Posts Tagged: Florida news

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Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Low-Security Club Fed in Florida

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Convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a low-security Club Fed-style prison in Florida.

According to the NY Post, Federal Bureau of Prisons records show that Ghislaine is housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida as of Monday morning.

Last month, the 60-year-old British socialite was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking and grooming girls with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The transfer is surprising because the sentencing judge ordered Maxwell to serve her prison time at the harsh Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Danbury, Connecticut, 55 miles north of NY.

Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images

Legal analysts believe former President Donald Trump pulled strings to get his pal transferred to a minimum security prison in sunny Florida to serve her sentence.

Trump resides at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Melania, and son Barron.

Maxwell's new home is a far cry from her former digs at the rat and maggot-infested facility in Brooklyn where she lived for two years.

At FCI Tallahassee, Maxwell can do yoga, workout in a high-tech gym and watch movies.

She will dine with other inmates in a cafeteria where the meals are planned by a licensed nutritionist. And she can also work off calories on a running track outside.

She will get plenty of sun and freedom of movement rather than the solitary confinement she endured in Democrat-controlled New York.

According to the Post, Maxwell will wear a uniform of khaki pants and a matching shirt, or she can wear a dress if she prefers.

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Publix Grocery Refuses to Vaccinate Children Under Age 5

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Just days after the FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months and older, Publix grocery store announced it will not offer the vaccines for babies.

Publix, which is based in Lakeland, Florida, issued a statement on Wednesday saying its pharmacies will not offer the vaccine approved for children ages 4 and under "at this time."

The company said it would not issue any further statements explaining its decision.

Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The policy is in effect at Publix pharmacies nationwide.

The company's website offers vaccine appointments for children ages 5 and older. Publix still offers other childhood vaccinations, such as flu shots for babies as young as 6 months.

Florida is the only state that did not preorder vaccines for healthy children under age 5.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recommended against administering the COVID vaccines to healthy children.

The White House said Florida's decision not to preorder the vaccines for babies could delay delivery of the shots to pediatricians and other medical providers in the state.

The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for babies 6 months and older and boosters for children 5 years and older. The CDC's recommendations were based on clinical trials that found the shots were "safe and effective" for babies.

The CDC said any potential risks of the vaccines were outweighed by the known risks of COVID-19.

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7th Member of Haiti’s Special Olympics Delegation Goes Missing in Florida

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Osceola Sheriff's Office

A seventh member of Haiti's Special Olympics delegation has gone missing in Florida.

25-year-old Louis Jacques Wilguens went missing just days after six Haitians disappeared in the Kissimmee area, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced.

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Osceola County Sheriff's Office

Police identified the six missing men as Atione Joseph Mithon, 32; Nicholson Fontilus, 20; Peter Mianovich Berlus, 19; Anderson Petit-Frere, 18; Steevenson Jacquet, 24; and Oriol Jean, 18.

The Haitians were in Kissimmee participating in the 2022 Special Olympics Games at Disney World when they all disappeared after turning in their hotel room keys.

Hotel staff found luggage and other belongings in the rooms.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said Wilguens was last seen getting off a bus at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort in Lake Buena Vista on Saturday at around 4:30 PM, TMZ reported.

Wilguens was wearing blue jeans and a Special Olympics shirt with "Haiti" written on the front. He was scheduled to fly back to Haiti on Sunday, but he didn't make the flight.

Haitian reporter James Pierre said the men were likely with their families in Florida or New York.

But authorities have interviewed the family members, with no signs of the missing men.

There are reports that the men may have been grabbed by sex traffickers.

Watch the video below.
 

Police ask anyone who sees Wilguens to "check his well-being" and immediately get in touch with authorities.

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6 Members of Haiti’s Delegation for the 2022 Special Olympics Games Still Missing in Florida

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Osceola County Sheriff's Office

A search is underway for 6 missing members of Haiti's Delegation for the 2022 Special Olympics Games in Kissimmee, Florida.

The 6 men went missing soon after turning in their hotel room keys around 2:30 p.m. Monday. Hotel staff discovered their luggage and other belongings left behind in their hotel rooms.

