Updated: 6:38 PM The 2013 hurricane season is being projected as a busy one and emergency management officials are asking residents to prepare early.

Updated: 6:40 PM Florida fishermen are facing a short red snapper season. Saturday kicks off the start of what is usually a summer-long event. But this year's shortened season has many worried about their livelihood.

Updated: 6:32 PM Panhandle region back on drought radar, delaying planting season, and threatening what few crops are in the ground.

Updated: 6:32 PM Wind and water are on the minds of emergency managers across Florida as hurricane season begins Saturday, and Governor Rick Scott is also concerned about federal budget cuts under the sequester hurting the state.

Posted: 4:03 PM If you are planning a driving trip this summer, the Highway Patrol is giving you fair warning that when you come to an emergency vehicle you need to be prepared to move over a lane Or you will face a greater chance of getting a ticket.

Updated: 7:06 AM A Marianna woman has died at Bay Medical/Sacred Heart from injuries she received Thursday night on U-S Highway 90 in Jackson County.

Updated: 6:27 PM A Ft. Walton Beach pilot is unhurt after his plane lands on North Carolina school field.

Updated: 9:05 AM Smoke was visible for several miles from a fire on the east end of Panama City Beach Thursday afternoon.

Updated: 11:33 PM Multiple law enforcement agencies are relieved after finding a weapon used in an early Thursday morning home invasion armed robbery at a Panama City Beach condominium. Both of the suspects for the robbery are behind bars.

Updated: 7:09 PM Florida executed Elmer Carroll for the 1990 murder of 10 year old Christine McGowan. Thursday, opponents of the death penalty said a prayer for Christine, while, asked the Governor not to sign legislation speeding up executions.

Posted: 7:04 PM A Federal Court sided with the lower courts saying Governor Rick Scott trying to make all state employees subject to a drug test, violated the 4th amendment.

Posted: 7:01 PM Hurricane Season officially starts Saturday, and even though it’s been almost eight years since a storm has hit the state; the cost of homeowner insurance has increased nearly 17% because every day losses.

Updated: 7:43 AM A busy afternoon for Beach Fire Rescue. In the middle of fighting the fire, crews also responded to a swimmer in distress.

Updated: 6:19 PM Walton County's Sheriff is considering some policy changes after one of his beach patrol units ran over a woman.

Updated: 6:19 PM Thirteen people in Washington County are recovering from an infection they received after getting steroid shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as multiple state agencies have been investigating Methylprednisolone Acetate shots, or MPA that were manufactured at a Tennessee pharmacy.

Posted: 2:19 PM Donyel James Fitts, 28, of Sneads, has pled guilty in Panama City Federal Court to three criminal charges relating to the production of child pornography.

Updated: 2:21 PM Thursday, Governor Rick Scott presented the state’s prestigious “Great Floridian” award to Steve Spurrier, former University of Florida Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, University of Florida national coach, and current head football coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Posted: 12:35 PM The Florida Department of Health in Bay County conducts saltwater beach water quality monitoring in accordance with the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program.

Updated: 11:17 AM This week's Golden Apple award winner teaches Ancient World History at Jinks Middle School in Panama City.

Updated: 11:19 AM Realtors say a generally uncommon combination is making it the perfect time to buy or sell a home.

Updated: 6:13 PM STARKE, Fla. (AP) -- A convicted child molester who sexually assaulted and murdered a 10-year-old central Florida girl in 1990 has been put to death at the Florida State Prison.

Updated: 6:14 PM A Georgia family is rethinking their vacation plans to Panama City Beach after their condominium's balcony fell apart with them on it.

Updated: 6:19 PM Farmers and gardeners also keep a close eye on weather patterns to know the best time to plant. Now those in Walton County have something new in place that can check those conditions for them.

Updated: 6:14 PM A State Trooper who was fired for giving a state lawmaker a break is fighting for his job today. Trooper Charles Swindle was dismissed after writing a ten dollar ticket instead of a 250 dollar ticket. The Trooper testified Wednesday giving lawmakers a break is common practice.

Updated: 8:16 AM A bill waiting to be signed by the Governor will drastically change how two of Florida’s largest power companies bill customers for a nuclear power plant that doesn’t even exist. Until the bill is signed into law, power companies and the customer advocates will have to continue to fix the kinks with a former law on the books.