A child neglect charge has been declined following an incident on the Disney Dream Cruise Ship, where a 5-year-old girl fell overboard while the ship was approaching Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, according to a memo obtained by News4JAX’s partners in South Florida, WPLG.

Progressive groups are launching an effort to reconnect with Latino voters to regain support in places where President Donald Trump has made inroads.

Airports around the country are saying they won’t play a video with a message from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on operations to screen travelers.

Matthew Caldwell is stepping down as the business operations president of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and accepting a 10-year deal as CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

A Florida man has been executed for the kidnap and killing of a woman abducted from an insurance office in 1982.

Rodrigo De Paul has enjoyed years of playing alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina’s national team, but the star midfielder said that for a long time, he’s dreamed of playing on the same club with his good friend.

New details have been revealed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office involving a June 29 incident where a child fell overboard from a Disney cruise ship before being rescued by her father.

A Disney Dream cruise almost turned into a nightmare for one family when their young daughter fell overboard while returning from the Bahamas to South Florida, according to multiple reports.

Champagne was swilled and spilled, cigars were smoked and the Stanley Cup was hoisted a few more times, all with about 400,000 people watching.

The Florida Panthers are one win on home ice away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management held a press conference, urging Floridians to make their final preparations before hurricane season starts on June 1.

Eleven people were injured, including two children, in an apparent boat explosion at a yacht club in Fort Lauderdale on Memorial Day, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for tar balls that began showing up on Florida beaches over the weekend.

Police are investigating after a New Year’s tragedy in Fort Lauderdale, News4JAX partner WPLG-TV reported.

More world leaders are confirming they have been invited to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

A military veteran who choked an agitated New York subway rider and was acquitted of homicide this week has been invited by Vice President-elect JD Vance to join Donald Trump’s suite at the Army-Navy football game on Saturday.

A Florida prosecutor says he will seek to vacate as many as 2,600 convictions of people who bought crack cocaine manufactured by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office between 1988 and 1990.

Donald Trump dined on Wednesday with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

A man pleads guilty to stealing the identities of 14 individuals to collect over $1 million in COVID-19 relief and Unemployment benefits.

Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who guided Inter Miami to the best regular season record in Major League Soccer history this season, is resigning as coach of the club.

Milton has strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years.

Lionel Messi’s first MLS Cup playoff match with Inter Miami will be on Oct. 25.

The puck went into the corner, to the left of Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, with 14 seconds left in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Lionel Messi will not play Saturday when Inter Miami visits Chicago, meaning he will have at least two more weeks to continue recovering from an ankle injury.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a press conference Thursday with Inter Miami CF co-owners David Beckham and José Mas, and Managing Owner Jorge Mas.

Although more rain could trigger additional isolated Florida flooding on Friday, forecasters say the strong, persistent storms that dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) in southern parts of the state appear to have passed.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday morning signed legislation aimed at protecting Florida’s natural resources.

The youngest children of an octogenarian couple who were killed inside their Florida home say they are mystified as to why anyone would harm their parents.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday morning is set to hold a news conference at a wine shop in South Florida.

Authorities say a young girl was buried in sand and died when a deep hole she was digging with a little boy collapsed on them both at a south Florida beach.

Three Florida residents are in FBI custody on charges that they assaulted officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the nation's Capitol.

Two brothers and another man are facing federal charges after a kidnapping that took some bizarre twists.

Seventeen Florida sheriff’s deputies have appeared in court on charges that they stole about half a million dollars in pandemic relief funds.

Defense attorneys for rapper YNW Melly say South Florida prosecutors committed felony obstruction of justice by not revealing that the lead detective in the rapper’s double-murder case had been previously accused of being willing to lie as he gathered evidence.

A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant.

A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff’s agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information and closing out sex crimes cases without a thorough investigation.

Historic flooding a week ago in South Florida has led to long lines at the region’s gas stations, as drivers fearful of a fuel shortage have been unnecessarily topping off their tanks.

Nearly a foot of rain fell in a matter of hours in Fort Lauderdale – causing widespread flooding, the closure of the city’s airport and the suspension of high-speed commuter rail service for the Broward County region.

An elected Florida prosecutor who says he was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis for political gain and because he is a Democrat is asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate him.

