Florida's Recent News

Crews battled fierce flames after a fire broke out overnight inside a motel in Hollywood. Hollywood Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze at the Hollywood Gateway Inn on Polk Street and North 29th Avenue, just off Interstate 95 and near Hollywood Boulevard, just after 2:10 a.m. on Friday. The flames quickly took over the two-story building. People who spoke with 7News described what they saw. “I smelled something burning, looked out in the hallway, and I

Photo: Martin County Sheriff’s Office A Florida man was arrested Thursday after he randomly murdered a woman walking her dog, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office announced. Kersten Francilus, 25, was arrested and charged after the “unprovoked” stabbing death. Deputies arrived at the 6000 block of SE Black Oak Lane after neighbors began calling about a man who was reportedly knocking on doors and acting erratically. MCSO said a short time later, Francilus encountered a woman in her 70s in the

Photo: Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Two people are dead after a fire at an Avon Park hotel, the Highlands Sheriff’s Office announced. The Highlands County Consolidated Dispatch received a call around 1:59 a.m. about a fire in the second-story room of the Econo Lodge in Avon Park. Deputies, as well as Highlands County Fire Rescue and Avon Park Fire Department, arrived at the scene and found the room filled with smoke. Entering the room, crews found a man and a

An accident near Hwy 98 and the 23rd St flyover caused traffic delays on Thursday morning. City of Panama City says police are still on the scene, but the roadway is clear. Seeking Justice After a Car AccidentRecovering from a car accident injury is challenging, but Ovadia Law Group is here to help you seek justice. Our personal injury attorneys are experienced in car accident cases and understand the complexities involved. We investigate the crash, determine liability, and fight for

Smoke could be seen pouring into the sky from an SUV that caught fire on top the Atlantic Blvd. bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Viewer video shows the flames and thick black smoke. The fire broke out in the westbound lanes of the bridge, heading away from the beaches. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue said they had units on the scene, however, there have been no transports or injuries reported at this time. Legal Help After a Fire Accident InjuryFire accidents

A 20-year-old St. Augustine man was critically injured Thursday night in a five-vehicle pile-up on I-95 southbound near State Road 9B, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. Troopers said that around 7 p.m., two cars and a pick-up truck were stopped in traffic in the left lane of I-95 south at 9B, when another pick-up truck, driven by a 38-year-old man from Lehigh Acres, “failed to slow or stop” and hit the back of the 20-year-old’s car. The crash report said

A Bonita Springs man was arrested on Wednesday after being accused of hitting a man with a wooden plank over a dispute at a gated community. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, the victim was at the front gate of the Southern Pines community at around 5:30 p.m. The victim was entering the community on the residential side of the gate when he saw a gray Ford F-150 tailgating him as he entered. The victim stopped his

Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol and deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office swarmed a road in Lehigh Acres to investigate a deadly hit-and-run crash Friday morning. The investigation is taking place along James Avenue and East Fifth Street. Authorities were called to the scene just before midnight and are working to gather new information. The crash was originally reported as a hit-and-run crash with injuries by FHP, but was updated to “Fatality” status. FHP confirmed that a bicyclist

At least four kindergarten students were injured Thursday morning on their way to the zoo when a semi rear-ended their school bus as it was crossing train tracks on Zoo Parkway, according to authorities and video from the scene. The crash happened around 10:30 a.m. Thursday on Zoo Parkway near Imeson Park Boulevard. According to a message from Duval County Public Schools to district families, the bus was from San Pablo Elementary School, and the parents of the four injured

A semi truck driver died after rear-ending another semi that was hauling large pieces of timber near Lakeland on Wednesday. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the victim, 44-year-old Gabriel Lorenzo Beauford, was following behind a Mack truck hauling timber on US 98 just before 11 a.m. The Mack truck began to slow down; however, investigators said it appeared that Beauford didn’t realize it and struck the load of timber protruding from the rear of the Mack truck’s trailer. Large pieces of

Photo: San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District The San Carlos Park Fire Department responded to a dump truck on fire on Mass Court on Wednesday night. According to SCPFD, crews were dispatched to a fire at 16560 Mass Court in Lee County at around 9:30 p.m. When crews arrived on scene, they found the cab of a dump truck engulfed in flames. The dump truck was in close proximity to heavy machinery. Crews extinguished the fire and

A Marion County man accused of choking a woman during an argument will spend the next five years in prison after jurors found him guilty of domestic battery by strangulation. Last week, a one-day trial ended with jurors finding 38-year-old K guilty of the battery charge. Immediately following the conviction, a Marion County judge sentenced M to five years in the Florida Department of Corrections. Back on August 12, 2025, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local