Florida

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DeSantis Emerges as Leading AI Skeptic

On data centers, Florida governor is in agreement with Bernie Sanders

(Newser) - Ron DeSantis is spending his final year as Florida governor trying to slam the brakes on artificial intelligence while much of rest of his party steps on the gas. As President Trump and GOP leaders in Washington promote AI as an economic and strategic priority, DeSantis is positioning himself as...

Disney's Indiana Jones Stunt Show Didn't Go as Planned

Prop boulder breaks free at stunt show in Florida's Hollywood Studios, slams into cast member

(Newser) - A Disney stunt show in Florida briefly veered from scripted danger into the real thing when a runaway boulder prop headed straight for the crowd and slammed into a staffer instead. Video shared on TikTok and Reddit shows the fake rock from the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular" at...

Trump Uses Veto Power for First Time This Term

Rep. Lauren Boebert isn't happy about his veto on the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act in her state

(Newser) - President Trump has dusted off his veto pen, blocking two widely backed bills on water and tribal lands and triggering bipartisan pushback from Florida to Colorado. The White House said on Monday that Trump rejected the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act and the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, his...

Florida Says First Hunt Since 2015 Killed 52 Bears

More than a quarter of permits went to hunt opponents

(Newser) - Fifty-two bears were killed during Florida's first black bear hunt in a decade , state wildlife officials said Tuesday. The bear hunt, which started Dec. 6 and ended on Sunday, had been restricted to 172 permit holders who had won their vouchers through a random lottery involving more than 160,...

A Dozen Iconic Swans Die at Orlando Lake

Officials suspect bird flu

(Newser) - A dozen of the iconic swans that live in the heart of downtown Orlando, Florida, have died in recent days of an unknown cause, leading officials to suspect that bird flu is to blame, the AP reports. The deaths of the swans at Lake Eola don't appear to be...

The Priciest ZIP Codes in the Nation

Fisher Island, Miami Beach tops annual list with $9.5M median sale price

(Newser) - The most expensive US ZIP code is no longer in California. While the Golden State dominates the top 10 in PropertyShark's annual ranking of the priciest US ZIP codes based on median sale prices, it has lost the top spot to Florida—Miami Beach's Fisher Island, to be...

Trump Speaks With Putin as Zelensky Arrives

Ukraine receives encouragement from allies before peace talks in Florida

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Florida for peace talks, scheduled to begin at 1pm, with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Setting the stage:
  • Putin call: Trump posted Sunday that he'd spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, per the Hill . In a post
...

Fishy Ring Edited Out of Congresswoman's Photo

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida faces fraud charges

(Newser) - Holiday greetings from a South Florida lawmaker have turned into a fresh headache over a very conspicuous missing accessory. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat from Florida's 20th District who is under federal indictment , posted a Christmas message on X featuring her official portrait. Online commenters quickly noted the image had...

Cops: Man Kills Wife in Dispute Over NFL Game

Shooter also injured 13-year-old stepdaughter, then died by suicide, per officials in Polk County, Florida

(Newser) - A domestic dispute in Florida that began with a request to turn off a football game ended with three people shot and two dead, according to authorities in Polk County. Sheriff Grady Judd says 47-year-old Jason Kenney fatally shot his wife, Crystal Kenney, and wounded her 13-year-old daughter on Monday...

Man Went From Hosting Palm Beach Elite to 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Community pressure, media spotlight help secure Jose Gonzalez's release in Southern Florida

(Newser) - A popular restaurant host who books Palm Beach's power tables is back home this week after almost two weeks in the remote South Florida detention center nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." The New York Times reports on the story of Jose Gonzalez, longtime manager and public face of Bice...

Ex-Warden: Florida's Rapid Executions Risk Failure, Cruelty

Ron McAndrew highlights allegations of drug mishandling at Florida State Prison

(Newser) - Florida's death chamber isn't just busy —it's being pushed to a pace a former prison warden says the system can't safely handle. Ron McAndrew, who once ran Florida State Prison and oversaw three executions, is sounding that alarm in light of the lawsuit filed by...

No Christmas Pause in Migrant Arrests, Says White House

Trump team's reply to Florida Catholic bishops' request: President is keeping his deportation vows

(Newser) - Florida's Catholic bishops appealed to President Trump on Monday to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays. The White House, in response, said it would be business as usual. The appeal was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference...

Search Is Over for Florida Fishermen Who Went Overboard

Their empty boat was found running 70 miles off Fort Myers coast early Sunday

(Newser) - Two Florida men left for a day of fishing and never came back. Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew, 33-year-old Brandon Billmaier, both of whom are attorneys, headed out from Fort Myers before sunrise on Friday in a 42-foot Freeman fishing boat and were expected to return that afternoon, relatives...

Florida Woman Charged After 2 Exes Are Killed on Same Day

Deputies say killings were premeditated; additional murder charges expected

(Newser) - A homicide case in Florida has taken an unusual turn, with investigators alleging that a woman killed two former husbands in separate shootings on the same day, USA Today reports. Authorities say Susan Erica Avalon was arrested Dec. 18 and charged with second-degree homicide in connection with the death of...

Report: Trump Used Primary Mortgages for Rentals

Records show Trump claimed 2 Palm Beach rentals as primary residences, per ProPublica

(Newser) - The Trump administration has aggressively gone after political rivals over alleged mortgage games. Newly unearthed paperwork, however, suggests he once played a similar game himself. ProPublica reports that Trump signed two mortgages in Palm Beach in late 1993 and early 1994, each time listing the property as his main home....

Woman Abducted at 3 Reunites With Dad 42 Years Later
Woman, 46, Had No Idea She'd
Been Abducted at Age 3
in case you missed it
Dec 21, 2025 6:40 AM CST

Woman, 46, Had No Idea She'd Been Abducted at Age 3

Tip leads deputies to woman missing from Kentucky since 1983; mother arrested

(Newser) - For more than 40 years, Michelle Newton lived an ordinary life under a different name, unaware police still considered her a missing child. The woman, now 46, was reported missing in April 1983, when she was 3. Authorities say her mother, Debra Newton, moved Michelle from Louisville, Kentucky, to Georgia...

Florida Executes Killer of 2
Florida Executes Killer of 2
Dec 18, 2025 5:45 PM CST

Florida Executes Killer of 2

Frank Athen Walls shot a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year. Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near...

After 37 Years on Death Row, Serial Killer's Execution Set

Frank Athen Walls to receive lethal injection in Florida's record 19th execution this year

(Newser) - Florida is preparing to put to death a man authorities say terrorized its Panhandle in the 1980s with a string of killings that became known as "the Tuesday murders." Frank Athen Walls is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday, more than 40 years after he...

It's Fiancee No. 3 for Donald Trump Jr.

President's oldest son is engaged to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson

(Newser) - Donald Trump Jr. is heading to the altar again, this time with Bettina Anderson, a Palm Beach social figure whose relationship with him has long been the subject of rumors. Per the New York Times , President Trump revealed the engagement on Monday night during a White House holiday party, and...

Florida Chef Saves Life of Missing Regular

He went to check on man who usually came in for gumbo twice a day

(Newser) - A regular at the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida, might not be alive today if it wasn't for his love of gumbo. Twice a day, every day, for 10 years, as regular as clockwork, 78-year-old Charlie Hicks walked into the the restaurant and ordered the same thing: gumbo, light...

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