"All of them turned in their room keys, and left behind their personal bags and belongings," the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said in a bulletin published on social media.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video footage to determine where the group went after leaving the hotel.

Police identified the missing men as Atione Joseph Mithon, 32; Nicholson Fontilus, 20; Peter Mianovich Berlus, 19; Anderson Petit-Frere, 18; Steevenson Jacquet, 24; and Oriol Jean, 18.

The group consists of one soccer player, "one coach, and four Unified partners," a representative for the Special Olympics told PEOPLE on Wednesday.

"Unified partners" are people without intellectual disabilities who play on the same teams as Special Olympics athletes, an official explained.

Authorities do not suspect foul play is involved in their disappearance. They believe the men may not want to return to their country.

Haitian reporter James Pierre believes the men are with their families in Florida or New York.

Watch the video below.
 

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Outrage: Florida Sheriff Releases Mugshots of Juvenile Offenders to ‘Scare Them Straight’

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Lee County Sheriff's Office

A Florida sheriff has published the mugshots of juvenile offenders, including a 10-year-old boy who threatened to shoot up his school.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno ordered his deputies to perp walk the 10-year-old boy in front of cameras on Saturday, May 28.

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Lee County Sheriff's Office

The boy's pictures appeared in the NY Post and London's DailyMail.com. But some American media outlets complied with a law that protects juveniles under 18 who commit crimes.

Sheriff Marceno said publicly disgracing children (and their parents) will scare them straight.

"While I understand the boy is 10 years old, his brain's not fully developed, he's a juvenile, I have to tell you: When a 10-year-old presses a trigger, the aftermath is the same regardless of the age."

"We have a ten-year-old, a fifth-grader, that sends text messages that circulate. Pictures of wads of money. Pictures of rifles and written threats after that," Marceno said in an interview Tuesday with DailyMail.com.

Marceno said a "fake threat" can lead to "real consequences," and he will continue to release juvenile mugshots to the public because it teaches that committing an "adult felony" results in adult consequences.

The same day that the 10-year-old's mugshot and video were released, Corey Anderson, 18, from Hillsborough County, Florida, was charged with a felony after he posted a photo of a rifle, handgun and tactical vest online and captioned the image: "Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school".

The threats occurred after a teenager killed 21 people, including 19 children, at an elementary school in Texas on May 24.

Merceno defended releasing mugshots of juvenile offenders.

"If a 10-year-old, 12-year-old, 18-year-old presses the trigger, the aftermath is the same," he said. "As a sheriff I have to make certain that we leave no stone unturned and do everything possible to protect our children."

He added: "Doesn't matter who it is, you commit a felony, you write a threat to commit a mass shooting in a school - the mugshot, the picture, it's all going up there because the days of people trying to protect or hide are done."

Officials in other jurisdictions take a more traditional approach with juvenile offenders.

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New Orleans PD

In New Orleans, Louisiana, officials have refused media requests to release the mugshots of four Black teenagers who dragged 73-year-old Linda Frickey to her death while stealing her car.

The four suspects - 17-year-old John Honore, 15-year-old Lenyra Theophile, 15-year-old Marquel Curtis, and 15-year-old Briniyah Baker - are charged with second-degree murder and will be tried as adults.

They are being held on $1 million bail each and they face life in prison if convicted.

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Florida mother arrested after 3-year-old found sleeping on sidewalk while she went clubbing

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Google Maps, police

A Florida mother was charged with child neglect after her 3-year-old child was found sleeping on a sidewalk at 1 a.m. on Saturday.

According to a press release, deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office were called to an apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach on April 30.

A security guard making rounds at the Choctaw Village Apartments found the child wrapped in a blanket asleep on a sidewalk and called 911.

"Subsequent investigation led to the discovery of two more young children asleep alone in an apartment at the complex," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said.

The ages of the two other children were not released.

Deputies waited until Shyla Heidelburg, 25, returned home about an hour later. She confessed that she went clubbing and left her three children alone in the apartment.

She "admitted she had gone out to a nightclub about 90 minutes earlier, leaving the children unattended," the sheriff's office said.

Heidelburg was arrested and charged with three counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, the sheriff's office said.

The children were taken by child protection services.

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Black accountant says she’s homeless in Florida; Miami ranks as least affordable in U.S.

