Florida

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Guy Pays $1 Parking Fine ... 35 Years Late

Stanley Baker sent the dollar in—despite not living in Florida, or knowing who got the ticket

(Newser) - A Michigan man has paid a $1 Florida parking ticket more than 35 years overdue. Orlando police received Stanley Baker's payment for a Nov. 7, 1975, parking ticket yesterday. The 89-year-old Pentwater, Mich., man included a note reading, "Better late than never!"

Lawsuit: Gov. Scott Running Florida a la Monty Python

Florida governor sued by blind woman for rules change

(Newser) - A blind Florida woman is suing Gov. Rick Scott over his order suspending the state’s rulemaking process—and her attorneys had some fun with the filing. Rosalie Whiley thinks the governor overstepped his constitutional bounds, while the governor says he has the “ supreme executive power ” to do...

'Red Bull Killer' Declared Insane

Though judge says case was never about energy drink

(Newser) - A Florida man who smothered his elderly father to death is going to a state hospital instead of a state prison. A judge declared that Stephen Coffeen "did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions" and found him not guilty by reason of insanity today, reports the St. Petersburg ...

Boy, 12, Charged in Beating Death of Toddler Half Brother

Mom faces charges for covering up attack

(Newser) - A 12-year-old Florida boy has been charged in the vicious beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother. David Galarriago died two days after he was hospitalized with a severe skull fracture and facial bruising. Big brother Cristian Fernandez admitted beating the toddler, and said he also broke the little boy's...

Florida To Drug Test Welfare Recipients Under New Law Signed by Rick Scott
Florida to Drug Test
Welfare Recipients
in case you missed it
Jun 4, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

Florida to Drug Test Welfare Recipients

ACLU files lawsuit saying law is unconstitutional

(Newser) - Governor Rick Scott signed a law this week requiring Floridians to submit urine, blood, or hair samples for drug testing before they could receive any cash aid from the state. Those testing positive will be banned from receiving aid for six months, though they can secure assistance for their children...

Threatened With Furniture Repo, Bank Pays Debt

BofA owed Florida couple $2,500 over old lawsuit

(Newser) - A Florida couple turned the tables on Bank of America when they attempted to have furniture repossessed from their local branch to satisfy a $2,500 debt. Instead of letting authorities seize property, the bank cut a check to pay off the debt stemming from a lawsuit resolved last year,...

Casey Anthony Trial: Caylee Drowned in Pool, Says Defense
 Caylee Drowned 
 in Pool: Defense 
casey anthony trial
May 24, 2011 4:42 PM CDT

Caylee Drowned in Pool: Defense

'This is not a murder case,' says lawyer

(Newser) - Casey Anthony didn’t kill her daughter—nor was Caylee murdered at all, Casey’s lawyer said today. Instead, the 2-year-old drowned in her grandparents’ swimming pool, Jose Baez said in his opening statement, reports CNN . “This is a tragedy that snowballed out of control,” the attorney said....

Church to Honor Prayer Request for Osama

'He needs forgiveness,' says Catholic parishioner in Florida

(Newser) - A Catholic man in Florida is testing his fellow parishioners capacity for forgiveness this weekend: Henry Borga paid $10 to have the name Osama bin Laden entered in the church bulletin for Sunday prayers at the Holy Name of Jesus church, reports WPTV in West Palm Beach. "He needs...

Florida May Have Accidentally Banned Sex

Poorly worded bestiality ban picked apart

(Newser) - Florida lawmakers with a poor grasp of taxonomy appear to have accidentally outlawed all sex in the state, according to the Southern Fried Scientist . The recently passed law banning bestiality outlaws "knowing sexual conduct or sexual contact with an animal"—and since humans are technically animals, consenting adults...

Florida Gets Stingy With Jobless Benefits

State will limit benefits, tie eligibility to unemployment rate

(Newser) - Florida is poised to become what the Huffington Post calls the "stingiest state" in America on unemployment benefits. A bill waiting for the governor's signature would cut the maximum number of weeks people could get benefits from the state from 26 to 23. It would also put into...

