State | South Central Florida Life

Shooting in south Florida kills a woman and 3 children; 2 others taken to a hospital

Law enforcement officials say a woman and three children have been fatally shot in south Florida and two others have been taken to a hospital. The Broward Sheriff’s Office told the South Florida … more

3/27/25

FILE - Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a meeting with the state cabinet, at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Florida lawmakers defy DeSantis in rift over state budget

Once floated as the heir to Donald Trump’s GOP, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is used to getting his way in Tallahassee. He has wielded power like no other governor in the state’s recent history and … more

By KATE PAYNE | 3/26/25

FILE - Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa speaks during a Fiscal Policy Committee meeting, March 9, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

Florida legislation would relax restrictions on the working hours of teenagers

A bill that would relax restrictions on working hours for Florida teenagers is moving through the state Legislature amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. The bill would permit 16- and … more

3/26/25

Luisa Arguello, second from right, and other parishioners pray in the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Hialeah, Fla., on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Perpetual adoration is a growing Catholic trend. A Holy Year event is scheduled for the weekend

Growing numbers of Catholics are taking part in Eucharistic adoration – which this year’s Jubilee will mark this weekend with “24 hours for the Lord.” Across the United States, hundreds of … more

By GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO | 3/26/25

Chewy: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) — PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) — Chewy Inc. (CHWY) on Wednesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $22.8 million. On a per-share basis, the Plantation, Florida-based … more

3/26/25

Voters in Boca Raton, Florida, had mixed reactions to news that a Signal group chat conversation among top White House officials was leaked.

Republicans in Mike Waltz's old district aren't mad at him or Trump over Yemen Signal chat

Washington is roiled by the news that one of President Donald Trump’s top aides added a journalist to a group chat discussing military plans. But many Republicans going to the polls to replace that … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 3/25/25

A sign for Democrat Gay Valimont is displayed outside the Escambia County Democratic Party office in Pensacola, Fla. on March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

DOGE cuts are testing some conservative voters' faith in special election for Matt Gaetz's old seat

As the Trump administration forges ahead with its dramatic reshaping of the federal government, voters in a northwest Florida district will be among the first to put the president’s agenda to an … more

By KATE PAYNE | 3/25/25

Health sales care executive Mike Waldron looks at a cumquat tree in the sunroom at his home in St. Augustine, Fla., which has become a top remote work hub in the U.S. during the 2020s, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Schneider.)

How a touristy Florida beach town dubbed 'the nation's oldest city' became a top US remote work hub

Thousands of white-collar, remote workers have moved to the St. Augustine, Florida, area in the 2020s. It has transformed the beach town that calls itself “the nation's oldest city” into one of … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 3/23/25

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak during a tour, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Kodiak, Alaska. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security revokes temporary status for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

The Department of Homeland Security says it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in … more

By GISELA SALOMON | 3/21/25

Fort Myers City Council does an about-face, now unanimously agrees to allow ICE to train its police

City councilmembers in Fort Myers agreed in an emergency meeting to allow local police to be trained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This reverses a decision earlier this week that … more

By STEPHANY MATAT | 3/21/25

This image provided by the Orlando Police Department shows an x-ray of what are believed to be two diamond earrings that were stolen from a Tiffany & Co. jewelry store in central Florida and were swallowed by the suspect. ( Orlando Police Department office via AP)

Detectives recover 4 diamond earrings 2 weeks after suspect swallowed them during arrest

Detectives have recovered four diamond earrings from a suspected thief two weeks after he gulped the Tiffany & Co. jewelry worth nearly $770,000 during his arrest on the side of a highway in the … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 3/21/25

A woman drowned her dog in an airport bathroom after being denied boarding, police say

Authorities say a woman drowned her dog in a Florida airport bathroom and then boarded her international flight after she was prevented from bringing the white miniature schnauzer with her because of … more

3/21/25

Sheriff says 80-year-old man killed his wife and son then fatally shot himself in South Florida

Sheriff's officials in Florida say an 80-year-old man shot and killed his wife and son before fatally shooting himself. Broward County sheriff’s deputies went to the Pompano Beach home on Wednesday … more

3/20/25

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a meeting with the state cabinet, at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

DeSantis warns he has 'tools' including suspending local officials if they don't cooperate with ICE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says his office has tools including suspending officials from office to compel local governments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in assisting in detentions … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 3/20/25

This image provided by the Florida Department of Corrections shows Edward James. (Florida Dept of Corrections via AP)

Florida man faces execution for the killing of an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother

A Florida man who pleaded guilty to killing an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother during a night of drinking and drug use is facing scheduled execution. Sixty-three-year-old Edward James is set to … more

By CURT ANDERSON | 3/20/25

FILE - NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Who else has been stuck in space? A short history of long spaceflights

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aren’t the first to run late in space, and their 9 ½-month mission falls short of any endurance record. But never before has a quick trip morphed … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 3/19/25

Technician says Florida thrill ride operator ignored his safety concerns before teen's fatal fall

A maintenance technician says he raised safety issues with the operators of a central Florida amusement ride before a 14-year-old boy fell to his death. His whistleblower lawsuit filed Wednesday says … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 3/19/25

Miami Beach withdraws call to end lease of theater that screened Israeli-Palestinian documentary

The mayor of Miami Beach, Florida, is backing off a proposal to terminate an independent theater's lease and financial support after it screened an Oscar-winning documentary about the conflict … more

3/19/25

This photo provided by shows smoking from fires on Miami-Dade side fill the sky on Card Sound Road heading to the Florida Keys on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Monroe County Board of County Commissioners via AP)

Brush fire, smoky conditions shut down road leading in and out of Florida Keys

Traffic is now flowing in and out of the Florida Keys after a brush fire led officials to briefly close U.S. 1, snarling traffic for hours for those trying to enter or leave the island chain. The … more

By FREIDA FRISARO | 3/19/25

Luis Boulart, 85, poses for a photo in Miami, March 13, 2025. He arrived to the U.S. in 2015 and obtained his citizenship in 2022 casting his first presidential vote for Trump. (AP PhotoAdriana Gomez Licon)

'It's not personal': Trump's deportation efforts find support among South Florida Latinos

Reaction in South Florida to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has been far more muted than in his first term. That reflects both the rightward shift of Latino voters and a belief … more

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 3/19/25