Florida

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Florida Court Strikes Down Gay Adoption Ban

'Most draconian' ban falls; adoptions can begin immediately

(Newser) - A Florida court has struck down the state's 33-year-old ban on gay adoptions, ruling that the law is unconstitutional and there is "no rational basis" for it. Gov. Charlie Crist says the state will stop enforcing the ban immediately, although he hasn't commented on whether the state plans to...

Cops: 'How to Molest Kids' Manual Is Legal

But police still want to get their hands on author

(Newser) - A thick manual instructing attackers on how to molest children is legal, say Florida cops—but they'd still like to get their hands on the author of the 170-page book. "I've never seen anything like it. It was pretty amazing because of how detailed it is," an Orange...

Sign of the Times: Foreclosures-Only Courts

Florida streamlines legal process to cut backlog

(Newser) - Pretty much all you need to know about how bad Florida's housing mess is: The state has set up a system of foreclosures-only courts to deal with its backlog of cases. Otherwise, they'd clog up the normal court system. The goal is to cut the backlog by 62% in a...

Men Mutilate Beached Whale —for a Tasty Snack

It was dead, and they were hungry; it's still illegal

(Newser) - Two Florida men are in trouble after they spotted a dead whale on the beach and approached it with one thought in mind: Hey, free lunch. "The thing was deader than a doornail," said one of the men picked up for questioning by state conservation officers. He told...

1 Dead in Florida as Earl Batters Caribbean

Distant storms cause deadly riptides

(Newser) - A surfer is dead, a swimmer is missing, and authorities are warning people to be careful in the water along much of the Atlantic seaboard as distant hurricanes generate rip tides. The body of 47-year-old surfer Tazwell Brown was recovered by his peers in central Florida on Saturday, and police...

Outsider Rick Scott Wins Fla. GOP Primary
 Outsider Rick Scott 
 Wins Fla. GOP Primary 
ELECTION NIGHT
Aug 25, 2010 2:05 AM CDT

Outsider Rick Scott Wins Fla. GOP Primary

Novice politician will face Alex Sink for governor

(Newser) - Political novice Rick Scott has narrowly defeated Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum—and the state's GOP establishment—to win the Republican nomination for governor. Scott, a former health care executive, poured $50 million of his own money into a bitterly fought campaign in which he painted his rival as a...

Kendrick Meek Wins Dems' Primary in Florida
Kendrick Meek Wins Dems' Primary in Florida
election night
Aug 24, 2010 7:28 PM CDT

Kendrick Meek Wins Dems' Primary in Florida

He'll face Rubio, Crist for Senate

(Newser) - Rep. Kendrick Meek is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Florida, overcoming billionaire Jeff Greene's massive television and mail onslaught to win a bitter primary. If he wins again in November, Meek will be the state's first black senator. He will face Republican Marco Rubio, a Tea Party favorite who...

Huck: I Didn't Shake Down GOP Candidate

 Huck: I Didn't 
 Shake Down 
 GOP Candidate 
$250K FOR ENDORSEMENT?
Aug 23, 2010 6:36 PM CDT

Huck: I Didn't Shake Down GOP Candidate

Denies he sought $250K for endorsement

(Newser) - Mike Huckabee's crew is moving swiftly to stamp out rumors that the onetime presidential candidate offered up his endorsement in Florida's gubernatorial primary—for the bargain-basement discount price of $250,000, according to Politico. A blogger reported yesterday than an unnamed source in Rick Scott's camp told him that Huck...

Florida Church Determined to Burn Korans on 9/11
Florida Church Determined
to Burn Korans on 9/11
DESPITE CITY WARNING
Aug 19, 2010 10:36 AM CDT

Florida Church Determined to Burn Korans on 9/11

City says no, but 'Dove World' just won't listen

(Newser) - A Florida church has vowed to go ahead with its plan to hold a Koran burning on 9/11 , in defiance of a city ruling that states such an act would violate fire codes. The city of Gainesville turned down the Dove World Outreach Center’s application for a burn permit,...

