Florida News Archives

By the end of the day an estimated six million Floridians will have bought something online.

The Florida Supreme Court is denying a request by Gov. Charlie Crist to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Hopes for broad support - including from organized labor - for a proposal to allow central Florida commuter rail dwindled Friday as a major union said the bill being drafted doesn't protect railroad workers' rights.

Michigan authorities have been contacted in the case of a Florida man accused of shooting four relatives to death after a Thanksgiving dinner.

Top Florida lawmakers are balking at Congress' plans to help more poor people get healthcare, though they've protected an entitlement of their own: free insurance premiums.

Florida could see a record or near-record year in manatee deaths. In 2006, the state saw a record of 417 manatee mortalities.

After an extended investigation, a multiagency law enforcement operation on Monday shut down what they described as a drug-trafficking operation that was distributing cocaine across north Florida and south Georgia.

Luis Martinez Went Missing on Friday - the Two Year Old was Found Saturday in a Neighborhood Uncovered Septic Tank The body of a Florida toddler found at the bottom of a septic tank is believed to be, Luis Martinez, the two year old reported missing on Friday.

Three tickets matched all six Florida Lotto numbers to share a jackpot of $11 million, lottery officials said Sunday.

MIAMI - Finally, some forward movement on securing the future of Tri-Rail and establishing SunRail, a commuter service in Orlando.

A 37-year-old Delray Beach man is dead following a fiery motorcycle crash on Interstate 75 near Weston.

This undated photo provided by Jim Sitton via WPTV shows Makayla Sitton, 6. Four people including a child in bed were shot to death during a family Thanksgiving gathering Thursday night, Nov.

Share + Nov 24, 2009 10:29 am US/Eastern TALLAHASSEE The Florida Medical Examiners Commission Report on Drug deaths in Florida showed that over 4,000 Floridians died with one or more drugs in their bodies.

For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is poised to impose stringent new water quality regulations on the state of Florida that will cost our state and its businesses and families billions of dollars a year.

Leland Traiman, who runs a sperm bank in California, worries about his lesbian clients in more conservative parts of the country when he hears fellow gay rights activists talk about winning the right to wed.

A special lawmaking session on high-speed and commuter rail inched closer Monday as legislative leaders and the governor said they are ready to tap surplus money in the transportation budget rather than raise taxes on rental cars to help pay for the transit projects, the Miami Herald reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Tiger Woods is in very serious condition after being involved in car accident in Central Florida.

Wesley Chapel, Fla. -- Ariana Leonard's high school students shuffled in their seats, eagerly awaiting a cue from their Spanish teacher that the assignment would begin.

The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center Friday morning, swooping through a clear sky.

Police in the US are searching for a man after four relatives - including a child - were shot dead at a family Thanksgiving dinner in Florida.

A Hillsborough County Regional Transit Authority bus struck and killed a pedestrian near the University of South Florida.

A female black bear that had become quite well known around Poquito Bayou was shot and killed Thursday night.

The Valley took some time Wednesday to remember a former Youngstown man killed last week in Florida.

Oceanfront landowners in Florida are pressing the Supreme Court to find that beach replenishment projects unconstitutionally separate them from the sea.

Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts are spending Thanksgiving checking their ship for the ride home.

The Florida Legislature is likely to convene in special session Dec. 3 to address commuter and high-speed rail issues.

Published: Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 4:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 2:14 a.m. ST.

The Florida Bar has opened investigations into four attorneys at Scott Rothstein's now defunct law firm.

The Florida Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for the ringleader of a mass killing over an Xbox video game system.

A Jewish group wants Gov. Charlie Crist to change the date of a special congressional election in South Florida because it falls on the last day of Passover.

There are plenty of ways that Georgia can quench metro Atlanta's thirst if the city is cut off from its main reservoir.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers may have a way to avoid the thorny issue of raising taxes to pass commuter-rail legislation: Motorists may be paying enough at the gas pump to bail out South Florida's beleaguered Tri-Rail commuter system.

Less than a week after a Santa Rosa County man requested check ledgers from the economic development group Florida's Great Northwest, the organization released a record of hundreds of checks written over the past two years.

Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:23 a.m. VENICE Three men have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery and standoff at a Florida retail store that was treated as a hostage situation.

Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 10:12 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ORLANDO Police in Central Florida are investigating a toll booth robbery.

Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers in Florida: -- Nov. 23 South Florida Sun Sentinel, on charging juveniles as adults: Florida is ground zero for a question that the U.S. Supreme Court is pondering: Is it constitutional for judges to send children to prison for the rest of their lives for crimes other than murder? The case before the ...

In a widely anticipated speech to the Broward Republican Party, Gov. Charlie Crist sought to regain momentum in the U.S. Senate race Monday by portraying his surging Republican competitor as all talk and no action.

The immediate debate in the Legislature is about drilling in waters controlled by the state in the narrow band up to 10.3 miles from the coast.

TALLAHASSEE - Money makes things happen in this capital city. Consider Florida Energy Associates LLC, the entity behind the current push for drilling in Florida waters.

Maddox said proposed state legislation that would open Florida waters to drilling between three and 10 miles offshore was a "bad idea." At least one of his three opponents for the Democratic nomination also opposes drilling.

From city officials to business leaders, when those in leadership positions in the Crestview area need the advice and wisdom of someone who has been there before them, they call on Foy Shaw.

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero III and Mark Schlakman from the Innocence Project recently wrote a guest column for FLORIDA TODAY that pointed out many problems with the death penalty as it now exists.

If Floridians approve a constitutional amendment on the November 2010 ballot, local voters would have to vote on every change to a city or county comprehensive plan - the blueprint for development - no matter how innocuous.

Two winners of the "Fantasy 5" game will collect $115,579.31 each, the Florida Lottery said Saturday.

Inmates on Floridaa s Death Row have an equal chance of dying from old age as they do from lethal injection.

In an economy where money is tight and everyone's looking for a bargain, Florida's most expensive universities are attracting more students than expected.

Submitted by Abel Harding on Sat, 11/21/2009 - 06:00. A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says that when it comes to taxation, Florida ranks as one of the states with the most regressive tax structure in the nation.

TALLAHASSEE - On April 21, a tremor hit Florida's political landscape. On that day, with less than two weeks left in a tense, budget-constrained legislative session, Rep.

The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft flying overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station.

Federal authorities broke up a Palm Beach County trafficking ring that piped more than 175,000 oxycodone tablets from South Florida pain clinics to the Appalachian Mountains.

The defense team for the Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter is casting suspicion on the man who found the toddler's remains, alleging he could have played a role in the little girl's death.

Florida's unemployment rate inched higher in October to 11.2 percent, with slightly more than 1 million workers without a job.

John Travolta and his family made their first public appearance in their adopted Florida hometown since his son's death, helping raise thousands of dollars for charity at a screening of the actor's new comedy Friday night.

It wasn't so long ago that Wisconsin had five dog tracks, second only to Florida in terms of total live-racing facilities.

A Davie couple is facing arson charges after authorities say they received an eviction notice and torched their mobile home.

A Tampa Bay area woman sued her ex-boyfriend claiming he didn't tell her that he had genital herpes.

Florida homeowners living in areas that are at the highest risk for hurricanes can expect an average increase of 5.2 percent on their state-sponsored insurance policy in the coming year.

Not enough money. Not enough progress. Florida is violating the state Constitution by not pouring enough money into schools and relentlessly focusing on high-stakes testing policies that aren't getting good results, says a lawsuit expected to be filed Wednesday in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee.

Some Florida businesses want to partly roll back an increase in their unemployment compensation tax after being shocked by its magnitude.

Today the Agency for Health Care Administration launched the Florida Medicaid Health Information Network, becoming the first state in the country to make the move toward a paperless system.

A 71-year-old Pierson resident is one of a dozen people nabbed in a statewide undercover investigation into the illegal purchasing and possession of live foxes and coyotes.

Gov. Charlie Crist and two Cabinet members who sit on a panel that invests state money chastised their top staffer Tuesday for failing to keep them updated on a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

Florida's Great Northwest bills itself as a "private, non-profit corporation established to grow a vibrant and sustainable economy across 16 counties" that is not subject to the state's Sunshine Law.