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Angelia Woods, a Black mom of four, works as an accountant for the state of Florida. "I am what you would consider homeless," she tells WFTS News.

When asked how an accountant can be homeless, Woods explains, "You have to pay to live, and therefore, you can't afford to move."

Woods pays nearly $2,000 a month for her family of 5 to live in a hotel room in Tampa, Florida.

Woods says her paycheck from the Florida Dept. of Transportation is not enough to cover rent and expenses.

She is just one of thousands of middle-class workers who are homeless due to the lack of adorable housing in Florida.

Woods says she earns too much money to qualify for state benefits.

"I never thought I would be in a situation like this."

Woods said she doesn't have the money for first and last month's rent that most apartment complexes in Florida requires.

According to a new study, Miami ranks as the least affordable place to live in the U.S.

A one-bedroom apartment in Miami rents for $3,000 a month.

Rents are rising by double digits in Miami and nationwide, and there seems to be no solution in sight.
 

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CDC warns of meningitis outbreak affecting gay, bi men in Florida

Gary John Norman / Image Source

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a warning about a Meningococcal outbreak affecting gay and bisexual men living with HIV in Florida.

Meningococcal disease is caused by an infection due to the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The bacterium can cause meningitis and a life-threatening blood infection called meningococcemia (septicemia).

Meningitis and meningococcemia are medical emergencies. Meningococcemia (sepsis) can kill in as little as a few hours.

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What is Meningitis?

Meningitis is a potentially deadly and highly infectious disease that causes inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, and neck stiffness, sensitivity to bright lights, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.

What is Meningococcemia Septicemia?

Meningococcemia is a deadly blood infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. It multiplies in the bloodstream and damages the walls of blood vessels causing multiple organ failure. Patients diagnosed with Meningococcemia septicemia are treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) isolation room to prevent infecting other patients in ICU.

Signs and symptoms of meningococcemia (sepsis) include flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea, and severe aches and pains in the muscles, joints, chest and/or abdomen. Cold feet and hands usually appear before a skin rash.

Contact your health care provider or go to an emergency room if you are experiencing symptoms.

According to the CDC, gay and bisexual men living with HIV and other men who have sex with men should get the MenACWY vaccine ASAP if they live in Florida.

The CDC also recommends the vaccine for gay or bisexual men planning to visit Florida.

The Florida Department of Health in Leon County is investigating three confirmed cases of meningococcal disease in males in Tallahassee aged 18 to 22.

The CDC urges male college and university students, immunocompromised individuals, men living with HIV and other men who have sex with men to get vaccinated against the disease immediately.

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Outrage as Florida Gov. DeSantis signs ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill into law

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) signed his controversial "Parental Rights in Education" bill into law on Monday, March 28.

The legislation, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, bans teaching LGBT+ subjects including gender identity or sexual orientation to young students in kindergarten through 3rd grade.

DeSantis said the subjects can be taught to students in grades 4 or higher, but the lessons should be age and developmentally appropriate.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Gov. DeSantis, a traditional Republican, said parents should send their children to school for an "education, not an indoctrination."

The bill drew criticism and backlash from LGBT+ groups and Hollywood celebrities who say children as young as ages 5-8 should learn about gender identities and transgenderism.

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Instagram

Actress Raven-Symoné and the cast and crew of her Disney+ series "Raven's Home" joined Disney employees in a planned walkout last week.
 
RELATED: Raven-Symoné joins Disney walkout in protest of Florida's 'Don't Groom Kids' bill
 
Raven, who is openly lesbian, shared a video on Instagram, which she captioned:

"In support of our LGBTQ+ family and all of those who will be damaged by the 'don't say gay bill' we the cast of Ravens Home are walking out. In todays world it is imperative that we take stands, show support, and move forward not backwards. Every family every person and every child deserves to be recognized no matter their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Education that reflects the truth and the world we live in is something we must fight for [sic]."

Disney on Monday promised to join efforts to repeal Florida's law. Disney's LGBT+ employees had complained that the company failed to oppose the bill it was passed.

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ESPN’s Elle Duncan Dragged On Twitter for Protesting Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill

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ESPN sports anchor Elle Duncan was dragged on Twitter.com for condemning Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law.

