Florida

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Online Challenge Ends With 11-Year-Old Arrested

Florida youth sent police on a 90-minute goose chase, say deputies

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Florida girl has been arrested over a false kidnapping report—and she told officers it was part of a YouTube challenge. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office says the girl texted 911 at 9:45am Wednesday and claimed that a friend had been snatched by an armed...

Mayor: Police Chief Offered to Resign Before He Shot Himself

Miami-Dade's top police official is recovering and 'regaining his strength,' mayor says

(Newser) - Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the county's top police official offered his resignation hours before he tried to kill himself Sunday night. Police say Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, shot himself after a dispute with his wife at a Tampa hotel. Levine...

Rush Limbaugh's $155M Estate Is Being Demolished

Cosmetics heir William Lauder, who bought Palm Beach property in March, has begun teardown

(Newser) - What does it feel like to have so much money that you can buy property worth more than $100 million, then knock down the posh home there just because? Ask William Lauder, who apparently serially razes mansions. Via Yahoo Finance , USA Today reports that the cosmetics billionaire, executive chair of...

At Tip of Florida, Sea Water Hits 'Hot Tub' Temps

Temperature reading exceeds 100 degrees two days in a row, though there are some issues

(Newser) - The water temperature on the tip of Florida hit hot tub levels, exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit two days in a row. And meteorologists say that could potentially be the hottest seawater ever measured, although there are some issues with the reading, the AP reports. Weather records for sea water temperature...

Hemingway Look-Alike Wins Contest, Despite Big Difference

'I only have one wife,' jokes Gerrit Marshall, 68, victor of annual Key West doppelganger contest

(Newser) - On his 68th birthday, a white-bearded Wisconsin man won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West's annual Hemingway Days celebration that ends Sunday. Gerrit Marshall, a retired television broadcast engineer from Madison, prevailed over the weekend at Sloppy Joe's Bar, a frequent hangout of Ernest Hemingway...

Report: Miami's Police Chief Shot Himself While With Wife

Mayor says Alfredo Freddy' Ramirez is in critical but stable condition

(Newser) - The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in stable condition after surgery in a Tampa area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday, amid reports from local media that he had shot himself. Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said. "Following...

Some Slaves Cited by Florida as Beneficiaries Weren't Slaves

Historic sources conflict with examples cited in defense of state's new school policy

(Newser) - The day after approving a new requirement that middle school students be taught that some enslaved people learned skills to their personal benefit, Florida's Board of Education issued a statement in its defense. The board listed the names of 16 historical figures it said were helped by the "...

In Florida, Harris Condemns Slavery Lesson

DeSantis says Democrats are lying

(Newser) - Vice President Kamala Harris went to Florida on Friday to denounce the state's new educational standards that mandate teaching middle school students that some Black people benefited from being enslaved . "It is not only misleading, it is false and pushing propaganda—pushing propaganda on our children," Harris...

Scientists Probe the Possibility of 'Cocaine Sharks'

Investigation to air as part of Discovery's Shark Week

(Newser) - Last month alone, the US Coast Guard seized more than 14,100 pounds of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. That's a lot of cocaine and suggests the drug, dumped by smugglers and picked up by currents, could make its way to marine life, including sharks. You'...

Florida Students to Learn a 'Personal Benefit' of Slavery

New policy mandates teaching that enslaved people developed skills

(Newser) - Florida education officials have changed state standards, in keeping with Gov. Ron DeSantis' policies, to mandate teaching public school students that some Black people benefited from being enslaved because they learned useful skills. The state Board of Education immediately defended the policy, unanimously approved Wednesday, by saying lessons will still...

Family Awarded $800K in Chicken McNugget Burn Suit

McDonald's, franchisee had already been found liable

(Newser) - A Broward County jury on Wednesday awarded the family of a girl who was burned by a Chicken McNugget from her McDonald's Happy Meal $800,000, CNN reports. That covers pain and suffering, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, and loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, with half of the...

Boy, 7, Fatally Struck by Golf Cart Brother, 3, Was Driving

Tragedy struck in Fort Myers, Florida

(Newser) - On Monday afternoon in Florida, the unimaginable: A 7-year-old boy was struck and killed by a golf cart, which was being driven by his 3-year-old brother. The younger child was approaching a right curve near a home on a street when the cart hit the older child, who was standing...

Florida Sued Over New Immigration Law

SB 1718 makes it a felony to transport undocumented immigrants across state lines

(Newser) - Florida is being sued in federal court over a new immigration law that plaintiffs say could lead to "unlawful arrest, prosecution, and harassment." Senate Bill 1718, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May and took effect on July 1, makes it a felony to knowingly transport...

Florida&#39;s Latest Invasive Species Is Very Fuzzy
Now Florida Has
a Bunny Problem
Jul 17, 2023 7:58 AM CDT

Now Florida Has a Bunny Problem

Domestic lionhead rabbits have taken over community of Jenada Isles

(Newser) - When Alicia Griggs steps outside her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida's latest invasive species comes a-hoppin' down the street: lionhead rabbits. The bunnies, which sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food Griggs carries. But she also represents their best chance of survival and moving where...

Marine Heat Wave Puts Florida in 'Uncharted Territory'

Temperatures are breaking records at sea as well as on land

(Newser) - Florida is dealing with record-breaking temperatures not just on land but in the surrounding waters, where a marine heat wave is posing a major threat to corals and other marine life. Water temperatures around Florida are in the mid-90s Fahrenheit, around 5 degrees higher than normal, and the heat wave...

Yet Another Insurer Ditches the Sunshine State

Farmers is dropping home, auto, and umbrella policies in Florida, citing 'risk exposure'

(Newser) - More homeowners in Florida received some bad news this week, with yet another insurance company pulling out of the state due to too much possible liability. The Miami Herald reports that Farmers Insurance will no longer be offering home, auto, or umbrella policies in the Sunshine State, the fourth carrier...

More Dangerous Weather Is Coming
More Dangerous
Weather Is Coming
Jul 11, 2023 7:54 AM CDT

More Dangerous Weather Is Coming

Flash floods could continue in northeast, while South, West brace for extreme heat

(Newser) - A storm that brought deadly flooding to parts of New York state on Sunday devastated Vermont on Monday, washing out roads and forcing people from their homes. More than 50 people were rescued from flood waters after some locations saw more than six inches of rain, or more than the...

Court Docs Detail What Likely Happened to Vanished Lawyer

They say an angry plastic surgeon killed him, dumped his body

(Newser) - Florida prosecutors seeking the death penalty for a plastic surgeon accused of killing a lawyer and dumping his body in the Everglades have laid out their case in new court filings, the AP reports. Authorities say Dr. Tomasz Kosowski killed attorney Steven Cozzi in the bathroom of Cozzi's law...

Next Up: Saharan Dust Clouds
Next Menace: Dust Clouds
Jul 8, 2023 5:15 PM CDT

Next Menace: Dust Clouds

Plumes from Sahara Desert reach Florida, with more to come

(Newser) - The southeastern US dodged the dangerously unhealthy smoke from wildfires in Canada, but a similar menace is moving in: dust clouds. Plumes moving from the Sahara Desert have been spotted by satellite over the eastern Caribbean Sea, southern Gulf of Mexico, and off the western coast of Africa, Accuweather reports....

18-Month-Old Dies After Being Left in Car Overnight

Florida parents are charged with aggravated manslaughter

(Newser) - A toddler died after her parents left her in a hot car overnight following a Fourth of July party in Florida, authorities said Thursday. The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Lakeland couple Joel and Jazmine Rondon have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. Authorities said the Rondons...

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