City Punishes Store Owner for Too Many Patriotic Flags

Linda Downey flies six, but Florida city only allows three

(Newser) - Apparently, in Crystal River, Florida, it’s possible to be too patriotic. Linda Downey, owner of Taste of Philly Cheesesteak and Hoagie Shoppe, was notified by the city of a “violation” because there are too many flags flying in front of her store. Downey, who has two sons in...

Florida Cracks Down on Bestiality, Saggy Pants

Bills go to governor's desk

(Newser) - Two bills of note have been sent by Florida lawmakers to the desk of Governor Rick Scott: One makes kids who wear droopy pants at school subject to suspension, and the other makes bestiality a misdemeanor. The latter is the work of a state legislator upset about publicized cases of...

Fla. to Ban Doctors From Asking About Guns

'Docs vs Glocks' bill passes state senate

(Newser) - Doctors in Florida will be restricted from asking patients about gun ownership under a bill headed for Gov. Rick Scott's desk. The so-called "Docs versus Glocks" bill passed by the state Senate yesterday was introduced after a woman complained that her pediatrician told her to find another doctor...

States Suspect Life Insurers Are Screwing the Dead

Some ignoring information showing policy holders are dead

(Newser) - Dozens of states are investigating the possibility that major insurance companies have been less than conscientious about paying out life insurance benefits for their dead customers. The investigations began when 35 states signed up for an auditing firm’s offer to look for unclaimed life insurance benefits that could be...

Tot Shoots Mom Dead, Dad Questioned

Father says 2-year-old son picked up gun from table

(Newser) - Police in Florida are questioning a father who says his 2-year-old son accidentally shot and killed his mother. Troy Bailey Jr. says he left the handgun unattended on a table while visiting the victim, ABC News reports. "My son picked it up, and I tried to grab it,"...

Supreme Court: We Won't Fast-Track ObamaCare Suit

Matter will move through appeals courts

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has denied Virginia’s request to fast-track the state’s case against the health care law, MSNBC reports. Virginia’s attorney general had sought to take the case—which calls the law’s requirement that almost all Americans purchase health care unconstitutional—straight to the high court,...

Teen Love Triangle Ends in 'Depraved' Murder

6 charged in murder of 15-year-old Florida boy

(Newser) - Five Floridians between the ages of 15 and 20 have been charged with first-degree murder in a slaying that one of the suspects' lawyers admits is "pretty damn depraved." The killing was apparently triggered by a love triangle and an ugly Facebook feud in which the victim called...

Tot Plunges 4 Stories—Into Tourist's Arms

'Not a scratch' on her after Orlando fall: mom

(Newser) - A 16-month-old girl who plummeted from a fourth-story balcony at an Econo Lodge in Orlando was caught midair by a bystander—a British tourist who saw her dangling from a railing, the BBC reports. Doctors say baby Jah-Nea Myles is doing fine, though she was taken to a hospital after...

Plan for Florida's Jobless: Let Them Wear Capes

Shockingly, jobless not impressed with the $14K move

(Newser) - File under "questionable ways to tackle the topic of unemployment": A Florida group wants to fight crushing unemployment with a "Cape-A-Bility Challenge" that would bestow 6,000 red superhero capes on the area's jobless. Unfortunately, would-be recipients aren't thrilled with the idea of Workforce Central Florida...

STDs Soar Among Seniors
 STDs Soar 
 Among Seniors 
Apr 19, 2011 2:11 PM CDT

STDs Soar Among Seniors

Chlamydia and syphilis rise faster than national average

(Newser) - Maybe it’s longer lives; maybe it’s Viagra. Either way, STDs are soaring among seniors—and climbing faster among older adults than within the population as a whole. Reportings of syphilis and chlamydia among those 55 and older jumped 43% between 2005 and 2009, the Orlando Sentinel finds in...

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