Florida
President Biden bans future oil and natural gas drilling off Florida’s coast
It is not yet known what effect this will have on the state’s decision to allow a permit for an exploratory oil well along the Apalachicola River.
President Biden on Monday banned future oil and natural gas drilling and leasing off of Florida’s coasts.
His executive actions add 334 million acres of the Atlantic coast from Canada to the southern tip of Florida and the east coast of the Gulf of Mexico for a total of over 625 million acres of protected waters surrounding the United States.
While there are no active leases off the Atlantic coast, Florida’s beaches on the east coast of the Gulf of Mexico have previously been impacted by oil spills from drilling in the gulf, most notably from BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig in 2010.
“President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential,” the White House’s press release says.
“With these withdrawals, President Biden is protecting coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies – including fishing, recreation, and tourism – from oil spills and other impacts of offshore drilling.”
It’s not clear, however, what effect this will have on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s decision to allow a permit for an exploratory oil well along the Apalachicola River, which has been heavily criticized by drilling opponents and lawmakers.
It’s also not clear if the ban will have staying power. Trump is vowing to “unban it immediately.”
A spokesperson for the Trump administration said Biden’s move was “disgraceful” and was “designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices.”
“Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,” wrote Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a post on X.
The ban also includes the Pacific off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska.
In Florida, the Apalachicola River is considered to be one of the least polluted, least developed and resource-rich bodies of water in the United States, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Critics of the state’s plan to allow exploratory drilling want Gov. Ron DeSantis to block Clearwater Land & Minerals from drilling through a lime rock pad north of Dead Lakes in Calhoun County.
Democratic state Reps. Allison Tant and Gallop Franklin, and Republican state Sen. Corey Simon had harsh words for the proposal when it came to light last year.
“It is unconscionable that efforts to drill for oil are happening at the same time that we are fighting for the revitalization of the Apalachicola Bay,” Simon said in a statement released by the Florida Senate.
Requests for comment from DeSantis’ office and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott were pending as of midday Monday.
Ana Goñi-Lessan is the State Watchdog Reporter for USA TODAY – Florida and can be reached at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com.
Florida
2 dead after small plane crashes into Florida lake
-
Now Playing
2 dead after small plane crashes into Florida lake
00:28
-
UP NEXT
Explosives are used to reach South Korean workers
00:24
-
Colombian fishermen affected by U.S. narco strikes
01:34
-
Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1B over speech edit
00:54
-
Animals in Brookfield Zoo enjoy the season’s first snow
00:18
-
Families sue Camp Mystic over children’s deaths
00:48
-
Car explosion in India leaves at least eight dead
00:14
-
Gronkowski to sign 1-day contract to retire as Patriot
00:21
-
American prepares for 110-day journey across Antarctica
01:18
-
Ghislaine Maxwell plans to seek commutation from Trump
00:41
-
Lawsuit accuses Army gynecologist of recording patients
01:28
-
Senate passes bill to end shutdown, sending it to the House
00:34
-
Trump tells air traffic controllers to return to work
00:57
-
From 1975: Edmund Fitzgerald sinks on Lake Superior
01:29
-
Senator defends tentative deal to end shutdown
00:55
-
Wild dolphin named ‘Mimmo’ appears in Venice
00:30
-
Why eight Democrats broke with party for shutdown deal
01:31
-
Zelenskyy interview interrupted by power outage
00:37
-
Bridge swings as Typhoon Fung-wong hits Philippines
00:16
-
Supreme Court rejects case on same-sex marriage
00:21
-
Now Playing
2 dead after small plane crashes into Florida lake
00:28
-
UP NEXT
Explosives are used to reach South Korean workers
00:24
-
Colombian fishermen affected by U.S. narco strikes
01:34
-
Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1B over speech edit
00:54
-
Animals in Brookfield Zoo enjoy the season’s first snow
00:18
-
Families sue Camp Mystic over children’s deaths
00:48
Florida
Florida man allegedly dumped mother-of-four’s cremated remains alongside 500 pounds of trash on roadside
A Florida man allegedly dumped a mother-of-four’s cremated remains and 500 pounds of trash on the side of a road late last month, according to reports.
Daniel Rolando, 26, was arrested and charged with one felony count for littering over 500 pounds of commercial or hazardous waste after Charlotte County Sheriff deputies discovered a massive pile of trash in Punta Gorda on Oct. 30, ABC7 reported.
Among the heap of waste was a labeled bag with human ashes, according to the outlet.
