MiamiHerald.com: Florida

Hue and cry grows over deal for Scott donor

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:02 EDT

The list of lawmakers criticizing Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for a $52 million deal with a new insurance company continues to grow. The latest critic: House Speaker Will Weatherford.By Toluse OlorunnipaHerald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

Fabiola Santiago: Boy Scouts didn’t go far enough

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:36 EDT

It was a historic decision and we can call it progress — the right thing to do for the children — but that’s all.

Boxes of medical records missing from Jackson

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:58 EDT

Medical records containing the personal health information of more than 1,400 patients are missing from Jackson Health System.

Lesbian, 18, rejects plea deal that would have kept her off sex-offenders registry; case headed to trial

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:04 EDT

A lesbian, 18, rejects a plea deal after being charged with having sex with a younger schoolmate.

Murder suspect’s death and accusations against him shock Kissimmee neighbors

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:42 EDT

Ibragim Todashev was killed by an FBI agent Tuesday. They say he turned violent after confessing to a triple murder in the Boston area and implicating one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

Probe into Kendall boy’s death uncovers lie by DCF investigator

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:14 EDT

DCF says its investigator falsified a substance abuse screening of a Kendall mom. Her son later died in a sweltering car.

Weed, fights and guns: Trayvon Martin’s text messages released

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:52 EDT

Murder defendant George Zimmerman’s lawyers Thursday released texts from Travyon Martin’s phone that it plans to place into evidence. A judge will decide if they are relevant.

Forecasters: Thirteen to 20 storms expected in Atlantic this season

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:15 EDT

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, with forecasters predicting an extremely active” hurricane season.

Sweet deal for state taxpayers or Scott donor giveaway?

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25 EDT

Critics see political donations and heavy lobbying by Heritage Property and Casualty as evidence that Citizens Property and Gov. Rick Scott are tapping the insurer’s $6.4 billion surplus for special giveaways to politically-connected companies.

Senate president, House speaker tout legislative accomplishments during tour

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:37 EDT

Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford hit the road to highlight what they see as success stories of their joint legislative agenda and the 2013 state budget.

Citizens OK’s deal for Scott donor

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:17 EDT

The board at Citizens Property Insurance approved a special $52 million deal for a startup insurance firm that contributed $110,000 to Gov. Rick Scott.

Fred Grimm: Broward may be Koch brothers’ own ‘deal from hell’

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:51 EDT

As puns go, the caption was pretty vapid. “Sun Sentinel doesn’t need a Koch problem.” (Pronounced, by the way, “coke.”)

Man shot by FBI had ties to Boston bombing suspect

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:34 EDT

A Chechen immigrant shot to death in Florida after an altercation with an FBI agent implicated himself in a triple slaying that officials believe may have been connected to Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, authorities said.

Gov. Rick Scott signs elections bill to fix long voter lines

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01 EDT

Gov. Rick Scott completed Florida’s election law about-face, signing a bill to reverse changes to early voting laws.

Fabiola Santiago: Damas de Blanco are true heroes

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:31 EDT

Whether in the streets of Cuba, at international forums — or now in Miami before they return to the island — these brave women are a peaceful but powerful force to behold.

Undocumented immigrant spared deportation, allowed to remain for one year

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38 EDT

The story of Rene Rivas, whose deportation was halted thanks to a persistent son and a congresswoman, has been temporarily released from an immigration-detention lockup.

Judge rejects request to exhume bodies at school

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:09 EDT

A circuit judge is rejecting a request to exhume human remains on the site of a now-defunct Panhandle reform school where an untold number of bodies were buried over a period of 60 years

Man gets 10 years for fatal DUI crash

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:14 EDT

A Tampa Bay area man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaving the scene after a drunken driving crash.

Student shot in leg at South Florida school

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:24 EDT

A boy was shot in the leg at a South Florida middle school.

Southern Co. team weighing changes from renewables

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:39 EDT

The Southern Co. is brainstorming ways it could more widely incorporate renewable energy, particularly solar power, into its traditional business model, CEO Thomas Fanning said this week.

FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:14 EDT

Health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

N.C. State beats Miami 7-1 in ACC tournament

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:59 EDT

Trea Turner and Bryan Adametz each drove in two runs to help North Carolina State beat Miami 7-1 on Friday in pool play at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Man faces life sentence for rape, murder

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:49 EDT

A Tampa Bay area man will spend the rest of his life in prison for raping an elderly woman, who died a short time later.

Gov. warns schools he will fight tuition hikes

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:34 EDT

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is strongly warning universities that he will fight against any tuition hikes this year.

Sea turtle returned to wild

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:49 EDT

A juvenile loggerhead sea turtle treated at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital has been returned to the wild.

Third-grade FCAT math and reading scores static

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:09 EDT

Third-grade math and reading scores on Florida's standardized test remained static this school year, with fewer than two-thirds of students demonstrating grade-level proficiency, according to results released Friday by the state Department of Education.

Biographer regrets affair with former CIA director

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:54 EDT

The biographer whose extramarital affair with then-CIA director David Petraeus triggered his resignation says she regrets the relationship and the harm and grief it caused her family.

Gov. Rick Scott to veto tuition hike

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:26 EDT

When he signs the state budget Monday, the governor is also expected to approve an extra $65 million for safety-net hospitals like Jackson and Broward Health.

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.

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.

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.

Fred Grimm: Boondoggle? Hey, it’s for the kids

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:12 EDT

Tallahassee has long resonated with talk about our precious, precious school children. Except lately the allusion has become quite literal.

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.

Miami Dolphins spent big bucks on campaign for canceled election

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:06 EDT

In six weeks, the political campaign for tax dollars to fund a Sun Life Stadium renovation became one of the most expensive in Miami-Dade history.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Deputies: 22 dead cats found in Fla. man's home

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:11 EDT

A Tampa man has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities discovered 22 dead cats at his home.

Girl charged with library bomb threat

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:11 EDT

A12-year-old girl has been charged with making a bomb threat at a southwest Florida public library.

People can still fish at St. Pete Pier for summer

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:11 EDT

The St. Petersburg Pier is scheduled to close soon, but people will still be able to fish off the structure until later this summer.

Campaign touts alarms alerting kids left in cars

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:11 EDT

South Florida officials are partnering with a charity to help reimburse child care providers for installing alarms that alert a driver when a child has been left in the car.

Communications satellite launched into space

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:49 EDT

A new military communications satellite has been launched into space.