Florida

The Latest

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Orlando Catholic priest among four killed in Palm Bay shooting

Jan 29, 2024

By Tyler Arnold

Father Robert Hoeffner, who celebrated his 50th year in the priesthood last year, was allegedly killed by a 24-year-old man... Read more

Cardinal Christophe Pierre speaks during an educational event at St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Jan. 24, 2024. The event included a panel discussion on “The Risk of Education” by Father Luigi Giussani. The event was sponsored by the Tampa Bay Communion and Liberation community.

Pope’s ambassador to U.S. moderates education forum in Florida

Jan 26, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, was in St. Petersburg, Florida, Wednesday to draw attention to... Read more

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks during the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Sept. 27, 2023, in Simi Valley, California.

Ron DeSantis suspends presidential campaign after second-place finish in Iowa

Jan 21, 2024

By Daniel Payne

The Florida governor had placed distantly behind former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Read more

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Florida attorney general seeks to block pro-abortion measure from 2024 ballot

Oct 17, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Attorney General Ashley Moody claims the measure “does not satisfy the legal requirements for ballot placement.” Read more

Alumni of Loyola Marymount University have launched a petition drive calling for the Los Angeles-area Catholic school to stop encouraging students to use preferred pronouns tied to their gender identity.

Florida judge slams ‘transgender ideology’ in defense of teacher fired over pronouns

Oct 13, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

The judge said the Miami-Dade school district had imposed “transgender ideology” on the teacher, calling it a secular “state-sponsored religion.” Read more

Former President Trump addresses attendees at CPAC 2020.

Donald Trump calls 6-week abortion ban a ‘terrible mistake’ 

Sep 18, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Trump made the comments in reference to Florida’s six-week “heartbeat” abortion ban signed by his chief opponent in the 2024... Read more

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‘This is the beginning’: Florida university system adopts Classic Learning Test

Sep 18, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The State University System of Florida announced earlier this month that it will accept the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as... Read more

Queen of Angels bookstore in Jacksonville, Florida, will not be forced to use a transgender person’s preferred pronouns when they are different from his or her biological sex, according to a settlement agreement reached with the city Sept. 7, 2023.

Settlement: Catholic bookstore exempt from Jacksonville trans pronoun mandate in Florida

Sep 8, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

“Free speech is for everyone,” said Hal Frampton, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the bookstore in the... Read more

Sanford, Florida, police arrested Donovan Faison, 21, on Aug. 29, 2023, in connection with the November 2022 killing of his pregnant girlfriend and her preborn child, an action police believe was motivated by her refusal to get an abortion.

Florida man charged with double homicide in killing of girlfriend who refused abortion

Aug 31, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Donovan Faison, 21, has been charged with two counts of felony homicide for the deaths of his 19-year-old girlfriend and... Read more

Death penalty.

Florida bishops request clemency for death row inmate

Aug 2, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

James Phillip Barnes is scheduled to die Thursday, but bishops in Florida have appealed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for a... Read more

Alfa Illescas, 44, was arrested and charged in connection with the June 10, 2023, vandalism at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Miami.

Woman charged with vandalizing Miami Catholic church, desecrating altar

Jun 13, 2023

By Joe Bukuras

According to police, Alfa Illescas, 44, was caught on security cameras spray-painting the words “perverts,” “pigs,” and “liars” on the... Read more

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, California.

Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis confirms sending migrants to Catholic Charities in California

Jun 8, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Amid criticism and calls for investigation into “kidnapping,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the migrants’ travels were “voluntary.” Read more

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a campaign stop in Salem, New Hampshire, on June 1, 2023.

Florida bishops plead with DeSantis to spare life of death row inmate

Jun 2, 2023

By Zelda Caldwell

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops appealed to the governor to grant a stay and commute convicted murderer Duane Owen’s... Read more

JMJ Pregnancy Center in Orlando, Florida

Mutilated animals left on pro-life pregnancy center’s property in Orlando

May 16, 2023

By Joe Bukuras

Staff at the center, which offers free pregnancy services to mostly minority women, discovered the deceased animals in front of... Read more

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Florida bill to protect moral, religious beliefs of doctors, payors signed into law

May 12, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

The new law forbids employers from taking action against employees who refuse to provide services based on a conscience-based objection. Read more

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Bishops condemn Florida’s dropping of unanimous jury requirement for death penalty cases

Apr 24, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill April 20 allowing prisoners in the state to be sentenced to death without... Read more

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Florida’s 6-week abortion ban signed into law, won’t go into effect until court decision

Apr 14, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Even though the bill passed, the law cannot be enacted unless the Florida Supreme Court upholds the state’s current 15-week... Read more

Migrants in Mexico

Miami archbishop says Florida immigration bill criminalizes ‘empathy’ toward the undocumented

Apr 14, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

A representative of all eight of Florida’s bishops testified against the bill last month, saying that such a law would... Read more

Vandalism at a Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah, Florida, July 3, 2022.

Will lawsuits expose ‘Jane’s Revenge’? Alleged Florida vandals on the defense

Apr 13, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

Florida lawsuits may uncover more details about the radical pro-abortion group, with alleged perpetrators facing substantial legal penalties. Read more

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Florida Senate passes 6-week abortion ban, but court will have final say

Apr 6, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Whether the new abortion ban becomes law hinges on what the Florida’s Supreme Court decides regarding a Watergate-era “right to... Read more