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Category: Florida News

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NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station

NAPLES — NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station. The cylindrical object that tore through the home in Naples on March 8 was subsequently taken to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral for analysis. The space agency said it was a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal. The pallet was jettisoned from the space station in 2021, and the load was expected to eventually fully burn up on entry into Earth’s...

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Florida’s stricter ban on abortions could put more pressure on clinics elsewhere

The drive to Bristol, Virginia, from Jacksonville, Florida, takes more than eight hours. It’s over 10 from Orlando and closer to 14 from Miami. Despite that distance, Bristol Women’s Health Center is preparing for an influx of women from Florida seeking abortions when a stricter ban kicks in next month. For many people who otherwise would have obtained abortions in Florida, the clinic in southwest Virginia will become the closest practical option — as it already is for a swath of the South after a Florida policy change expected to resonate far beyond the state’s borders. “The majority of...

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Federal judges uphold DeSantis’ redistricting plan

TALLAHASSEE — A three-judge federal panel Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to a congressional redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in 2022, saying opponents did not prove lawmakers acted with “racially discriminatory purpose.” The decision was the second time in less than four months that courts have upheld the map in cases focused on the overhaul of a North Florida district that in the past elected a Black Democrat. The state’s 1st District Court of Appeal on Dec. 1 backed the plan — a decision that has been appealed to the Florida Supreme...

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Social media ban for kids moves in Florida Senate, despite DeSantis’ concerns

Florida senators moved forward late Monday with a proposed social media ban for children that has drawn concerns from Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure (SB 1788) seeks to block users under 16 from using social media platforms with addictive features, regardless of parental approval. The Florida House overwhelmingly approved the proposal (HB 1) in a 106-13 vote last month. The Senate’s Judiciary Committee advanced the bill Monday in a 7-2 vote. DeSantis hasn’t committed to signing the proposed ban as it’s presently written. He said he has concerns about its “breadth” and whether it would pass...

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Florida House votes to loosen child labor laws

TALLAHASSEE — A controversial measure that would loosen work restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds was approved Thursday by the Florida House. The Republican-controlled House voted 80-35 to approve the measure (HB 49), which would eliminate a decades-old restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds working more than eight hours when school is scheduled the next day. It also would eliminate a restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds working more than 30 hours during a week when school is in session. Bill sponsor Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, said the bill would give teens a choice to work up to 40 hours...

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Appeals court deals blow to Florida’s law on Chinese land ownership

TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court Thursday said a Florida law restricting people from China from owning property in the state likely is trumped by federal law and blocked its enforcement against two plaintiffs who have been in the midst of real-estate transactions. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to issue a broader injunction, in part pointing to oral arguments that will be held in the case in April. But the panel said the plaintiffs “have shown a substantial likelihood of success on their claim” that the Florida law is “preempted” by a federal law...

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President Biden to visit South Florida on Tuesday

President Joe Biden will visit South Florida on Tuesday for two campaign receptions, the White House Press Office said in a news release Friday night. Biden will travel to Palm Beach, home of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and Miami. The release did not provide further information about the events or scheduling but said additional details would be forthcoming. Even if Biden doesn’t have any public events, the presidential motorcade could cause headaches for South Florida drivers. Politico reported last week that Biden is scheduled to attend a fundraiser at the home of Chris Korge, who is...

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Leading DeSantis supporters in Florida quickly shift to Trump as governor ends presidential bid

Outspoken Florida supporters of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign mourned his decision, announced Sunday, to drop out. Many quickly endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. “I’m proud of the work that he did,” said state Rep. Chip LaMarca, the only Republican elected official in a partisan office in Broward County. “As he said, there’s not necessarily a path forward for him, so I think he’s doing the right thing.” “To be honest, I’m disappointed,” said Joe Budd, the elected Republican state committeeman from Palm Beach County. Both were...

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Unsealed court records offer new detail on old sex abuse allegations against Jeffrey Epstein

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, REBECCA BOONE and DAVID B. CARUSO (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Amid great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating the documents would include a list of rich and powerful men who were Epstein’s “clients” or “co-conspirators.” There was no such list. The initial collection of around 40 documents made public largely...

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Florida appeals court rejects minor’s attempt to get abortion without consent

TALLAHASSEE — For the second time in less than three weeks, an appeals court Wednesday rejected a minor’s attempt to have an abortion without notifying and getting consent from a parent or guardian. But the ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal could have broader implications for future requests by minors to receive waivers from a parental notification and consent requirement in state law. The minor, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, went to the appeals court after Leon County Circuit Judge Lance Neff turned down her request for such a waiver. In what appears...

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