Tag: Florida

Florida orders evacuations ahead of ‘extremely dangerous’ Idalia

GAINESVILLE , United States, Aug 29, 2023 (AFP) – Residents along Florida’s west coast were under orders to evacuate Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s arrival, as forecasters said the storm was strengthening over an exceptionally warm Gulf of Mexico and would likely become “extremely dangerous” before landfall. Idalia, which the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said had become a Category 1 hurricane overnight, was churning Tuesday morning hundreds of miles off Florida’s southwest, and bringing […]

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Tropical Storm Idalia strengthens near Mexico, heads to Florida

MIAMI, Aug 28, 2023 (AFP) – Tropical Storm Idalia was strengthening in the Caribbean on Monday, buffeting southeastern Mexico with wind and rain, with forecasters predicting it will become a major hurricane before reaching Florida later in the week. The storm, which is not forecast to make landfall in Mexico, will travel across western Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico before reaching northwest Florida, the US National Hurricane Center said. Idalia was “intensifying as it […]

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Tropical Storm Idalia forms near Mexico, heads to Florida

MEXICO CITY, Aug 27, 2023 (AFP) – Tropical Storm Idalia formed Sunday in the Caribbean, buffeting southeastern Mexico with wind and rain, as forecasters predicted it will strengthen to a hurricane before reaching Florida later in the week. The storm, which is not forecast to make landfall in Mexico, will travel across the Gulf of Mexico before reaching northwest Florida, the US National Hurricane Center said. Idalia will create “increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge […]

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Florida gunman driven by racial ‘hate’ kills 3: authorities

WASHINGTON, Aug 26, 2023 (AFP) – A gunman in Jacksonville, Florida driven by racial hatred shot dead three Black people in a discount store Saturday before killing himself after a standoff with police, authorities said. “He targeted a certain group of people and that’s Black people. That’s what he said he wanted to kill. And that’s very clear,” Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters told a news conference about the gunman, who was white and in his […]

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Florida lawmakers approve permit-free concealed weapons

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Residents in the US state of Florida will be able to carry concealed firearms without a license, according to legislation approved Thursday by the state’s Republican-led Senate and supported by Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill, which passed Florida’s House of Representatives last week, cleared the Senate on a 27-13 vote, at the state legislature in Tallahassee. When the measure becomes law, those wishing to carry a concealed weapon in public […]

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URGENT: Ron DeSantis, Republican W.House hopeful, reelected Florida governor – networks

Miami, United States | AFP | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been tipped as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, was projected as one of the early winners of the night in Tuesday’s midterm election. DeSantis, a rising star of America’s political right, was re-elected governor, defeating Democratic challenger Charlie Crist. ABC and CNN projected a win for the 44-year-old DeSantis, who is seen as a serious challenger to presumptive candidate former president Donald Trump […]

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Biden heads into Florida hurricane clean-up zone — and opponent’s territory

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Joe Biden makes a politically charged visit Wednesday to inspect the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Ian in Florida while also presenting a united front despite bitter disagreements with Republican critic and potential 2024 opponent, Governor Ron DeSantis. Authorities say at least 76 people —  more than 100 according to US television networks citing local officials — died in one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States. […]

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Hurricane Ian death toll climbs in Florida

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The confirmed death toll from Hurricane Ian, which slammed the southeast United States last week, has risen to at least 62, officials said Sunday. Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, flattened whole neighborhoods and knocked out power lines and bridges as it made landfall on Florida’s southwestern coast last Wednesday. Wind-driven storm surges and immense downpours left even inland neighborhoods submerged, with search and […]

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Biden warns Hurricane Ian could be ‘deadliest’ in Florida history

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Thursday warned that Hurricane Ian may end up being Florida’s “deadliest” storm ever and cited fears there could be “substantial” numbers of fatalities across the state. “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” he said after a briefing at the FEMA emergency management headquarters in Washington. “The numbers… are still unclear, but we’re hearing reports of what may be substantial loss of life,” […]

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Trump declines to answer questions in New York civil probe

by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France Presse Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to answer questions under oath about alleged fraud at his family business, as legal pressures pile up for the former president whose house was raided by the FBI just two days ago. Trump said he had “no choice” but to invoke the Fifth Amendment — which allows individuals to remain silent under questioning — during hours of deposition at the New York attorney general’s […]

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Florida governor signs law revoking Disney’s special status

  MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a law that eliminates a statute that has for decades allowed entertainment giant Disney to act as a local government in Orlando, where it has its theme park. The move was the latest episode in a dispute between DeSantis’ Republican administration and Disney, after the company criticized the passage in March of a law banning school lessons on sexual orientation. There was […]

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Dozens of people missing after boat capsizes off Florida: US Coast Guard

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The US Coast Guard launched a search for 39 people reported missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida in a “suspected human smuggling venture,” it said Tuesday. The Coast Guard in Miami said it had received a report “from a good Samaritan” who rescued a man “clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet.” The survivor said the boat had left Bimini […]

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