Florida Experience News

Honoring Dolly Parton and Her Global Legacy We’re honoring the legacy of Dolly Parton, not just the country music icon, but a staunch champion for children and literacy. With her Imagination Library, Dolly sparked a love of reading for millions of kids all around the world. And that magic? It’s touching families right here, all across the state of Florida. . The Imagination Library isn’t just an idea. It’s a program that puts real books into little hands, helping kids dream,

Hurricane prep isn’t just about comfort; it’s about safety. If you skip the basics, hurricanes don’t forgive. They can rip apart homes, flood neighborhoods, and leave you scrambling. Preparation is everything. We’re already seeing storms build up this year, with tropical storm Lala in Hawaii just last week. And NOAA says a big El Niño is brewing, so if you’ve been putting off hurricane plans, now’s the time to act. What’s at stake? Power outages, flooded roads, shattered win

Sea turtle hatchlings are still making their break for the Gulf on Anna Maria Island, even as the season winds down. The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch (AMITW) said on Friday that it has not seen new nests or adult turtle crawls this week. Maybe there’s a latecomer left, but it looks like nesting season is just about done. Sea Turtle Season is Winding Down Courtesy AMITW That said, there are still 179 nests out on the beach, so volunteers know there’ll be a steady march of ha

It’s easy to overlook a story like this with everything else going on in this turbulent world, but sometimes, these small changes make the biggest splash. Publix just scrapped the item limits in its express lanes. Forget double-checking your cart, sweating over whether four cans of mushrooms count as one or four, or silently fuming at the person who clearly has too many groceries. You don’t have to do the awkward walk back to the regular lanes anymore. That’s all in the past.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds clinched the Republican nomination for Florida governor, while the Democrats picked former Rep. David Jolly on Tuesday night. With Ron DeSantis stepping down, he can’t run for a third straight term, the state faces a pivotal decision this fall on its political future. November’s race isn’t just about Florida. It’s a test of Donald Trump’s influence and whether Democrats can bring their party back to center stage in a state that’s shifted right since 20

Rescue teams in Colombia are still digging through rubble, a full week after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook the region. Nearly 300 people have lost their lives, and the number of those injured keeps climbing. The hospitals there are overwhelmed and running dangerously low on critical medicine and surgical equipment, they can’t even perform some surgeries right now. On Monday, Dan Newlin, a Central Florida attorney, sent two planes packed with over 5,000 pounds of m

By Monday at 11 a.m., just a day before the Florida primary, nearly two million people had already voted. That’s 1,913,737 Floridians, or about 14.2% of registered voters. Republicans cast 870,850 of these ballots, while 806,561 went to Democrats. Voters not tied to either major party, those registered with no party or with a minor party, accounted for more than 236,000 ballots. Breaking that down further, Republicans led in early in-person voting, turning out nearly 143,000

Florida’s got a private island up for sale for the first time in a century and a half, and it’s not where you’d expect. Bannon Island, a little over 23 acres set in Lake Marion near Haines City, is asking $12 million. You won’t get there by car: think boat, helicopter, or seaplane only. And while Florida’s famous for saltwater islands, this one sits almost perfectly between Orlando and Tampa, which puts seclusion and big-city access about 45 minutes apart. Bannon Island Photo

"I Voted" Florida’s primary election has arrived. Polls open statewide on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. And it’s a big one. Voters will choose party nominees to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and fill the state’s special U.S. Senate seat. There are also congressional, legislative, and our own local races. Florida uses closed primaries, so only party-registered voters can pick party candidates. Nonpartisan races, like some school board contest

Matt Devitt accepting the Tropical Weather Media Award at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference. Courtesy Facebook One of Florida’s most recognizable and beloved weatherman, Matt Devitt, has entered into an ugly fight with his former employer, WINK News. At the center of this mess is something you don’t expect from your local meteorologist: casino gambling records. Devitt wants a judge to keep those records sealed, saying they’re private and have nothing to do with the claims W

Flying Cars Coming Soon. Courtesy SunTrax “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. We’re going to get you up in the air,” says DeSantis Ever since The Jetsons hit TV screens back in 1962, people have dreamed of flying cars. Baby Boomers, Generation Jones, Gen X, Millennials, everyone wanted their own version of George Jetson’s morning commute. Now, with 2026 on the horizon, it’s not just wishful thinking anymore. Governor Ron DeSantis says Florida is making it happen. Florida

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

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,