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A plan for oil drilling in the Everglades ran into a major obstacle Wednesday, when the state of Florida went to court to stop it and promised to assist local governments in their own fight against the project. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection asked for a rehearing before all the judges of the First District Court of Appeal, where a three-judge panel had ordered the state to issue a drilling permit to Kanter Real Estate LLC for a spot in the Everglades of western Broward... Read More

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to cut health care costs in Florida by creating a program that imports cheaper, FDA-approved drugs from Canada. DeSantis said on Wednesday he will work with President Donald Trump on creation of the program, which would require approval from the Trump administration. “I spoke personally to President Trump on both Sunday and Monday about this,” DeSantis told a crowd at the huge Central Florida retirement community called The Villages. “He’s not only supportive,... Read More

Dockless scooters, those controversial devices critics say have turned Fort Lauderdale streets and sidewalks into a danger zone, are not welcome in Hollywood. Commissioners moved quickly Wednesday to ban electric scooters from Hollywood’s sidewalks and public rights of way. The ban won’t be final until a second vote in March. Vice Mayor Traci Callari, a nurse, said she was worried about keeping the city’s streets safe for residents and visitors alike. “We don’t want our tourists to... Read More

A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist has been arrested after federal investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in his Maryland home that authorities say he stockpiled to launch a widespread domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists. Christopher Paul Hasson called for “focused violence” to “establish a white homeland” and dreamed of ways to “kill almost every last person on earth,”... Read More

Now this was a courtship. A Palm Beach County attorney orchestrated a fake trial, complete with a presiding judge, clerks and a jury, so that he could propose marriage to his girlfriend, also a lawyer, in a courtroom. And of course, there’s a video of the Feb. 7 engagement. It’s a tear-jerker. According to media reports, assistant state attorney Brandon Dinetz had ensured that his fiancee, Jennifer Lettman, was in the courtroom gallery to watch his opening statements for what he had said... Read More

Palm Beach County’s 13,000 teachers, already the beneficiaries of a salary boost from a new property tax, will get a raise this year too, retroactive to July 1. The raises, averaging 3 percent, were approved on Wednesday by the School Board. They will cost the district $24.7 million. Justin Katz, president of the Classroom Teachers Association, described salary negotiations with the school district as the “quickest and most amicable” in his 12-year tenure with the school system. He... Read More

No star to grow. No money to spend. No trade to make. No lottery pick to invest. No way in the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes. No way out of bad contracts to Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters and James Johnson unless, like dumping Tyler Johnson, a bad one comes in return. No player more than a step above average on the roster. No great surprise they’re ninth in the Eastern Conference. No wonder, then, Heat President Pat Riley says he’s not going anywhere until he wins big again. That’s how you... Read More

Shore-based anglers will no longer be able to use fish parts, bones and blood to attract sharks, as critics of shark fishing would like to see lines cast farther away from beachgoers. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, meeting Wednesday in Gainesville, approved several shore-based shark fishing changes that will go into effect July 1. The rules include the restriction on “chumming” with fish parts, bones and blood; requiring the immediate release of any sharks that... Read More

Dan Daley is trying a new approach — diplomacy, deference and respect — in his quest to start his new job as a Florida state representative. He said Wednesday he would reach out to House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, and “respectfully” ask that he be allowed to take office for the annual legislative session, which runs from March 5 to May 3. That’s a much different tack than the Democratic Party took last week when it criticized Oliva and demanded that he seat Daley... Read More

These dogs are on their best behavior when they’re in the house of God. The pooches calmly sit in pews, seldom raising a fuss. “We sometimes have 10 to 12 dogs at a time,” says Father Albert Cutie, the rector at the Saint Benedict’s Episcopal Church in Plantation. “You never really hear them much — unless they encounter each other after Communion and then they begin to bark at each other. But everybody expects that.” Saint Benedict’s Episcopal Church, whose motto is “all... Read More