Florida News

December 31, 2025 at 10:44 a.m.

A sharply divided Florida Supreme Court has ruled that a man didn't automatically give up...

The Coast Guard patrols the waterways near Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach in 2024. Long before the U.S. military began blowing up boats it suspected of smuggling drugs in strikes from the sky, the Coast Guard pursued a very different campaign against drug smuggling on the water. (Scott McIntyre/The New York Times file)

Even as U.S. targets boats, Coast Guard tries to capture drug suspects at sea

By Carol Rosenberg

January 2, 2026 at 1:03 p.m.

Long before the U.S. military began blowing up boats it suspected of smuggling drugs in...

Undergraduate students at Nova Southeastern University in Davie work in a microbiology lab classroom on the Tiny Earth project under the guidance of Dr. Aarti Raja. (Madison Kasper/Courtesy)

From classroom to cure: Student-led discovery of future antibiotics

By South Florida Sun Sentinel

December 31, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

A Nova Southeastern University professor and her class of 40 students are conducting research and...

Showdowns in Broward and Palm Beach counties between hospitals and insurers like Florida Blue and Cigna over contract terms are pushing patients out of network for coverage and disrupting care as the new year arrives. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)

Disputes between major health insurers, South Florida hospitals threaten higher costs for patients

By Cindy Krischer Goodman

December 31, 2025 at 2:47 p.m.

Showdowns in Broward and Palm Beach counties between hospitals and insurers like Florida Blue and...

Randi Petlakh, right, and her cousin Katya Bratslavsky stand in front of the home Bratslavsky and her husband recently purchased, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. The house was originally bought by Petlakh’s grandparents in 1996. After being sold and renovated by a contractor, Bratslavsky bought the property in May, unaware of the family connection. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

‘Pure joy:’ Cousin unknowingly buys back beloved South Florida family home

By Lois K. Solomon

January 2, 2026 at 2:21 p.m.

A beloved family home in Boynton Beach, sold after the passing of a dear grandmother,...

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., left, speaks to reporters Monday as one of her lawyers, David Markus, looks on after her arraignment in Miami federal court was postponed until Jan. 20, 2026. (Terry Renna/AP)

Judge sets late January trial date for Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick, co-defendants

December 30, 2025 at 5:26 p.m.

A federal district judge has set a late January trial date for U.S. Rep. Sheila...

Jeffrey Nemeth and his son, Rees, foreground, kneel with the carcass of a black bear they killed on private property near Eastpoint in the first week of the Florida black bear hunt, the state’s first in a decade. Nemeth, 56, said he used cameras to scout the property located in the state’s panhandle and put up cameras that captured footage of two big brawling bears, one of which they later shot. (Photo by Jeffrey Nemeth)

Just 52 bears killed in Florida hunt, state reports

By Skyler Swisher

December 31, 2025 at 3:09 p.m.

The hunt was restricted to 172 permit holders, but conservationists sought to drive the "harvest"...

President Donald Trump's extended Mar-a-Lago visit has generated heavy aviation traffic at nearby Boca Raton Airport amid airspace restrictions at Palm Beach International. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Trump’s extended Mar-a-Lago visit makes for crowded skies at Boca Raton’s airport

December 30, 2025 at 2:16 p.m.

President Donald Trump's extended Mar-a-Lago visit has generated heavy aviation traffic at nearby Boca Raton...

Backers of a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment filed a lawsuit Monday challenging directives by state elections officials that invalidated about 71,000 petition signatures. ( FatCamera/Getty Images file)

Marijuana amendment backers fight invalidation of signatures

December 30, 2025 at 1:26 p.m.

Backers of a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment have filed a lawsuit challenging directives by state...

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier spekaing at Palm Beach State College west of Lake Worth on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, said the "deep state" was involved in trying to manipulate apportionment of congressional districts. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Florida Supreme Court rejects Uthmeier proposal for lawyers to skip state bar exam

December 30, 2025 at 10:09 a.m.

The Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a proposal by Attorney General James Uthmeier that would...