A fired Florida health data manager who accused officials of wanting to manipulate COVID-19 statistics has reached an agreement with prosecutors on a felony charge that she illegally accessed state computers.

A restaurant customer in Fort Lauderdale has died of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters.

A ratings agency has plans to downgrade more than two dozen Florida-based property insurance companies in a move that could cost more money for homeowners with loans.

Florida’s largest electricity provider has announced plans to eliminate all of its carbon emissions by 2045 by increasing its reliance on solar energy, including using it to turn water into hydrogen to power its generating plants.

Much of the Florida peninsula, along with parts of Cuba and the Bahamas, are under a tropical storm warning as a system that battered Mexico moves through the Gulf of Mexico, killing at least two in Cuba and bringing threats of heavy rain and wind for the weekend.

A presumptive case of monkeypox is being investigated in South Florida.

Broward County’s emergency call center is greatly understaffed and the sheriff told county commissioners his agency doesn’t have the money to fill the empty positions.

Officials say Florida sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a drug suspect who drew a gun on them outside their headquarters.

A South Florida defendant who once made national news when he escaped by dashing out of a courtroom during a pretrial hearing on murder charges has been convicted of that killing.

Fire officials say a group of diners fell in the water after the deck of a Florida waterfront restaurant collapsed.

Vendors and all adult visitors will be required to wear face masks when visting Broward County public school campuses.

A 27-year-old Florida man accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed two children and injured four others caused a disturbance during his first court appearance, hours after sheriff's deputies arrested him.

A teacher in South Florida has been fired for repeatedly refusing to wear a mask.

A South Florida judge declared a mistrial in a murder case after jurors failed to agree on a verdict following more than five days of deliberations.

A Florida school district that had required masks for all students to slow the spread of COVID-19 has decided to relax its mandate for high school students.

A judge has ordered an 18-year-old man to be held without bond in the fatal shooting of a South Florida police officer.

Two officers are recovering from injuries they sustained while trying to break up a massive brawl at a South Florida high school.

The trial of the suspect in the 2018 Florida high school massacre for fighting a jail guard has been delayed because his lead lawyer on the case is hospitalized.

Authorities say a Chicago woman falsely claimed a bomb was on a plane at a South Florida airport after missing her flight.

A Brazilian man who died in a plane crash in South America in 2005 is responsible for the slayings of three Florida women two decades ago, authorities said Tuesday.

The school superintendent Tallahassee has announced that masks will be required for students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, becoming the seventh district to defy Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on such COVID-19 mandates.

A Florida judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide whether their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus.

A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide if their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus.

Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties have become the third and fourth school districts in Florida to adopt stricter mask mandates, a day after school boards in Broward and Alachua counties faced threats of severe penalties for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which says parents should decide whether their children wear masks.

Tropical Depression Grace is drenching Haiti, dumping up to 15 inches of rain on a quake-damaged landscape as thousands of people huddle in fields and search for survivors.

The National Hurricane Center said Fred has regained tropical storm status in the Gulf of Mexico as parts of the Caribbean are gearing up for impacts from Tropical Storm Grace.

Doctors in Florida say they’re seeing many more coronavirus infections among children, just as students begin to return to classrooms.

COVID-19 has strained some Florida hospitals so much that ambulance services and fire departments can no longer respond as usual to every call.

The United States Coast Guard offloaded drugs worth more than $1.4 billion at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

Coronavirus hospitalizations are once again surging as the virus’ more potent delta variant cuts across the country.

Florida’s largest hospital systems are expanding their COVID units, limiting visitors and fearing staffing shortages as they deal with the statewide surge in cases.

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to stealing $24 million in COVID-19 relief money by using fake identities and shell companies to fraudulently apply for financial assistance.

The cruise line industry is making a comeback after the first ship with paying passengers on board set sail from a U.S. port in more than a year.

The 77-year-old driver who accidentally slammed his truck into fellow members of a gay chorus group, killing one and injuring two others, said Monday that he was devastated by the crash at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida.

South Floridians are always on the lookout for creatures big and small, from alligators to pythons to disease-carrying mosquitoes. We can now add coyotes to that list.

Florida’s Democratic agriculture commissioner, whose office polices charities, alleged Friday that a group run by one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent election conspiracy adherents is illegally seeking donations in the state.