Duncan, who shares two minor children with husband Omar Abdul Ali, seemed on the verge of tears as she railed against a bill designed to protect vulnerable children like her own.
 
RELATED: Florida legislature passes 'Don't Say Gay' bill
 
The bill prohibits schools from teaching children ages 5-8 how to tuck their genitals and bind their chests to treat gender dysphoria, and other gender identity issues.

Duncan and her ESPN colleagues held a moment of silence to protest Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill during the women's NCAA tournament on Saturday.

The 39-year-old Atlanta native raged against the bill, claiming the legislation is "targeting our LGBTQIA+ communities."

She said most of her colleagues planned to stage a walkout on Saturday to protest Florida's bill and similar legislation in Georgia and other states.

"We understand the gravity of this legislation and also how it is affecting so many families across this country, and because of that our allyship is going to take a front seat. And with that, we're going to pause in solidarity," Duncan said, before observing a moment of silence on the air.

Moses Robinson/WireImage

Duncan lost coveted gigs at 11ALive News and the Atlanta Hawks organization after she was arrested for drunk driving in Atlanta in 2013.

Outraged Twitter users argued that 5 year olds shouldn't be taught about sex - gay or heterosexual - because they are too young to understand adult situations.

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Florida legislature passes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that bans teaching LGBT+ issues and gender identity in grades K-3

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The Florida legislature has passed the controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill that bans teaching LGBT+ issues or gender identity in grades K-3.

Teachers can mention LGBT+ issues and gender identity in grades 4 and up, but the bill prevents them from teaching minor children who aren't old enough to understand the gay lifestyle.

LGBT+ activists, including "Proud to be gay" students, protested the bill outside the capitol building in Tallahassee and displayed transgender and LGBTQ flags.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lashed out at reporters and accused them of distorting the bill's contents. He pointed out that the bill did not ban the word "gay," or casual discussion of LGBT issues. It only prohibits formal instruction on gay and lesbian or transgender issues to minor children.

Schoolboy smiling in class

Getty Images

DeSantis said "we're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum."

LGBT+ activists are concerned that LGBT+ children will feel devalued or stigmatized.

However, Republican lawmakers in Florida argued that vulnerable children were being indoctrinated into a lifestyle that they don't understand.

MoMo Productions/Getty Images

Lawmakers said parents should teach such sensitive subject matters to their children, not educators.

Pres. Joe Biden called the bill "dangerous," "deeply bigoted" and "hateful". The bill will go into effect on July 1.

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3 Suspects Arrested in Murder of Miami TSA Agent, Whose Toddler Was Also Shot

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Facebook

A nine month investigation into the bizarre murder of a federal employee in Miami, Fl. has ended with the arrests of three people.

According to the Miami Herald, Romiel Robinson, 35, Jasmine Martinez, 33, and Javon Carter, 29, were arrested last week in connection with the shooting death of Le'Shonte Jones, a Transportation Security Administration officer at Miami International Airport.

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Miami-Dade PD

Martinez, who was taken into custody on Friday in Port St. Lucie, Fl., had been accused of a series of physical assaults on Jones in the past.

Also arrested on Friday was Robinson, left, one of Martinez's many boyfriends, and the suspected shooter, Carter, right, who was arrested last week in Miami-Dade, the Miami Herald reports.

Carter had just gotten out of prison in December 2020 after serving 8 years for a string of burglaries.

The three suspects were arrested following an exhaustive investigation into Jones' murder nine months ago.

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Facebook

Jones, a 24-year-old single mom of one, was fatally shot just steps away from her front door at the Coral Bay Cove apartments at 3:15 p.m. in May 2021. She was killed after working a shift at Miami International Airport.

Her 3-year-old daughter, who was with her at time, was wounded in the shooting. The child has since recovered and is in the custody of relatives.

"The preliminary information indicates that the victim was with her toddler, when a subject in a dark colored Nissan shot at the victim and fled," according to a Miami Dade police news release.

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Miami-Dade PD

Court documents obtained by the Miami Herald shows Martinez, an alleged MtF transgender, was accused in 2016 of physically attacking Jones, who was dating Martinez's ex-boyfriend. The 2016 case was dropped by investigators, the Herald reported.

