Florida

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

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See the Moment Deputies Find 5-Year-Old Lost in Swamp

Outcome could 'have been much different,' says Florida sheriff

(Newser) - Florida police helped deliver a happy ending to a terrifying situation that began Monday evening when a 5-year-old girl with autism walked away from her home near Tampa. "The panic starts to kick in," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tells ABC News of the moment parents realized the...

Justices Bring Orwell Into Social Media Case

Florida, Texas cases could have major effect on online debates

(Newser) - Supreme Court justices sounded hesitant Monday to dismiss First Amendment concerns about state laws that would restrict social media companies' ability to moderate users' posts. The court spent four hours hearing oral arguments about laws passed in Florida and Texas that are blocked for now, the New York Times reports....

In Ring Footage, Father Confesses He Killed Son

Florida man says 'fighting was unbearable,' so he shot 22-year-old son

(Newser) - "He's not breathing. He's dead. The fighting on the way home was unbearable," David de Jesus Contreras says on video recorded on his home's Ring camera. The "he" in question is his 22-year-old son, Eric, and Contreras has confessed to fatally shooting him after a fight on...

Amid School Measles Outbreak, Florida Rejects CDC Guidance

State surgeon general tells parents they can send unvaccinated kids to school if they want

(Newser) - Florida's surgeon general has told parents of children at a school experiencing a measles outbreak that they can feel free to ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In a Feb. 20 letter, Joseph Ladapo told parents at Manatee Bay Elementary in south Florida that the state's...

Florida Passes Bill to Release Epstein Transcripts

Measure to unseal records from 2006 grand jury is headed to governor's desk

(Newser) - The transcripts of a 2006 grand jury that investigated Jeffrey Epstein 's sexual assaults of underage girls will be released to the public under a bill heading to Florida's governor after it was unanimously passed by the Legislature. The bill, which passed the Senate on Wednesday after earlier...

Digging in Sand on a Florida Beach Ends With Girl Dead

A young boy was also partially submerged in the sand in Tuesday tragedy

(Newser) - A young girl was buried in sand and died Tuesday when a deep hole she was digging with a little boy collapsed on them both at a south Florida beach, the AP reports. Emergency crews responding around 3pm to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea found the boy, who is about 8 years old, buried...

At Florida School, a 'Preventable' Outbreak

So far, 5 measles cases identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Broward County's Weston

(Newser) - Over the weekend, the Florida Department of Health warned that it was looking into "multiple cases of measles" at an elementary school in South Florida. On Monday, Broward County Public Schools official John Sullivan confirmed that five cases in total had been identified so far at Manatee Bay Elementary...

4 Men Vanish After Setting Off on Fishing Trip

Florida men were supposed to be out a day, never returned

(Newser) - Four men headed out from Venice, Florida, on what was supposed to be a daylong fishing trip off the Gulf Coast Saturday morning—and haven't been seen since. Family members alerted police after Angel Hernandez Munoz, 38, Ruben Mora Sr., 54, Julio Cesar Cordero Briones, 37, and Vargas Parra,...

After 'Big Wrong' Cleared by DNA, a Big Settlement

Robert DuBoise, freed in 2020 after 37 years behind bars, to be paid $14M by city of Tampa

(Newser) - A Florida man freed in 2020 from nearly four decades behind bars after DNA evidence cleared him of rape and murder will now receive monetary compensation for that time lost. The New York Times reports that on Thursday, the Tampa City Council unanimously OKed a $14 million settlement for Robert...

Cop Startled by Falling Acorn Opens Fire on Unarmed Man

Florida sheriff's deputy Jesse Hernandez, cited for unreasonable use of force, has resigned

(Newser) - A Florida sheriff's deputy was approaching a patrol vehicle, parked on a street under a large tree, when acorns fell, apparently hitting both him and the vehicle. What happened next led the deputy to quit as his department was embroiled in an embarrassing investigation. Believing he'd been shot...

10 Most Dangerous Counties for Cyclists
Florida Cyclists, Look Out

Florida Cyclists, Look Out

State has 7 of the 10 most dangerous counties for cyclists in the nation

(Newser) - With spring on its way early if a certain giant prognosticating rodent is to be believed, cyclists can start getting back out on the roads. But some of those roads are more dangerous to those with pedals than others, and law firm Bader Scott crunched cyclist fatalities in the nation'...

On a Florida Highway: 'Unreal, Like a Movie'

Business jet crashes into vehicle on I-75 in Naples, killing 2

(Newser) - Two people have died after a business jet attempted to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida on Friday afternoon, colliding with a vehicle and bringing traffic to a halt as a massive plume of black smoke rose into the air. The crash landing happened near the...

Deputies Capture Kangaroo at Florida Pool

Animal was reunited with its owner

(Newser) - A wayward kangaroo was corralled safely by sheriff's deputies Thursday after it was spotted hopping around the pool area of a Florida apartment complex, the AP reports. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released video and still photos of the kangaroo, including some footage shot from a helicopter. The...

Bank Robber Shot by Sniper After Holding Knife to Woman's Throat

Hostages at Florida bank were unharmed

(Newser) - As officers tried to get a would-be bank robber in Florida to surrender, the man decided instead to take two hostages. Then he put one of them in a headlock and held a knife to her throat—and that's when a sheriff's sniper ended it. The 36-year-old attempted...

On a Florida Highway, a Tragic Scene

Cops: Toddler twins found dead in parked SUV, woman critically injured after jumping off overpass

(Newser) - A tragic scene unfolded early Friday along a South Florida highway, where police say twin toddlers were found dead in a parked SUV. Police in Miami-Dade County say they received multiple 911 calls around 2am reporting two young children in a vehicle alongside the Golden Glades Interchange, which is where...

Several Dead After Plane Crashes Into Mobile Home Park

Victims were both aboard the plane and in one of the Florida mobile homes

(Newser) - A small plane crashed at a Florida mobile home park on Thursday, killing several people aboard the plane and in one home, fire officials said. The pilot of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 reported an engine failure shortly before the aircraft went down at about 7pm, the Federal Aviation Administration...

Hundreds of Swatting Calls Came From One Teen: Agencies

17-year-old faces charges in Florida over threats to mosque

(Newser) - Hundreds of swatting crimes and bomb threats can be traced to one 17-year-old California teenager, law enforcement officials say. Alan Filion was extradited this week to Florida, per the Guardian . He appeared before a judge Wednesday in Seminole County, where he faces charges that include three felonies in connection with...

Disney&#39;s Florida Suit Is Tossed
Disney's Florida Suit Is Tossed

Disney's Florida Suit Is Tossed

Company suggests it will appeal ruling in First Amendment case

(Newser) - A federal judge threw out Disney's First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, finding that the company doesn't have legal standing to bring the case against the governor and the secretary of the state's Commerce Department. And the suit against members of the board...

Cops: She Tried to Kill Husband Over Note From Old Flame

Florida's Bertha Yalter charged with attempted murder in what lawyer claims is an overreaction

(Newser) - Getting in touch with an old flame could have deadly consequences, according to Florida police, who allege a woman tried to kill her husband of 51 years after he received a postcard from a lover of six decades previously. Upon learning of the note, Bertha Yalter, 71, tried to smother...

This Florida Park Just Welcomed Nearly 1K Manatees

Florida's Blue Spring State Park saw record 932 sea cows huddle together for warmth on Jan. 21

(Newser) - When Florida's waters cool down in the winter, its resident manatees huddle together for warmth—this year, in record numbers. On Jan. 21, Volusia County's Blue Spring State Park, which NPR dubs "one of the largest winter gathering sites for manatees" in the Sunshine State, witnessed a...

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