ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Depression Nine formed in the Caribbean on Friday with a path that could bring it to Florida next week as a major Category 3 hurricane prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in 24 counties. “This storm has …
US Rep. Matt Gaetz unlikely to face charges in sex-trafficking probe, report says
ORLANDO, Fla. — Citing concerns about the credibility of key witnesses against him — including Seminole County’s former tax collector, Joel Greenberg — career Justice Department prosecutors have recommended against charging U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz with se…
Florida firm bankrolls drive to legalize recreational marijuana
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida-based Trulieve, one of the nation’s largest medical marijuana companies, has kickstarted a campaign to legalizerecreational marijuana for adults in the Sunshine State. The company has contributed $10 million to date to the S…
Scott Maxwell: DeSantis relocates Texas migrants, lets Florida businesses keep using illegal labor
By now, you’ve heard plenty about Ron DeSantis’ stunt where he used Florida tax dollars to fly a plane full of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. I won’t waste time debating the morality of the shtick. Either you find it indecent for a politicia…
Mike Bianchi: Memo to Florida QB Anthony Richardson: Play like UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee
ORLANDO, Fla. — Billy Napier certainly knows much more about coaching quarterbacks and motivating players than some old, bald sportswriter who hasn’t played football since his glory days at Interlachen High School a hundred years ago. But if I may make…
Plane possibly carrying migrants heads to near Biden’s beach house
ORLANDO, Fla. — Delaware officials were preparing Tuesday for a possible unannounced wave of migrants sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to land at an airport less than 20 miles from the vacation home of President Biden near Rehoboth Beach. One of two p…
NASA gears up for Artemis I tanking test for shot to launch next week
ORLANDO, Fla. — The fixes have been addressed, so now it’s time to add some stress to ensure NASA’s Artemis I mission success. NASA says it has repaired fuel lines running from the mobile launcher into the Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Ce…
Florida uses fourth-quarter rally to slip past USF, 31-28
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida had hoped that a matchup against a clearly overmatched opponent in USF would be just what the Gators needed to take away the bitter taste of last week’s loss to Kentucky. Instead, UF found itself in a dogfight throughout bef…
Mike Bianchi: Where would UCF, FSU and Florida be without the transfer portal?
ORLANDO, Fla. — Long live the transfer portal. At first blush, it was derided as the great plague of college football, but it has turned into the great equalizer. Think about it. Without transfer wide receiver Johnny Wilson, the Florida State Seminoles…
DeSantis vows to spend $12 million on moving migrants, wherever they are
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Friday to spend all $12 million he has been given by state lawmakers on flights and buses sending migrants to sanctuary cities and states in protest of what he calls President Biden’s “reckless” border polici…