Facebook Friend Request Lands Man in Jail

Former husband violates wife's protective order

(Newser) - A Facebook friend request turned into a Facebook friend arrest for one Florida man. Harry Bruder allegedly violated his ex-wife’s protective order against him when he sent her friend requests, landing him in jail Monday night. His ex probably didn’t want to friend him anyway after seeing a...

Medicare Paid Out $28K in Penis Pumps, Many for Girls

Phony claims didn't even change names

(Newser) - It's no wonder Medicare loses billions to fraud: fooling the health care program is really, really easy. Just ask Emilio Lopez and Orlando Estevez, two Florida businessmen accused of bilking Medicare for $28,600 in penis pumps to combat impotence, even though the supposed patients included women. Yes, Medicare regulators...

Gulf Still Choked With 79% of Oil: New Studies

Optimistic fed report missed plumes on sea floor

(Newser) - A recent federal report that only 26% of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill remains in the Gulf was far too optimistic, two new reports claim. University of Georgia researchers who've been assessing the Gulf said yesterday that in fact up to 79% of the oil and its toxic...

Florida Tries to Outdo Arizona on Immigration

AG/gubernatorial candidate proposes even tougher law

(Newser) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has proposed a sweeping new immigration bill that makes Arizona’s look tame. The bill would require immigrants to carry documentation at all times, or risk 20 days in jail, and would allow judges to more harshly punish illegal immigrants accused of the same crimes...

Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar
 Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar 
Aug 11, 2010 1:41 AM CDT

Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar

Gross photos too slick for some

(Newser) - Is an arresting Vogue Italia cover and fashion spread evidence of environmental sensitivity or a heartless ploy to boost magazine sales with horrific images of a disaster? Depends on whom you ask. The spread, shot in Los Angeles by renowned photographer Steven Meisel, features be-feathered model Kristen McMenamy and her...

Al-Qaeda's New Leader Lived in US for 15 Years

Adnan Shukrijumah grew up in Florida: FBI

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda has selected a new chief of global operations, and he’s intimately familiar with the US. Adnan Shukrijumah, a 35-year-old who spent 15 years growing up in the Florida and Brooklyn, has taken over the job once held by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the FBI tells the AP . He’s...

Hidden Camera Catches Political Foe Stealing Signs

Sheriff is investigating late-night pilfering

(Newser) - Geez, if you're going to steal your political opponent's campaign signs in the age of YouTube, at least wear a mask. A hidden camera caught one candidate for a state House seat in Florida stealing his rival's signs at night, reports the Pensacola News Journal . The sheriff's department is investigating...

Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops
 Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops
Jul 16, 2010 4:55 PM CDT

Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops

Adult film stars arrested in grisly scheme to kill, rob tattoo artist

(Newser) - Two porn actors have been arrested and charged with the murder of a Florida tattoo artist, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Police say Amanda Logue, 28, and Jason Andrews, 27, executed Dennis Abrahamsen, 41. Abrahamsen was found stabbed and beaten to death on May 16, one night after hiring Logue...

Dengue Fever Reaches Florida
 Dengue Fever Reaches Florida 
Jul 14, 2010 4:25 AM CDT

Dengue Fever Reaches Florida

Tropical disease threatens to spread north

(Newser) - Dengue fever, the most prevalent virus spread by mosquitoes globally, poses a growing threat across the world's tropical zones, from Southeast Asia to Central America—and now, Florida. Dengue virus is showing up in the Florida Keys, the CDC reported yesterday, with 5 percent of Key West residents exposed to...

Gulf Oil Sickens Hundreds of Florida Swimmers

Authorities are 'winging it' on water safety

(Newser) - Just when they thought it was safe to go back in the water, hundreds of swimmers reported feeling ill after braving the waves when Pensacola authorities lifted the "no swimming" flag. Local officials rejected EPA advice to close beaches and are instead relying on lifeguards to spot oil and...

Florida GOP Crafting Arizona-Like Law

It would crack down on illegal immigrants

(Newser) - The controversy over Arizona's immigration law may be coming to the East Coast. Florida Republicans are writing a law based on Arizona's that would give police expanded authority to demand proof of residence from suspects, reports the Miami Herald . "We have significant components from the Arizona bill that I...

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