Florida

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Hospital Seeks Court Order on Patient Who Won't Leave

Florida hospital says woman is still occupying room more than 5 months after discharge

(Newser) - Florida's Tallahassee Memorial Hospital says one of its former patients checked out on paper months ago—but never actually left. Now the hospital has turned to the courts, filing a lawsuit to force the woman from the inpatient room she's occupied since her discharge on Oct. 6, 2025, according to...

Florida Bid to Ban First Cousin Marriages Stalls in Legislature

Lawmaker quietly added, then lost, prohibition in broader health bill

(Newser) - Florida lawmakers have hit pause—not stop—on a move to outlaw marriage between first cousins, Action News Jax reports. Republican state Rep. Dean Black quietly attached an amendment to a Department of Health bill this session that would have barred first cousins from marrying starting in July. The change...

Florida Executes Man Who Raped, Killed Young Mother

Denise Amber Lee called 911 begging for help but critical information was not relayed

(Newser) - A Florida man was executed Tuesday evening for the rape and murder of a young mother who frantically called 911 on her attacker's cellphone while she was tied up in his car. Michael Lee King, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm following a lethal injection at Florida State...

University of Florida Moves to Deactivate College Republicans

Chapter's misconduct includes 'a recent antisemitic gesture'

(Newser) - The University of Florida says it's deactivating the campus College Republicans as a registered student group after being notified that some members engaged in antisemitism. The deactivation effort at the University of Florida campus marks the second time this month that a public university in Florida has taken action...

South African Reality TV Couple Arrested in Florida

They're accused of scamming Publix self-checkout system for thousands

(Newser) - A South African reality TV couple started scamming supermarkets after they moved to Florida last year, authorities say. Mel Viljoen, 39, and her husband, Peet Viljoen, 57, who appeared on Real Housewives of Pretoria, were arrested on Tuesday and accused of stealing more than $5,300 in items from a...

Developer Ordered to Rebuild Gutted Condo—for $65M
Developer Ordered to Rebuild
Gutted Condo—for $65M
in case you missed it
Mar 7, 2026 2:35 PM CST

Developer Ordered to Rebuild Gutted Condo—for $65M

Court order forces Two Roads' costly restoration of Biscayne 21 in Miami

(Newser) - A real estate developer that tried to change the rules to suit itself has been ordered to rebuild a condo tower it spent nearly a year ripping apart. The Wall Street Journal 's Deborah Acosta reports that a Florida court has ordered developer Two Roads to restore Biscayne 21—...

Florida School Is Probing 'Repugnant' GOP Group Chat

FIU decries racist, antisemitic, misogynistic remarks in chat started by official from local GOP

(Newser) - A South Florida university has launched an investigation into a group chat started by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party that included violently racist slurs, antisemitic comments, and misogynistic language, reports the AP . The chat, which was denounced by the state GOP, involved students and several...

Florida Executes Man Who Killed Cop With His Own Gun

Billy Leon Kearse was sentenced to death in 1991

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening in Florida, becoming the third person put to death by the state this year after a record 19 executions in 2025. Billy Leon Kearse, 53, was pronounced dead...

Zuckerberg Sets Record With 'Billionaire Bunker' Buy

$170M Indian Creek purchase marks new Miami-Dade record

(Newser) - Mark Zuckerberg just set a new bar for Miami real estate. The Meta CEO and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have shelled out $170 million for a not-yet-finished limestone mega-mansion on Indian Creek, the exclusive private island locals call the "Billionaire Bunker," reports the Wall Street Journal . The price...

Florida Man Rescued After 4 Days in Mud Pit

Andrew Gidden, freed Wednesday, expected to make a full recovery

(Newser) - Authorities in north Florida traced a missing man to a mud pit, where he'd been stuck up to his shoulders for at least four days. Deputies in Putnam County located 36-year-old Andrew Giddens on Wednesday, four days after family believes he became stuck in "quicksand" mud at a...

