FLORIDA – As always, the 2023 year was an eventful one for Florida.
We looked through the most-read Florida stories of 2023 on News4JAX.com, and let me tell you: all kinds of stories made it to this list.
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Here are the top 10 Florida stories of 2023:
(Please note the following list does not follow a specific order. These stories are selected based on our analytics showing the overall number of pageviews)
Florida scientists ask people to watch out for potentially invasive ‘Jesus lizard’ that can run across water
In February, Florida residents received an unusual request: be on the lookout for the brown basilisk, a nonnative lizard also known as the “Jesus lizard.”
UF scientists said the species was gaining ground across South Florida, and that they had the potential to become invasive in our state.
As one would expect, this is not your typical lizard.
This lizard has prominent markings and characteristics that distinguish it from other reptilian species, like their head crest. They also appear to run across water, leading to their nickname.
Among the concerns, a study published in Frontiers in 2022 by UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology faculty found that Culex mosquitoes prefer to feed on nonnative lizards. The brown basilisks are among five identified nonnative lizards that could potentially serve as significant hosts for West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) vectors in Florida.
Recess, student testing requirements may look different under public school ‘deregulation’ bills
A slate of bills aimed at reducing regulations on public schools began moving forward in mid-November.
Some of the changes would include eliminating testing requirements for earning high-school diplomas and providing flexibility to districts about the way schools structure the 100 required minutes of recess per week.
The bill also includes changing part of state law that sets a standard for students to advance to the fourth grade. Third-grade students must score high enough on an English-language arts exam to reach the next grade level. The proposal would add what is known as a “good cause exemption” that would give parents a say in whether their students stay in third grade or move to fourth grade.
The Legislature is slated to consider the recommendations during the 2024 legislative session, which will start in January.
Hurricane coverage: Idalia & Lee
Hurricane season ended with 20 named storms, one of the most active seasons on record. However, most of the storms didn’t impact the United States.
Hurricane Idalia, a category 3, packed the worst punch for Florida.
Hurricane Idalia came ashore Aug. 30 along Florida’s Big Bend region with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph, sweeping across rural areas that include crops such as peanuts and cotton as well as cattle, poultry and aquaculture operations. Early projections estimate the losses from the storm as being between $3 billion and $5 billion.
A couple of weeks after Hurricane Idalia came through, Hurricane Lee brought dangerous, life-threatening conditions along the Northeast Florida coast, including rip currents. Those rip currents led to the drowning death of a 15-year-old in Nassau County.
Body of Florida toddler found in alligator jaws after search
This heartbreaking story shook not only people in Florida but those across the nation.
In March, the body of a 2-year-old Florida boy — who had been the subject of a frantic search after his mother was slain — was found in a lake in the jaws of an alligator.
Searchers, including dive teams and officers using drones, had been intensely looking for 2-year-old Taylen Mosley since his mother’s body was discovered in their apartment earlier that week and he was nowhere to be found.
The boy’s father, 21-year-old Thomas Mosley, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of the boy’s mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, and their son Taylen.
According to WTSP-TV, the St. Petersburg Police Department said the county medical examiner concluded that Taylen died of drowning.
Guns, education, gender identity: More than 200 new laws go into effect in Florida
Yes, you read that right — more than 200 new laws went into effect in Florida in July.
Here’s a list of some of the laws that were the most polarizing:
- Permit-less carry: This law allows guns to be carried almost anywhere in the state without a permit.
- 6-week abortion ban: This law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, making Florida one of the most restrictive states in the country for women’s reproductive rights.
- Gender transition ban: This outlaws gender transition care for minors. This law imposes a penalty of up to five years in prison for doctors who violate the ban. A court could also temporarily remove children from their family’s home if they receive gender-affirming care. Another new law will establish the right for a health care provider to opt out of giving service because of a “conscience-based objection” due to religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
- Education laws: This law defunds diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at state colleges and universities. Also, public school employees are prohibited from calling students pronouns other than those matching their gender at birth.
