish people who take part in protests that turn violent. The timing coincides with the wrapping up of Derek Chauvin's trial in the death of George Floyd, and DeSantis referenced that case, saying the Minnesota...

Complaint: Nurse Threatened to Kill Harris in Vids to Spouse

'Kamala Harris, you are going to die,' Niviane Petit Phelps is accused of saying in one video

(Newser) - A Florida woman whose husband is incarcerated apparently shared a little too much with him and is now in legal trouble herself, accused of threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris. Per a criminal complaint filed earlier this month in federal court, Niviane Petit Phelps allegedly sent videos and photos...

Woman Who Coughed on Cancer Patient Is Going to Jail

Florida woman Debra Jo Hunter sentenced to 30 days behind bars

(Newser) - A Florida woman who coughed in the face of a cancer patient last year was on Thursday sentenced to 30 days in jail and six months of probation. Debra Jo Hunter was involved in an angry confrontation with staffers at a Pier 1 Imports in Jacksonville on June 24, attempting...

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