Florida

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Elderly Man Dies Trying to Rescue a Turtle

Vermont's Frank Quinn struck and killed Sunday on Florida's I-95

(Newser) - An act of compassion on a busy Florida highway turned tragic when an elderly Vermont man was fatally struck by a vehicle while trying to rescue a turtle from traffic. Frank J. Quinn, variously described as 77 or 87, died on Florida's I-95 near Indian River County on...

Shark Bites Florida Surfer
Shark Bites Florida Surfer
Jul 8, 2025 3:00 AM CDT

Shark Bites Florida Surfer

Man is expected to recover, and his mom says he will surf again

(Newser) - A shark bit the arm of a 40-year-old man as he surfed at Florida's New Smyrna Beach Sunday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Matt Bender of Winter Park, who WFTV says is "well-known" in the local surfing community, underwent surgery and was expected to recover—and surf again...

Family Hit by Lightning on Florida Beach

17-year-old girl hospitalized after strike at St. Pete Beach

(Newser) - Three members of a family were struck by lightning Friday while sheltering under an umbrella at St. Pete Beach in Florida's Pinellas County, officials say. St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office personnel responded to the scene around 12:19pm. Two adults were treated...

Trump Visits 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Trump Visits 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Jul 1, 2025 3:57 PM CDT

Trump Visits 'Alligator Alcatraz'

He says he would like to see similar detention centers in 'many states'

(Newser) - President Trump, joined by officials including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, toured the newly built "Alligator Alcatraz" migrant detention facility in Florida on Tuesday—and suggested it could end up as part of a network of similar facilities. "Well, I think we would...

DeSantis on 'Alligator Alcatraz': 'Good Luck Getting to Civilization'

Fla. governor says President Trump is 'very excited' to visit the new migrant detention site on Tuesday

(Newser) - Looks like "Alligator Alcatraz" is ready to open, and President Trump will be there this week to check out the revamped facility in the Florida Everglades. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday that Trump will be stopping by Tuesday at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a new immigration...

Girl Goes Overboard on Cruise, Dad Goes in After Her

Disney Dream passengers take in dramatic ocean rescue at conclusion of their Bahamas trip

(Newser) - A young girl went overboard on a Disney cruise returning to Florida from the Bahamas on Sunday, prompting her father to jump in after her. It was a terrifying moment that ended in cheers as rescue crews helped both father and daughter from the water. Footage shared on TikTok showed...

Unknown Buyer Scooping Up Property in Palm Beach

Wall Street Journal reports somebody has paid $250M for 4 adjacent properties so far

(Newser) - A very rich person is apparently planning to build a very big home in ritzy Palm Beach, Florida. The Wall Street Journal reports that a mystery buyer has so far paid about $250 million for four adjacent properties by the beach and is thus "assembling one of the most...

Florida Executes Thomas Gudinas
Florida Executes
Thomas Gudinas
Jun 24, 2025 5:54 PM CDT

Florida Executes Thomas Gudinas

Man who raped, killed woman near bar in 1994 is 7th inmate the state has executed this year

(Newser) - A man convicted of raping and killing a woman near a central Florida bar was executed Tuesday evening. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, said Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gudinas was...

Toddler Dies in Hot Car in Case That 'Shocks the Conscience'

Dad has been charged after allegedly leaving son in truck for hours during Florida heat wave

(Newser) - A Florida man has been charged after allegedly leaving his 18-month-old son in a hot truck for hours, resulting in the toddler's death, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say Scott Allen Gardner, 33, was arrested Thursday and faces charges of aggravated manslaughter of a...

Work Is Underway on Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Old airfield to become an immigration detention center

(Newser) - Work has begun to transform an old airfield in the Florida Everglades into an immigration detention center, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." A rep for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, an ally of President Trump who first proposed the idea , said work at the site began on Monday morning, per...

Lightning Kills Honeymooner on Florida Beach

Lightning took beachgoers by surprise, witness says

(Newser) - A 29-year-old man on his honeymoon was fatally struck by lightning on a Florida beach Friday in the state's first such fatality this year. Jake A. Rosencranz of Colorado was standing in ankle-deep water on New Smyrna Beach around 12:30pm when lightning struck, USA Today reports. "It...

Climate Change Is Causing Sweltering Summer Nights

A new study says nighttime temperatures are rising all over the US

(Newser) - If it seems like it's increasingly too hot to sleep during the summer, you're not imagining things. Axios reports that summer evenings are getting warmer across much of the US—especially in the Southwest—due to the effects of climate change. The findings come from a new report...

Florida Deputies Get Creative With Odd Arrest

Man caught crashing at stranger's home is made into a Goldilocks cartoon

(Newser) - It's a strange one, even by Florida Man standards. Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a 44-year-old who they say broke into a stranger's empty home to get away from his wife, reports the Miami Herald . The sheriff's office likened the story to that...

Florida AG Wants to Build 'Alligator Alcatraz'

He says site in the Everglades could hold up to 1K immigration detainees

(Newser) - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has made an offer that's likely to appeal to the Trump administration: In a post on X Thursday, the Republican proposed building a "one-stop shop to carry out President Trump's mass deportation agenda" at an old airport in the Everglades, calling it...

Father's Day Turns Tragic After Dad Saves Daughter

Antwon Wilson drowned in Fort Lauderdale; his daughter and a bystander survived

(Newser) - A Father's Day outing at Fort Lauderdale Beach turned tragic when a father lost his life after rescuing his daughter from drowning, just minutes after lifeguards had left their posts for the day. Antwon Wilson, 33, from Lauderhill, entered the water near the B Ocean Resort around 7:...

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes
Fake Flight Attendant
Boarded Dozens of Planes
in case you missed it
Jun 15, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes

DOJ says 6-year scheme allowed Tiron Alexander, 35, to fly for free

(Newser) - A Florida man managed to fly free on dozens of flights by pretending to be a flight attendant—a scheme that has now landed him a federal conviction and the prospect of decades in prison. Tiron Alexander, 35, was found guilty on Thursday of wire fraud and unlawfully entering...

9-Year-Old Survives Shark Attack in Florida

Leah Lendel's hand had to be reconstructed following bite off Florida

(Newser) - A 9-year-old girl has survived a terrifying shark encounter off Florida and remarkably retains the use of her right hand despite that it was "mostly torn off," per Gulf Coast News . Leah Lendel was snorkeling off Boca Grande, about 4 feet from her mother, on Wednesday when she...

Victims' Relatives Finally Allowed Into Pulse Nightclub

Building will be torn down later this year to make space for a permanent memorial

(Newser) - Survivors and family members of the 49 victims killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre nine years ago got their first chance Wednesday to walk through the long-shuttered, LGBTQ+-friendly Florida venue before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst US mass shooting in...

Florida-Based Airline Abruptly Shuts Down, Strands Passengers

Silver Airways had tried a Chapter 11 restructuring

(Newser) - Regional carrier Silver Airways announced Wednesday it is shutting down operations after a failed attempt at restructuring through bankruptcy, leaving some passengers stranded at airports in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. "Please do not go to the airport," the Hollywood, Florida-based company posted to customers on its...

Florida Executes Man for 1994 Rape, Murder

Anthony Wainwright is 6th inmate state has executed so far this year

(Newser) - A man convicted of raping and killing a woman three decades ago after kidnapping her from a supermarket parking lot was executed Tuesday in Florida. Anthony Wainwright, 54, received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted in the April 1994 killing of 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart,...

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