At the La Pasta Fresca counter inside the recently opened Eataly West Palm Beach, customers can order fresh, hand-formed pastas of every color and shape, from orecchiette to linguine. (Eataly / Courtesy)

Che bello! Eataly West Palm Beach opens: What you’ll see and taste at new Italian marketplace

By Phillip Valys

December 30, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

The West Palm Beach market features two restaurants, a cooking school and counters serving cut-to-order...

Calling it the “Health Care Medical Freedom Act,” a House Republican on Monday filed a bill that says health-care providers could not “discriminate” against patients based on vaccination status and seeks to add disclosure requirements when children get vaccinated. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Florida bill targets vaccination discrimination

December 29, 2025 at 4:57 p.m.

A House Republican has filed a bill that says health-care providers could not “discriminate” against...

Donald Register, of Lake City, holds a sign in support of a bear hunt while attending a public meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on May 21 at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, where commissioners presented and discussed proposed rules to reinstate a limited-entry black bear hunt—the first since 2015.

Florida’s bear hunt ended Sunday. State won’t say how many were killed

By Stephen Hudak

December 29, 2025 at 2:32 p.m.

The state issued 172 permits to harvest bears during the 23-day-hunt, its first in a...

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., left, speaks to the media as her lawyer David Markus looks on after a brief hearing in federal court on Monday in Miami. (Terry Renna/AP)

Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick maintains innocence in FEMA theft case as arraignment postponed

December 29, 2025 at 2:53 p.m.

The arraignment of South Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was postponed until she gets a permanent...

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to take up a challenge to a 2018 Florida law that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. (U.S. Supreme Court)

10 legal issues to watch in Florida in 2026

December 29, 2025 at 11:24 a.m.

Legal battles about myriad Florida issues — guns, Alligator Alcatraz, social media, utility rates and...

The entrance to New College of Florida in Sarasota (Angelica Edwards/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

New College of Florida was progressive. Then Gov. DeSantis overhauled it.

By The New York Times

December 28, 2025 at 7:02 a.m.

In early 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, executed what many viewed as a conservative...

Traveling along Florida State Road A1A near Juan Ponce de León Landing Park in Brevard County’s barrier island near Melbourne Beach. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald)

How a Florida barrier island community pushed back against overdevelopment

By Denise Hruby

December 26, 2025 at 8:30 a.m.

How a barrier island community along Florida’s eastern coast fought back against the overdevelopment that...

Fernando Dávila, a colorblind painter, at his gallery in Doral. (Cody Jackson/AP)

From red donkeys to vibrant art: Fernando Dávila’s colorful journey as a colorblind painter

By Cody Jackson

December 30, 2025 at 10:34 a.m.

Fernando Dávila is an established and respected artist whose vibrant paintings have been exhibited in...

A trio of festive surfers gather on one paddle board during Surfing Santas at Cocoa Beach on Dec. 24, 2025. The annual event gathers people for Sunshine State holiday cheer and catching waves, Santa style. This year was estimated to have record-breaking attendance with over 12,000 visitors. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Pictures: Thousands of ‘Surfing Santas’ congregate on Cocoa Beach

By Patrick Connolly

December 24, 2025 at 9:20 p.m.

"Surfing Santas," which started as a humble gathering of a few families and friends, has...

An email from Uber alerting a woman in San Diego that it was investigating a reported incident after she said she was attacked during a ride. Women who reported being sexually assaulted during Uber rides said that the company's vetting practices put them in harm's way, accusations reflected in lawsuits and other court records reviewed by The Times. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)

Uber cleared violent felons to drive. Passengers accused them of rape.

By The New York Times

December 25, 2025 at 7:10 a.m.

In 22 states, Uber approves people convicted of most crimes — including child abuse, assault...

FDOT placed signs at the former rainbow crosswalk in front of the Pulse memorial, warning protestors not to block traffic or deface the crosswalk, on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

FDOT deleted social post touting decorative crosswalks near Pulse amid street art crackdown, records show

By Skyler Swisher

December 24, 2025 at 2:42 p.m.

Newly released public records reveal that Florida Department of Transportation officials deleted a social media...