Former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio continues to gain traction against Republican Gov.

State officials are facing a second lawsuit filed in as many weeks accusing them of shortchanging public schools in violation of a state constitutional provision requiring a "high quality" education for Florida's children.

Convicted rapist Jerrod Pass was sentenced to three more life terms today, bringing his total to six.

A South Florida lawyer suspected of operating a $1 billion Ponzi scheme is asking for his own disbarment.

Unemployment compensation taxes paid by Florida businesses will skyrocket next year due to the state's high jobless rate a ' 11 percent in September.

Two masked men armed with guns entered a T.J. Maxx clothing store in a southwest Florida shopping mall Tuesday night and held eight employees hostage for at least 3 hours, local media reported.

An appeal court Tuesday rejected another challenge to state constitutional amendments that give property tax breaks to Florida's primary homeowners, but not to owners of second homes.

Gov. Charlie Crist has urged Florida lawmakers to ban texting while driving. Crist on Tuesday asked Julie Jones, executive director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, to include such a measure in her agency's annual list of proposals to the Legislature.

Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesdayhe was "hopefully optimistic" that a special legislative session would be held to approve insurance language for rail projects around the state.

A central Florida teen is charged with murdering his 66-year-old former caretaker.

In an economy where money is tight and everyone's looking for a bargain, Florida's most expensive universities are attracting more students than expected.

There is a glimmer of hope tonight that perhaps as many as half of the current customers of State Farm Insurance will be able to stay with the company.

The space shuttle Atlantis launched on Monday on one of the final missions to outfit the International Space Station so it can remain flying long after the shuttles are retired.

Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who criticizes Gov. Charlie Crist for being a fan of President Barack Obama's stimulus package, is himself a fan of one of Obama's campaign ads.

A central Florida teacher is under investigation after a 5-year-old girl was mistakenly placed on a school bus that drove her to an empty home at an apartment complex.

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink headlined an Equality Florida reception in Fort Lauderdale that raised about $175,000 for the gay rights group.

A judge is considering objections to an agreement by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to set surface water pollution standards for Florida.

Former Vice President Al Gore's presentation on global warming drew about a thousand attendees in Boca Raton, along with more than a hundred protesters.

The execution of the D.C. sniper John Muhammad in Virginia has raised questions about Floridaa s death penalty.

Three South Florida teens are dead after the car they were driving crashed into a canal.

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Sister Catherine Bitzer slowly opened a file box and carefully removed a brittle page, scarred by years of neglectful storage, mold and insects.

The D.C. sniper was executed after only five and a half years on Virginia's death row.

The Florida Baptist State Convention approved overwhelmingly on Nov. 10 a motion authorizing its president to appoint an "Imagine If ... Great Commission Task Force" to study how Florida Baptists "can work more effectively and more efficiently together in following Christ in fulfilling the Great Commission." The motion was approved with only a ...

The performance by the 2-year-old pacing filly Black Diamond Girl on Friday evening at The Isle Pompano Park was more than enough to keep her trainer, Kim Sears, excited the prospects for a run at the six-figure bonus offered by the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association .

Jazzy is a star. Clad in a cherry-red vest that politely informs everyone she is a dog at work, the 4-month-old golden retriever pads through the hallways of the Naples hospital as if she knows all eyes are on her.

The South Florida Water Management District has approved year-round water restrictions that its board says will reduce overall water demand by up to 10 percent.

Federal regulators Friday seized two more ailing Florida banks -- Orion Bank in Naples and Century Bank in Sarasota -- and sold them to IberiaBank of Lafayette, La., under deals that call for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Club for Growth PAC today responded to Florida Governor Charlie Crist's second re-clarification of his position on February's $787 billion federal stimulus bill.

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio was announced Thursday as the keynote speaker of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a high-profile platform that marks Rubio's fast climb as a favorite son of the conservative movement.

Six winners of the "Fantasy 5" game will collect $34,591.76 each, the Florida Lottery said Friday.

Concerned Republicans say they arena t out for the head of Florida GOP Party Chairman Jim Greer .

TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Jeff Atwater fired a warning shot today to fellow Republicans who are rushing to open Florida waters to offshore drilling.

The Board of Governors has ordered Florida's 11 state universities to develop work plans that identify their "unique missions." The panel approved a new regulation Thursday that requires each school to submit a such a plan and annual report with accountability measures designed to show how well it's putting scare resources to the best use possible.

In a case that could set a national standard for the sentencing of juvenile criminals, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in two Florida cases where the juveniles were sentenced to life without parole for non-murder crimes.

As we mark Veterans Day, it is important to remember the generations of brave servicemen and women who have defended the freedoms we enjoy every day as Americans.

Florida's future prosperity relies on the quality of its work force. To compete in the fast-changing knowledge economy, we need more well-educated citizens.

A multi-county sex crimes task force netted several arrests around the state, including one in Citrus County.

In Arizona, the budget has grown so gloomy that lawmakers are considering mortgaging Capitol buildings.

Authorities are searching for a missing 9-year-old girl who was last seen in the Central Florida city of Wildwood.

Well, the 'Tea Party' is an official political party in Florida now. Orlando lawyer Frederic O'Neal registered the new party with the Florida Secretary of State in August, and serves as its chairman.

Charlie Crist's aides knew about President Barack Obama's visit to Florida in October, though the governor previously told reporters that he was unaware of the trip.

For Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, it's goodbye farm fields, hello palm trees. Less than a week after a highly anticipated speech to Iowa Republicans, Pawlenty makes his way this week to Florida.

The Florida Public Service Commission has rejected proposed energy conservation goals that environmentalists had called too weak.

A Jewish community center in South Florida is cleaning up after discovering swastikas spray-painted on the facility's walls this week.

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak will consider the possibility of a plea deal during a courtroom appearance in Orlando.

By JIM DAVENPORT A federal judge ruled Tuesday that South Carolina can't issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase 'I Believe.'U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie said in her ruling that the license plates was unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment ban on ...

Florida's tough prison sentences for juveniles came under scrutiny Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court, as the justices appeared divided over whether locking up teenagers for life constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Near New Orleans, a 70-year-old man was feared drowned after trying to help two fishermen whose boat had broken down in the Mississippi River.

Florida, with four of the five most treacherous metropolitan areas for walking, is the most dangerous state in the United States for pedestrians.

Marco Rubio, the conservative Florida Republican who is challenging Gov. Charlie Crist to be the GOP's 2010 Senate nominee, has been endorsed by the anti-tax, pro-limited government Club For Growth.

In response to concerns voiced by the agriculture community and local business owners, State Rep.

Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency on Monday as Tropical Storm Ida approached the Florida Panhandle.

Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13 at the time of the attack.

Tropical Storm Ida could transform into a potent winter-like storm later this week as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico, possibly toward the Florida Panhandle.

D.J. Abernathy, retired Florida pastor and Florida Baptist Convention lobbyist, was injured during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, and he says at least two angels saved him from death.

After Tuesday's elections, Florida looms as the next front in a war between moderates and conservatives that's dividing a Republican Party trying to surge toward the 2010 election.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida State Parks will waive day-use entrance fees for all visitors at Florida's award-winning state parks on Wednesday, November 11 in recognition of Veterans Day.

A bat and a fern found only in Florida may be added to the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

There are just over 100 people in the world serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for crimes they committed as juveniles in which no one was killed.

The Florida Public Service Commission is planning a self-examination amid complaints the agency has been too cozy with the utilities it regulates, the panel's top staffer told lawmakers.

Orlando police released the names this afternoon of the surviving victims in Friday's deadly mass shooting at a downtown office building.

A bat and a fern found only in Florida may be added to the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

One winner of the "Fantasy 5" game will collect $209,361.60, the Florida Lottery said Friday.

Kimpton's new EPIC hotel is celebrating the 25th anniversary of White Party Week in Miami, the world's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser, with special hotel rates and a donation from each room booked going to Care Resource, South Florida's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization serving clients in both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

That includes a fatal police shooting, the discovery of a missing girl in a landfill, a double homicide and the murders of two children killed by their father, who committed suicide.

