Florida
Florida man who killed 2 people outside a bar is scheduled to be executed – WTOP News
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man who fatally shot a man and woman outside a Florida bar as part of…
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man who fatally shot a man and woman outside a Florida bar as part of an attempted revenge killing is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday.
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, barring a last-day reprieve. He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith.
Bell would be the eighth person put to death in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for later this month. The state executed six people in 2023, but carried out only one execution last year.
Twenty-five men have already been executed in the U.S. this year, tying last year’s total.
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place with four each. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each have killed one.
In December 1993, Bell spotted what he thought was the car of the man who fatally shot his brother earlier that year, according to court records. Bell was apparently unaware that the man had sold the car to West.
Bell called on two friends and armed himself with an AK-47 rifle, authorities said. They found the car parked outside a liquor lounge and waited. When West, Smith and another woman eventually exited the club, Bell approached the car and opened fire, officials said.
West died at the scene, and Smith died on the way to the hospital. The other woman escaped injury. Witnesses said Bell also fired at a crowd of onlookers before fleeing the area. He was eventually arrested the next year.
Bell was later convicted of three additional murders. He fatally shot a woman and her toddler son in 1989, and he killed his mother’s boyfriend about four months before the attack on West and Smith, officials said.
Attorneys for Bell have filed appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
The lawyers argued in their state filing that Bell’s execution should be halted because of newly discovered evidence about witness testimony. But justices unanimously rejected the argument last week and pointed to overwhelming evidence of Bell’s guilt in a 54-page opinion.
Bell’s attorneys filed a similar petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, but the panel has not yet issued a ruling.
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For the first time since the end of 2024, Florida’s unemployment rate went down last month.
A report released Friday by the Department of Commerce shows the state’s jobless rate for June at 4.7%, a reduction from 4.8% the prior two months. The rate is still 0.5 percentage points higher than the national average.
Driven by increases in restaurant, hotel, health care, transportation, and warehousing jobs last month, the state saw an 11,100 increase, 0.1%, in overall new positions from May to June.
The June numbers show 525,000 Floridians qualified as out-of-work, up 107,000 from a year earlier, from a workforce of 11.14 million, up 56,000 in the same time.
The state’s unemployment rate had been on a gradual upward trend since ticking down from 3.5% in November 2024 to 3.4% in December 2024.
Nationally, the jobless rate stands at 4.2%, up from 4.1% a year earlier.
Even with the one-month decline, the state’s unemployment rate stands 0.9 percentage points higher than a year ago.
Construction jobs have decreased by 3,200 over the past year, including a 900 drop from May to June. Positions in the retail trade were up 100 from May to June but still are down 5,900 from a year earlier.
The field of finance and insurance reported adding 1,600 positions in the past month, but is still down 8,700 over the year.
Real estate jobs dropped by 1,000 and are down 4,200 over the last 12 months.
Governments in Florida shed 900 jobs in the past month and 10,500 over the year, with the federal government accounting for 7,700 of the decrease over the past year.
The biggest gain over the past year involved health care and social assistance, adding 5,500 in the past month and 32,400 on the year.
The area of transportation, warehousing, and utilities grew by 4,100 in June, which put the field at a positive 900 over the past year.
Manufacturing is up 400 on the year after reporting the addition of 600 positions in June.
Educational services, which are up 6,600 jobs on the year, posted a drop of 500 jobs in the June report.
Hotel and food service jobs grew by 4,000 in the June report but remain down 2,700 from a year earlier.
South Florida continues to have the lowest unemployment rate, with the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area at 3.9%, up from a revised 3.7% in May and 3.3% in June 2025.
The Orlando and Panama City regions were next at 4.6%.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was at 4.7%. Jacksonville, Naples and Melbourne were at 4.8%. Pensacola and Sarasota both stood at 4.9%.