Aerial view of structures, including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on Friday July 4, 2025. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)

Alligator Alcatraz to Panhandle Pokey: Sizing up Florida’s detention centers

By Juan Carlos Chavez

December 24, 2025 at 9:08 a.m.

Florida has two state-run sites, with another planned, and five run by federal agencies or contractors....

Body cam footage shows feds threatening U.S. citizen detained in Key Largo

By David Goodhue

December 24, 2025 at 7:53 a.m.

The woman who was dragged out of her car by federal immigration agents in Key...

A Florida nonprofit with a mission to combat the state’s overdose epidemic is introducing an artificial intelligence tool that can alert communities about what potentially deadly drugs people are using in real time. (Carlos Giusti / AP file)

How a Florida nonprofit wants AI to warn communities in real time about drug use

By Angie DiMichele

December 24, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

Project Overdose is introducing an artificial intelligence tool that can alert communities about what potentially...

Venus Williams of the United States celebrates with partner Leylah Fernandez of Canada after defeating Shuai Zhang of China and Ekaterina Alexandrova in their Women’s Doubles Third Round match against on Day Nine of the 2025 U.S. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images North America/TNS)

It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

By Tribune News Service

December 24, 2025 at 5:02 a.m.

The event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm...

Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier leaves Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier asks judge to throw out betting charges

By Michael R. Sisak

December 24, 2025 at 2:33 p.m.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier’s lawyers are asking a judge to throw out sports gambling...

Well-known Palm Beach restauranteur José Gonzalez has been released from Alligator Alcatraz and reunited with his family. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS)

Well-known Palm Beach restaurateur released from Alligator Alcatraz

By Jamilka Gibson

December 23, 2025 at 4:48 p.m.

Well-known Palm Beach restauranteur José Gonzalez has been released from Alligator Alcatraz and reunited with...

A new bill in the Florida Legislature would erase a requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs hold live races to be able to operate cardrooms and, in the case of Gulfstream, slot machines. (South Florida Sun Sentinel file photo)

Horse racing change for Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs proposed again

By News Service Of Florida

December 23, 2025 at 3:15 p.m.

A bill in the Florida House would erase a requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa...

People watch from the Gloucester City Marina as the SS United States passes under the Walt Whitman Bridge while being towed down the Delaware River in Philadelphia on Feb. 19. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

SS United States set to sink off Florida coast in March, despite 11th-hour efforts to intervene

By Tribune News Service

December 23, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

The SS United States could be an artificial reef off the Florida Panhandle coast in...

State Rep. Chip LaMarca, a Broward Republican, has lived in his Lighthouse Point home for decades. He said he's temporarily living in Fort Lauderdale while it's being renovated, not as a prelude to running for mayor of Fort Lauderdale. (Anthony Man/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Rep. Chip LaMarca’s move to Fort Lauderdale — he says it’s temporary — raises political chatter

December 23, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

State Rep. Chip LaMarca said he and his wife have moved, temporarily, to Fort Lauderdale...

Aerial view of structures, including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center

Attorneys urge judge to visit Alligator Alcatraz to assess detainees’ access to lawyers

December 22, 2025 at 2:53 p.m.

Attorneys for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz want a federal judge to make an unscheduled, in-person...

A crew begins the process of removing items from the Pulse Nightclub site on Monday, December 22, 2025, as the effort to demolish the site—where the mass shooting occurred in June 2016—begins, making way for a permanent memorial. Items being removed and stored include chandeliers, large posters, a cash register and other interior decorative items. (Rich Pope/ Orlando Sentinel)

Orlando removes artifacts from Pulse building, marking major step in new memorial

By Martin E. Comas

December 22, 2025 at 4:58 p.m.

City officials have not yet decided whether all of the items will be part of...

Against a backdrop of downtown Fort Lauderdale, an Air Canada plane is parked at a gate at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which has seen a year-over-year decline in passengers from Canada between the spring and fall of this year. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

As winter takes hold, South Florida hotels and businesses hope Canadians come back

December 22, 2025 at 10:13 a.m.

