Florida

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After Surfside Condo Collapse, an 'Abhorrent' Alleged Crime

3 are charged with stealing the identities of 7 victims following shopping sprees

(Newser) - Two women and a man allegedly stole the identities of seven victims of the condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla. , in the days after the tragedy and spent thousands of dollars on shoes and a Versace purse. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle described the suspects—Betsy Alexandra Cacho-Medina, 30; her...

Cops: After Missing Flight, Woman Made Bomb Threat

Relatives say Marina Verbitsky was worried about her son missing school

(Newser) - Relatives say Chicago woman Marina Verbitsky was worried about her son missing school when she was told she'd missed her flight home from Florida. Her actions at the boarding gate could put her behind bars until after he graduates. Police say the 46-year-old swore at JetBlue employees at Fort...

Tropical Storm Mindy Makes Landfall in Florida

National Hurricane Center says it could cause flooding in Florida, Georgia, SC

(Newser) - Rain was pouring down on the Florida Panhandle as Tropical Storm Mindy made its way across the state early Thursday morning. The storm made landfall in St. Vincent Island on Wednesday night. Mindy was expected to cause as much as 6 inches of rainfall across the Florida Panhandle and portions...

Judge Orders Florida to Stop Enforcing Mask Mandate Ban

'We are not in normal times. We are in a pandemic'

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has had another setback in his battle to prevent school districts from bringing in mask mandates. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper ruled Wednesday that the state must immediately stop enforcing its ban on mask mandates, reports NBC . Cooper, who first ruled against the ban...

11-Year-Old Played Dead to Survive Florida Shooting

Sheriff Grady Judd calls it 'a horror of the utmost magnitude'

(Newser) - The 11-year-old girl shot seven times in Sunday's massacre at a home in Lakeland, Fla., made it out alive after playing dead. The sole survivor of the shooting that killed four of her family members is now hospitalized in stable condition and told relatives that "I played dead...

Alleged Killer of Family of 4 to Cops: 'You Know Why I Did This'

But authorities say suspect had no connection to Florida family

(Newser) - After allegedly slaying four members of a Florida family and their dog, Marine veteran Bryan Riley reportedly told the police who apprehended him, "You know why I did this." But authorities say that Riley, 33, had no known connection to the family, and that it may never be...

Gunman Kills 4, Including Mom Holding Newborn

Former Marine sharpshooter Bryan Riley charged in shooting spree

(Newser) - A man wearing full body armor fatally shot four people, including a mother and the 3-month-old baby she was cradling, and engaged in a massive gunfight with police before he surrendered, a Florida sheriff said Sunday. An 11-year-old girl who was shot seven times survived, notes the AP . Polk County...

Pelosi: We Need Federal Law to Protect Abortion

Florida working on legislation similar to heartbeat law in Texas

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has kept Texas' tough new abortion law on the books, and it looks like at least one other state may follow the lead of Texas. The president of the State Senate in Florida tells WFLA that a similar bill will be considered in the upcoming legislative session....

District Tightens Rule After Chiropractor Signs 500 Mask Exemptions

He signed more than 500 exemptions for students in Sarasota County

(Newser) - Florida's Sarasota County School District tightened the rules on medical exemptions to a mask mandate after finding that around a third of exemption forms turned in district-wide had been signed by one chiropractor. An updated form issued this week said the forms can only be signed by medical doctors,...

Man Tries to Show Off on First Date, Ends Up Arrested

Taylor Beverly allegedly drove his motorcycle at speeds over 100mph

(Newser) - A Florida man who "drove well over 100mph" on his motorcycle in a bid to escape police told officers he was trying to show off for his passenger, as it was their first date. That's according to Clearwater Police, who say 22-year-old Taylor Beverly ran a red light...

Miami Serial Killer Died in Plane Crash

Roberto Wagner Fernandes identified as murderer of 3 women

(Newser) - Three women were killed in 2000 and 2001 in South Florida, and now their murderer has been identified—as a man who died in a plane crash 16 years ago. Police say Roberto Wagner Fernandes, a Brazilian citizen living in Miami at the time of Jessica Good's 2001 slaying,...

