Posts

Video taken by WFLA—a Tampa-based television news station—shows dozens of parents and students waiting in a line outside Twin Palms Chiropractic Health in Venice, where Dr. Dan Busch has allegedly signed dozens of exemption forms in the past week, as Sarasota County’s mask mandate has gone into effect, the station reported. After hearing claims that the office was giving pre-signed exemptions to anyone who wanted them, one local mother, Paulina Testerman, expressed shock in an interview with Newsweek....

Cases in the Sunshine State have been trending downward in recent weeks, with a 48 percent drop in infections over the past two weeks, according to data from The New York Times. At a seven-day average of about 2,600 new cases per day, Florida is experiencing one of the lowest case counts (per 100,000 people) of any state. Florida’s cases started trending upward at the end of June. Cases have since been on the decline, according to the Times, dropping to about 2,400 per day, the lowest they’ve been since July....

Kicking off its preseason Wednesday, Corinthians will only have a week to get ready for its Florida Cup match Jan. 18 against the Vasco da Gama-Barcelona winner at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando. One of Brazil’s biggest teams, Corinthians had a disappointing 2016 as the club fell short of earning a spot in the Copa Libertadores. This season also is not starting in an exciting manner, with very few changes in the team’s squad....

“We’ve heard those stories time and time again—almost every single patient who comes in says, ‘Oh gosh, we should have gotten vaccinated,’” Dr. O’Neil Pyke told Newsweek. “They have a variety of different reasons for that but folks are sharing regret that they did not get vaccinated in a timely fashion.” With COVID-19 cases on the rise in South Florida and the rest of the state once again, hospitals are being swamped with severely ill individuals who have become infected with the virus....

During a Fox & Friends interview, he discussed erroneous test results and suggested Florida’s COVID-19 death toll was inflated. DeSantis also told the program’s hosts an investigation is underway to evaluate both sets of possible inaccuracies. “There was a report in Orlando a week or so ago, where you had someone in a motorcycle accident [die], unfortunately,” the governor recalled. He said the motorcyclist’s death was categorized as one of the 5,500 reported in relation to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Florida, “just because the person had previously tested positive....

“After going through both treatment and surgery for breast cancer, she is now considered cancer-free,” DeSantis said in a video message posted on Twitter, in which he thanked the public for support. “For all the women out there going through breast cancer right now, you can overcome this,” the governor continued. “I know it’s very difficult but my wife is proof positive. If you wound back six or seven months, this is exactly the kind of news that we had hoped for....

Johnathan Williams, 58, was charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition in the presence of a minor, according to an arrest report obtained by Newsweek. Police responded to an Ace Hardware store in Holly Hill, Florida, on Saturday where Boy Scouts were collecting donations, the report said. “A guy just called one of my Scouts to his car and he had his private part out and showed it to my 13-year-old Scout,” the woman who called police said, according to WESH....

Mike McCoy had been walking his 8-month-old chocolate Labrador Jake near Paul R. Middle School, in Holiday, on Tuesday, when the attack happened. While walking near a pond, McCoy said a gator launched itself out of the water and dragged Jake back down under the surface. McCoy told ABC Action News: “He was in a death roll with that old gator.” Moments later, McCoy leaped in to save his beloved pooch and wrestled with the alligator that had Jake clenched between its jaws....

George Billiris fished with his grandson near the Anclote power plant, around 30 miles from the city of Tampa, on July 22, he told the Tampa Bay Times. Around 24 hours after the pair had stood knee-deep in the Gulf of Mexico, the 63-year-old’s calf started to burn. Billiris, who owns the St. Nicholas Boat Line sponge diving line at Tarpon Springs, was on a boat tour when he was hit by fever and chills, WFLA reported....

