Florida

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An Unwanted Foe Resurfaces in Florida

Giant African land snail is spotted in Pasco County, part of which is now under quarantine

(Newser) - The state of Florida fought long and hard to eradicate the invasive giant African land snail from the southern part of the state. Now, however, the fist-sized pest—one that carries a risk of meningitis for humans—has surfaced elsewhere, reports the Tampa Bay Times . State wildlife officials confirmed a...

Man Accused of Disney Scheme Involving R2-D2 Statue

Authorities say David Proudfoot posed as Disney World worker, moved droid replica

(Newser) - According to authorities, David Proudfoot posed as a worker at Disney World and moved a $10,000 replica of R2-D2 from its place at a Disney resort. According to Proudfoot, he was just trying to do the park a favor. FOX 35 reports the 44-year-old Kissimmee resident was arrested on...

Judge Declares Florida Abortion Law Unconstitutional

Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to appeal to state supreme court

(Newser) - A judge in Florida on Thursday declared the state's strict new abortion law to be unconstitutional—one day before it was to take effect. The state under Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to quickly appeal to Florida's Supreme Court, reports the Washington Post . The measure signed by the...

50 Years Later, New 'Hope' for 'Napalm Girl'

Laser treatments have lessened Kim Phuc's pain, restored sensation

(Newser) - "I heard the noise, bup-bup bup-bup, and then suddenly there was fire everywhere around me and I saw the fire all over my arm," Kim Phuc said Tuesday, recalling a moment 50 years earlier when a napalm bomb struck her Vietnamese village. The subject of a Pulitzer Prize-winning...

Lawyer: Family Offered to Delay Parasail Before Deadly Accident

Wrongful death lawsuit accuses company of operating in unsafe weather conditions

(Newser) - The family of a 33-year-old Illinois woman who was killed while parasailing in the Florida Keys last month has filed a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit against boat company Lighthouse Parasail, attorneys said. Supraja Alaparthi was killed, her 9-year-old nephew was seriously injured, and her 10-year-old son suffered minor...

Man in Prison for 31 Years Finds Savior in Novice Attorney

Natlie Figgers, out of law school just 2 years, helps free wrongly convicted Thomas Raynard James

(Newser) - It started with a murder in Miami, a crime that sent Thomas Raynard James to prison for more than three decades. In April, however, a judge vacated James' conviction and set him free, thanks to the efforts of an attorney just two years out of law school who was determined...

Cops: Teens Broke Into $8M Mansion for Party, Boxing Match
Cops: Teens Broke Into
$8M Mansion for Wild Party
in case you missed it
Jun 26, 2022 12:25 PM CDT

Cops: Teens Broke Into $8M Mansion for Wild Party

They set up a boxing ring in foyer of Florida home, police say

(Newser) - Police in Florida are trying to track down teenagers who broke into an $8 million mansion for a wild party that included a boxing match in the foyer. The Walton County Sheriff's Office says up to 200 young people were at the party in Santa Rosa Beach, which was...

Billionaire's New Estate Sets Florida Record

It's not far from a property Larry Ellison purchased for $80M last year

(Newser) - One of the world's richest people , billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has just dropped $173 million on new digs, setting a record for the largest residential sale in Florida history. And by a long shot. Previously, the state hadn't seen a home sell for more than $130 million,...

'Dionysus' Leads Team to Record-Breaking Python

At nearly 18 feet, female was biggest python ever captured in Florida

(Newser) - A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials say. The female python weighed in at 215 pounds, was nearly 18 feet long and had 122 developing eggs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a news release . The team used radio transmitters...

Gillum Indicted on 21 Counts
Gillum Indicted on 21 Counts
Jun 22, 2022 1:22 PM CDT

Gillum Indicted on 21 Counts

Former Florida candidate accused of wire fraud, conspiracy

(Newser) - Andrew Gillum, the Democrat who almost became governor of Florida in 2018, has been indicted on federal charges that could send him to prison for decades. The US Attorney's office for the Northern District of Florida said in a press release Wednesday that the former Tallahassee mayor and his...