Federal investigators say a truck driver lied on on his health questionnaires before causing a 2019 Florida crash that killed five children headed to Walt Disney World.

A Florida school board is halting the use of a fictional book about a Black boy who is killed by a white officer after a police union complained to the school district that it is propaganda.

A South Florida school district is encouraging eligible students to get vaccinated by brining the COVID-19 shots to their campuses.

A Florida jury has award a woman $48 million after a leaky roof led to contamination of her apartment by mold, which caused her debilitating illness.

Turnout was so low following an 11-day pause of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine at a central Florida FEMA-run site that about 90% of the daily supply went unused.

Deputies in a South Florida county are being instructed not to enforce an anti-rioting law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Hackers who sought $40 million in ransom from the Broward County Public School District, which refused to pay, have now published nearly 26,000 stolen files.

Authorities say a knife-wielding man who refused to drop his weapon was shot when he lunged toward a sheriff’s deputy outside a South Florida strip mall.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order Friday banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to get service.

WPLG-TV's helicopter shows the traffic backup outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday morning. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale's airport was evacuated for hours Thursday after officials feared a vehicle parked near two terminals might contain a bomb. The Broward Sheriff's Office said someone spotted “suspicious wires” in a vehicle parked outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly after 1 a.m. The airport was evacuated and entry roads closed. The airport reopened at 7 a.m. and officials said operations were returning to normal, but numerous flights were delayed.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A law enforcement investigation caused major delays at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and on the interstates leading to it early Thursday morning. The airport announced it was reopening just before 7:30 a.m., but urged travelers to remain patient while operations resume. A tweet from the airport said all entrance roadways closed down because of an investigation at terminals 2 and 3. FLL released little information as to what was going on and directed travelers to contact their airlines for flight statuses. Several commenters on social media said they were stuck on planes that had been on the tarmac or at the gate for hours.

Ron DeSantis said Monday that he would issue an executive order forbidding local governments and businesses from requiring so-called “vaccine passports” to show proof that customers have been inoculated against the coronavirus. While the governor has previously spoken out against “vaccine passports,” he said he would take the additional step of forbidding businesses from refusing to serve people who can’t prove they have been vaccinated. The governor has rejected mask mandates and has used his executive authority to preempt local governments from enforcing such measures. AdThe “vaccine passports” are expected to be free, be available through smartphone apps, be printable and have a scannable code that’s similar to an airline boarding pass. DeSantis said allowing governments and businesses to require proof of vaccinations would be “an unprecedented expansion” of public and private power.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Broward County sheriff’s deputy has become the seventh person in the agency to die of complications from the coronavirus. The Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page that 48-year-old Sgt. Shane Owens died on Saturday. He had been hospitalized and on a ventilator prior to his death, the sheriff's office said. Shane Owens would be in it.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy is accused of forcing a South Florida real estate agent to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash before fatally shooting him last month. The teen was arrested Friday while in custody on an unrelated case and charged with second-degree murder and robbery. The Broward State Attorney's Office announced Tuesday they are charging him as an adult in the Feb. 1 killing of Stefano Barbosa, 37. Prosecutors said the teen forced Barbosa to drive to a Bank of America machine and make two withdrawals of $500. Ad“This young person’s issues are so significant that they require treatment, help, and services beyond what the juvenile justice system can provide at this time,” Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A driver who crashed her car while swerving to avoid a couch falling from a truck on Interstate 95 may get a reprieve from the Florida Highway Patrol. Lt. Yanko Reyes told the South Florida SunSentinel that the agency will recommend dismissing the $166 traffic citation that a trooper issued to the driver on Feb. 20. His girlfriend, who didn't want to be identified, lost control of the car when she swerved to avoid the tumbling sofa. Trooper Eric Flint issued the ticket to Singer's girlfriend at the hospital where they were being treated. “He gave us a ticket for basically swerving lanes while trying to avoid a couch that was flying at us on the highway,” Singer recalled.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A couple driving home from Florida flipped and wrecked their car while swerving to avoid a couch that fell off a truck. And though both escaped serious injury, there was no avoiding a $166 traffic ticket dropped off at the hospital where they were treated. The car was totaled and both were taken to the hospital in ambulances, he said, lucky to have survived. Ad“He gave us a ticket for basically swerving lanes while trying to avoid a couch that was flying at us on the highway,” Singer told the newspaper. A Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, Lt. Yanko Reyes, told the newspaper that while it's a tough break for the couple, troopers have discretion when issuing traffic citations.