Florida Man Charged With $40K Scam Involving Seasoning

Alleged scheme involved taco seasoning packets, pricey trading cards

(Newser) - Taco seasoning packets are at the center of what Florida officials call a months-long trading card theft scheme that netted nearly $40,000, USA Today reports. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office says 39-year-old Keith Wallis used self-checkout lanes at Target stores from Miami to Orlando to pay only...

Spring Breakers May Have a Sargassum Problem

Rotting seaweed from Gulf of Mexico to Caribbean and Atlantic offers odors, health risks

(Newser) - Spring breakers may find more than crowds and cocktails on the beach this year. A massive bloom of sargassum, a type of seaweed—estimated at 9.5 million tons—is stretching from the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean into the western Atlantic, according to University of South Florida researchers...

What We Know About the Boat Shooting Off Cuba
What We Know About
the Boat Shooting Off Cuba
the rundown
Feb 26, 2026 12:57 PM CST

What We Know About the Boat Shooting Off Cuba

Havana alleges that infiltrators from the US tried to land in the country

(Newser) - One full day has not brought much clarity to a jarring incident off the coast of Cuba , one in which Havana accused would-be infiltrators of attempting to reach the mainland in a speedboat "for terrorist ends." The details:
  • The shooting: Cuban officials say one of its coast guard
...

FBI Raids Los Angeles School District HQ, Leader's Home

School district says it's cooperating, has no further information

(Newser) - The FBI served search warrants Wednesday at the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters and the home of its leader, a former Superintendent of the Year who was knighted by Spain for his work. Federal officials would not give details of the nature of the investigation involving the nation'...

Cuba Says It Killed 4 in Gunfight With Florida Boat

Rubio says US is investigating after report that 4 were killed

(Newser) - Cuba says a gunbattle in its northern waters began Wednesday after a border patrol vessel approached a Florida-registered speedboat to request identification. In a post on X, Cuba's Interior Ministry said the people on the boat, listed as FL7726SH, near Cayo Falcones, then opened fire, injuring the Cuban commander....

Florida Executes Man for 1986 Murder

Melvin Trotter stabbed, strangled a 70-year-old grocery store owner

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing a 70-year-old grocery store owner was put to death Tuesday in Florida, becoming the second person executed by the state this year after a record 19 executions in 2025. Melvin Trotter, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm following a lethal injection at Florida State...

Best States for Retirees Who Want to Stay Healthy

New Hampshire tops the Barron's list of best US states to retire to for your health

(Newser) - A place that has plenty of sunshine, manageable taxes, and pickleball may be attractive draws for seniors seeking out their retirement oasis—hence why many Americans pack up to spend their golden years in, say, Florida or Arizona. But as Barron's points out, it's easy to forget one...

Pickleball 'Kitchen' Spat Leads to a Brawl

Older couple charged with assault after rules fight involving about 20 in Florida

(Newser) - A dispute over a rule led to a brawl during a pickleball game at a central Florida country club, authorities said, with one player hitting his opponent in the face with a paddle and punching him on the ground before others got involved. When the dust settled, a 63-year-old man...

410-Pound Manatee Rescued From Florida Storm Drain

Manatee is recovering at SeaWorld Orlando

(Newser) - A manatee that got stuck in a Florida storm drain while seeking warmer waters is on the mend at SeaWorld Orlando after a coordinated rescue effort, the AP reports. Multiple fire rescue units and officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of Florida and even Jack'...

Florida Sets Its First Execution of 2026
Florida Carries Out Its
First Execution of 2026
UPDATED
Feb 10, 2026 5:37 PM CST

Florida Carries Out Its First Execution of 2026

Ronald Palmer Heath and his brother murdered a traveling salesman in 1989

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing a traveling salesman during a robbery was executed Tuesday evening in the first lethal injection this year in Florida. Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was pronounced dead at 6:12pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, reports the AP . Heath was convicted...

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