Sandy Hawkins, 73, was charged with robbery without a weapon on Tuesday, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. A probable cause affidavit said Hawkins had entered a branch of Wells Fargo on Sandalfoot Place Drive in Boca Raton, Florida, at around 11.30 a.m. on Monday, WPLG reported. Hawkins approached a teller and asked for $1,100, according to The Palm Beach Post. But when the man requested his debit card, Hawkins told him: “This is a robbery....

Jewish groups have raised concerns about an alarming uptick in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks as popular celebrities like Kanye West spout antisemitic remarks, including tweeting that he planned to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” In addition to an increase in hateful rhetoric, there have been several incidents of antisemitic vandalism in recent weeks across the country. Groisman, a leader who has long vocalized concerns about antisemitism in the United States, called for a “zero-tolerance policy” in responding to antisemitic attacks on Twitter Sunday....

The capture happened Monday morning on the Perdido River, WEAR reported. Andy Sokol and his friend Tanner were hoping to catch an eight-foot alligator — enough meat for a barbecue, Sokol said, according to Fox 29. Instead, the pair got much more than they bargained for. “I knew when we got a hook in him we were like, ‘OK, he’s pretty big.’ But then when we saw this giant foot and this giant tail come up next to the boat, we were like, ‘OK, he’s really big,’” Sokol told WEAR....

“For most of the public, I think mask wearing is probably something we need to be doing,” McKinlay said while appearing on CNN’s New Day. When asked about the current situation in Palm Beach County and if she sees many people wearing masks, McKinlay responded by saying that, “it’s about 90-plus degrees here and 85 to 90 percent humidity, it’s summertime in Florida. You don’t necessarily see the people wearing masks as they’re walking on the street....

Senior Pastor George Davis at Impact Church in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood told News4Jax on Friday that he is urging more members to get vaccinated amid the outbreak, which he does not believe started at the church. He noted that all the members who died were healthy before contracting COVID-19, and four of them were under the age of 35. “In the last 10 days, we have had six members of our church who passed away from COVID....

Republican Senator Rick Scott said during an interview that all levels of government should “stop mandating things” and “start just giving people good information” when it comes to coronavirus response. He insisted that “people are smart,” and that if officials provided good information, residents would be able to make informed decisions regarding risk. “That’s what I did when I had hurricanes,” Scott said. Newsweek contacted Scott’s office for additional comment....

According to a COVID tracker created by The New York Times, Florida is currently recording a seven-day average of 122.1 deaths in the state from the virus, a figure larger than 32 other states combined. Florida’s figure is also more than double that of the second most affected state, Texas, which is currently recording a seven-day average of 57.6, closely followed by California with around 42 people dying every day....

Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s southwest coast in late September with Category 4 wind levels. The hurricane stormed through Florida, weakening to a tropical storm before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean where it again strengthened into a hurricane and made second landfall in South Carolina. Subtropical Storm Nicole’s track is still uncertain, but it is possible it will make landfall on Florida’s east coast, where beaches are still recovering from Hurricane Ian....

Scott said the Bill of Rights protects people in the United States from having to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic. The former Florida governor said “I trust the American public,” and that government leaders from all levels should realize their input is still just guidance rather than law. “It doesn’t matter what a governor says or president or local leaders” when it comes to matters of religion, Scott said on CNN’s State of the Union program....

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office announced the tongue-in-cheek site on its Facebook page earlier this week, as a method of matching up adoptable pets with their forever homes. Sheriff Wayne Ivey, with the help of the department’s police dog K-9 Junny, came up with the idea. The announcement for the site said, “You will only want to swipe right when you see these adoptable cuties.” Each week a “homeless” dog or cat at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Animal Care Center will be put in the spotlight for potential families to “swipe right” on....

Norvell tested positive for the disease on Friday, making him unavailable to coach the Seminoles for the foreseeable future — including their Week 4 rivalry matchup against No. 17 Miami. Deputy head coach Chris Thomsen will coach Florida State in the meantime. Norvell in a statement said he was surprised he produced a positive test, but added he will continue to be involved “remotely as much as possible.” Below is his full statement:...