South Florida hoteliers hope for an uptick in visits from Canadian snowbirds, many of whom...

Gov. Ron DeSantis has used his authority to set special elections to fill state legislative and congressional vacancies in different ways. Sometimes he acts quickly and sometimes he delays. Democratic lawmakers want to set deadlines. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Lawmakers seek to end approach DeSantis has used in delaying special elections

December 22, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

Democratic lawmakers want to curb Gov. Ron DeSantis' ability to delay setting special elections for...

A Florida woman knew her baby would live only hours; an ultrasound showed the baby would have no brain. But the woman carried the child to term, giving birth so other infants would have life. (CPSC/AP file)

Florida mom knew baby would not live but carried her to term to give others life

By Christopher O'Donnell

December 21, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

A Florida woman knew her baby would live only hours; an ultrasound showed the baby...

A Florida wildlife biologist finishes weighs a large black bear at the Rock Springs check station in October 2015. The state's ongoing bear hunt, Florida's first since 2015, doesn't require hunters to bring their kills to check-in stations, avoiding scenes pictured here. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)

Halfway through Florida’s bear hunt, state officials won’t say how many bears are dead

By Stephen Hudak

December 21, 2025 at 7:52 a.m.

The DeSantis administration's approach to managing the hunt that stretches from Dec. 6-28 is strikingly...

The Florida State Prison correctional institution, also known as Raiford Prison, located in Raiford, Florida. (Florida Dept. of Corrections/Florida Dept. of Corrections/TNS)

Florida set a record for executions in 2025. What to know

By Tribune News Service

December 21, 2025 at 3:09 p.m.

When the history of Florida's modern era of capital punishment is written, 2025 will be...

A wildfire in the Everglades west of U.S. 27 burns in August. Drought conditions have persisted recently across the state, and Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Friday urged Floridians to take precautions to protect their property from risks of wildfires. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel file)

Florida agriculture official warns residents to prepare for wildfire risk

By News Service Of Florida

December 19, 2025 at 4:11 p.m.

Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson urged Floridians to take precautions to protect their...

The Miccosukee Tribe officials say they are moving forward with their legal battle against the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, arguing that Florida’s acceptance of more than $600 million in federal funds for the facility represents a major concession that strengthens their case. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS file)

Miccosukee Tribe confident of winning legal battle against state, feds over Alligator Alcatraz

By Sergio R. Bustos

December 19, 2025 at 3:52 p.m.

The Miccosukee Tribe officials say they are moving forward with their legal battle against the...

Guests ride the Stardust Racer Rollercoaster at Epic Universe in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

Five people sue Universal, claiming Stardust Racers caused severe injuries

By Martin E. Comas

December 19, 2025 at 2:35 p.m.

Five people have filed separate lawsuits against Universal Orlando Resort for debilitating injuries they claim...

John Koch, a radio reporter in North Florida, at home with his dog in McAlpin on Dec. 14, 2025. Koch witnesses every execution in Florida to keep close tabs on what he considers one of the most consequential actions the state takes. (Zack Wittman/The New York Times)

Florida had a record number of executions in 2025. He witnessed them all.

By Patricia Mazzei

December 19, 2025 at 2:37 p.m.

Florida had a record number of executions in 2025. A radio reporter has witnessed them...

Law enforcement officers are seen searching an area for the Brown University shooting suspect.

Brown University shooting suspect had lived in Miami, authorities say

By Devoun Cetoute

December 19, 2025 at 8:21 a.m.

The man suspected of killing two students and injuring nine at Brown University on Saturday...

Attorney General James Uthmeier has formally submitted a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment to the Florida Supreme Court, setting the stage for a judicial review of the ballot initiative. (Hans Pennink/AP file)

Legalized marijuana proposal goes to Florida Supreme Court

By News Service Of Florida

December 18, 2025 at 6:35 p.m.

Attorney General James Uthmeier submitted a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment to the Florida Supreme Court,...

Florida's lethal injection gurney is shown in an undated handout photo taken in the death chamber at Florida State Prison.

