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The 6-3 decision lets stand a Florida’s court of appeals ruling that temporarily blocked a May decision that would have allowed many of the felons to vote. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan all opposed the unsigned majority opinion. “This Court’s order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Florida’s primary election simply because they are poor,” Sotomayor wrote in the dissent. “And it allows the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to disrupt Florida’s election process just days before the July 20 voter-registration deadline for the August primary,” she added....

The office said in the tweet, “He may have just been ‘hangry’ for a cheeseburger, but he gave many quite the scare!” According to the tweet, deputies responded to the scene on Lee Blvd. after receiving a call that the gator had chased pedestrians through the Wendy’s parking lot. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office told Newsweek that the gator eventually crossed over Lee Blvd. to the Lehigh Acres Health and Rehab parking lot, where deputies and members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) worked together to wrangle the gator....

The Republican governor spoke against implementing any additional lockdowns or a statewide mask mandate during a Monday news conference at Boggy Creek Elementary School in Kissimmee as the state stood on the cusp of surpassing 1 million total COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic. By Monday, November 30, only two states—California and Texas—had met that same mark, while state health officials in Florida reported a total of 999,319 cases....

Now, a State House of Representatives committee is moving quickly towards a floor debate of the bill. It would be the second time in two years the bill would be debated in the house, according to the Tampa Bay Times. But its review by the House Health & Human Services Committee is the bill’s last stop before a full chamber vote in January 2020. Additional review would not be needed, say supporters of the bill, because it has been debated before....

Smith, who rushed for 3,928 and 36 touchdowns at Florida from 1987 to 1989 before a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys, has a vested interested in this year’s Gators, even if The Swamp might not feel the same. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, like every other SEC venue, has an attendance cap for 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the SEC. For a sport that has seen more than 20 games either postponed or canceled since the season started because of COVID-19 outbreaks, that’s OK....

Joshua Wade Turner, 46, of Destin, was detained in the early hours yesterday by deputies from Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office after officers were dispatched to conduct a welfare check on an individual who appeared to be passed out close to a bank in the city, police said. After arriving at the scene, the man gave officers a Florida identification card, social security card and other credentials that had been issued under the name Patrick Pearson....

The 50-year-old Gallant was previously the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets from the 2003-04 season to the 2006-07 season, compiling a record of 56-76 in that time. Gallant spent the last two seasons as an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens. MORE: Penguins whiff on coaching search | Brad Richards’ buyout was unavoidable, correct decision “We are pleased to welcome Gerard as the new head coach of the Florida Panthers,” Panthers GM Dale Tallon said in a statement....

Prosecutors accused Joshua Ryan Joles, Mohammad Mehdi Salemi and two bank account holders with charges of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act along with money laundering and mail fraud in an operation that saw millions of dollars flow through it every month. The indictment charges claim that name-brand drugs intended to treat conditions for cancer, HIV and mental illness were obtained through an underground market, fraud, burglary and cargo theft for resale purposes, the Miami Herald reported Friday afternoon....

While conference tournaments across the country were canceled en masse on Thursday, two dedicated pep bands kept the music going. The arena bands of the Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles engaged in an amicable band war in front of an audience of roughly 100 in Greensboro, N.C., where fans were barred from entering the arena amid concerns about the coronavirus. MORE: Every sporting event canceled amid COVID-19 concerns...

The defending national champions received 57 of 60 first-place votes. Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma all received one first-place vote. MORE: Buckeyes: AP Poll history | Preseason No. 1 vs. national champion | AP, Coaches Poll differences Florida State also opened the season at No. 1 in 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1999. The Seminoles won the national championship in 1993 and 1999. The Seminoles were ranked No. 11 at the start of the 2013 season....

