Florida

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Air Force Base Families Told to Take Down the Christmas Decor

Directive comes from the private housing contractor for homes near Tyndall Air Force Base

(Newser) - 'Tis the season ... to hold your horses. The AP reports military families who live in a community of homes near Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base and put up Christmas decorations already were told they jumped the gun by their landlords. The Guardian reports a "tersely-worded memo" sent...

Dad, Daughter Killed When Their Aid Plane Crashes

Pair bound for Jamaica were killed shortly after takeoff from Fort Lauderdale

(Newser) - A father and daughter setting out to deliver aid to Jamaica died Monday morning when their plane crashed in Florida just five minutes after takeoff. Authorities say Alexander Wurm, 53, founder of the evangelical Christian ministry Ignite the Fire, and his daughter Serena, 22, were killed when their Beechcraft King...

Plane Carrying Hurricane Relief to Jamaica Crashes in Florida

Small plane crashed into pond in Fort Lauderdale suburb

(Newser) - A small plane bound for Jamaica on a hurricane relief mission crashed into a pond in a residential area of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs on Monday morning. Authorities said no survivors were located during rescue efforts. "We do have our police department here with their divers...

7-Foot-9-Inch Teen Makes College Basketball History

World's tallest teen, new Florida Gator Olivier Rioux, is now tallest teen to play the NCAA sport

(Newser) - Florida coach Todd Golden had people yelling at him during halftime on Thursday night to get 7-foot-9-inch center Olivier Rioux in the game. Golden relented with 2:09 to play—and made history in the process—after chants of "We want Ollie!" swept through the O'Connell Center....

Cops: Teen, 15, Kills Classmate After Hallway Encounter

Florida police say scuffle after victim allegedly bumped into Jacori Redding led to fatal shooting

(Newser) - A seemingly minor hallway incident at an Orlando high school ended in tragedy when a 15-year-old allegedly shot and killed a classmate after a brief confrontation. Authorities say 16-year-old Pinien Dalmacy was killed by Jacori Redding after the two bumped into each other at Oak Ridge High School and Dalmacy...

Man Accused of '80s Rapes Notches Another Conviction

Robert Koehler, 66, found guilty of sexual battery in South Florida, may have 40-plus victims

(Newser) - A man suspected of being the "Pillowcase Rapist" in a string of South Florida rapes back in the 1980s was convicted Monday in another one of the attacks. Miami-Dade County jurors found Robert Koehler, 66, guilty of sexual battery, kidnapping, and burglary after deliberating for less than two hours,...

Hunter: 'Suspicious' Stand Facing Air Force One Has Been There for Years

'Python Cowboy' says FBI is wasting its time

(Newser) - FBI agents are investigating a "suspicious" hunting stand that it says has a direct line of sight to President Trump's Air Force One exit at Palm Beach International Airport. Reptile hunter Mike Kimmel, known as the Python Cowboy, believes they are wasting their time. He tells NBC News...

Dying Man Says Girlfriend Crashed Their Car on Purpose
Man Wakes From Coma, Says
Girlfriend Crashed on Purpose
in case you missed it
Nov 2, 2025 1:25 PM CST

Man Wakes From Coma, Says Girlfriend Crashed on Purpose

She was charged with vehicular homicide when he died 8 months after the crash

(Newser) - A Syracuse-area man critically injured in a car crash in Florida earlier this year told police from his hospital bed that his girlfriend deliberately caused the wreck. Daniel Waterman, 22, was a passenger in a car driven by Leigha Mumby, 24, during Super Bowl weekend in February in Flagler County....

Nude Beach Mix-Up Leads to Arrests in Florida

Deputies crack down as parking lot closure sends nudists to wrong beach

(Newser) - A parking lot closure has led to an unexpected crackdown on nudity in St. Lucie County, Florida. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office reports "numerous complaints" about people shedding their clothes at the beach at the Little Mud Creek Boat Ramp, just north of Blind Creek Beach, which...

