Articles by Brendan Farrington and Terry Spencer

Tropical Storm Nestor Spawns Tornadoes in Florida Gulf but Spares Panhandle

Tropical Storm Nestor was downgraded Saturday after it spawned a tornado that damaged homes and a school in central Florida but spared an area of the Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hurricane Michael. The storm, however, spun off at …

Law to Study, Combat Florida Red Tide Takes Effect

A bill directing the state to work with a private marine institute to study and combat the red tide blooms that have hurt the state’s vital tourism industry and killed such wildlife as manatees, fish and dolphins took effect July …

Florida Hopes to Lure Autonomous Car Companies Under New Law

Self-driving vehicles with no humans on board will be able to operate in Florida – once they’re finally ready for prime time – under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis said he hopes to use the law …

Florida Gov Signs Bill Making Texting While Driving Primary Offense

Florida will become one of the last states to make texting while driving a primary traffic offense under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday. The new law will also ban the use of any handheld wireless …

Miami Bridge Cracks Were Growing ‘Daily’ Before Deadly Collapse: Records

Just hours before a pedestrian bridge collapsed and killed six people at a Miami university, engineers confirmed that cracks in the concrete structure “increased in length daily,” according to meeting records released Monday by the Florida Department of Transportation. The …

Florida Governor Signs Bill Allowing More Armed Teachers

More Florida teachers will be eligible to carry guns in the classroom under a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Wednesday that immediately implements recommendations from a commission formed after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland. DeSantis …

Florida Could Expand Self-Driving Car Law

Self-driving vehicles could be operated in Florida without a human backup under a bill approved by a House committee last week, which could pave the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy fleets of driverless vehicles. Republican sponsor …

Florida Lawmakers Repeal Ban on Smokable Medical Marijuana

The Florida Legislature met Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ deadline to hand him a bill to repeal the state’s ban on smokable medical marijuana when the House passed the legislation Wednesday. While lawmakers aren’t necessarily in favor of allowing medical marijuana …

Expert: Florida’s Hurricane-Hit Timber Industry Will Need Years to Recover

It could take a decade or more for Florida’s timber industry to recover from Hurricane Michael’s devastation, and the countless downed trees pose an immediate wildfire threat, Florida Forest Service Director Jim Karels told a Senate committee last week. Karels …

Trump Expands Federal Reimbursement for Florida’s Hurricane Michael Cleanup

Florida will get potentially hundreds of million dollars for Hurricane Michael recovery after President Donald Trump agreed to expand the number of days the federal government will reimburse state and local governments for cleanup efforts, the state’s governor announced Thursday. …