Articles by David Fischer

Everglades Restoration Aims to Protect Florida Keys, Water, State Economy

ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — The Everglades is more than just swamps, fan boats and alligators — and restoration efforts impact more than the land between Florida’s east and west coasts. Florida Bay, a body of water located between the southern …

Florida Condo Owners Face Deadline and Higher Costs With New Regulations

MIAMI (AP) — Florida condominium owners are looking at higher costs from condo associations in the new year, a consequence of a safety law passed by state lawmakers in 2022. It requires associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major …

Florida Supreme Court Rules Against Parkland Sheriff

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a sheriff who fought his removal from office after the governor claimed he failed to prevent last year’s Parkland school shooting. Florida’s highest court agreed that Gov. Ron DeSantis was within his …

NOAA Upgrades Hurricane Michael to Category 5

Hurricane Michael, which devastated a swath of the Florida Panhandle last fall, has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm, only the fourth to make recorded landfall in the United States and the first since 1992. The announcement by the …

Florida Irma-Related Nursing Home Deaths Climb to 14

Two women who lived at a Florida nursing home that lost air conditioning during Hurricane Irma have died, bringing to 14 the number of fatalities linked to the home. Cecilia Franco, 90, and Francesca Andrade, 95, died from ailments suffered …

Carnival Cruise Ships To Be Out of Service Longer Than Expected

The Carnival Triumph, which was crippled by an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico last month leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days, will be out of service longer than initially expected, Carnival Cruise Lines announced. The ship is …

Update: Central Florida Commuter Rail Stopped Dead in its Tracks

A deal to bring commuter rail to central Florida failed to win approval from the Legislature on May 2 and isn’t expected to move ahead any time soon with federal dollars for the project likely to dry up. Under the …

Florida Lawmakers Propose Bundle of Bills to Make Roads Safer

Lawmakers are looking to make Florida roads safer with bills that deal with issues ranging from road rage to driver education programs. It’s not unusual to see a number of bills that tweak fines and modify existing laws during the …