Florida's Latest News

'It changed America': Leon County holds 9/11 service to honor lives lost 23 years ago

Anthony Gorman was checking his New York City Fire Department EMS truck the morning of 9/11 when his supervisor came in and said a Cessna, a small plane used for pilot training and recreation, crashed into the World Trade Center.

Not thinking it would be a big deal, Gorman agreed to go help. But as he and his colleagues approached Manhattan from Brooklyn, they realized it was much bigger than a Cessna.

Just then, the second plane hit.

Gorman eventually left New York to continue serving as a firefighter in Tallahassee. And Wednesday morning, 23 years after he watched the towers fall, tears streamed down his face as he was gifted the first flag flown over the capital city's 9/11 memorial.

"He said it reminded him of being on the moon — dust, quiet, but car alarms and fire alarms going off," Mike Terhune said on Gorman's behalf.

Francine brings multiple hazards to Panhandle

Even though Francine made landfall in Louisiana, impacts are being felt along the Gulf coast from Florida to Texas.

Francine was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane late this afternoon. As the hurricane moved inland, it's expected to significantly weaken. But Francine's broad circulation will affect parts of the panhandle over the next day or so.

Isolated tornadoes and flooding are the primary concerns. But there could be some minor storm surge inundation along the coastal counties, which will reach its peak early Thursday morning.

Over the last few days Francine deflected slightly to the east of most of the guidance and that shift, to the east, has brought larger impacts to Northwest Florida. Right now, areas south of Tallahassee through Apalachicola westward over to Panama City and to just east of Pensacola will see the greatest impacts. There is a 2 out of 5 risk or a slight risk for tornadoes through Thursday.

Appeals court wades into FSU-ACC fight

 A Florida appellate-court panel heard arguments Wednesday in a two-state legal battle between Florida State University and the Atlantic Coast Conference over issues such as sports media rights

Attorneys for the ACC went to the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal in June seeking to put on hold a lawsuit filed by FSU in Leon County circuit court amid a dueling lawsuit that the conference filed in North Carolina.

The conference’s appeals-court petition, which came after Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper refused to stay FSU’s lawsuit, cited a legal “principle of priority” and said the North Carolina and Florida cases both involve similar questions about sports media contracts and rights. Because the ACC is based in North Carolina, the conference argued its lawsuit should take priority.

Alan Lawson, a former Florida Supreme Court justice who represents the ACC, pointed Wednesday to “well-established” case law as he argued that Cooper erred in rejecting the conference’s request to put FSU’s case on hold while the North Carolina case plays out.

Florida joins call for Surgeon General warning on social media risks

A coalition of 42 state attorneys general, including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, called on Congress Monday to require a U.S. Surgeon General warning on algorithm-driven social media platforms.

The request, outlined in a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, seeks to address a growing mental health crisis among young people, which the attorneys general argue is exacerbated by social media use. The proposed Surgeon General warning would inform users of the potential psychological risks associated with excessive social media use, particularly for minors. The attorneys general believe such a warning would complement existing efforts to regulate the platforms and spur further research into protecting youth online.

In addition to calling for a warning label, the letter encourages Congress to explore broader legislative solutions to protect children and teens from online harms. The attorneys general expressed support for recent efforts in Congress, including the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, as nascent steps toward tackling the issue.