Bat maternity season coming up in April
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Bat maternity season coming up in April

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is sharing the reminder that bat maternity season, the time when most of our state’s native and beneficial bats give birth and raise their young, starts on April 16.  Now is the time for property owners to check homes and other buildings for roosting bats before bat maternity…

Florida Democratic Party suspends Franklin County chair
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Florida Democratic Party suspends Franklin County chair

In a sign of the challenges facing Democrats in an ongoing shift among Franklin County voters to the Republican party, the chair of the county Democratic Party was suspended last week. The suspension of Carol Barfield from her post as chair was one of three suspensions announced last week by Nikki Fried, chair of the…

Recreational harvest of snook re-opens
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Recreational harvest of snook re-opens

The recreational harvest of snook in the Panhandle and Big Bend, as well as the Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions opened March 1, and remains open through April 30.  This includes all Florida state and inland waters as well as adjacent federal waters within each management region.  These regions and…

Mike Norvell Voted ACC Coach of the Year
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Mike Norvell Voted ACC Coach of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2023 TALLAHASSEE – Florida State head coach Mike Norvell was voted the 2023 ACC Coach of the Year, it was announced Thursday. Norvell has led the Seminoles to a perfect 12-0 record, including 8-0 in the ACC, and the top seed for Saturday’s ACC Championship Game. He produced the seventh unbeaten regular…

Award offered for escaped inmate
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Award offered for escaped inmate

As the search for an escaped inmate from the Franklin Correctional Institution entered its third day, a reward of up to $5,000 is now being offered to anyone who can provide information that leads to his arrest. Sheriff A.J. Smith said Wednesday morning that 37-year-old Robert Rutherford was last seen between 8th Street and Avenue…

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Norvell Named To Coach Of The Year Watch List

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell has been named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List, it was announced Tuesday. Norvell is one of 26 coaches across the country in consideration for the award, which is presented each year to a college football coach for contributions that make…

Tropical disturbance or storm likely to form in gulf ahead of Labor Day
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Tropical disturbance or storm likely to form in gulf ahead of Labor Day

A disturbance entering the Gulf of Mexico is likely to develop into a tropical depression or storm in the next week, according to the National Hurricane Center. The broad area of low pressure is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms as it moves north through environmental conditions that appear to be conducive to development, forecasters said Friday…

Florida extends record gulf recreational snapper season
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Florida extends record gulf recreational snapper season

On Aug. 11, Governor Ron DeSantis’s office announced Florida is extending the 2023 recreational gulf red snapper season by 17 days, adding every Friday through Saturday in September, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day to the previously announced season. The 2023 season now totals 87 days, the longest combined season since the state assumed management of…

DeSantis security costs jump
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DeSantis security costs jump

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Ron DeSantis geared up his presidential campaign, taxpayer costs to transport and protect the governor and his family surged during the past fiscal year, according to a new state report. Florida spent more than $9.876 million during the 2022-2023 fiscal year on protecting and transporting the DeSantis family and visiting officials,…