Author: Gary Fineout
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Fla. Senate race: Nelson concedes to Scott
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. • Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida political icon who first arrived on Capitol Hill in the decades when Democrats dominated this presidential battleground state, conceded his bitterly close re-election bid to Republican Rick Scott on Sunday, ceding a razor-thin race to the outgoing governor after a bruising recount. Nelson gave up his quest…
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Police: Man posed as customer, killed women in yoga studio
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — What was supposed to be a routine Friday night ritual of socializing, dining and exercising in an upscale shopping center a few miles from Florida’s Capitol turned into a chaotic scene after a gunman shot two women to death and wounded five other people at a yoga studio before killing himself. Tallahassee…
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Fast-strengthening hurricane closes in on Florida Panhandle
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — At least 120,000 people along the Florida Panhandle were ordered to clear out on Tuesday as Hurricane Michael rapidly picked up steam in the Gulf of Mexico and closed in with winds of 110 mph and a potential storm surge of 12 feet. Coastal residents rushed to board up their homes and…
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Hurricane Michael gains strength; expected to hit Florida Panhandle
MIAMI • Hurricane Michael gained new strength Monday and is expected to keep growing stronger ahead of an expected midweek strike on Florida’s Panhandle, forecasters said. Michael could become a major hurricane with winds topping 111 mph by Tuesday night before the anticipated landfall Wednesday on the Panhandle or Big Bend, according to the National…
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Florida school shooting: ‘abject breakdown at all levels’
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida high school where a former student shot and killed 17 people with an assault-type rifle reopened for teachers Friday as the community grappled with word that the armed officer on campus did nothing to stop the shooter. That failure, plus reports of a delay in security camera footage scanned…
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Florida governor: Ban gun sales to underage and mentally ill
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As teachers returned Friday to a high school where a shooter killed 17 people, Florida’s governor proposed banning the sale of firearms to anyone younger than 21. Gov. Rick Scott announced the proposal as part of a plan to prevent gun violence. He also called for a trained law enforcement officer…
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Florida sheriff: School officer never went inside to confront gunman
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The armed officer on duty at the Florida school where a shooter killed 17 people never went inside to engage the gunman and has been placed under investigation, officials announced Thursday. The Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by a gunman armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle…