Florida

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

Stories 921 - 940 | << Prev   Next >>

Cops: 2 Rodriguezes on Ballot Was Part of Confusion Plot

Former Florida state Sen. Frank Artiles has been charged with election-related felonies

(Newser) - A former state senator in Florida is facing felony charges for allegedly recruiting a "ghost candidate" to help a fellow Republican win last November. After Democratic state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez lost his seat by a razor-thin margin of 32 votes out of more than 215,000 cast, the...

Mastermind of Massive Twitter Hack Is Sentenced

Graham Ivan Clark, who was 17 at the time, gets 3 years, plus probation

(Newser) - A teenager who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Apple, and Uber as part of a Bitcoin scam last year has agreed to prison time. Graham Ivan Clark, 18, of Florida will serve three years in prison for the scam to...

Mosquito Species in Florida Raises Disease Worries

It's been known to carry yellow fever virus in Brazil, though there's no sign of it in US

(Newser) - A species of mosquito recently found in Florida is causing concern about the spread of disease, including yellow fever. Aedes scapularis has been present in Latin America and the Caribbean and has been discovered in Brazil to be infected with diseases including the yellow fever virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis...

Mom, Teen Busted in Alleged Homecoming Queen Scheme

Laura Carroll, 17-year-old daughter in Pensacola, Fla., accused of rigging the vote

(Newser) - Some moms long for their daughters to be crowned homecoming queen; other moms really long for their daughters be crowned homecoming queen. Laura Rose Carroll seems to have fallen in the latter category, and now she's been arrested for it. Per CNN , the 50-year-old from Pensacola, Fla., and the...

Florida&#39;s COVID Response Wins &#39;Grudging Praise&#39;
Florida's Pandemic Response
May Have Been Vindicated
THE RUNDOWN
Mar 16, 2021 12:11 AM CDT

Florida's Pandemic Response May Have Been Vindicated

State was criticized for reopening early, but death rate isn't above national average

(Newser) - Florida was heavily criticized for reopening too early last year—especially after a surge in coronavirus cases followed. But a year into the pandemic, critics are starting to wonder whether Republic Gov. Ron DeSantis may have got it right after all. The pandemic has killed more than 32,000 people...

Behind Florida's Real Estate Pitch, a More Sobering Stat

Roughly the same number of people are moving out of the state as moving in

(Newser) - A splashy narrative has emerged in Florida amid the pandemic from politicians and real estate developers, writes Candace Taylor in the Wall Street Journal . It states that Florida is the place to be for tech workers and uber-rich hedge fund execs looking to flee Silicon Valley and New York. And...

Spring Breakers Descend on Miami Beach, Hurt Cops

100 have been arrested already

(Newser) - Spring breakers have descended upon Miami Beach despite the coronavirus pandemic, and two police officers in the Florida city were hurt Friday night as they worked to disperse large crowds. Both were released Saturday morning, NBC News reports. About 100 partyers were arrested over the weekend, CNN reports, one of...

Hate March's 'Spring Forward'? There's Some Promising News

15 states hope to make daylight saving time permanent

(Newser) - If you hate losing an hour of sleep each spring owing to daylight saving time, we have good and bad news. The bad news is that most Americans will still have to move clocks forward one hour at 2am Sunday. The good news is that "momentum for ending the...

Officer With 7 Life-Saving Awards Dies a Hero

Witnesses say Tampa officer Jesse Madsen was protecting others from wrong-way driver

(Newser) - A Tampa Bay Police officer killed in the line of duty in a wrong-way crash early Tuesday was trying to protect other motorists, witnesses say. Master Patrol Officer Jesse Madsen, 45, was killed along with the other driver in the crash on I-275 around 1am, the Tampa Bay Times reports....

FEMA Site Flips After Opening Up Vaccinations

Florida center operates in confusion over the weekend

(Newser) - Business was slow at a vaccination site in Florida on Saturday, so the staff decided to change the rules. Instead of accepting only people who met state criteria, the FEMA-run site would give a shot to anyone 18 and older, as long as they brought a driver’s license or...

Woman Allegedly Tried on $15K Ring, Walked Out With It

Jannet Novelo-Aqela faces felony charge of grand theft

(Newser) - A Florida woman has been arrested almost a month after she allegedly snagged a $15,000 diamond ring from a jewelry store in Key West. The manager of Gold Silver Creations says that on Feb. 10 a female shopper in a floral jumpsuit tried on a three-diamond, 14-karat white gold...

Frontier: Maskless Fliers, Not Anti-Semitism, Canceled Flight

Flight out of Miami to NYC canceled after Sunday incident with Hasidic Jewish passengers

(Newser) - A chaotic scene on a Frontier Airlines flight before takeoff ended with a group of Hasidic Jews being asked to leave, the entire plane eventually being emptied, and now, accusations of anti-Semitism—all over what the airline says was the group's refusal to wear face masks. The incident took...

Alleged Copper Thieves Had a Bold Scheme

Florida police say they dressed as a work crew, stole it from manhole

(Newser) - What's the best way to rob $30,000 worth of copper wiring? Police say a group of thieves attempted to pull off the odd heist in plain sight by posing as a nighttime construction crew in Hempstead, Fla., reports WSVN . And it might have worked had police not been...

Missing Former NFL Player Found Dead

Louis Nix was 29

(Newser) - Louis Nix, a standout football player for Notre Dame before being briefly drafted to the NFL, was found dead Saturday in Florida. The 29-year-old had been reported missing Wednesday, the AP reports. Not much has been made public about his death, but the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced it after...

New Restrictions Take Aim at Exotic Reptiles

Pythons, iguanas, and others are included

(Newser) - Pythons, iguanas, monitor lizards, oh my! Florida is moving to restrict 16 invasive reptile species that have wreaked havoc in the Everglades and across the state, the AP reports. Burmese pythons, in particular, have been especially destructive to native wildlife. “Breeding invasive species in Florida is like playing with...

Trump at CPAC: 'Do You Miss Me Yet?'

Event strawpoll finds 68% of attendees want him to run in 2024

(Newser) - Taking the stage for the first time since leaving office, former President Trump on Sunday called for Republican Party unity in a speech at a conservative political conference, even as he exacerbated its divisions and made clear he intended to remain a dominant force in the party. Trump used his...

Florida Officials Balk at Lowering Flags for Limbaugh

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, others will not follow governor's directive

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants flags in the state flown half-staff when famous resident Rush Limbaugh is laid to rest, but some Florida officials aren't having it. "Lowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes...

Former MLB Player Faces DUI Charge
Johnny Damon
Faces DUI Charge
Feb 19, 2021 3:38 PM CST

Johnny Damon Faces DUI Charge

Police report says officers saw SUV swerving on road, hitting a guardrail

(Newser) - Former Major League outfielder Johnny Damon was charged with driving under the influence in Florida early Friday after police said they saw his SUV swerve on the road, then hit a curb and guardrail. His wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, also was arrested, TMZ reports, on charges of committing battery on an...

Florida Women Dress Up as 'Grannies' to Get Vaccine

They turned out to be 35 and 44 years old

(Newser) - Impersonating a grandmother isn't just for big, bad wolves anymore. Officials in Orange County, Florida, say two women dressed up as "grannies"—with bonnets, glasses, and gloves—to try to get their second dose of coronavirus vaccine. Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino tells WFTV that...

The Greediest, Angriest, Most Jealous States in America

WalletHub takes note of our sins and ranks us

(Newser) - The first day of Lent is Wednesday, and for Christians who follow the observance, it's often a time to give up a bad habit for the six weeks that follow. That may be harder for people in some parts of the country, per WalletHub , which has ranked US states...

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