Florida News Digest
Good afternoon! Here's a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up in Florida. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Miami bureau at 305-594-5825 or [email protected]. Ian Mader is the news editor and can be reached at [email protected]. David Fischer on the desk and can be reached at [email protected]. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern. Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.
TOP STORIES:
FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
XGR—FIREWORKS
TALLAHASSEE — Floridians won't have to lie about buying fireworks to scare birds away from their crops when celebrating the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve under a bill now ready for a Senate vote. By Brendan Farrington. SENT: 282 words.
XGR—TELEGRAPH ERA ENDS
TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers signal the coming end of the telegraph era in the age of instant messaging and the internet. By Bobby Caina Calvan. UPCOMING: 400 words.
XGR-WRONGFUL INCARCERATION
TALLAHASSEE — Florida could expand a law that allows people wrongfully incarcerated to receive compensation from the state. By Brendan Farrington. UPCOMING: 500 words.
IMPEACHMENT-VAL DEMINGS
ORLANDO — U.S. Rep. Val Demings knows something about what it takes to prosecute a case. For 27 years, the newly-appointed impeachment manager worked for the Orlando Police Department, culminating with being appointed the agency's first female chief. By Mike Schneider. SENT: 450 words.
FOUR DEAD-FLORIDA
KISSIMMEE — Authorities in Florida have charged a man with killing his wife, three young children and dog in an affluent suburb near Walt Disney World. UPCOMING: 350 words.
SPACE STATION
CAPE CANAVERAL — Two NASA astronauts are performing a second all-female spacewalk to finish upgrading the International Space Station's power grid. Jessica Meir and Christina Koch were barely outside Wednesday when a helmet problem cropped up. Koch's helmet camera and lights came loose.
IN BRIEF:
CHILD SHOT-GROCERY LOT —Police say an 8-year-old Florida boy left alone in a car found his dad's gun and accidentally shot himself.
HURRICANE MICHAEL-VOLUNTEER TOURISM — Officials in a Florida Panhandle beach town are hoping tourists want to do more than frolic in the surf and lay in the sun.
WEBCAM EAGLET DIES — The offspring of two bald eagles observed on a popular live webcam has died in a Florida ranch.
SCHOOL BUS CRASH-FATALITY — The Florida Highway Patrol says one person has died and six students suffered minor injuries when a pickup truck slammed into a school bus.
EVERGLADES-OIL DRILLING — Florida will buy 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) of land in the environmentally sensitive Everglades to prevent oil drilling in the area, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.
ATM EXPLOSIONS — Police in Florida say one suspect could be responsible for three ATM explosions, the most recent one yielding cash.
STOLEN GUITARS-FLORIDA — Investigators say a Florida man is accused of dealing in stolen property after he tried to pawn a red California SG electric guitar signed by the members of Van Halen that he stole from a storage unit.
RIVIERA BEACH-EPIC BATTLE — A Florida man who has been locked in a legal battle with Riviera Beach for more than a decade has settled with the city for $875,000.
GAS STATION SHOOTING-DEPUTY — Sheriff's investigators say a deputy shot a man during a late-night incident at a gas station.
DOUBLE SLAYING — A former Florida death row inmate has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his elderly neighbors.
IN SPORTS:
BKN--SPURS-HEAT
MIAMI — The Miami Heat are in their first rough patch of the season, having dropped two straight, and play host Wednesday night to a San Antonio Spurs team that is showing signs of turning its slow start around. Game starts at 7:40 p.m. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos.
______
If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support [email protected] or 877-836-9477.