MiamiHerald.com: Florida

Kosher prison food lawsuit goes forward

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00 EDT

A Miami-Dade man serving life for killing his parents is leading the fight for kosher food in Florida prisons

Many workplaces insure domestic partners, some now also pay the tax on benefits

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:45 EDT

Many Florida businesses and public institutions provide domestic partner benefits for unmarried employees. Some now also cover the tax on the benefit.

Gov. Rick Scott asks university presidents to lobby for caps on tuition increases

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:42 EDT

Gov. Rick Scott is reaching out to an unlikely group — university presidents — to build a campaign against a 3-percent increase in tuition.

19-year-old Bradenton woman charged with biting boyfriend's penis

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:46 EDT

A 19-year-old Southeast High school student was arrested after she allegedly bit her boyfriend's penis when he refused to have sex with her, according to the Manatee Sheriff's Office.

AARP cancels Florida sweepstakes, blames new state gambling law

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:04 EDT

A new state law cracking down on gambling prompted the nation’s retirees association to eliminate its contests.

Gov. Rick Scott leads trade mission to Chile

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:53 EDT

Chile, Florida’s No. 6 export destination for products, was the first Latin American country to sign a U.S. free trade agreement.

Florida's crime rate dropped 6.5 percent in 2012

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:57 EDT

Florida's crime rate dropped 6.5 percent in 2012, including a significant decrease in thefts, robberies and burglaries, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner released Thursday.

Gov. Rick Scott’s choice: to veto or not to veto?

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:36 EDT

Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on a pledge to shrink the size of government, has until next week to decide how to trim the largest budget in state history, $74.5 billion.

Analysts: Supermajority not needed on tax cut vote

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:42 EDT

Legislative analysts flip-flopped on whether lawmakers’ vote on Gov. Rick Scott’s manufacturing equipment tax cut was valid.

Reactor shutdowns prompt inspections at Turkey Point

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:29 EDT

Federal regulators are increasing scrutiny on the Turkey Point nuclear plant after some unplanned shutdowns, though the problems pose no threat to the public, officials say.

Fla. gov. rejects Amazon deal

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:56 EDT

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has made job creation his top priority since coming into office, has rejected a proposed deal to bring major Internet retailer Amazon to the state.

Florida man accuse of lopping off his dog’s ears

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:11 EDT

A Southwest Florida man is accused of cutting off his dog’s ears, according to Manatee Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Bristow.

Fred Grimm: Scoreboard: Panthers $4.2 million, taxpayers zip

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:11 EDT

The Florida Panthers picked up a $4.2 million bauble this week, a new digital scoreboard, courtesy of the taxpayers. Not that taxpayers had any say in the deal.

Early-vote tally shows Miami Dolphins stadium renovation was failing at polls

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:46 EDT

The tabulation showed that among the 60,678 voters who voted by mail or at early-voting sites, 57 percent opposed the Dolphins’ proposal, compared to 43 percent who favored it.

Jackson and other hospitals may face cuts in pay for uninsured, under healthcare reform

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:54 EDT

Money meant to offset costs for hospitals to provide care to the uninsured will be sliced as part of the Affordable Care Act, which anticipated more people would get insurance.

Florida lawmakers pay peanuts for health insurance

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:24 EDT

The state House quietly kept members’ health insurance rates low. How low? Less than 9 bucks a month.

OSHA impersonator gets 57 months in oil spill scam

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:19 EDT

A woman has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for bilking Gulf Coast residents by posing as a federal safety official after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Judge delays ex-BP engineer's trial

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:59 EDT

A federal judge in an order Friday agreed to postpone the trial of a former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The judge also had some stern words for attorneys on both sides.

Man guilty of killing sick wife

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:39 EDT

A Tampa Bay area man has been convicted of killing his ailing wife.

Judge delays ex-BP engineer's trial

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:29 EDT

A federal judge has agreed to postpone the trial of a former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Girl gets surprise reunion with dad at Rays game

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13 EDT

A Tampa Bay area girl throwing the first pitch at a Rays game got a big surprise from her father, who had been stationed in Afghanistan for the past two years.

Hialeah ex-mayor, wife surrender in tax case

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:08 EDT

Hialeah's former mayor and his wife have been released on bail after surrendering to face federal tax evasion charges.