Justices reject challenges to Florida’s death penalty law

December 18, 2025 at 4:38 p.m.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected two challenges to a 2023 law that allows...

FILE – The Miami-Dade College parking lot, the area where Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing to establish President Donald Trump’s presidential library, is seen next to the Freedom Tower, left, on Sept. 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

Judge dismisses complaint against Miami land transfer for Trump’s presidential library

By Kate Payne

December 18, 2025 at 4:53 p.m.

A judge in Miami has dismissed a complaint challenging a college’s decision to gift prime...

Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing found dead, officials say

December 18, 2025 at 11:25 p.m.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was a former Brown student. His last known address was in...

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia criticizes Seminole County government spending during a press conference at Decision Tactical in Sanford, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Florida CFO pitches standardizing budgets of cities and counties

By Ryan Gillespie

December 18, 2025 at 3:14 p.m.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is pitching legislation requiring local governments to post their...

Fed crackdown on Florida nursing school ‘diploma mills’ leads to 3 guilty pleas

By Jay Weaver

December 18, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

Three former operators of South Florida nursing schools have pleaded guilty to selling fake diplomas...

José Gonzalez, who manages BiCE Ristorante in Palm Beach and Tacos Agave food truck in West Palm Beach, has been detained at Alligagor Alcatraz after a traffic stop. (Eddie Schmidt, courtesy to WPEC-CBS12)

Well-known Palm Beach restaurateur detained, held at Alligator Alcatraz

By Katie Bente

December 18, 2025 at 10:44 a.m.

The longtime manager of BiCE Ristorante on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach is in federal...

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer is seeking the Republican nomination to run for a South Florida congressional seat in 2026. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer announces Congress campaign, seeks to oust Democrat Moskowitz

December 18, 2025 at 3:32 p.m.

Republican Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer is launching his 2026 bid for Congress. The onetime...

Immigration agents and Florida Highway Patrol stopped Justin Cuellar and his father on a road in Davie on Dec. 9, 2025. Cuellar said a trooper told him his license plate was obscured. (Jennifer Whyte Sowinski/Courtesy)

Florida’s new license plate law leads to immigration detention and a wrongful arrest in Broward

By Shira Moolten

December 18, 2025 at 7:42 a.m.

A new Florida law makes it a criminal misdemeanor to have anything obscuring one's license...

FILE – Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)

Florida man executed for killings of man and his girlfriend during home invasion

By David Fischer

December 18, 2025 at 6:54 p.m.

Frank Athen Walls, 58, convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a...

Broward County Judge Lauren Peffer testifies on Tuesday during her ethics violation hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Broward judge admits lapse in judgment over 2024 campaign

By Rafael Olmeda

December 16, 2025 at 4:49 p.m.

Broward County Judge Lauren Peffer testified Tuesday at a hearing before a panel of the...

A projected slide from the Charter Review subcommittee proposing rural boundaries in Orange County, at the board of county commissioners meeting in Orlando, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Orange County and other municipalities are fighting in court over a new state law may invalidate the boudaries. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Florida seeks to head off challenges to law suspending local growth limits

December 16, 2025 at 11:05 a.m.

The state is trying to short-circuit challenges to a law that blocks cities and counties...

Gov. Ron DeSantis last week designated a leading Muslim civil rights organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, and the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arab Islamist political movement, as “foreign terrorist organizations.” (Chris O'Meara/AP file)

Muslim rights group sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over ‘foreign terrorist’ label

December 16, 2025 at 12:28 p.m.

A leading Muslim civil rights group in the U.S. has sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis...

Attorneys for condemned killer Frank Walls have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court in a last-ditch attempt to prevent his scheduled Thursday execution. (Curt Anderson/AP file)

US Supreme Court asked to halt execution of Florida killer

December 16, 2025 at 10:19 a.m.

Attorneys for condemned killer Frank Walls have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court in a...

Protesters gather at their tents across the street from the entrance to Alligator Alcatraz along Tamiami Trail on Nov. 19, 2025. They have been camping all day outside of the immigration detention facility since its opening. Alligator Alcatraz is located at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Florida. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald)

‘Everybody thinks it’s shut down.’ Why protesters won’t leave Alligator Alcatraz

By Churchill Ndonwie

December 16, 2025 at 10:04 a.m.