- Expansion of the Florida State Guard: Revived by Gov. DeSantis in 2022, this law expands and makes the Florida State Guard permanent. The state guard will expand from 400 members to 1,500 members.
Many of the laws that were passed were challenged with lawsuits that are still making their way through the courts.
Florida aims to one-up Tennessee by opening the world’s largest Buc-ee’s
When Tennessee announced that the state now has the largest Buc-ee’s in the country, Florida said, “Hold my beer — and ‘Beaver nuggets.’”
Florida is now working to bring a new Buc-ee’s store that will beat out Knoxville’s 74,000 square feet location — with 120 gas pumps.
The new -- and huge -- Marion County location is scheduled to open in 2025 and will be located near Interstate 75, north of Ocala. It will feature an 80,000-square-foot travel center, according to WKMG.
Yep! 6,000 square feet bigger than Knoxville’s! I mean, we can’t say we’re surprised, right? This is the most Florida thing to do.
Actor Drake Bell found safe hours after being reported ‘missing & endangered’
Jared “Drake” Bell, an actor best known as a star of the Nickelodeon television show “Drake & Josh,” was reported “missing & endangered” by the Daytona Beach Police Department in April.
This prompted national news media attention, thousands of worried fans, and a frantic search by police — but this just lasted a few hours.
Bell got in touch with police officers and wasn’t in danger, Daytona Beach Police Department spokesperson Carrie McCallister said in an email, without providing further details.
Bell was last seen on a Wednesday night near a Daytona Beach high school. He was found the next day at around noon.
In a tweet, that has been since deleted, Bell wrote “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?”
In 2021, Bell was charged with child endangerment relating to a girl who attended a 2017 concert of his in Cleveland when she was 15 and had met him online years before. He pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and was sentenced to two years probation. He was allowed to serve his probation and 200 hours of community service in California.
So, what triggered the “missing & endangered” report from police? That’s still a mystery.
3 teens get arrested in connection of murders of 3 teens in Marion County
A 12-year-old, a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested in April and charged in a shooting in Marion County that left three teenagers dead.
News4JAX sister station WKMG reported that the first victim — identified as Layla Silvernail, 16 — was lying injured on the side of the road on March 30 and later died at a hospital. A 17-year-old boy was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound on March 31, lying on the side of a road not far from the first scene. A 16-year-old girl — recently identified by family as Camille Quarles — was found shot to death on April 1 in the trunk of a sedan partially submerged in a pond.
Robert Robinson, 17, and Christopher Atkins, 12, were arrested on April 7. They both face first-degree murder, armed robbery and other charges.
Tahj Brewton,16, was arrested about a week later.
According to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, the incident involved gang-affiliated juveniles turning on their own.
“Although we had out there that it was gang-related, we have nothing specific to say that it was any rivalry,” Woods said. “...However, each and every one of them in some shape or form is associated with a gang. Basically, simple terms, there is no honor among thieves, and at some point these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them.”
$250M indoor water park resort to feature slides, rides, splash areas & lodging
The announcement of a new indoor water park resort in Florida created quite the buzz online — and for good reason!
According to a release, the Great Wolf Lodge will feature 500 rooms, a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park and 62,000 square feet of attractions.
RELATED | Massive indoor water park resort coming to Florida in 2024
Attractions will include a variety of body slides, tube slides, raft rides, activity pools and splash areas for every member of the family!
The Great Wolf Lodge South Florida will be located on the eastern edge of Collier County in Naples.
This amazing family resort is expected to celebrate its grand opening in the spring/summer of 2024.
Taylor Swift announces 3 more ‘Eras Tour’ stops in Florida
When Taylor Swift announced her 2023 “Eras Tour,” millions of fans broke the internet. Her concerts sold out FAST, prompting a plea to Swift to open more dates — and she did!
In August, the singer announced 15 additional stops during her tour, and three of those stops are in Florida.
This story received thousands of views from “Swifties” wanting to learn where those additional dates would be.
Swift will perform three times in Miami: Oct. 18, Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 in 2024.