Florida

In this image provide by NOAA, a fish swims near coral showing signs of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23.

With Florida ocean temperatures topping 100, experts warn of damage to marine life

4:51pm July 26, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The startling 101.1 reading was recorded in Manatee Bay, near Everglades National Park. The rising ocean temperatures, driven by climate change, are already endangering nearby coral, experts say.

A row of mailboxes tagged with evacuation notices during the Oak Fire in Mariposa, Calif., in July 2022. Many residents in the area are losing their home insurance because of rising wildfire risk.

How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown

4:29pm July 24, 2023

It's increasingly expensive and difficult to get home insurance, as losses rise from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. And the solutions aren't always politically popular.

Marta and the Brazilian women's soccer team walk around the field greeting fans after a friendly match against Chile ahead of the World Cup, in Brasília, Brazil, on July 2.

Brazil's Marta scored more World Cup goals than any woman or man. Now she hopes to win

3:05pm July 21, 2023

by Carrie Kahn

She is repeatedly named world player of the year. But a World Cup title has eluded the Brazilian superstar, and at 37, this may be her last shot at it.

Queue Listen Now

A supporter of former President Donald Trump speaks into a megaphone as supporters gather in Tropical Park in Miami, to convoy to his Mar-A-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., June 11.

Politics & Government

Three Florida men are on the ballot in 2024. Voters there still want Trump

6:00am July 20, 2023

by Claudia Grisales

In a statewide poll released this month, former President Trump led a crowded field of contenders for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among those trailing Trump.

Queue Listen Now

The popular restaurant chain Hamburger Mary's, which features drag waitresses and family-friendly drag performances, has won a legal battle after filing a lawsuit against Florida's drag show ban. The chain's Orlando, Fla., restaurant is seen on June 13.

Judge blocks a Florida law that would punish venues where kids can see drag shows

4:28pm June 27, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The ruling, in a case brought by a Hamburger Mary's restaurant, pauses enforcement of the state's new "Protection of Children" law, which prohibits admitting children to an "adult live performance."

Giant African land snails — seen here in 2019 — have been spotted recently in three counties in Florida, spurring state officials to enact quarantines and eradication efforts against the invasive pests.

Florida once again has a giant African land snail problem

5:01am June 23, 2023

by Laurel Wamsley

The state is moving quickly to destroy the snails before the snails destroy Florida's crops. The snails contain both male and female reproductive organs and lay up to 500 eggs at a time.

Florida lawmakers say SB 1718, a new anti-immigration law set to take effect on July 1, was written to scare migrants from moving to the state. Now, they're trying to convince people to stay.

National

To keep immigrants from fleeing, Florida GOP focus on immigration law loopholes

5:00am June 07, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

Republican lawmakers in Florida are scrambling to convince established immigrant workers who already have jobs to stay, while making it inhospitable for newly arrived migrants.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the sweeping anti-immigration bill, which is among the strictest in the country, on May 10. It will go into effect on July 1.

Why Florida's new immigration law is troubling businesses and workers alike

12:48pm May 30, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the penalties for companies that violate new employment requirements will help the state prosper. But businesses and immigrant activists alike say it'll do more harm than good.

Hamburger Mary's in Orlando, which has held drag performances since 2008, is suing to block the implementation of a new Florida law that targets drag shows.

National

An Orlando drag show restaurant files lawsuit against Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis

5:00am May 25, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

Hamburger Mary's in Orlando, which has held drag performances since 2008, is asking the court to block the implementation of the state's new law, which the governor signed last week.

Alicia Celaya, David Cardenas and their son Adrian, 3, in Phoenix in April. Celaya and her family will lose their Medicaid coverage later this year, a result of a year-long nationwide review of the Medicaid enrollees that will require states to remove people whose incomes are now too high for the program.

Health & Safety

In some states, hundreds of thousands dropped from Medicaid

3:00pm May 24, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

As states begin to require people to requalify for the free health insurance, many who are eligible are losing coverage because of administrative snafus.