A small group of activists gather at Alligator Alcatraz almost daily to raise awareness about...

Dr. Heather Barron cares for a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle on Monday in Juno Beach. (Cody Jackson/AP)

24 endangered sea turtles recovering in South Florida after cold stunning off Cape Cod

By Cody Jackson

December 16, 2025 at 5:56 a.m.

Two dozen Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are rehabilitating in South Florida after the frigid waters...

Spirit Airlines planes are shown at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, where the Dania-Beach-based carrier continues to be the leader in passengers served. The airline said Monday it received a fresh round of cash as it continues its efforts to restructure in bankruptcy court. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Spirit gains fresh $100 million to continue flying through bankruptcy

December 15, 2025 at 5:23 p.m.

Spirit Airlines disclosed it received another $100 million in short-term financing to continue flying as...

State Rep. Robin Bartleman holds a photo of Mary Gingles and David Posner during a Monday news conference at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines. She is sponsoring a bill to change how police enforce gun surrender in domestic violence cases. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Proposed bill would apply ‘red-flag’ laws to domestic violence after Tamarac triple murder

By Shira Moolten

December 15, 2025 at 5:28 p.m.

Florida state Rep. Robin Bartleman has filed a bill to enforce orders requiring domestic violence...

Pastor Socrates Perez, with the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition, prayed with Cuban immigrant Julio Barrona before he entered his appointment at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Orlando on Monday. (Natalia Jaramillo/ Orlando Sentinel)

Florida ICE office becomes place of fear as asylum seekers line up to learn their fate

By Natalia Jaramillo

December 16, 2025 at 10:44 a.m.

The number of immigrants lined up at the Orlando ICE office to report for mandated...

In this undated photo provided by Megan Garcia in October 2024, she stands with her son, Sewell Setzer III. Garcia appeared with Gov. Ron DeSantis in Jupiter on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, to describe her son's interaction with artificial intelligence, which she said led to his suicide. (Courtesy Megan Garcia via AP, File)

DeSantis warns of dangers of AI, calls for Florida to regulate the technology

December 15, 2025 at 3:16 p.m.

Gov. DeSantis repeated calls for Florida to regulate AI. He also said President Trump’s executive...

Florida State Prison in Raiford is where the state carries out its executions. (Sentinel archives)

Appeals court refuses to block latest Florida execution date

December 15, 2025 at 3:02 p.m.

Frank Walls is scheduled Thursday to become the 19th Florida inmate put to death by...

Ryan Routh, who was arrested in Martin County and accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, file)

Man who tried to assassinate Trump on golf course requests attorney for sentencing

December 15, 2025 at 3:03 p.m.

Ryan Routh represented himself during most of his trial.

An automated license plate reader that appears to be a Flock Safety camera is shown on Northeast Fourth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

‘Creeped out’ or crime solvers? License plate readers in South Florida a controversial tool

By Angie DiMichele

December 15, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

Small license plate cameras that come with access to a massive national database and powerful...

According to a new University of South Florida study, the impact of Florida’s tougher immigration policies extends beyond those who lack legal status. Across all groups, they shared a climate of fear, distrust, and constant vigilance. (uan Carlos Chavez/Tampa Bay Times)

Florida’s new immigration policies are upending lives, USF study finds

By Juan Carlos Chavez

December 15, 2025 at 6:08 a.m.

Immigration policies in Florida and under President Donald Trump’s administration have not only upended the lives of...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 after midnight Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Courtesy/SpaceX)

SpaceX squeezes in 100th Space Coast launch as ULA, 2nd SpaceX missions delay for weather

By Richard Tribou

December 18, 2025 at 1:45 p.m.

SpaceX managed to find a lull in the winds early Monday, but a United Launch...

Senator Ruben Gallego, has his photo taken while he campaigns with Eileen Higgins during her campaign for Miami Mayor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 in Miami. (AP Photo/Adriana Gomez)

Ruben Gallego emerges as key Democratic figure in Latino voter outreach

December 15, 2025 at 5:27 a.m.

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego is emerging as a crucial surrogate for a party desperately seeking...

Law enforcement officials walk near an entrance to Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

2 students at Brown witnessed school shootings as children at Parkland, Saugus

By The New York Times

December 14, 2025 at 10:55 a.m.

Brown student Zoe Weissman witnessed the 2018 Parkland shooting from outside her middle school next...

Jamell Demons, known as rapper YNW Melly, appears at a March 7, 2025, hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)

Judge sets trial date for next month in YNW Melly witness-tampering case

By Rafael Olmeda

December 13, 2025 at 10:32 p.m.

Jamell Demons, better known as rapper YNW Melly, will go on trial on Jan. 21,...

Democratic winners Rob Long, left, elected to the state House of Representatives, and Eileen Higgins, elected mayor of Miami, speak to their supporters at election night celebrations on Dec. 9, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Democrats improve fortunes in December elections. Future trouble for MAGA?

December 13, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

Florida Democrats outperform President Donald Trump's margins in final round of 2025 voting. Is it...

President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

What to know about Trump’s draft proposal to curtail state AI regulations

December 12, 2025 at 6:20 p.m.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said a federal law barring state regulation of AI was “Not...

Financially troubled Spirit Airlines, which is headquartered in Dania Beach, says its unionized pilots and flight attendants have agreed to contract concessions to help the airline through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)

Spirit Airlines gains critical cost cuts from unionized pilots, flight attendants

December 12, 2025 at 3:52 p.m.

Spirit Airlines confirmed it finalized agreements with unionized pilots and flight attendants to cut labor...

Jamie Schanbaum, whose legs and fingers were amputated after she contracted meningitis as a college student, testifies in support of vaccine mandates at a public hearing held by the Florida Department of Health on Friday in Panama City Beach. (Kate Payne/AP)

Florida pushes ahead with proposal to roll back some vaccine mandates for schoolchildren

By Kate Payne

December 12, 2025 at 4:19 p.m.

Florida officials are pushing a proposal to halt some vaccine mandates for schoolchildren, after Gov....

Protesters gathered in Lake Worth Beach to display over 200 prepared posters reading "ICE kidnapped a community member here" and "Florida Highway Patrol kidnapped someone here," aiming to raise awareness of what they see as increased racial profiling amid an aggressive immigration crackdown. (Wilkine Brutus/WLRN public media)

‘ICE kidnapped a community member here’: Protesters raise concerns over immigration crackdown

By Wilkine Brutus

December 12, 2025 at 9:21 a.m.

Activists in Lake Worth Beach accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers of kidnapping community...

An oil soaked bird struggles against the side of the HOS an Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana in 2010. (AP File)

As Florida offshore drilling looms, birds less protected from spills under Trump

By Emily L Mahoney

December 12, 2025 at 1:06 p.m.

The Trump administration has weakened the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's protections, just as it proposes bringing...

Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)

Florida Supreme Court rejects intellectual disability argument in refusing to halt execution

December 11, 2025 at 7:32 p.m.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday refused to halt next week’s scheduled execution of Frank...

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died from multiple blunt impact injuries while riding the Stardust Racers thrill ride at Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (GoFundMe page)

‘Blood surrounding him’: Report details horrific Epic Universe death

By Martin E. Comas

December 12, 2025 at 1:51 p.m.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office closed its investigation into a September death at Epic Universe,...

Florida and Texas have filed a lawsuit challenging more than two decades of federal-government decisions that cleared the way for the use of abortion drugs, saying mail-order availability interferes with state laws designed to prevent abortions. (AP file)

Florida, Texas sue federal government, saying abortion drugs interfere with state laws

December 11, 2025 at 5:23 p.m.

Florida and Texas have filed a lawsuit challenging more than two decades of federal-government decisions...

An alligator suns itself on the bank of Wekiva River on Dec. 20, 2024. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Florida leads nation in cuts to environmental protection jobs, report says

By Jeffrey Schweers

December 11, 2025 at 1:54 p.m.

