Former Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith charged with drug possession after traffic stop

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith was pulled over Wednesday afternoon and found with crack cocaine and marijuana in his car, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Rookie Courtney Lee’s 24 points helps Magic hold off Sixers 96-87 in Game 2 to even series

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic built a big lead and avoided another meltdown — barely. Rookie Courtney Lee had 24 points, Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 and the Magic blew another 18-point lead before beating the Philadelphia 76ers 96-87 on Wednesday night to even the series at a game apiece.

Lee’s 24 points helps Magic hold off Sixers 96-87 in Game 2 to even series

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic built a big lead and avoided another meltdown — barely.

Report: Venezuelan polo team member links commonly used supplement to deaths of 21 polo horses

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Twenty-one prized polo horses that mysteriously died before one of the sport’s top championships were given a supplement that likely caused their deaths, the leader of the Venezuelan-owned team told an Argentine newspaper.

Ind. money manager accused of staging his death in Fla. says he ’snapped’ in letter to AP

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A troubled Indiana money manager accused of trying to fake his death by parachuting from his plane to escape financial ruin told The Associated Press in a letter that he “snapped,” never got help and then “it all came crashing down around me.”

Report: Venezuelan polo team member links commonly used supplement to deaths of 21 polo horses

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A member of a Venezuelan-owned polo team says a supplement likely killed 21 horses before a match last weekend in Florida.

Guest at Fla. hotel accused of trying to attack deputies with medieval battle ax, knife, sword

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Authorities said a motel guest tried to scare off deputies with a medieval battle ax, a knife and a long sword. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to the Sting Ray Motel Tuesday morning after management called 911 to complain that a guest was acting strange.

A-Rod runs bases for first time since having hip surgery, still plans to rejoin team by May 15

TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez ran the bases Wednesday for the first time since undergoing right hip surgery.

Storied Dodgertown complex to be operated by Minor League Baseball for next 5 years

The pathways made of crushed seashells. The dugouts with no roofs. The cozy seating at Holman Stadium.

Grandparents say daughter charged with murder could not have harmed Fla. toddler

ORLANDO, Fla. — The grandmother of slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony contemplated suicide in the weeks after her granddaughter disappeared.

Fla. county declares state of emergency over skyrocketing foreclosures, unemployment

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A South Florida county that rode high through the housing boom earlier this decade, then crashed hard when the foreclosure crisis struck, declared a state of economic emergency on Tuesday.

Authorities open criminal probe into deaths of 21 polo horses before tournament in Fla.

WELLINGTON, Fla. — Organ by organ, veterinarians are taking apart 21 prized polo horses to uncover what killed them mysteriously over the weekend during preparations for a match in one of the sport’s top championships. Simultaneously, state authorities have opened a criminal probe to determine whether the deaths were intentional, a result of negligence or simply a terrible accident.

Fla. House panel OKs bill for oil, gas drilling up to 10 miles into Gulf of Mexico

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Echoing last year’s “Drill, baby, drill” Republican election slogan, a GOP-dominated House panel voted Tuesday to allow oil and natural gas exploration and production in Florida waters up to 10 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.

New York Yankees most popular with baseball fans during Grapefruit League season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Baseball fans keep turning out for spring training games in Florida.

Missing circus monkey captured in central Fla. mobile home park with the lure of junk food

FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. — He spent six weeks on the lam from the circus, but Reggie the spider monkey has been captured with the help of junk food.

Magic’s Dwight Howard wins defensive player of the year after leading NBA in blocks, rebounds

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a question Dwight Howard will never forget.

Fla. officials say 200-pound wild hog attacks woman in the leg in her back yard

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Officials said a wild hog attacked a woman in the back yard of her home. St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue reported that a 26-year-old woman was told there was a pig in her back yard Monday afternoon. When she went outside to investigate, the 200-pound animal charged her, cutting the back of her left leg.

Florida woman accused of using ‘animal tissue’ to fake a miscarriage in apartment

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — Deputies said a woman in South Florida has faked a miscarriage. The Broward county Sheriff’s Office responded an emergency call of a possible miscarriage just before 8 a.m. Tuesday at an Oakland Park apartment. Upon arrival, they learned a woman staged the incident using what authorities described only as “animal tissue.”

Plane smashes into Fla. home, splitting it in half; 80-year-old pilot dies in crash

Plane splits Florida home in half; pilot dies

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — A small plane sputtered and dove into a house shortly after taking off from a local airport Friday morning, slicing the home down the middle into two charred pieces. The pilot was killed.