Florida
Florida Senate passes new social media bill with parent permission provision
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new version of the measure to force children off social media passed the Florida Senate Monday, setting up a final vote in the Florida House before the end of the legislative session this week.
The Senate passed HB 3 on a 30-5 vote. The bill, which requires third-party age verification on websites with material deemed harmful for minors, now contains provisions that ban children under 16 from social media. Children would not be able to make new accounts and existing accounts would have to be shut down.
The measure also contains a provision that allows parents to give consent for 14 and 15-year-olds to have accounts if they wish. This change is part of a compromise to get Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign the bill.
The Florida Legislature last month passed HB 1, which forced children off social media with provisions for parental consent. DeSantis vetoed that bill, after expressing his concern about First Amendment violations and the lack of parental consent.
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Supporters of the bill say social media companies are knowingly designing their platforms to be addictive and are harming children’s mental health. The bill does not mention specific platforms but does list characteristics like user tracking, auto-play, infinite scrolling, and live-streaming as features of those sites.
“We have to do something, and we can’t stand by any longer and allow these companies to own our children with this terrible content,” said State Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, the bill’s sponsor.
However, critics say the bill is still problematic and will likely be blocked by the courts.
“For the government to come in and say ‘no, we have decided the age is 14′ I still think runs into all of the constitutional problems that we have discussed and the general issue of parents making the decision,” said State Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton.
The bill is expected to pass the Florida House before Friday.
Information from The News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Ahead of the coldest temperatures in years for Central Florida, the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for Friday morning.
A freeze watch means temperatures of 32 degrees or lower are possible.
Exterior pipes should be protected in Marion, Sumter and northern Lake counties where temperatures could be below freezing for four to six hours.
Plants sensitive to the cold should be covered or brought inside by Thursday evening.
It’s also a good idea to bring pets inside.
A strong Arctic cold front is expected to arrive Thursday morning. Temperatures top out in the upper 50s and lower 60s early in the day, but are expected to fall for most of the afternoon.
Temperatures will bottom out in the 20s and 30s across Central Florida.
This does not include the wind.
Parts of Central Florida could again dip below freezing Saturday morning.
A reinforcing shot of cold air arrives Sunday which could send parts of Central Florida back below freezing Monday morning.
A big warmup arrives late next work week and into the following weekend.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A cruise ship that departed Florida has been hit by a norovirus outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reported that 94 people fell ill on the Holland America Line cruise ship Rotterdam during its voyage between Dec. 28, 2025, and Jan. 9, 2026.
Those affected by the norovirus outbreak showed the typical symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
The virus, which is highly contagious, is the number 1 cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms appear between 12 and 48 hours after exposure and can include other symptoms like stomach pain, headaches, and fevers.
According to the CDC, 85 passengers out of 2,593 reported being sick. Nine of the 1,005 crew members reported being ill as well.
The CDC said Holland America Line and the Rotterdam crew increased cleaning and disinfection measures and quarantined those who fell ill to prevent the disease from spreading further.
CruiseMapper.com showed that the ship departed Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. The cruise line’s website also has several future voyages out of Fort Lauderdale as well.
8 On Your Side has reached out to Holland America for more information on the outbreak.
After a push to nearly the end of the launch window, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off on Florida’s third launch of 2026.
The rocket lifted off at 4:08 p.m. Monday, January 12 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It had originally been scheduled for earlier in the afternoon, but the launch time was repeatedly pushed back. SpaceX did not give a reason for the change in timing.
The Falcon 9 carried 29 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on the booster’s 25th mission. No sonic booms were heard in Brevard County, as the booster landed on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Next SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
The next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida is scheduled for no earlier than 1:01 p.m. Wednesday, January 14 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The mission is the next batch of SpaceX Starlink internet satellites, titled Starlink 6-98.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
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