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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Florida
‘Experimental explosion’ reported off Central Florida coast, experts say
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – If you felt shaking along Florida’s east coast on Thursday, you’re not alone. But it wasn’t an earthquake.
A strong “experimental explosion” was reported in the waters off Central Florida on Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS website indicates that the explosion happened around 3:04 p.m., roughly 91 miles east-northeast of Ponce Inlet.
Per the agency, the event registered a preliminary magnitude of 3.9. However, few other details about what may have caused the explosion have been provided at this time.
“The recorded ground motions from this event are more typical of an explosion than a naturally occurring earthquake,” the USGS website reads. “The Navy has conducted Full Ship Shock Trials in this region in the past.”
[A LOOK BACK: U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford performs shock trials on an aircraft carrier in 2021]
News 6 has reached out to Navy officials for more information and is awaiting additional details.
Anyone who felt the impact of the explosion is urged to report their experience here.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
Florida preacher buys VT campus to build Christian college | Fox News Video
Florida preacher Tommie Zito discusses his acquisition of the former Green Mountain College in Vermont to establish “Z University,” a Christian college.
Florida preacher Tommie Zito discusses his mission to transform the abandoned Green Mountain College in Vermont into “Z University,” a Christian college. Zito’s goal is to train future leaders in evangelism, business, government, and music. He plans for the college to be fully operational by August 2027, emphasizing the need for godly institutions to counter current educational trends.
Florida
Cyclosporiasis cases in Florida, US could be undercounted, health expert says
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A parasite that causes extreme diarrhea, seen in recent outbreaks across the country, has been documented in over 20 counties in Florida. But experts say there could be more cases than what has been reported.
According to the Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report, 50 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the state since May 1.
“This infectious disease may be hard to monitor due to the nature of the signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Norman Beatty, an associate professor of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at UF Health Shands. “It’s common to get a diarrheal illness at times, and other infectious diseases can resolve on their own, but cyclosporiasis is important to identify right now because there are multiple outbreaks across the country.”
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, which causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
[WATCH: Parasitic infection spreading across states, including Florida]
Once a case is confirmed through testing, a report is sent to the state department of health. But if someone doesn’t seek medical attention, the case could go unreported, Beatty said.
There could be a six-week reporting lag between illness onset and reporting, according to the CDC.
Since May 1, the federal agency has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis but is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis, the CDC stated Tuesday.
In Florida since May 1, DOH data shows Lee County has seen the most cyclosporiasis cases with nine, followed by Miami-Dade with six and Broward with five.
Other counties with cases include: Alachua, Brevard, Collier, Columbia, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Gadsden, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter and Volusia.
In Alachua County, Beatty said he has seen several cases at UF Health Shands, which doctors believe stemmed from eating produce.
Previous outbreaks in the U.S. have been linked to raw produce, like lettuce and raspberries.
According to DOH data, Alachua County has seen one case of cyclosporiasis in June. But the department’s data is 10 days out of date, according to DOH’s website. The last day cases were uploaded to the report was July 4. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s data on Florida undercounts DOH’s data, with only 11-30 reported sick people in the state.
In most scenarios, people who get cyclosporiasis will recover on their own. But in some cases, people can have persistent symptoms and relapsing infections over time, so any suspected cases should be tested, Beatty said.
Direct human-to-human transmission is rare, he said, but if infected, people could shed the parasite into the environment, where it could become infectious again within a week or two, contributing to another outbreak.
“It’s a very hardy parasite,” he said.
The outbreak was first reported in Michigan on July 1, with other outbreaks later reported in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC.
While 34 states, including Florida, have reported cases, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.
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