Florida

A judge ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on school mask mandates "is without legal authority" and can't be enforced. But that's not stopping the state board of education from withholding paychecks.

The judge said DeSantis overstepped his authority when he ordered schools not to require masks for students. COVID-19, especially the delta variant, is spreading rapidly across the Florida.

Less than a week before schools are set to reopen in Broward County, Fla., local union officials say three educators have died of complications from the coronavirus. None of them were vaccinated.

Monoclonal antibodies can be used to treat people with mild to moderate COVID-19, but the treatment doesn't work for those who've already developed more severe symptoms or are hospitalized.

Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted up a confrontation with school superintendents on Monday, saying anyone who defies his ban on mask mandates might lose a paycheck. Teachers and staff wouldn't be punished.

A judge's preliminary injunction allows Norwegian Cruise Line to require customers to show vaccination against COVID-19 before boarding, despite a Florida law banning such requirements by businesses.

Several districts are keeping their mask mandates in place despite an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that leaves it up to parents to decide whether their children wear face coverings in school.

Florida is quickly becoming the country's epicenter for COVID-19 as the state saw a 50% increase over the last week in new cases.

Officials had vowed to continue the search for people among roughly 11 tons of rubble that remained until all missing persons had been recovered. Now firefighters have finished their search.

The hordes of fish were killed by a red tide, a large "bloom" of toxic algae that appears on Florida's Gulf Coast about once a year. Experts say the bloom shouldn't be happening right now.