Florida News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

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11-year-old girl hit by Miami fire rescue truck outside of her school

An 11-year-old girl is in the hospital after a fire rescue truck hit her on her way to school. Miami police say she was crossing the street in standstill traffic when the rescue vehicle--which was rushing a patient to the hospital--swerved to avoid her, but still struck her.

Effects on free speech: Teachers are warned against posting negative comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination

The Florida Department of Education has issued a warning to teachers against posting negative comments on social media about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

DRAUGHON DRAWS: Florida man dies of easily preventable diseases

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025-- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist

Crane falls on home of Florida man named Jim Crane

A Merritt Island man says he warned a crew it was a bad idea to set up a crane next to his house. A short time later, he watched it tip over and crash across his roof, destroying his son's bedroom and leaving his family without a home.

Fuquay-Varina teen identified after body found in Florida pond

Authorities in Florida have identified a body found in a retention pond as Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old from Fuquay-Varina.

Body found in Florida pond near search area for 18-year-old Fuquay-Varina man

Authorities have found a body in a Florida retention pond, near where missing Fuquay-Varina teenager Giovanni Pelletier's phone was last pinged.

More testing needed on body believed to be NC teen who disappeared in Florida, medical examiner says

A medical examiner on Sunday said the body believed to be Giovanni Pelletier, who went missing from Charlotte County, Florida, showed no signs of foul play, but needed further testing to confirm the body is him.

Ominous text message from missing man has family fearing the worst

The only communication that a Fuquay-Varina family has had with missing man Gio Pelletier was a text message that simply read "Mom, help."

'Mom, help': Last text from Fuquay-Varina teen before vanishing in Florida has family concerned

A family from Fuquay-Varina is pleading for help finding a missing 18-year-old after he went missing under suspicious circumstances in Florida.

'Like an oversized dog kennel': Former Alligator Alcatraz worker speaks out about facility conditions

"I thought it would get better, but it never did." A former worker of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" is speaking out for the first time of the conditions inside the facility.

Medical staff throws bridal shower for 62-year-old housekeeper

The staff at a medical facility in Winter Park, Florida, threw a bridal shower for their co-worker, Sheila, the staff housekeeper. At 62, she is marrying the love of her life.

SpaceX Starlink launch seen Saturday morning in North Carolina sky

Your photos captured the moments shortly after liftoff from Florida's Space Coast.

WRAL Meteorologist, Chris Michaels

SpaceX Starlink launch seen Saturday morning in North Carolina sky

'We should not make fun of other people's misery': Archbishop of Miami speaks out against 'Alligator Alcatraz'

The Archbishop of Miami posted a on the Archdiocese of Miami's web site slamming the federal detention center in Florida that's being called "Alligator Alcatraz." Archbishop Thomas Wensky wrote in part that, "the current rhetoric is obviously intentionally provocative," and that "common decency requires that we remember the individuals being detained, are fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters of distressed relatives."

US Senate passes 'Lulu's law' for nationwide shark attack alerts

A recent Senate-approved bill, "Lulu's Law," aims to establish a national wireless emergency alert system for shark attacks, inspired by 16-year-old survivor Lulu Gribbin.

Fact-checking Trump at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz about immigration, One Big Beautiful Bill

President Donald Trump campaigned on several promises to tackle illegal immigration but faces a shortage of detention beds. The One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump's tax and spending plan, passed the Senate during his Florida stop and includes $150 billion for his deportation agenda over four years.

Maria Briceno, Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman, PolitiFact reporters

Girl nearly loses her hand in shark attack on Florida coast

Body camera video captures the intense moments after a shark attack off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, left a girl injured.

Remembering Pulse nightclub victims nine years after shooting

Today marks nine years since 49 people were gunned down in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Survivors and family members of the victims were allowed to walk through the long-shuttered venue for the first time.

Message in a bottle from Hawaii reaches Florida seven years later

A recent discovery on the shores of Anna Maria Island in Florida has created a lifetime connection between two families who are separated by thousands of miles.

Two Florida men arrested for kidnapping Clayton teens

Two Florida men are accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl. Authorities found the two teens safe.

Your photos: Another Space-X launch visible in North Carolina Monday night

Despite a less-than-ideal trajectory, some of us still caught a glimpse of the rocket's vapor trails Monday night.

Chris Michaels, WRAL meteorologist

Your photos: Another Space-X launch visible in North Carolina Monday night

2 dead, 6 hurt in Florida State University shooting, suspect is son of Leon County deputy

A gunman opened fire Thursday at Florida State University, killing two people and wounding at least six others, police said. The 20-year-old gunman is the son of a sheriff's deputy whose former service weapon was used in the shooting, authorities said.