Florida

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

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Florida Rejects Marijuana Legalization Amendment

Measure to legalize recreational marijuana needed 60% support to pass

(Newser) - A majority of Florida voters supported legalizing recreational marijuana in Tuesday's election, but the measure didn't gain enough support to pass. Constitutional amendments in Florida require a 60% majority and Amendment 3 only had around 55% of the vote, the Miami Herald reports. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and...

Senate Race Has a Whole Bunch of Nail-Biters
Dems on Defense in Senate
Race, With Possible Upsets
THE RUNDOWN
Nov 5, 2024 7:31 AM CST

Dems on Defense in Senate Race, With Possible Upsets

Among them: Ted Cruz vs. Colin Allred in Texas, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell vs. Rick Scott in Florida

(Newser) - Democrats currently claim the slimmest majority in the US Senate, 51-49, but they're playing defense heading into Election Day, almost certainly losing Joe Manchin's seat in West Virginia to a Republican and defending seven seats in conservative or swing states, reports NPR . There are 34 seats in total...

These States Are Bona Fide Wine-Guzzlers

District of Columbia tops Visual Capitalist's list, followed by New Hampshire and Vermont

(Newser) - If you've needed to take the edge off lately with a glass of wine, you're not alone—especially if you live in DC. The nation's capital ranks as the place in the US that drinks the most fermented grape juice, per the Visual Capitalist data firm, which...

Florida Convict Freed in 'Killer Clown' Case

Sheila Keen Warren served 17 months after pleading guilty to 1990 slaying

(Newser) - The woman convicted of killing a woman while dressed as a clown and holding flowers and balloons has been released from a Florida prison. Sheila Keen-Warren, 61, who pleaded guilty in a plea deal in the 1990 "killer clown" case though she insists she's innocent, was freed Saturday...

Florida Man Accused of Bailing Out Prisoners for Sex

Russell Moncrief, 75, accused of bailing out female inmates in exchange for sex with him, others

(Newser) - Officials have charged a bail bondsman in Florida with racketeering and human trafficking after he allegedly used his position to prey on female inmates, reportedly offering to bond them out from behind bars in return for having sex with himself and others, per NBC News . Per a release from state...

Orlando Halloween Shootings Leave 2 Dead, 7 Injured

A 17-year-old is in custody

(Newser) - A pair of linked shootings left two dead and many more running for their lives amid crowded Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando early Friday. Police Chief Eric Smith says police responded to shots fired at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue at 1:07am. Minutes later, more shots were fired nearby...

Florida Surfer Survives 2 Shark Attacks at Same Beach

Incidents were 11 years apart

(Newser) - Cole Taschman was 16 the first time a shark attacked him at Bathtub Beach in front of his parents' house in Stuart, Florida. He survived the 2013 incident—as well as a second shark attack, which took place at the same beach 11 years later. While surfing last Friday, Taschman,...

To Escape Alleged Attacker, Woman Calls 911, Orders Pizza

Dispatcher, of course, realized what was really going on

(Newser) - A Florida woman went out to a field in rural Volusia County to drink with a man, but things took a turn and the man started attacking her, she says. In order to get help, she pretended she was ordering a pizza—but she had actually dialed 911, ABC 11...

Disney Accuses Employee of Dangerous Menu Changes

Fired employee listed foods as free of peanuts when they weren't, complaint says

(Newser) - As a menu production manager at Walt Disney World, Michael Scheuer was responsible for creating and publishing menus for all of the company's restaurants. A federal criminal complaint says that after he was fired in June for misconduct, Scheuer hacked the company's menu-creating software to show that some...

Police Chief 'Extremely Angry' About Polling Place Incident

Caleb James Williams of Neptune Beach allegedly brandished a machete

(Newser) - "This is a safe location to vote," a Florida police chief assured voters following the arrest of what he says was a machete-wielding 18-year-old outside a Neptune Beach polling location. Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael J. Key said Caleb James Williams "brandished a machete in an aggressive,...

Completed Ballots Fall Off Truck in Florida

The ballots were recovered, but an election worker ended up getting fired

(Newser) - An election worker in Florida has been fired after early-voting ballots fell off a truck during transport. The worker had forgotten to lock the back of the truck before leaving a library serving as an early-voting center, according to election officials. "As they drove off, one sealed bin and...

Jury Convicts Woman Who Zipped Boyfriend Into Suitcase

Florida prosecutors say Sarah Boone left Jorge Torres Jr. to die

(Newser) - A Florida jury has convicted a woman accused of zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase in 2020, where he eventually suffocated. Sarah Boone was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the death of Jorge Torres Jr., WESH reports. Defense lawyers argued that Boone suffers from "battered spouse syndrome"...

Python Scarfs Down Entire 77-Pound Deer

In the Florida Everglades

(Newser) - Florida researchers tracking snakes in the Everglades were recently treated to quite an "impressive feat": a female Burmese python devouring a 77-pound white-tailed deer, whole. And they've released the footage of when they made their discovery, showing the python's mouth stretched to 93% of its maximum gape,...

Cops: Mom Coached Daughter on Roblox on How to Kill Baby

2-month-old survived being dropped on floor by 10-year-old, but Tara Sykes has now been arrested

(Newser) - A Florida woman has been arrested after authorities say she urged her school-age daughter to kill an infant in the young girl's care, using the online video game platform Roblox to communicate her message. Per a statement from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, investigators on Thursday received a...

Woman, 105, Was Rescued From Rubble After Tornado

Jayne Huston's Florida home was destroyed in tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton

(Newser) - In what her great-grandson says was the scariest moment of her 105 years, Jayne Huston's home was wrecked by a tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton earlier this month. Neighbors heard her screams and pulled her from the rubble of her home in Port Salerno on Florida's east coast,...

Florida Man Who Rode Out Hurricane on Boat Is Arrested

Though the charges against 'Lt. Dan' don't appear to be related to the storm

(Newser) - The Florida man who went viral when he refused to ditch his boat as Hurricane Milton loomed was arrested Friday in Tampa. The charges against Joseph Malinowsky, a tattooed amputee known to his social media followers as "Lieutenant Dan," don't necessarily appear to be related to his...

Biden Surveys Damage in Florida, Promises Aid

Power outages, flooding, gas shortages persist after storms

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday looked over the storm damage in Florida for the second time in a little more than a week, seeing the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Milton on the Gulf Coast and announcing more financial aid is on the way. He was given an aerial view of the...

Florida Homeowners Fear for Last-Chance Insurer

State-backed Citizens already was trying to shed policyholders, before recent hurricanes

(Newser) - After the latest hurricanes in Florida, homeowners are wondering where they'll turn for coverage if their insurer of last resort is no longer an option. Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is Florida's largest provider of home insurance, having 1.3 million policies on the books as of September. It'...

After Milton, It Was Just Him, the Sea, and His Cooler

Coast Guard rescues fisherman stranded in the Gulf

(Newser) - It was "a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," a Coast Guard official said Thursday after a fishing boat captain was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico, where he'd been clinging to a cooler. It was the man's second rescue in four days, per...

Milton Got a Little Personal With Anderson Cooper

CNN anchor takes a hit to the face as he reports on Florida hurricane

(Newser) - Anderson Cooper went into not quite the eye of the hurricane to report on the devastating and deadly Milton as it roared onto shore in Florida on Wednesday, and as People reports, he took it a bit in the eye for his trouble. The 57-year-old CNN anchor was reporting amid...

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