Visitor Sues SeaWorld Over Her 'Fowl' Ride

Coaster rider says she suffered permanent injuries when duck hit her in the face in Orlando

(Newser) - A Florida woman is suing SeaWorld Orlando after a duck allegedly struck her in the face while she was riding the Mako roller coaster, rendering her unconscious. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County, claims SeaWorld failed to keep the ride area safe and didn't warn visitors about potential bird...

Florida Executes Man Who Raped, Killed Neighbor

Norman Grim is 15th inmate the state has executed this year, almost double previous record

(Newser) - A Florida man convicted of raping and killing his neighbor decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening in a record 15th execution in Florida this year. Norman Mearle Grim Jr. , 65, was pronounced dead following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of sexual...

Ancient Florida Coral Species Wiped Out
Ancient Florida Coral
Species Wiped Out
NEW STUDY
Oct 27, 2025 5:52 AM CDT

Ancient Florida Coral Species Wiped Out

Study finds 2023 heat wave killed off Florida's staghorn and elkhorn coral

(Newser) - A key coral species that has helped build Florida's reefs for the last 10,000 years has been wiped out in the region, researchers say. Acropora corals, which include the well-known staghorn and elkhorn varieties, have now been declared functionally extinct in Florida's Coral Reef following a historic...

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in America

Fisher Island's 33109 off Miami Beach, Florida, tops PropertyShark ranking

(Newser) - Nine of the most expensive ZIP codes in the nation land in either California or on New York's Long Island—but, per a PropertyShark ranking , it's a Florida location that takes the No. 1 spot. That would be Fisher Island, right off the coast of Miami Beach, a...

'Something Is Very Wrong' With Florida's High-Speed Train

The Brightline 'keeps hitting people,' writes Kaitlyn Tiffany at the Atlantic

(Newser) - The Brightline—Florida's flashy, high-speed rail line linking Miami and Orlando—is without a doubt a "beautiful train," writes Kaitlyn Tiffany at the Atlantic . Her in-depth look, however, is not about aesthetics but about a rather alarming Brightline trait: "it keeps hitting people." Since it...

Rare Shooting in Federal Prison Leaves Illinois Inmate Dead

Family says there's been no explanation

(Newser) - An Illinois inmate was shot and killed earlier this month at a high-security federal prison in Florida, a rare event given that guards typically do not carry firearms inside prison walls. The shooting occurred on Oct. 10 at US Penitentiary Coleman I, northwest of Orlando, and resulted in the death...

Jack Nicklaus Wins $50M Over LIV Golf Claims

Former business partners found to have defamed him

(Newser) - Professional golf legend Jack Nicklaus has won a $50 million verdict in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida against his former business partners . A six-person jury in Palm Beach County found Monday that the Nicklaus Companies had damaged the 18-time major champion's reputation and exposed him to ridicule, hatred,...

Limp Bizkit Bassist's Death Was an 'Attended' One

Which seems to indicate it was not unexpected

(Newser) - More details are emerging regarding the death of Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers over the weekend, TMZ reports. Emergency responders in St. Johns County, Florida, received a call about a "nonresponsive person in cardiac arrest" on Saturday, which led them to Rivers' home. Officials later confirmed Rivers died in...

Sheriff on Florida McDonald's Shooting: 'It Was a McMess'

Employee and customers face charges after drive-thru dispute ends with gunfire

(Newser) - A heated argument at a McDonald's in Davenport, Florida, escalated into gunfire early Sunday, leaving three young men facing charges—and one of them shot, Fox 13 reports. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the incident began around 3am when drive-thru customers Peter Story, 19 or 20,...

Cops: Car Thief Returns Car After Spotting Baby Inside

Suspect arrested after brief joyride from Florida gas station

(Newser) - A car thief in Florida made an unexpected U-turn after discovering a baby in the back seat, returning the stolen vehicle just moments after driving off from a gas station, police say. The incident took place at a Sunoco gas station in Cocoa, Brevard County, where the car's...

Florida Teen Arrested for Faking Kidnapping

Sheriff's office says 17-year-old shot himself in the leg, staged crime scene

(Newser) - A Florida teenager who triggered a statewide Amber Alert by faking his own abduction has been arrested, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say the 17-year-old staged an elaborate crime scene on Sept. 25 after texting his family that he had been shot, WFLA reports. When deputies...

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