SUNSHINE STATE

As a major hurricane, Idalia not only threatens the lives of Floridians but also the progress of Florida’s property insurance market that was already in crisis.

To ensure students are prepared to start the school year on the right foot, volunteers, organizations and others have organized backpack giveaways and free school supply events.

The oldest historically Black collegiate fraternity in the U.S. says it is relocating a planned convention in two years from Florida because of what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration’s “harmful, racist and insensitive” policies towards African Americans.

Travelers, considered a bellwether for the insurance industry due to its size, said catastrophe losses doubled in its most recent quarter and the company swung to a loss as severe wind and hail storms in a number of regions led to rising coverage claims.

AAA says it won’t renew a small percentage of homeowner and auto insurance policies in hurricane-wracked Florida, joining other insurers in limiting their exposure in the Sunshine State.

This will be the second true “heatwave” of the summer, and will likely result in Heat Advisories and feels like temperatures above 105° in the afternoon.

Record ocean heat has invaded Florida with a vengeance.

At least 100 people lined Atlantic Boulevard near Spring Park Road on Thursday morning to protest Florida’s new immigration laws.

The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. has joined other civil rights organizations in issuing a travel advisory for Florida.

National Safe Boating Week begins this weekend, and boating experts are sharing some simple rules to keep you safe -- and alive.

New data shows that March is the deadliest month to drive in the Sunshine State, and Jacksonville tops the list of deadly crashes statewide.

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Day is commemorated every March 29 as a day to publicly honor the courage and sacrifice of the 3 million men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who served in the Vietnam War.

A $711 million plan to make housing more affordable statewide is headed to the governor’s desk, and there is also help on the way for people in Jacksonville who are struggling to pay bills.

At its statewide conference in Orlando, member organizations of the Florida NAACP voted unanimously to recommend that the national NAACP board issue a nationwide travel advisory against moving or visiting the Sunshine State.

Advocates for open government are ringing alarms about plans by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration that could make it harder to learn what public officials are doing and to speak out against them.

AAA survey said 83% of Floridians plan to travel this year. That’s significantly higher than the 61% in 2022.

Flagler Palm Coast is on the search for a head football coach after Robert Paxia announced his resignation on Thursday afternoon.

The News4JAX I-TEAM found that short-term vacation rentals are helping to drive up traditional rents in Northeast Florida, and it's not just in tourist hot spots.

The U.S. population center is on track this decade to take a southern swerve for the first time in history.

Did you know Florida produces 25% of the world's supply of ____?

People could soon get the abortion pill at retail pharmacies.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sworn in on Tuesday in Tallahassee for the start of his second term.

As soon as 2023 rings in, Florida leaders will be sworn-in for their four-year terms in office.

As 2023 inches closer, records and data show the Sunshine State changed a lot in the past year. From overall population to housing and politics, 2022′s impact on Florida was significant.

When the new year starts in less than a week, a number of new laws will take effect in Florida.

Say the word crocodile and many people think of Australia, the Amazon or even those National Geographic specials showing huge reptiles ambushing wildebeests crossing rivers.

For the surfing Santas off Florida’s central coast, the Atlantic Ocean felt more like the North Pole than the Sunshine State as temperatures plunged to around freezing, while freeze warnings were in place for at least half of the state.

Local realtors are responding to what a study conducted by a national research team called “alarming signs” that could show a housing crisis is in the future for cities in the Sunshine State.

Hurricane Ian not only ravaged southwest Florida on land but was destructive underwater as well.

It has been an active stretch for hurricanes in Florida in the past seven years.

First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the partnership on Friday.

A quick study by two scientists calculates that climate change made Hurricane Ian 10% rainier than it would have been if there were no such thing as global warming.

Here’s a look at how tourists can best cope in terms of air travel, evacuation shelters and park closures.

Florida, South Carolina and South Florida are taking steps to salvage home football games as Hurricane Ian approaches.

Trevor Etienne’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes remaining helped No. 18 Florida rally to beat South Florida 31-28.

The News4JAX Super 10 high school football rankings are released each Tuesday during the regular season.

On Sunday, New England plays Miami’s Dolphins.

While we haven’t had any name storms threaten Florida so far this year, the risk is there.

Abortion rights remains a salient political issue for Democrats, as a special election in New York showed on Tuesday.

Ballots haven’t even been printed yet, but already a group of landlords, apartment managers and real estate agents in Florida are trying to stop voters from deciding on a measure that would implement rent control for a year in the theme park hub that has been one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. The Florida Apartment Association and the Florida Association of Realtors last week sued Orange County, Florida in an attempt to halt a ballot initiative aimed at limiting how much...

Recent mass overdoses in Florida have the Drug Enforcement Administration sounding the alarm.

News4JAX is breaking down what you want to know about the new indoor water park.

As friends and families flock to the beaches to celebrate the fourth of July, one Flordia family is in the hospital with 17-year-old Addison Bethea after she was attacked by a shark Thursday off the coast of Keaton Beach, Florida.

According to the FAA, airlines are carrying the highest number of passengers since early 2020. Florida air traffic is 150%-170% higher at some airports.

As the battle continues in Florida over a 15-week abortion ban that was slated to take effect Friday but is being blocked by a state judge, an open letter went out to Florida businesses from the governor of Connecticut.

Only two Florida counties made the list: one of them is St. Johns County, which landed at 185.

Thirty air traffic controllers have been hired for the federal air traffic control center in Hilliard, a source familiar with the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan told News4JAX.

For the first time, the national average for a gallon of gas now tops $5.