Tallahassee has a 5 % unemployment rate, followed by Daytona Beach at 5.3%, Gainesville at 5.5%, Vero Beach at 5.6% and Lakeland at 5.7%.
The Wildwood region, including The Villages has the highest unemployment rate at 7.8%, followed by Homosassa Springs at 6.7% and Sebring at 6.6%.
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The Florida Lotto jackpot has been climbing steadily for weeks. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, the prize had grown to $2.75 million.
Recently, a trip to the grocery store really paid off: A $2 Florida Lotto ticket made someone a multimillionaire.
Because as they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
One ticket matched all six numbers in the $6.75 million Florida Lotto drawing on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, a few days before July Fourth.
After four rollovers, including the most recent one on Wednesday, July 15, the Florida Lotto has grown to $2.75 million for Saturday, July 18. That follows the National Lottery Day holiday, which was Friday, July 17. Check back after 11:15 p.m. ET for Saturday’s winning numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover.
In case you’re wondering, Wednesday’s winning Florida Lotto numbers were 13-17-31-37-38-45. Double Play numbers were 3-8-18-22-35-38.
Who won $6.75 million Florida Lotto drawing Wednesday, July 1, 2026?
Was it you?
The Wednesday, July 1, 2026, winning Florida Lotto numbers were 4-5-25-33-42-52. Double Play numbers were 7-17-22-44-46-47. According to the Florida Lottery’s site, there was another perfect match in Fort Lauderdale just before the July Fourth holiday.
The quick pick ticket was purchased from Publix, 1415 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is worth $6,750,000. On Saturday, July 11, the ticket was reported as claimed with the Fort Lauderdale winner opting for the one-time lump sum of $3.6 million, the state’s lottery posted on its site.
Below is what to know about lottery odds, how long to claim the cash option if you bought a ticket in Florida, and what happens to unclaimed prize money, according to the Florida Lottery.
Winning Florida Lotto numbers for Saturday, July 18, 2026?
Florida Lotto drawings are at 11:15 p.m. ET every Wednesday and Saturday, including holidays. Check back for Saturday, July 18, winning Florida Lotto numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover.
How do you play the Florida Lotto?
According to Florida Lottery game rules, Florida Lotto players pick 6 numbers between 1 and 53 or select a Quick Pick ticket. There are prizes for matching three to six numbers. Players who match two of 6 winning Florida Lotto numbers get a free ticket.
The Florida Lottery site states game add-ons include Double Play for $1, a bonus drawing where players could win up to $250,000 using the same numbers (Double Play drawings are held immediately after Florida Lotto drawings). Another Florida Lotto game add-on is EZmatch for $1 per play. If players match any EZmatch number to their Florida Lotto numbers, they instantly win that prize.
Tickets start at $2. Good luck!
When was the last Florida Lotto won? How long has the jackpot rolled over?
Florida Lotto drawing for the 2026 July Fourth holiday started fresh at $1 million after a ticket from a Fort Lauderdale Publix store won the Wednesday, July 1, 2026, drawing.
The new streak for Florida Lotto reset to $1 million for the Saturday, July 4, 2026, drawing. Below is a recap of lottery drawings for the latest streak.
When is the next Florida Lotto drawing? What are the odds, chances of winning Florida Lotto lottery?
Florida Lotto drawings are held at 11:15 p.m. ET on Wednesdays and Saturdays, including holidays. According to floridalottery.com, players have a 1 in 22,957,480 chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $1 million or $36 million. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
The next Florida Lotto drawing will be on Wednesday, July 22.
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
(This story will be updated to include new information.)
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Area to watch for tropical development in Gulf to bring downpours to drought-stricken Florida | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather
Area to watch for tropical development in Gulf to bring downpours to drought-stricken Florida
While this area to watch for tropical development may not actually become tropical, it will definitely bring rain to Florida, which desperately needs it. The system is likely to bring the most significant rain to the Florida panhandle down south to Tampa, but the entire state can expect some moisture through midweek next week.
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