The state cut 19% of the full-time jobs at its Department of Environmental Protection from...

Pregnant asylum-seeker Yaoska, 32, comforts her 2-year-old son who was not feeling well, inside the Miami-area motel room where she and her children are living after her husband was deported to Nicaragua. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Trump administration separates thousands of migrant families in the US

By Gisela Salomon

December 11, 2025 at 11:08 a.m.

Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico...

Florida killer makes emergency bid to halt execution next week

December 10, 2025 at 7:21 p.m.

Attorneys for condemned killer Frank Walls on Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking a federal...

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Good Greek Moving & Storage in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Earlier in the day in Orlando, he addressed concerns about schools of hope. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

DeSantis says Schools of Hope will be limited to ‘toughest areas’ of Florida

By Scott Travis

December 10, 2025 at 5:54 p.m.

Charter schools known as "Schools of Hope" won't be taking over high-performing schools, but will...

Law enforcement personnel search for an individual during an ICE operation on Griffin Road in Davie on Wednesday. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

ICE agents, FHP troopers detain drivers throughout Davie

By Shira Moolten

December 10, 2025 at 4:28 p.m.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers and ICE agents were seen stopping and detaining drivers in the...

A 6-year-old girl has died after a weekend go-kart accident at an adventure park in Port St. Lucie.

6-year-old girl dies in Florida adventure park accident

By Gershon Harrell

December 10, 2025 at 12:07 p.m.

A 6-year-old girl has died after a weekend go-kart accident at an adventure park in...

Rob Long is congratulated by a supporter after winning a special election to fill a vacancy in the state House of Representatives, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Democrat Rob Long wins big in Florida House race, defeating MAGA Republican

December 10, 2025 at 2:18 p.m.

Democrat Rob Long is the newest member of the Florida House of Representatives, after winning...

A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship sits docked at PortMiami on March 14, 2020. The fiancee of a man who died on a cruise ship has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, alleging it negligently served him at least 33 alcoholic drinks and was liable for his death after crew members tackled him to the ground and stood on him with their full body weight. (Brynn Anderson/AP file)

A woman sues Royal Caribbean over her fiance’s death on a cruise ship

December 10, 2025 at 12:18 p.m.

The fiancee of a man who died on a cruise ship has filed a wrongful...

With a law-enforcement officer citing examples of seniors getting scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars, a House panel Tuesday began moving forward with a proposal that would place regulations on “crypto ATMs.” (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images file)

Lawmakers target ‘crypto ATM’ scams

December 9, 2025 at 5:25 p.m.

A House panel began moving forward with a proposal that would place regulations on “crypto...

Rob Long, left, is the Democratic nominee in the Dec. 9, 2025, special election for Florida House District 90 in Palm Beach County. Maria Zack, center is the Republican nominee. Karen Yeh, right, will also be on the ballot as a no party affiliation candidate. (Courtesy; staff)

Special election held to fill vacant Palm Beach County state representative seat

December 9, 2025 at 6:18 a.m.

Five weeks before the start of the 2026 Florida legislative session, voters in part of...

Florida executes man convicted of killing woman during 1989 home invasion

By Kate Brumback

December 9, 2025 at 7:57 p.m.

The execution of Mark Allen Geralds was the 18th in Florida this year, further extending...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, seen at an Aug. 12 news conference in Tampa, shared an executive order Monday that designated a leading Muslim civil rights organization as a “foreign terrorist organization.” (Chris O’Meara/AP file)

Florida’s CAIR vows lawsuit against DeSantis over ‘foreign terrorist’ label

December 9, 2025 at 4:46 p.m.

A day after Gov. Ron DeSantis designated a leading Muslim civil rights organization as a...

Attorneys for condemned killer Frank Walls have asked the Florida Supreme Court to halt his scheduled execution next week, arguing he should be spared because he is intellectually disabled and was 19 years old at the time he murdered two people in Okaloosa County. (Curt Anderson/AP file)

Defense says convicted killer’s intellectual disability should halt Florida execution next week