Duval County has more struggling schools than any other district in the Sunshine State, according to a Florida Department of Education report. The same report outlines the subject areas in which there exists a critical shortage of certified teachers, with English as the category projected to be in the direst need in the upcoming school year.

Florida is known for its hot summer days and sandy shores, but for many new residents, this may be their first summer in the Sunshine State.

The pain at the pump continues...

On the eve of the Atlantic hurricane season, a new survey shows a growing number of Floridians are choosing not to leave their homes if there’s a hurricane.

Florida lawmakers return to the Capitol this coming week to take up another special legislative session — this time, dealing with property insurance.

We’ve got some big Florida and SEC news this week.

An investigation into child pornography that began back in the fall of 2020 has now led to an arrest, according to an arrest warrant.

After winning a playoff series for the first time, the Jacksonville Icemen now know who they will face in the next round of the ECHL's Kelly Cup playoffs.

Living in the Sunshine State is going to cost you.

One of the best high school basketball players from the Jacksonville area of the past decade is coming back to the Sunshine State. Alex Fudge announced Wednesday that he’s leaving LSU and transferring to Florida.

On Twitter, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he has a feeling it could be the song of the summer...

Economists with the Federal Reserve issued an unsettling warning to millions of potential homebuyers, cautioning that the real estate market is showing signs of a brewing U.S. housing bubble. A local real estate agent who News4JAX spoke with says the bubble won’t burst like it did in the 2008 recession, especially in growing cities like Jacksonville -- which instead might continue to see a home and rent affordability crisis.

Baseball’s bitter 99-day lockout moved a little further back in the rearview mirror when spring training games began Thursday.

Foreclosures are climbing across the nation, and the frustration for homeowners is being felt here in Florida.

Two days of bad weather and a miserable forecast for the rest of Friday has forced the postponement of The Players Championship, with a Monday finish now a certainty.

The deadliest tree in the world has poisonous fruit and toxins that can blind a person and burn skin.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the number of tourists coming to the Sunshine State in the last quarter of 2021 surpassed the visitor count in the same quarter before the start of the pandemic.

Florida’s Severe Weather Awareness Week runs from Feb. 7 to Feb. 11, and Friday’s focus is wildfires and extreme temperatures.

A cold snap in Florida is different than in other places.

This Kickstarter-funded jacket has built-in heating to keep you warm and it's on sale for 50% off.

Greetings, Gators fans!

Florida is on pace to produce the smallest crop of oranges in more than 75 years.

Just one day after the United States Supreme Court upheld the Biden Administration’s policy requiring health care workers to get vaccinated, the governor’s office fired back saying Florida will not enforce it.

After closing for the holiday, COVID-19 testing sites reopened on Monday in Duval County.

After closing for the holiday, COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites will reopen on Monday in Duval County.

Job growth in Florida will outpace the national economy, and unemployment will continue to decline in 2022.

A COVID-19 outbreak has taken place on a South Florida-based cruise ship for the third time this week.

A COVID-19 outbreak has taken place on a South Florida-based cruise ship for the third time this week.

Isaiah Bowser ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan O’Keefe had 85 yards on seven receptions, and Central Florida earned Sunshine State bragging rights by beating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night.

University of Florida researchers predict that COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State could peak in February with more than 30,000 reported cases a day from the omicron variant.

Weekly coronavirus cases have been steadily rising in the Sunshine State over the past three weeks, with a 24% increase from the week of Nov. 26 to the week of Dec. 3 alone.

As the tourism industry bounces back from COVID-19, Miami is one of the top search destinations on several travel websites.

Millions of Floridians are expected to hit the highways this week for Thanksgiving, but fueling those trips will be more expensive than the Sunshine State has seen in eight years, according to AAA.

Florida has fired coach Dan Mullen a day after his sixth loss in nine games.

Florida continues to outpace the nation in job growth, adding 41,500 jobs in October.

Police say a 7-foot-python looking for a joyride snuck onto a sailboat in the Florida Keys and ended up staying onboard until the boat reached the state's southwest Gulf Coast.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he’s looking into ways to stop planes with migrants from landing in Florida.

During a visit to Jacksonville on Wednesday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried continued to tout the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as an important investment in Florida’s infrastructure and economy.

After nearly a century on its lofty perch, the northern mockingbird may be singing its last melodies as the state bird of Florida.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves, Anthony Cirelli had a goal and two assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat Washington 3-2 to end the Capitals’ eight-game season-opening point streak.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Sunday he is hoping the Florida Legislature will pass legislation granting a $5,000 bonus to police officers who may be unvaccinated and want to relocate to the Sunshine State.

Florida has fallen out of the AP Top 25.

Studies show, 15.8% of kids in the Sunshine State are considered obese. The national rate is 16.2%. If children are not at a healthy weight for their age and height by kindergarten, they could struggle with obesity as they get older, experts say.

A new recruitment initiative launched by Attorney General Ashley Moody's Office is encouraging job seekers from across the country to come "Be a Florida Hero."

The president of the Florida Ports Council says the state’s seaports are the solution to preventing shipping from being the Grinch that stole Christmas.

Hurricane Ida could become one of the top 10 costliest hurricanes in American history, and even though the storm didn’t hit the Sunshine State, Florida residents might end up paying for it.

To combat the issue of law enforcement vacancies and attract recruits, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody announced three new policy proposals for next year’s Legislative session.

Florida is in the grip of its deadliest wave of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, a disaster driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

A lockdown of Australia’s third-largest city Brisbane was extended until Sunday because of a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations set more than a year ago before vaccines were available.

Federal health officials say Florida has reported more than 21,600 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic.