All articles tagged with #florida
Nearly 30,000 pounds of raw Argentine beef sold in Texas and Florida have been recalled by the USDA after missed import re-inspections; the recall category is Class I, the highest health-risk rating, though no contaminant is named. It isn’t immediately clear which retailers were affected, and the distributor did not comment.
Florida health officials proposed a rule to remove four vaccines from state school vaccination requirements—hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Hib, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines—citing moral and ethical beliefs. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo frames the move as protecting parental rights and personal freedom, while the American Academy of Pediatrics warns it could raise illness risk, disrupt schooling and local economies. The rule has a 21-day public comment period before taking effect.
A Florida jury convicted Mario Fernandez Saldana, the husband of Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, of first‑degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the 2022 ambush killing of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach. Prosecutors say the hit was arranged amid a bitter custody dispute with Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, and her husband; the gunman, Henry Tenon, had previously pleaded guilty and faces trial next year. Saldana is due back in court Oct. 5 for sentencing, and Gardner-Fernandez will be tried separately.
Florida health officials unveiled a proposed rule to drop four school vaccine requirements—chickenpox, Hepatitis B, Hib, and pneumococcal disease—for attendance at public and private schools, though those vaccines would still be required under state law; the proposal, now in a public-comment period, reflects Surgeon General Ladapo’s anti-mandate stance and comes amid President Trump’s efforts to revise the national childhood vaccine schedule, which still endorses several vaccines.
A Florida jury convicted Mario Fernandez Saldana of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder in the 2022 killing of Microsoft design manager Jared Bridegan on a Jacksonville Beach road, in a plot tied to a bitter child-custody dispute with his ex-wife Shanna Gardner; a former tenant, Henry Tenon, carried out the shooting and was paid after the fact, with DNA on the tire rim linking him to the crime. Gardner's trial is set for September and Tenon faces trial next year.
A Florida jury convicted Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder in the 2022 killing of Jared Bridegan, a Microsoft design manager, on a Jacksonville Beach road. Prosecutors said the murder was the culmination of a long-running child-custody dispute with Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and involved a hired gunman who received $10,000 in payments. Bridegan was shot after stopping to remove a tire; his children were in the car. Gardner’s trial is upcoming, while the gunman Henry Tenon had testified before backing out of a deal.
Florida health officials report a third death from the flesh‑eating bacterium Vibrio vulnificus as vibriosis cases climb along the Gulf Coast, with 17 confirmed infections in 12 counties as of Aug. 15. The bacteria thrive in warm, brackish seawater and infections can occur after consuming raw shellfish or through open wounds; last year saw 82 cases and 19 deaths, while 2025 has seen 33 cases and 5 deaths. The latest death occurred in Bay County; victim details were not disclosed.
Florida health officials report a third death from Vibrio vulnificus infections in the past month, with 17 confirmed vibriosis cases across 12 counties. The flesh-eating bacteria live in warm coastal waters and can cause severe illness from seawater exposure or raw shellfish. Cases tend to spike after hurricanes that leave standing water; the latest fatality occurred in Bay County. Officials advise caution with open wounds and seafood and to seek prompt medical care for wound infections.
Florida health officials proposed removing four vaccines from school-entry requirements (hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib, and pneumococcal) and expanding exemptions to include moral and ethical beliefs; the remaining vaccines would stay mandated by state law, and the rule—approved by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo—would advance with a 21-day public input period before final approval. The change would be implemented administratively, and lawmakers would still need to act to alter vaccines mandated by statute, with critics warning it could raise the risk of preventable disease in schools.
Eight people have died in the United States this year from vibriosis caused by Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterium linked to oysters and warm Gulf Coast waters. The latest fatality occurred in Bay County, Florida, as Florida and Louisiana report multiple cases. Health officials warn that infections can be severe, especially for those with underlying health conditions, and advise avoiding raw shellfish and protecting wounds from seawater.
Florida officials published a rule to roll back four vaccine requirements for public school children, allowing attendance without immunizations for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib, and pneumococcal disease; the move, led by Surgeon General Ladapo and aligned with Governor DeSantis’ stance on vaccines, comes amid a broader post‑pandemic push among some Republicans to limit vaccine mandates, drawing criticism from public health advocates who warn it could weaken herd immunity.
A Margate, Florida mother, 31-year-old Kenya Glasgow, and her 2-year-old daughter Kennedi Glasgow were killed when lightning struck them as the family tried to rush indoors during a storm. The father, Kameron Glasgow, said Kensli, the couple’s other daughter, was in the car at the time. The deaths mark Florida’s third and fourth lightning fatalities this year, with authorities noting a dangerous weather pattern and multiple strikes in the area.
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, says she’s not a socialist despite her Democratic Socialists of America membership, a stance GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez says signals where she stands and warns voters about socialism after Cuba and other regimes. Nixon’s primary upset of Vindman sets the stage for a November showdown with Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, with critics portraying her DSA ties as emblematic of broader socialist movements.
Florida-led Operation Statewide Shield recovered 163 missing children ages 2 months to 17 across five continents during a five-day, multi-agency effort with federal and international partners; victims included runaways, abused or neglected children, and trafficking victims. Three suspects—Jayden Allen Harwood, Robert Ferral Allison, and Michael Corey Prescott—were arrested. The operation—the largest statewide child-recovery effort in Florida history—has ongoing investigations and more arrests expected, with many children receiving care and some reunified with families.
Florida GOP nominee Byron Donalds announced state Sen. Bryan Ávila of Hialeah as his running mate, pairing a Cuban-American veteran and college dean with a hard anti-communist stance to energize Latino and veteran voters in a tight Florida race; the ticket diversifies the slate, boosts Miami-Dade relevance, and frames Democrats as left-leaning in a contest shaped by DeSantis and Trump politics.