Latest Florida News
Seagrass is dying by Tampa and Sarasota as red tide worsens
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — New surveys of seagrass on Florida’s Gulf Coast shows the vital marine plant is continuing to lose ground at a rapid pace in Tampa and Sarasota Bay. Since 2016, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has documented losses of almost 30% of Tampa...
Forte wins Florida Derby, likely now Kentucky Derby favorite
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Forte got challenged, and the Kentucky Derby favorite had all the answers. Next stop: The Run for the Roses. With a big move in the final furlong, Forte — who was way back early after drawing the 11th post in a 12-horse race and didn't...
Trump indictment ends decades of perceived invincibility
NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump steps before a judge this coming week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also be a reckoning for a man long nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has...
To honor daughter’s wish, man makes film about her addiction
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mike Ortoll’s daughter had been missing for a few days when she called. That day in August 2020, Christine Ortoll did not tell her father that she was being trafficked and given a supply of drugs, which Ortoll said found out later. Instead, Christine only asked...
Body of Florida toddler found in alligator jaws after search
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The body of a 2-year-old Florida boy who had been the subject of a frantic search after his mother was slain was found Friday in a lake in the jaws of an alligator, police said. St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway also said the boy's father,...
Florida House votes to expand 'Don't Say Gay' law
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida could expand what critics call the “Don't Say Gay” law that limits discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools under a bill the House approved Friday along party lines. The bill, which passed on a 77-35 vote, would...
Florida teen debuts trans visibility film as bans spread
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida teenager has documented how it feels to be young and transgender for a film set to debut at a festival as transgender people around the world celebrate visibility and lawmakers across the country look to restrict their rights and care. Carys...
Developer drops land purchase in historically Black town
EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A developer on Friday ended plans to purchase a 100-acre (39-hectare) property from the local school system in a historically Black town in Florida following a public outcry that the deal threatened the cultural heritage of the community made famous by Harlem Renaissance...
Trump indictment and hush money investigation, explained
Donald Trump has become the first former president to be indicted in a criminal case after a grand jury investigation into hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign. The unprecedented indictment comes as the Republican faces other legal...
Final Four: At Florida Atlantic, it's not 'F-A-Who?' anymore
HOUSTON (AP) — Nobody will ever mistake Tobacco Road for 777 Glades Road, which is the address of one of history’s most unexpected Final Four party crashers. But there, across the street from a strip mall anchored by a Whole Foods in the upscale retirement town of Boca Raton,...