Cops: Kidnapped Man Intentionally Gets Pulled Over

Police say kidnappers were forcing man to drive to Florida location

(Newser) - A Florida dog breeder who allegedly boasted online about the success of his business was kidnapped by three men who posed as dog buyers, police say. The trio robbed and assaulted the man while holding him captive for almost two days, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said in a...

Saget's Family Didn't Know He'd Died. Then Details Leaked

2 Orange County deputies have been disciplined for confirming his death before kin was notified

(Newser) - Two deputies in Florida's Orange County have been disciplined for leaking news about Bob Saget's death before his family had been notified. Emiliano Silva, one of the deputies who responded to the Jan. 9 call at Orlando's Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Saget's body was found, had been...

Inmates Save Guard From Attack
Inmates Save
Guard From Attack
in case you missed it
Jun 19, 2022 4:55 PM CDT

Inmates Save Guard From Attack

Prisoner who tried to choke guard with pillowcase now hit with battery, contraband charges

(Newser) - An inmate's attack on a Florida prison guard earlier this month was quickly stopped, but not just by other prison employees. The Miami Herald reports on the June 7 incident, which happened around 1am at Hillsborough County's detention center, where most of the female prisoners were already bedded...

Florida Men Accused of Hurling Rock Into Black Teen's Car

'Get out of my neighborhood,' one man told Sanford teen Jermaine Jones

(Newser) - Florida teenager Jermaine Jones acknowledges that he was speeding when he drove through a gated neighborhood on his way to a friend's house Tuesday—but he says what unfolded afterward wouldn't have happened if he were white. The Black 16-year-old says two white men in the Sanford neighborhood...

Prosecutors: Suspect Tried to Jet Ski Out of the Country

It didn't work out for Ernesto Cruz Graveran, now held in Florida

(Newser) - Stripped of his passport, a man tried to flee fraud charges in the US by riding a jet ski from Florida to Cuba, prosecutors say. Ernesto Cruz Graveran, 54, a Cuban national living in Florida and charged in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, is being held as a...

DeSantis Lists Net Worth of Just $319K

Florida governor still has student loans

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being talked about as a potential rival for former President Trump in 2024—but unlike his fellow Florida resident, DeSantis won't be able to put much of his own money into the race. Recently filed financial disclosure documents show that the 43-year-old Republican governor...

1 in 5 US Pregnancies Ended in Abortion in 2020

Abortion is on the rise in all regions, even as Supreme Court looks poised to curtail access

(Newser) - One in five pregnancies in the US in 2020 ended in abortion, according to research group Guttmacher Institute , which campaigns for abortion access and says the impact of a Roe v. Wade reversal will be even more devastating than previously thought. US abortions increased 8% from 2017, when there were...

48 Years Later, Remains Identified as 15-Year-Old Girl
She Disappeared in 1972.
Now, 'Finally,' Search Is Over
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 11, 2022 4:15 PM CDT

She Disappeared in 1972. Now, 'Finally,' Search Is Over

Remains found in 1974 identified as 15-year-old Florida girl

(Newser) - In 1974, the remains of a teenage girl were found in Florida's Palm Beach County. Nearly five decades later, she finally has a name: Authorities have identified her as Susan Gale Poole, who was 15 when she went missing just before Christmas in 1972, Local 10 reports. They believe...

Brothers, 11 and 14, Accused of Stealing 22 Guns

They were arrested after Florida burgary

(Newser) - Police in Cape Coral, Florida, say a 14-year-old boy broke into a gun shop and stole 22 guns with an even younger accomplice—his 11-year-old brother. Cape Coral Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Julie Green says the boys were arrested after they broke into the Guns 4 Less store and ransacked...

Alleged PPP Fraudster Blew $2.5M on Cars, Crypto

Vinicius Santana of Florida allegedly bought 2 cars and a home with his $2.5M loan

(Newser) - Authorities say the former owner of a Massachusetts painting business fraudulently received $2.5 million in loans meant to assist small businesses during the pandemic before buying cars and a home and investing in cryptocurrency. Vinicius Santana, 34, was arrested Monday at Miami International Airport, not far from where he...

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