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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Office of Parental Rights will file a civil enforcement action against Roku Inc. and its Florida subsidiary, Attorney General James Usmayer announced. The civil enforcement suit alleges that Roku Inc. and its Florida subsidiary violated the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and the Florida Deception and Unfair Trade Practices Act. “Florida families have a right to know what is happening to their children’s personal information,” said Attorney General James Usmayer. “Parents, not technology companies, direct the upbringing of their children, and we will hold companies accountable that hide or misuse that information.” Roku is the…
STARK, Fla. (AP) – A Florida man convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a Plant City pond is scheduled to be executed Tuesday night. Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the Florida State Penitentiary near Starke starting at 6 p.m. under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. This will be the 14th death sentence to be executed in Florida in 2025, extending the state’s single-year execution record. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Florida’s highest annual number of executions was eight in…
President Trump’s White House has confirmed that civil servants at the Department of Education (DOE) have been laid off as promised, following further cuts at the department. Liberal groups and teachers’ unions say they are outraged that many of the fired staff were in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. “Once again, the Trump administration is acting as if it has impunity to reduce the workforce of an already lean and efficient government agency. Dismantling the government through mass layoffs, especially in the ED, is not the answer to our national problems,” said Rachel Gittleman, president of American…
Florida Democrats are on a losing streak and looking for ways to bounce back. One could be opening up democratic primaries to non-party voters. Some Democrats are reporting that Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried is behind the scenes discussing the idea of opening up the primary for the state’s 2026 election. Because Florida is a closed primary state, there are 3.4 million NPA members who are not allowed to vote. Now, a new poll from the Florida Department of Police and the Democratic Party finds not only overwhelming support for such a move, but also broad support for basic…
After a brief 4-on-4 action, the Panthers faced their fifth penalty kill of the game late in the third period, but managed to survive, allowing only two shots on goal. Unfortunately, just after that, Couturier scored at 15:50 to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. From there, Bobby Brink and Christian Dvorak added empty-net goals to seal the Flyers’ 5-2 victory. “Looking back at the game, I don’t think we had any major breakdowns defensively,” Morris said. “That’s what we did with the puck and why. When we moved the puck, we stood still with the puck. We had a slow…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Eyebrows continue to be raised against Hope Florida and its funding arm as reports surface about subpoenas and grand jury proceedings. Details remain private as the state Legislature considers what to do next.Hope Florida, a program aimed at helping people escape government aid, has come under intense scrutiny last year over a mysterious money trail that began with a Medicaid settlement and ended with a political action committee. Florida woman found dead in her home after being attacked by four dogs “This is the type of mudslinging that people hate, and it’s the kind of things…
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – The Daytona Beach Police Department says a woman tragically died after being violently attacked by a dog in her home last week. Police responded to the victim’s home around 7pm on Friday, October 11, after becoming concerned after being unable to contact her boyfriend. She didn’t answer the phone, so when he arrived at her house, he found her unresponsive on the floor. ‘Every family’s worst nightmare’: Odessa resident forced out of car at gunpoint in driveway He called the police, who arrived to find the victim, Monica Emerson, 38, seriously injured and four dogs…
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — For more than 40 years, the man found dead by two campers in Volusia County was known only as “John Doe.” His identity continues to be elusive for law enforcement, who are now hoping that AI may be able to solve the mystery. Sarasota man shoots at paramedics in an attempt to subdue a boy, jailed for 40 years The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released an AI-enhanced photo showing what the unidentified man looked like. Officials say the images come from his clay sculptures created decades ago. (Credit: Volusia County Sheriff’s Office) Investigators…
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Aquarium, an old Florida-style tourist attraction that gained international attention as the filming location for the 1960s TV series “Flipper” and thrilled generations of tourists with shows featuring trained dolphins and killer whales, has closed. Sunday’s closure of the park, which opened in 1955, was celebrated by animal rights activists who have worked for decades to free the park’s marine mammals. The park, which overlooks Biscayne Bay across a causeway from downtown Miami, was beloved by those who grew up visiting the landmark, but was plagued by persistent animal welfare complaints. Last year, the aquarium’s…
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA) — A man has been charged with animal cruelty after police say he moved out of his Fort Myers home and left behind two dogs, one of which died in the July heat. Lee County deputies went to Jerry Speed III’s home on Seventh Street on July 11 after receiving reports of two dogs left outside in crates without food or water. According to the sheriff’s office, Speed had moved about two weeks ago. ‘Every family’s worst nightmare’: Odessa resident forced out of car at gunpoint in driveway Detectives said they found Speed’s two bulldogs, 1-year-old…