Fresh Take Florida

Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, was arrested March 28 for driving with a U.S. driver’s license that had been suspended since January 2024 and with an outdated vehicle registration.

Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, said he disagrees with a federal appeals court's recent decision upholding the age restriction, passed in the wake of a 19-year-old gunman killing 17 people at a Parkland high school in 2018.

New filings relaunched the landmark legal case seeking to overturn the state law, which bans some social media accounts for teens younger than 16, or for 14- and 15-year-olds without a parent’s permission.

Floridians will vote for a representative in the 6th Congressional District, which runs from St. Augustine to Daytona Beach, and the 1st Congressional District in the Panhandle.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected a request by a consortium of technology companies for a preliminary injunction that would have at least further temporarily blocked the state’s ban from taking effect.

The governor said the state’s laws pale in comparison to those of other conservative states. He pointed to problems with “red flag laws” and legislation increasing the minimum age for firearm purchases from 18 to 21.

Maranda Malnory, 29, was less than one month away from her second birthday when James Ford killed her parents in rural Charlotte County. Ford was executed by the state this month.

The statewide total of 60,755 abortions in 2024 was down 28% from 84,052 in 2023, a trend sought by supporters of the law. The state's three largest counties each reported declines of more than 20%.

A new investigation of a law that allows Florida law enforcement to ticket drivers for loud music found that Black drivers received almost 37% of the tickets, despite making up about 16% of the state's driving-eligible population.

By state law, books in school libraries must be certified by a media specialist. They must also comply with the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Experts are worried the number of cases reported to help lines and law enforcement don't reflect the reality of elder violence.

Prosecutors say Brian Brainard Wedgeworth, 46, is known by at least 13 aliases and has remained in federal custody. They believe that he scammed at least 21 women across eight states and amassed over $750,000 through years of schemes.