Despite Court Ruling, DeSantis Punishes School Boards
Florida's Mask Fight
Takes a New Turn
the rundown
Aug 31, 2021 8:42 AM CDT

Florida's Mask Fight Takes a New Turn

State punishes districts over mandates despite court ruling

(Newser) - The mask fight in Florida just managed to escalate. On Monday, the state announced it would financially punish two school districts for imposing mask mandates even though a court ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis had no right to do that, reports Politico . State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said he would withhold...

Judge: DeSantis Overstepped Authority on Mask Mandates

Florida judge says school districts can impose them

(Newser) - School districts in Florida may impose mask mandates, a judge said Friday, ruling that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning the mandates, per the AP . Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that...

Kitesurfer Slams Into Home, Fatally
Kitesurfer Slams
Into Home, Fatally
Aug 26, 2021 9:55 AM CDT

Kitesurfer Slams Into Home, Fatally

Friend said cancer survivor Fred Salter was 'a very intelligent waterman'

(Newser) - A kitesurfer hoping to enjoy the waves in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died Wednesday when a gust of wind lifted him off the beach, carried him 400 feet, then slammed him into the side of a home, WESH reports. An orange kite was seen protruding from a second-floor balcony of the...

Fla. Governor Just Earned a Dubious New COVID Honor

DeSantis is first governor whose state is seeing more deaths than at any other point in pandemic

(Newser) - While New York state reconciles its numbers on COVID deaths, Florida has a sobering new set of its own. Nearly a year and a half after the disease shut the world down, the Sunshine State is experiencing more coronavirus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths than at any other point during the...

Cops: Man Killed Tourist Trying to Protect Baby Son

Tamarius Davis told police he was 'high on mushrooms'

(Newser) - A tourist from Colorado died protecting his 1-year-old son from a murderous stranger at a Miami Beach restaurant, authorities say. Police say 22-year-old Georgia resident Tamarius Davis Jr. told them he shot Dustin Wakefield, 21, because he was "high on mushrooms which made him feel empowered," the Miami ...

Student's Father Charged in Mask Clash at High School

Demonstrator was filming his daughter trying to defy Florida district's mandate

(Newser) - An anti-mask demonstrator was jailed and charged with aggravated child abuse after an officer said he shoved a student during a clash outside a Florida high school. Dan Bauman, 50, was filming his daughter's attempt to enter Fort Lauderdale High School on Wednesday morning while not wearing a mask,...

Vaccinated Mom Loses Both Unvaccinated Sons in 12 Hours

Meanwhile, South Florida doctors stage brief walkout to protest low vaccination rate

(Newser) - A Jacksonville mother and two of her sons all caught COVID. She was vaccinated, but they weren’t. She got a relatively mild case, but they died. "It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” Lisa Brandon tells News4Jax . Brandon had three sons. David died five years ago. Aaron...

Florida Man Embezzles $12.8M, Spends Most of It at Adult Website
Florida Man 
Embezzles $12.8M,
Spends Most of It
at Adult Website
in case you missed it
Aug 21, 2021 5:00 PM CDT

Florida Man Embezzles $12.8M, Spends Most of It at Adult Website

He and his stepson's fiancee were allegedly in on scheme together

(Newser) - A Florida man pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $12.8 million from the nonprofit where he worked—and spending most of it at an adult website. Ralph Puglisi signed the plea agreement in June and it was filed last week, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The 59-year-old was the...

Florida Goes After Salaries in School Mask Fight

State warns districts amounts equal to board members' pay will be withheld

(Newser) - Florida officials are threatening to withhold funds equal to the salaries of school board members if school districts in two counties don't immediately do away with strict mask mandates as the state continues to battle through high hospitalization rates. School boards in Broward and Alachua counties received a warning...

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