A gunman opened fire Friday in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago, killing one person and injuring five others.

Though some banking companies have soured on Florida because of its severe economic problems, BB&T Corp.

A Florida thief with a peculiar penchant for Rolex watches faces up to 25 years in prison.

A great deal of misinformation is being circulated about efforts by water management districts, numerous cities and counties, utilities throughout Florida and industries across the state in response to efforts by the federal government, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , to impose arbitrary nutrient standards for nitrogen and ...

No bars or razor wire hold former Florida inmate No. 082629. Instead, William Dillon sits on furniture the color of ripe lemons, surrounded by cheerful animal statues and blooming plants, a prisoner no longer after 27 years.

The developments in New York's 23rd district are cataclysm of a nationwide struggle within the Republican party between hard-line conservatives and more moderate candidates.

When former Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan became the state university system's chancellor three months ago, he faced an imposing list of financial and political problems.

A baby who had been missing for several days was found alive late Wednesday in a box underneath the bed of the child's sitter, Florida authorities announced early Thursday.

The baby sitter of a missing infant sent a letter to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist months before she disappeared asking him to save the child from her drug-abusing parents.

Ryan Keith Skipper's brutal murder in 2007 is one of many anti-LGBT hate crimes that have motivated Florida activists to push for tougher statutes.

Gov. Charlie Crist is saying he did not endorse the $787 billion federal stimulus bill, a statement that might confuse some voters.

Random drug tests will begin next year for horses in polo matches in the U.S. after the deaths of 21 elite horses in Florida that were injected with an incorrectly mixed supplement shortly before a championship match, the United States Polo Association said Wednesday.

Pat Buchanan was talking with Chris Matthews about Florida Governor Charlie Crist on MSNBC's Hardball yesterday.

Police in Conway say two containers of feminine hygiene products stolen from a distribution center in Conway have been found in Florida and Mississippi.

BB&T Insurance Services said yesterday that it has bought the insurance agency of Oswald Trippe and Co.

A federal prosecutor says a crackdown on organized mortgage fraud this year has yielded 105 arrests from Jacksonville to Fort Myers.

Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 7:58 a.m. TAMPA Private elevator inspectors in Florida are missing violations, and more of the machines are going uninspected each year.

Harassing phone calls and threatening messages from debt collectors has lead thousand of Floridians to ask for the state's help, but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

A steady stream of South Florida high school seniors walked into a college recruiting event last week at the Deerfield Beach Hilton, eager to get accepted into what many considered their first choice of schools.

Federal authorities are using a series of news conference to talk about the surge in mortgage fraud in Florida.

Florida State Sen. Paula Dockery says she will run for governor, challenging Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination.

Central Florida's two-year fight to roll its commuter-rail plans through Tallahassee may be almost over.

A Florida State University institute examining energy issues is hosting a symposium on offshore drilling, and drilling opponents question whether the discussion is slanted toward the oil industry.

Few Florida politicians have grabbed national attention as quickly and dramatically as has freshman U.S. Rep.

The Florida Supreme Court ordered a stay of execution for a man convicted of a triple murder.

An 8-year-old boy, who was apparently spending Halloween at a church event designed for safety, was fatally struck by a sports utility vehicle in central Florida.

The single biggest threat to Charlie Crist's political future probably isn't his U.S. Senate primary rival, Marco Rubio.

A University of Florida professor and his wife have been arrested for allegedly receiving fraudulent government contracts from NASA and other government agencies and moving the funds to their personal bank accounts.

There are a few reasons tourists flock to Florida. "The weather, the beach," said Brenda Hulgan of Tennessee.

Trevor Keezer says he was fired from his job as a cashier at The Home Depot in a rural Florida town because he wore an American flag button that read, "One nation under God, indivisible." West Palm Beach, Fla.>> A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been ...

Three years ago, the American Bar Association released a Florida Death Penalty Assessment Team report that raised serious concerns about the state's death penalty process.

Gannett Florida and Florida State University are sponsoring Florida Forum on Energy Exploration from 6 to 8 p.m. today from the studios of WFSU-TV in Tallahassee.