The cremated remains belong to 39-year-old Nina Monica Brown, who died of sickle cell disease in 2024, Gulf Coast News Now reported.
“It was a straight box and plastic bag from the funeral home, like you would pick her up. It wasn’t even an urn, nothing,” resident Heather Lemcool told the outlet.
“Her name, day to day, date of birth, and date of death, and the funeral home was all on this, ID card attached to the ashes,” she said.
After sifting through the 120 cubic foot pile of trash, police found mail belonging to a woman in Sarasota and contacted her, the outlet said.
She positively identified 80% of the discarded items as hers and told deputies that she had recently had two of her units at a local storage facility auctioned off after defaulting on her contract, the outlet reported.
But the woman was dumbfounded as to how her mail and trash ended up on the side of the road and had no clue how the cremated remains wound up in the pile, according to the publication.
Employees at the storage unit then confirmed to police that Rolando had purchased the two units at the auction.
He was arrested after returning to the trash pile to clean up with a friend, the outlet reported.
Rolando later confessed to purchasing the goods and dumping the ones he didn’t want, according to the report.
Precious Tunstall, a friend of Brown, described the woman whose ashes were carelessly dumped as a “walking miracle” who battled sickle cell disease far longer than doctors predicted.
“As growing up, they didn’t expect her to live past the age of 21. She wasn’t supposed to,” Tunstall told Wink News.
“They told her that she would never bear children. She had four beautiful children, two girls, two boys, and she did everything that she had to do to provide for those babies,” she said.
She is currently working with the police to retrieve Brown’s remains and return them to her children.
“It was very inconsiderate of him to just dump her on the side of the road,” Tunstall said.
“I would like to have her ashes back, her remains back, so her children can have her remains.”
Rolando was released from jail on Thursday on $2,500 bond, the Venice Gondolier reported.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Florida
Kentucky owns Florida and Kroger Field again
The home crowd of Kentucky Football fans had forgotten what it felt like to celebrate in Lexington. As we all know too well, Kroger Field had become a place where visitors took over and Big Blue Nation left rivalry games before the final whistle.
But all of that finally changed on Saturday night when the Wildcats buried Florida, 38-7, snapping the 11-game home losing streak against conference opponents and Louisville. For the first time in more than two years, Lexington belonged to Kentucky again in a meaningful game.
A fun fact, it had been 2,247 days since Florida last won in Lexington, and Kentucky didn’t just protect that streak on Saturday night, it extended it to three straight wins over the Gators at home. And the third in a row was complete domination in the 2025 SEC home finale. Cutter Boley again played like the quarterback of Kentucky’s future, completing 18 of 23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense suffocated Florida’s offense from the opening drive, with four takeaways. It could’ve been a shutout if not for the muffed punt early in the game, which set up Florida’s only red zone appearance.
This wasn’t the same Kentucky team that kept falling short in its own stadium game after game for the last two-plus seasons. The Wildcats played with confidence and had their way with Florida, running for 233 yards and outgaining the Gators 401-247 in total. It was the kind of night that hits the reset button on a struggling program, as Mark Stoops has strung together consecutive league wins with his back against the wall.
Unlike the last time Kentucky was at home, fans stayed and celebrated as the clock wound down for this one, then the fun continued into the parking lot and on into the night. It was great to see BBN happy again at home, especially against a logo team like Florida that had UK’s number for so many years.
4 out of 5 over the Gators
Stoops’ dominance over Florida isn’t just at home. He, of course, first snapped the decades-long streak in Gainesville in 2018, then won in the Swamp again in 2022. Overall, Kentucky has now won four of the last five meetings in a series that once felt impossible to flip. There’s a new streak in town.
Enjoy this one, BBN.
-
Austin, TX6 days agoHalf-naked woman was allegedly tortured and chained in Texas backyard for months by five ‘friends’ who didn’t ‘like her anymore’
-
Hawaii3 days agoMissing Kapolei man found in Waipio, attorney says
-
Southwest4 days agoTexas launches effort to install TPUSA in every high school and college
-
Seattle, WA1 week agoESPN scoop adds another intriguing name to Seahawks chatter before NFL trade deadline
-
New Jersey2 days agoPolice investigate car collision, shooting in Orange, New Jersey
-
World6 days agoIsrael’s focus on political drama rather than Palestinian rape victim
-
Seattle, WA3 days agoSoundgarden Enlist Jim Carrey and Seattle All-Stars for Rock Hall 2025 Ceremony
-
Southwest1 week agoArmy veteran-turned-MAGA rising star jumps into fiery GOP Senate primary as polls tighten