NASA marks 20 years since space shuttle Columbia disaster

NASA marked the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy with somber ceremonies and remembrances during its annual tribute to fallen astronauts on Thursday. More than 100 people gathered under a gray sky at Kennedy Space Center to remember not only Columbia’s crew of seven but the 18 other astronauts killed in the line […]

Family rushes to rescue of Florida diver swept away by current, lost at sea

Dylan Gartenmayer has been diving and spearfishing along the Florida coast since he was 10. That experience helped him survive a frightening ordeal that left him stranded at sea for hours. The 21-year-old was free-diving at the Western Sambo Reef near Key West Thursday afternoon when a strong current swept him away from his boat. […]

Ex-Florida police officers accused of beating homeless man

Two former South Florida police officers turned themselves in Thursday morning to face felony charges over the beating of a homeless man who had been drinking outside a shopping center last month, officials said. Lorenzo Orfila, 27, and Rafael Otano, 22, were booked into jail on Thursday morning in Miami. They were each charged with […]

Fake nursing diploma scheme in Florida; 25 arrested

Federal authorities in Florida have charged 25 people with participating in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal shortcut for aspiring nurses to get licensed and find employment. Recently unsealed federal grand jury indictments allege the defendants took part in a scam that sold more than 7,600 fraudulent nursing degree diplomas from three Florida-based […]

Humanitarian crisis unfolds off Florida amid ‘substantial uptick’ in migration

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding off the coast of Florida as migrants from Cuba and Haiti continue to take to the sea in a desperate effort to reach the United States. In one case last weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a vessel carrying nearly 400 people from Haiti. John Apollony, a marine interdiction agent […]

Suspect arrested in Florida slaying of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan

Police in Florida made an arrest in the murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan last year and said that they believed the suspect did not work alone. On Wednesday, Jacksonville Beach Police Department Chief Gene Paul Smith, joined by State Attorney Melissa Nelson, announced the arrest of 61-year-old Henry Tenon. Tenon was charged with conspiracy […]

Florida Power & Light CEO retiring amid controversy

The CEO of Florida Power & Light, the state’s primary electric company, which has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that it backed sham election candidates and spied on a journalist, will be stepping down next month, it was announced Wednesday. Florida Power & Light’s parent company, NextEra Energy, announced that CEO Eric Silagy will […]

Man suspected in Florida serial rapes convicted in attack

A man suspected of being the “pillowcase rapist” in connection with a string of South Florida rapes back in the 1980s was convicted Wednesday in one of the attacks. Miami-Dade County jurors found Robert Koehler, 63, guilty of sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary. He faces up to life in prison at sentencing on March 17. […]

After 18 years, $1.5B dike repair done at Lake Okeechobee

After 18 years, a $1.5 billion project was officially completed Wednesday to repair the sprawling dike around Florida’s Lake Okeechobee that protects thousands of people from potentially catastrophic flooding during hurricanes. The Herbert Hoover Dike project overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was completed three years ahead of schedule and at a savings […]

After bomb threat, flight from Florida to Philadelphia to finally depart

A Frontier Airlines flight to Philadelphia from Florida will finally take off Wednesday morning, hours after a bomb threat. Frontier flight 2346 was supposed to leave Palm Beach International Airport on Tuesday evening. But investigators say a passenger on board said he had a bomb in his bag. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s office found nothing, […]