The Gators (35-2), the tournament's top overall seed, will face No. 11 Dayton (26-10) on Saturday in the Elite Eight after both teams cruised to relatively easy victories in the South Regional on Thursday night. Florida pushed past No. 4 UCLA 79-68 thanks to a stellar performance by Gators' senior Scottie Wilbekin. The 6-foot-2 point guard hit several big shots in the second half to put away the pesky Bruins, finishing with 13 points....

The Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet shut its avian exhibits after three water birds tested positive for the highly infectious virus, Fox 51 reported on Wednesday. Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, eastern Florida, has also closed its aviaries. So far this year, Florida has recorded infections in wild birds only, but the outbreak of avian influenza across the U.S. has spread to commercial and backyard flocks in six states. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the six are Delaware, New York, Maine, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia....

Line: Florida State -7.5, 53 Line movement: The Seminoles opened -9 at The Wynn Las Vegas on Sunday and were pushed to -10 later that day, before dropping down to -8 on Monday. Some shops were dealing -7.5 by midweek. Visit our live odds page for updated lines and totals. Trends that matter: The ‘Noles have a 25-game win streak dating back to the beginning of last season, but they’ve been significantly worse against the spread in 2014 (3-8) than they were in 2013 (11-3)....

Florida will most notably be without their starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and first-team All-American right guard O’Cyrus Torrence. Both players are forgoing the Las Vegas Bowl to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Oregon State is only dealing with two key losses, as tight end Luke Musgrave is opting out while cornerback Rejzohn Wright recovers from thumb surgery. Following an upset win over then-No. 7 Utah in Week 1, Florida disappointed in Billy Napier’s first season, losing four of its last six games to finish with a ....

What logistics? There are state-of-the-art venues, infrastructure, hotel capacity, the Olympic Village for athletes, security and safety for all families, visitors and spectators. There are also minor details a host city can get a better grasp of by observing the previous Olympics before them. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics got postponed a full year after the COVID-19 global pandemic began last year. Japanese officials have quietly indicated they may walk away from hosting those Games in 2021 if the virus isn’t under control within the next four to six weeks....

Heather Cruz allegedly entered a Citrus County home, located in the state’s west coast central, on November 21. She then got naked before grabbing and hugging the homeowner, WFLA reported. One of house residents reportedly told her to stop. But instead, she allegedly sat naked upon the laps of two of the home’s other residents. She told one of them, “You like it,” police said. Several of the residents were over the age of 65....

Ashley Ruffin, 31, of Palm Coast, was arrested by law enforcement after she allegedly held a child down while he was beaten. She faces a misdemeanor battery charge in addition to the felony count, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The charges stem from a September 8 incident where a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Indian Trails Middle School Resource deputy was approached by a female motorist. The woman allegedly stated that her son was jumped by two male juveniles and one of the boys’ mothers....

Commercial airlines have put coronavirus mitigation protocols in place, with many calling for the wearing of face masks while on board. Passengers who refuse to wear face masks have been removed from some flights. In an interview with WKMG, Jett said she was treated by Southwest Airlines personnel without compassion. Jett said she attempted to put the mask on her daughter three times but “she kept hollering that her ears hurt....

Ceteria Holley said she climbed on top of her dining room table as several feet of water engulfed her home in Pensacola on Wednesday, WEAR TV reports. “At first it was my belongings, then it went to me, my grandbaby and my daughter… Are we gonna make it through the night? Are we gonna survive this? Because it was that bad,” she said. The grandmother said around 7 a.m. the water continued to rise and she had to evacuate her home in the Forrest Creek Apartment Complex as the building became another casualty in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally....

Zoo staff are beginning to prepare as several evacuations have already been ordered in the area. Staff are focusing mostly on moving the zoo’s exotic bird population from a free-flying aviary to ancillary buildings. The aviary’s nets are at risk of being damaged by hurricane-force winds. Much of ZooTampa’s hurricane preparation is already complete. Teams meet in January to discuss hurricane preparedness plans and begin preparing in earnest by securing plywood and other supplies by the time the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1....