Florida Experience News

Bear cruising through Gulf Breeze neighborhood A Florida man’s regular morning took a turn when a black bear wandered through his front yard, stopping him in his tracks on his way to work. Michael Tullos, who lives in Gulf Breeze, stepped outside, ready to head for his van. But as he rounded the corner, he spotted the bear — big, shaggy, just ambling along. He didn’t waste a second. Tullos darted right back inside, still shaken, and grabbed his phone to share the whole thing

A Florida couple is suing a fertility clinic. A Florida couple is in the middle of a heartbreaking and complicated situation after an IVF clinic mixed up embryos. They filed a lawsuit against the Fertility Center of Orlando and Dr. Milton McNichol, claiming the clinic implanted someone else’s embryo during the procedure. Their daughter was born in December, but soon after, the couple noticed she didn’t share their ethnicity. Genetic testing confirmed the truth—they aren’t her

The Art of The Highwaymen Selby Gardens In the mid-1950s, a group of 26 young Black artists in Fort Pierce and Gifford, Florida, decided they weren’t going to wait for anyone’s permission to make art. Segregation kept them out of galleries, so they took matters into their own hands. These 26 artists are known today as The Florida Highwaymen.   Back then, most career paths open to Black men led to fields or factories. Group founders Harold Newton and Alfred Hair weren’t intere

Publix is an institution in Florida. Whether it’s nostalgic Pub Subs or that catchy-as-hell slogan, “Where Shopping is a Pleasure,” Floridians love Publix. But things are changing. According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, Publix isn’t Florida’s top grocer anymore. Each year, the American Customer Satisfaction Index surveys consumers to determine how happy they are with products and services within certain industries. This year, shoppers are a little less

Could Florida experience Gulf Coast snow? Florida is about to experience a blast of real winter weather this weekend, and...just maybe snow flurries will dance along the Gulf Coast. Updated Thursday, January 29, 2026 – Forecasters are tracking a rare weather scenario. A surge of Arctic air will clash with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. When that happens we can sometimes see “Gulf-effect” snow, a phenomenon similar to lake-effect snow that occasionally happens in Upsta

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child North American Tour Photo by Matthew Murphy courtesy of Dr. Phillips Center Orlando gets a taste of magic—Dr. Phillips Center just opened for the Florida debut of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD. The play, a six-time Tony Award® winner, lands at the Walt Disney Theater from January 24 to February 15, 2026. This production has been heralded as “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade.” The story comes straight from J.K. Row

A man faces charges after allegedly punching a Florida congressman during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat from Florida, says the attack happened Friday night. Court documents show police arrested Christian Joel Young, 28, and charged him with aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official, and assault. Utah House Minority Leader Angela Romero responded, “This is unacceptable, and I’m deeply sorry Rep. Frost had this

Lightning fans can breathe easy—the team’s not leaving Tampa anytime soon. On Wednesday, Hillsborough County commissioners backed a new lease extension in a 7–0 vote, locking the Tampa Bay Lightning into Benchmark International Arena for at least six more years. That means the Bolts are here through 2043. It’s a big statement about the team’s commitment to Tampa and the county. Commissioner Ken Hagan didn’t hold back: “Everyone knows what Jeff Vinik’s done for the Lightning,

Popular meteorologist, Matt Devitt (Facebook photo) Matt Devitt spent ten years at WINK News, helping Southwest Florida get through some of its worst storms. Folks say he saved lives—especially when hurricanes like Irma and Ian hit. Now, WINK has been fired without any explanation after 10 years on the air, and honestly, people are shocked. On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Devitt broke the news on Facebook. “After 10 years, my time with WINK News has come to an end after being

Exactly one month ago, on December 19, 2025, Randall Spivey, 57, from Fort Myers, and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, 33, from Boca Raton, headed out for a fishing trip. They never came home.   That same night, their families realized something was wrong and called the US Coast Guard. The search started immediately, but by December 22, three days later, the Coast Guard called off the search. The FBI stepped in after that, but there have been no updates on the case.   Usually,

Circle February 8, 2026 on your calendar—the 10th Annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition is coming, and this year it’s all about “Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement.” If you’re a Selby Gardens member, you get a head start with early access on Friday, February 6. This time, they’re bringing Calder’s original works into the galleries at the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts. But they’re not stopping there. The entire Downtown Sarasota campus, from th

Mark your calendar—Venice’s 34th Annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival is back January 16–18 at the Venice Airport Festival Grounds. This year, the Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club pulled out all the stops. They’ve got over a hundred artists and makers lined up, showing off everything from handmade jewelry and ceramics to woodwork, paintings, textiles, and home décor. It’s a huge mix—some folks are local, others are coming in from all across Florida and even further. But let’s be hone

Aerial View Manasota Key Big things are happening at The Hermitage Artist Retreat. Thanks to a jaw-dropping $12 million gift, The Hermitage just landed three neighboring properties right on Manasota Key. The Steans and Morrison families made it happen, handing over land and homes once built by the Vanderbilts back in the early ’50s. Altogether, that’s 6.5 acres—stretching from the Gulf all the way to the Bay, surrounded by native plants and dotted with a few houses. Hermitage

Florida lawmakers are back at it, trying once again to tackle distracted driving. This week, State Senator Erin Grall from Vero Beach reintroduced Senate Bill 1152. Last time, the bill made it through the House but stalled out in the Senate. The main point’s pretty simple: if you’re driving, don’t touch your phone. No texting, no scrolling, not even flipping through your playlist. The bill doesn’t leave much wiggle room; if you’re holding your phone in your hand, wedging it b

Big changes are on the way for Florida. A sharp cold front rolls in on Wednesday into Thursday, January 14 and 15, 2026, and it’s about to shake things up.   Here’s what to expect:   Wednesday, Jan. 14: Clouds move in. Temperatures slip a bit, topping out in the low 70s, upper 60s. You’ll probably notice some showers as the front edges closer.   Thursday, Jan. 15: Here comes the main event. The cold front pushes through with steady rain and some heavy downpours, especially in

Orlando’s about to get a whole lot slower, and way cuter. The world’s first slotharium, Sloth World, is landing on International Drive in February 2026. Honestly, who doesn’t want to hang out with a sloth? This isn’t your typical zoo setup. At Sloth World, you’ll get to wander through a lush rainforest habitat with more than 40 sloths roaming around—no glass, no cages, just you and these gentle, sleepy creatures. There’ll be different species to meet, and yes, you might even

On January 3, 1971, Polk County's Lawton Chiles took his seat in the U.S. Senate. Honestly, his campaign was pretty wild for Florida. Nobody really knew him at first, so he decided to walk—yep, actually walk—1,003 miles from Pensacola all the way down to Key West. "Walkin' Lawton" met people face to face, shook hands, listened to their stories. It took him 91 days and more than one pair of boots. People called it a “public relations stroke of genius,” and it worked. Chiles cr

Lake Eola's beloved swans Photo courtesy of City of Orlando As of January 6, 2026, Orlando officials confirmed that avian influenza, or bird flu, is behind the deaths of 21 birds at Lake Eola Park. The outbreak began on December 17, 2025, and it’s hit the swan population especially hard. Nineteen of the dead birds were Royal Mute swans. The others: one anhinga, one ibis. Before this started, Lake Eola had around 50 to 60 swans. City workers, together with the Florida Fish and