A Coast Guard helicopter earlier this week spotted the two men and one woman and hoisted them in baskets from a rocky cliff in Anguilla Cay, a Bahamian islet close to Cuba. The Associated Press requested interviews with the survivors, but Coast Guard and immigration officials have not released their identities and did not grant access for interviews. The U.S. Coast Guard did not respond to requests clarifying what considerations were made before the group was flown into the United States. It was unclear whether the group was originally bound for the U.S. or simply lost at sea, and the Coast Guard has said it focused merely on rescuing them. However, the rocky, uninhabited island is routinely monitored by the Coast Guard for strandings of migrants hoping to reach U.S. soil.

Be a hero.”FDLE agents raided her home in December, seizing her computers and other data equipment. Ron DeSantis on social media and questioned the validity of the state's COVID data, said in a Twitter statement Saturday that she would surrender shortly. Jones said on Twitter that “the warrant was based on a lie” and noted a state agent told her the arrest warrant is unrelated to the December raid. Jones was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about Florida’s COVID-19 data. After the December raid, Jones filed a complaint in Leon County Circuit Court alleging state police violated her rights to free speech and due process.

Diaz is taking over a state party that lost ground in November's election, causing some national political commentators to suggest Florida may no longer be a swing state but solidly Republican. AP VoteCast, a survey of the Florida electorate, found Trump won 58% of Cuban American voters statewide. Biden only won the county by 7 points, which accounts for most of Trump's increased victory margin in the state. Florida Democrats must win South Florida by large margins to offset the Republicans' strong support in north Florida. Diaz told Saturday's meeting that Florida Democrats are "at a crossroads.” A lawyer, he served as Miami mayor from 2001 to 2009.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – New data from the Centers for Disease Control shows Florida has nearly half the known cases in the United States of a mutated and likely more contagious strain of the coronavirus. The development came Friday as Florida reported nearly 20,000 more cases in a single day. A CDC map shows that Florida had 22 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant that emerged in Britain. It showed other cases in California, which has reported 26 cases, Colorado with two, and New York and Georgia each with one reported case. Statistics from the Florida Department of Health showed Friday's total of new coronavirus cases — 19,530 — almost reached the previous day's record of 19,816 new daily cases.

Broward Health Medical Center began vaccinating frontline healthcare workers last week with the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine and are continuing to inoculate frontline caregivers with both of the vaccines after the arrival of the Moderna. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)A pair of legislative committees set up to review Florida’s response to the coronavirus pandemic will hold their first meetings next week. State Surgeon General Scott Rivkees is scheduled to address the Senate Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response on Jan. 14. The Florida Department of Health has logged 1.39 million cases in the state since the pandemic started in March. State officials also have reported that 289,773 people in Florida had been vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as of Tuesday.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – So far, the St. Johns County health department’s effort to administer its allotment of COVID-19 vaccines has been an exercise in chaos. After several complaints of disorganization and long lines creating unsafe conditions in the county, vaccines will be given by appointment ONLY in the county, starting Monday. [WATCH: Press play below to see SJC officials provide update on vaccine distribution -- starts about 5 minutes in]St. Johns County Vaccine news conference WATCH LIVE | Officials in St. Johns County hold a news conference to discuss the vaccine rollout in the county. He said St. Johns County residents can sign up for text alerts on vaccinations by texting SJCVACCINE to 888-777. “COVID-19 vaccinations are our best option to get back to normal life as soon as possible,” said St. Johns County health department medical director Dr.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Some South Florida counties have put into place a short-term curfew over the holidays in an effort to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus. “Christmas and New Year’s holidays are known for large gatherings," Broward Mayor Steve Geller told mayors during a conference call Tuesday. “We are expecting a spike in cases here.”The temporary curfew, from Christmas to Jan. 4, is meant to stop people from moving around and gathering for parties. Midnight mass and travel to and from work are exempt, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Ron DeSantis' order removing restrictions on bars and restaurants, and they are “speculative and arbitrary,” wrote U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal.