House passes CS/HB 725 to require campuses to publish political-activity rules; critics say the law could deter voter outreach and student speech.

Deputies say a traffic stop in Bradford County yielded about 56 grams of suspected meth; Keith Brackston Griffis was arrested on trafficking and evidence-destruction charges.

A Georgia woman was arrested after Volusia detectives say she helped a prison-run ring pose as deputies and bilk a Florida resident out of roughly $79,000 in bitcoin.

A Jacksonville mother says a neighbor doused her with hot grease and left her with third‑degree burns covering about 38% of her body. Now her property manager says unpaid rent has put her at risk of losing the home as she recovers.

A federal complaint alleges a woman was raped and forced into commercial sex at a Blanding Boulevard hotel; the operator has been named in a federal lawsuit.

Southeast Orthopedic finished a $30M multiyear expansion in St. Augustine, adding operating rooms and imaging and positioning the group for more growth across Northeast Florida.

Westminster Woods secured a $31.55M building permit for a four‑story addition that will add dining, fitness and cultural spaces to its Julington Creek campus.

Damon Thomas, 45, was re-arrested on a felony-murder warrant tied to a Nov. 3 Baymeadows Road shooting that killed Rhoderius Simmons, JSO says.

Orange Park voters will choose one councilmember April 14 while Green Cove Springs decides one seat and three charter amendments. Key registration and mail‑ballot deadlines are listed.

A proposed class-action complaint says former Serenata Beach Club staff were made to work off the clock and not paid minimum wage; the suit was filed Feb. 26 in St. Johns County.

A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty to viewing and sharing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to five years in state prison and 10 years of probation.

A 75-year-old Suwannee County man was convicted of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation; sentencing is set for Monday, March 9, 2026.

Thick morning fog and low visibility today in Jacksonville, with a high rip‑current risk along parts of the coast. Inland highs will climb into the low‑80s.