Florida

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Cops: Car Thief Returns Car After Spotting Baby Inside

Suspect arrested after brief joyride from Florida gas station

(Newser) - A car thief in Florida made an unexpected U-turn after discovering a baby in the back seat, returning the stolen vehicle just moments after driving off from a gas station, police say. The incident took place at a Sunoco gas station in Cocoa, Brevard County, where the car's...

Florida Teen Arrested for Faking Kidnapping

Sheriff's office says 17-year-old shot himself in the leg, staged crime scene

(Newser) - A Florida teenager who triggered a statewide Amber Alert by faking his own abduction has been arrested, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say the 17-year-old staged an elaborate crime scene on Sept. 25 after texting his family that he had been shot, WFLA reports. When deputies...

Florida Finds a New &#39;Zombie Deer&#39;
Florida Finds a
New 'Zombie Deer'
Oct 15, 2025 8:58 AM CDT

Florida Finds a New 'Zombie Deer'

State's 2nd case of chronic wasting disease might mean a headache for hunters

(Newser) - Florida wildlife officials have confirmed a second case of chronic wasting disease—often called " zombie deer disease "—just weeks before the start of hunting season. The discovery was made during routine screening of a road-killed young white-tailed doe in Holmes County, near the Alabama border, in the...

Judge Throws Wrench in Trump Presidential Library Plan

Judge temporarily blocks planned transfer of Miami land

(Newser) - A Florida judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the planned transfer of prime downtown Miami land for President Trump's future presidential library, the AP reports. The move by Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz came after a Miami activist alleged that officials at a local college violated Florida's open government law...

Missouri Executes Man for 2005 Killing of State Trooper

Lance Shockley long maintained his innocence

(Newser) - A Missouri man who long maintained his innocence was executed Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a state trooper more than 20 years ago. Lance Shockley, 48, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm following a lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre, the AP reports. Shockley was convicted...

Florida Executes 14th Inmate of the Year
Florida Executes
72-Year-Old Inmate
Oct 14, 2025 5:56 PM CDT

Florida Executes 72-Year-Old Inmate

State's top court says elderly are not exempt from death penalty

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a rural pond in 1996 was put to death Tuesday evening in a record 14th execution this year in Florida. Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison...

Matriarch Sentenced in Wild Florida Murder-for-Hire Scheme

'They claim that I, this grandma, was the mastermind behind this murder'

(Newser) - Donna Adelson, the fifth person convicted in a wild 2014 murder-for-hire scheme, was sentenced Monday to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of her former son-in-law, Florida State law professor Dan Markel, who was gunned down in broad daylight as he pulled into his Florida garage. The mandatory...

Don't Be Surprised If You See Folks Packing Heat at Publix

Supermarket chain allows open carry in its Florida stores after recent appeals court ruling

(Newser) - Publix shoppers may soon spot more than just bargains in the aisles. The supermarket giant has announced it will allow customers to openly carry firearms inside its Florida stores, following a recent appeals court ruling that overturned the state's ban on open carry, reports CBS News . The policy shift...

Dog Leads Cop Right to Missing Elderly Woman

Sheriff's deputy ran into Eeyore not far from where 86-year-old had fallen in Destin, Florida

(Newser) - A dog named Eeyore turned into a rescuer, leading a Florida sheriff's deputy to where a missing 86-year-old woman had fallen while walking him, bodycam footage shows. The woman's husband reported her missing on the night of Sept. 25 after she didn't return from her walk in...

Hurricane-Hit Florida County Spends $125M to Fix Beaches

Pinellas County is pumping in 2.5M cubic yards of sand from offshore

(Newser) - The white sandy beaches along a swath of Florida's Gulf Coast were battered by hurricanes Helene, Milton, and Debby last year, leading to a multimillion-dollar effort to repair a coastline that's the region's economic engine. Crews are working with dredges, trucks, and pipelines along the 35-mile stretch...

Madison Cawthorn Is Running for Office Again

This time, scandal-plagued Republican is running in Florida

(Newser) - Former GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who made headlines as one of Congress's youngest members before a bruising primary defeat in North Carolina in 2022, is plotting his return—this time from Florida. Cawthorn, now 30, tells Fox News he's running for the seat being vacated by Rep....

Sunken Treasure Fleet Gives Up $1M in Coins

Salvage crews found 1K silver coins, plus more gold artifacts, over the summer

(Newser) - Treasure hunters combing Florida's aptly named Treasure Coast have struck gold, uncovering over 1,000 gold and silver coins from the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet. Salvagers with Queens Jewels, LLC, announced the haul—over a thousand silver "Reales" and five gold "Escudos," plus rare gold...

Florida Carries Out 13th Execution of the Year

Victor Tony Jones killed married couple during robbery

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing a married couple during a robbery in South Florida in 1990 was put to death Tuesday in a record 13th execution this year in the state. Victor Tony Jones, 64, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near...

Cops: To Spite His Neighbor, He Ate 2 Pet Peacocks

Neighborly feud leads to animal cruelty charges in Florida

(Newser) - A Florida man is facing felony animal cruelty charges after allegedly killing and eating his own pet peacocks in a heated dispute with a neighbor, according to police. According to Pasco County court records, 61-year-old Craig Vogt of Hudson was arrested after admitting to deputies that he slit the...

Tropical Storm Imelda Forms on Its Way to Becoming Hurricane

Forecasters expect storm to move away from US

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Imelda formed Sunday and is expected to become a hurricane on a forecast track that could take it away from the East Coast early this week. The storm was causing disruption in the Bahamas and Cuba on Sunday, and a tropical storm watch was posted in parts of...

How a Florida Mom Became the Author of a Hit-Man Manual

Gayle McCool's how-to book on murder, penned as 'Rex Feral,' changed lives, according to Vanity Fair

(Newser) - Gayle McCool spent decades haunted by a recurring dream, and even longer by the fallout from Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, a book she wrote as "Rex Feral." It was a how-to guide on contract killing, written in the early 1980s after her boyfriend,...

Florida's Bear Hunt Lottery Flooded by Conservationists

Many permits likely to land with those hoping to save bears

(Newser) - Florida's first black bear hunt in 10 years has attracted a staggering 163,459 applications, but a sizable share may be from conservationists who want to save bears, not hunt them, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The state's wildlife agency, the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), is...

CBP Looked for Plants and Cigars, Found a Skull Instead

Human remains found during routine luggage check at Tampa airport, passenger claims ritual use

(Newser) - Customs officials at Tampa International Airport made a gruesome find in a traveler's bag this week. During what started as a standard baggage inspection, agents uncovered a foil-wrapped bundle containing human bones, including part of a skull. The passenger, whose identity and nationality weren't disclosed, reportedly told...

Florida Executes Man Who Killed Wife's Sister, Parents

David Pittman's execution was state's record 12th of the year, with 2 more scheduled

(Newser) - A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife's sister and parents and setting their house on fire was put to death Wednesday in what was a record 12th execution in the state this year. David Pittman, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12pm ET following an injection at...

'I Freaking Fought an Alligator—and Won'

Florida's Danie Wright wrestles 5-foot gator to save puppy from its jaws

(Newser) - A routine walk turned wild for one Florida woman when she found herself wrestling an alligator to save her puppy from its jaws. Danie Wright, a resident of Land O'Lakes north of Tampa, stepped out Wednesday with her 4-month-old Shih Tzu, Dax, and was near a creek behind...

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