Florida Food Giveaway Assists Families As SNAP Funding Faces Uncertainty

Parkland, FL - A food distribution event in South Florida is providing a safety net for residents while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faces a potential funding freeze amid the ongoing government shutdown. In Pembroke Park,...

Florida's New Stem Cell Laws: Unburdened by What Has Been

On July 1, 2025, Florida’s new “Stem Cell Therapy” legislation became effective, adding Fla.Stat. § 458.3245 to Florida’s Medical Practices statutes and § 459.0127 to Florida’s Osteopathic Medicine statutes. Florida’s new stem cell laws follow a...

Florida wildlife officials say they did not violate First Amendment rights in firing over Charlie Kirk post

Charlie Kirk at Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida in July 2025. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay TALLAHASSEE — Disputing allegations that they violated First Amendment rights, Florida wildlife officials Thursday argued that...

Florida And Jamaica Unite For Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts

Broward County, FL - South Florida organizations are coordinating large-scale relief efforts for Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck the island on October 28th. The storm brought winds...

Florida man accused of fraudulently taking control of elderly woman’s home as she was being abused: SLCSO

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A Florida man and woman are accused of abusing an elderly woman. What we know: The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation in July after a complaint came into the Florida Department of Children and Families...

Cafe Seventy One at the Florida Aquarium: A new restaurant with a tasty mission

The Florida Aquarium has a brand-new restaurant with a tasty menu and a serious mission. Cafe Seventy One (because ocean waters cover 71% of the Earth's surface) relies on locally sourced produce, beverages (including beer and liquor), fish and...

What to know about pasta meals linked to listeria sold in Florida

As of Oct. 30, 27 people have been infected with listeria across 18 states; six have died. Among the Florida stores that sold the pasta meals are Walmart, Publix and Trader Joe's. See what symptoms to watch for and what you should do. The death...

Central Florida nonprofits see surging need as SNAP benefits are halted

Central Florida nonprofits that serve low-income working families the unhoused are seeing a surge in requests for help as the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has halted payments during the government shutdown....

Ultimate Big Bend guide to finding free food as shutdown cuts SNAP benefits

Second Harvest of the Big Bend is on the front lines of keeping residents fed while federal food assistance spending shuts off during the government shutdown. The agency has prepared a definitive list of places impacted residents can go for free...

The Weird Florida Beach Town Thats Actually Super Cool

Venice Florida offers something rare: a place that’s genuinely weird, surprisingly cool, and refreshingly unpretentious. The thing about Venice, Florida, is that you could easily pass through it on your way to somewhere else and not consider...

New research shows 2023 heatwave left two Florida coral species extinct

Acropora palmata: Yellow elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys. Credit: Oliver S / Shutterstock Two corals off the Florida coast are now functionally extinct after a 2023 heatwave, according to new research published in Science. One researcher said...

South Florida Vietnamese restaurants offer free meal to SNAP beneficiaries

Two restaurants in Broward County want to help South Florida residents waiting for their SNAP benefits to be restored with one free meal a day, the businesses announced on social media. Pho Bar Vietnamese Kitchen and 545 Banh Mi Cafe are offering...

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody but Lack of Access to Food Does

As tens of millions of Americans lost SNAP benefits on Halloween night, Mar-a-Lago abounded with champagne, food served on silver plates, and showgirls spinning around mega-sized martini glasses for a Gatsby-themed party. As if that wasn’t...

Seven Tampa Bay food banks stepping up as SNAP benefits face shutdown

Volunteers at Feeding Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida in May 2025. Credit: feedingtampabay / Facebook In light of the federal shutdown and the threat it poses to critical programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which...

Rep. Cathy Castor speaks about impacts of government cuts, shutdown on Florida

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) spoke at Feeding Tampa Bay Headquarters on Monday morning, calling for continued negotiations to end the government shutdown.. Rep. Castor called on lawmakers to return to Washington and negotiate a deal...

South Florida nonprofit sending essential aid to help Hurricane Melissa victims

Pallets packed with essential supplies to aid Hurricane Melissa victims in Jamaica are being loaded onto semis nearly a week after the devastation. "It's important for folks that are living and breathing this day-to-day in Jamaica and other...

Lawsuit says Florida officials are holding up recreational pot measure

A dispensary in San Francisco, California on Aug. 31, 2019. Credit: David Tran Photo / Shutterstock TALLAHASSEE — Accusing state elections officials of “ignoring the indisputable facts and their clear legal obligation,” backers of a proposed...

Against All Odds, Florida’s Iridescent Atala Butterfly Makes a Triumphant Comeback

Once nearly extinct, the Atala butterfly is now a common sight in Sarasota. Sarasota is a city of arrivals. Spring breakers flood our quartz-sand beaches, the return of the rainy season promises summer blooms, and snowbirds reappear with the first...

'Find it in Florida' campaign encourages shoppers to support local businesses this holiday season

Florida businesses provide one out of every five jobs in the state and retailers are encouraging residents to shop local this holiday season. FOX 13’s Mariah Harrison reports. TAMPA, Fla. - As holiday shoppers make their lists and check them...

As food aid expired, Trump cheered his marble bathroom and held a ‘Gatsby’ party

On Friday morning, much of the political world’s focus was on the looming deadline for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries: At midnight, tens of millions of low-income Americans were poised to lose their federal food...