Key West celebrates centennial Cuba flight

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12 EDT

Exactly 100 years after making the first successful flight between Key West and Havana, Cuba, aviation pioneer Domingo Rosillo del Toro is being honored.

Turks and Caicos drops charges in bullet cases

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:33 EDT

Authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands have decided not to prosecute two Americans accused of having one bullet each in their luggage at the airport in the British territory.

Sentencing delayed for Fla. imam in terror case

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:33 EDT

Sentencing has been delayed for a Muslim cleric convicted in South Florida of supporting the Pakistani Taliban terror organization.

USA Today founder honored at memorial service

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:28 EDT

Colleagues and friends paying tribute to USA Today founder Al Neuharth on Friday remembered him not as a driven media giant but as a loyal native South Dakotan who never forgot his roots.

OJ's ex-lawyer contradicts his testimony on guns

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:33 EDT

O.J. Simpson's former lawyer defended himself point-by-point Friday against allegations he botched the former football star's armed-robbery trial, after giving damaging testimony that Simpson actually knew his buddies had guns when they went to a hotel room together to reclaim some sports memorabilia.

Florida lawmakers pay peanuts for health insurance

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:24 EDT

The state House quietly kept members’ health insurance rates low. How low? Less than 9 bucks a month.

Fight over money for tutoring went down to the wire

Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00 EDT

South Florida lawmakers led the charge to give millions of dollars to private tutoring firms, even after revelations of fraud and lax oversight in the programs.

Pet projects may face Governor Rick Scott’s veto pen

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:43 EDT

From alligator marketing to rowing centers, the state budget has millions of dollars aimed at lawmakers’ pet projects. The governor has until May 24 to approve or veto them.

An attack on Gov. Scott that doesn’t add up

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:43 EDT

Florida’s Democratic chairman attacked Gov. Scott over his teacher pay promise. Unfortunately, her math didn’t make sense.

Agency puzzled over windfall for springs

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:00 EDT

Lawmakers approved spending $10 million to protect the state’s springs, but the Department of Environment Protection doesn’t know what to do with the money.

Bill would allow online vendors better access to public school funding

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00 EDT

Though the vote garnered little attention from outside observers, Republicans hailed it as among the year’s most important victories for school choice.

Governor expected to veto tuition hike

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:43 EDT

State universities say they aren’t counting on extra money the Legislature approved.

David Richardson, Florida’s first openly gay lawmaker, to be honored by SAVE Dade

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:29 EDT

Gay-rights group SAVE Dade will honor Florida’s first openly gay legislator and two straight political allies.

Miami-Dade mayor sees no voter ‘animosity’ toward him over Dolphins deal

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:29 EDT

Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he is not worried about potential political fallout from the subsidized Sun Life Stadium renovation deal he negotiated with the Miami Dolphins.

Despite differences, Miami-Dade lawmakers delivered

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:30 EDT

Miami-Dade lawmakers came together to win money for local projects and block property insurance rate hikes.

Democrats urge Gov. Rick Scott to call special session on Medicaid

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:30 EDT

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and other Florida Democrats say the state needs to expand Medicaid under a program that would cover another 1 million Floridians using billions in federal money.

Weatherford’s veer to the right confuses Democrats, wins support from Republicans

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:29 EDT

The House Speaker’s veer to the right confuses Democrats, but helps him win support from Republicans.

Legislature 2013: Winners and losers

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:05 EDT

Below, a list of some of the bills that were approved or failed in the 2013 legislative session. Unless noted, the bills that passed still must be signed by Gov. Rick Scott before they become the law of the land.

AA flight bound for Miami gets diverted to Aruba

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:59 EDT

An American Airlines flight that was headed to Miami from Brazil has made an emergency landing in Aruba because of a mechanical problem.

In Miami, Donna Karan showcases Haitian artisans

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:09 EDT

The handbag Donna Karan was showing off Friday lacked her signature logo, or any designer's logo. It was made of paper mache and, the fashion designer said, represented Haiti's handmade carnival masks - in wearable form.

5 things to know in Florida for May 18

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:59 EDT

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

Texas sues BP for damages related to oil spill

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:59 EDT

Texas on Friday became the fifth state to sue British oil company BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, seeking damages related to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Deputy charged with growing marijuana

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:34 EDT

A southwest Florida deputy and his girlfriend have been charged with growing marijuana at their home.