Martinez was arrested again in 2018 for assaulting Jones.

Jones was killed one month after she sat for a deposition in a case involving Martinez's ex-boyfriend and another woman, the Herald reports.

According to police reports, in February 2020, Jones was attacked in the parking lot of Miami's criminal courthouse by Martinez's boyfriend, Kelly Nelson, who was not charged in Jones' murder.

According to Miami-Dade police, Jones reported that Martinez was harassing her to change her story, but she refused.

All three suspects have been charged with murder, and prosecutors plan to seek a grand jury indictment.

"We never stop working to bring justice to the families of those that can no longer be heard," Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III tweeted on Friday.

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Graphic video shows Florida cop shoot tiger that grabbed cleaner’s arm at Naples Zoo

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Naples PD

Police body camera footage captured the moment a Naples police officer fatally shot a tiger attacking a cleaner at the Naples Zoo, according to DailyMail.com.

Police say the cleaner, River Rosenquist, was supposed to be cleaning the public restrooms when he entered an unauthorized area of the zoo and attempted to feed or pet Eko, an 8-year-old Malayan tiger.

Rosenquist, who works for a third-party cleaning service, stuck his arm through the fence of Eko's enclosure and nearly lost his life and limb when Eko clamped down on it.

A police officer responding to the 911 call from a zoo employee arrived to a horrific sight. "Oh my god, is that real?" he asked a zoo employee.

The graphic video shows Rosenquist lying outside the fence, screaming in pain as Eko attempted to pull his mangled arm through the fence.

"Please help me! Please help me!" Rosenquist cried.

After kicking the fence, the officer asked if anyone had a tranquilizer gun to sedate the large animal.

Rosenquist screamed, "I'm gonna die! Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

"You're gonna have to shoot it man," said a medic. The officer fired a single gunshot into Eko's head, as the wounded tiger grunted and fled into the darkness.

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Naples PD

As medics tended to Rosenquist, a zoo veterinarian arrived and entered the enclosure to find Eko deceased.

Rosenquist was transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown. It is not clear if he will face criminal charges.

"Our deputy did everything he could do in that situation and he ultimately made the only possible decision he could in order to save this man's life," Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a press release.

"This was a tragic encounter at our world-class zoo facility. We value our community partnership with the Naples Zoo and their focus on conservation and education."

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Gov. DeSantis Saves Christmas by Rerouting Cargo Ships from California to Florida, First Cargo Ship Arrives in Florida (Video)

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Tiktok

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is saving Christmas by offering state ports to cargo ships waiting off the coast of California.

A Tiktok user shared video of a female pilot hovering her chopper over one of the first cargo ships to arrive at a Florida seaport.
 

More than 100 cargo ships have waited for weeks to unload at docks in Los Angeles and Long Beach. The reasons for the massive supply-chain bottleneck vary from California's restrictive Covid-19 laws to not enough trucks.

However, truckers complain that there are enough trucks to haul away the goods. Some truckers shared videos on Twitter and TikTok, showing long lines of trucks waiting for days at the ports.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Gov. DeSantis offered to ease the bottleneck by rerouting cargo ships to offload their precious cargo at Florida's 15 seaports.

"We're here. We have capacity,” DeSantis said at a press conference.

"We have to make sure people can go Christmas shopping as normal," DeSantis said.

"We have to make sure that all the necessities are there. And if it's because ships are sitting off the coast somewhere else, and they can be rerouted here, and we can get all those shelves stocked, then we want to be a part of that solution."

Florida seaports with direct access to railroads include Panama City, Port Everglades and the Jacksonville port.

Cargo ships that have waited for over a month off the California coast are making the 7-day journey through the Panama Canal to Florida.

There are costs to pass through the Panama Canal, but DeSantis said the expense is worth it to save Christmas.

"Our seaports are used to operating around the clock, they're used to moving cargo for American families, farmers and businesses. And we think that this is a great solution given our capacity for some of the problems you see in other parts of the country."

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Police find body believed to be Miya Marcano

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Family handout

Authorities in Florida believe they have found the body of missing 19-year-old college student Miya Marcano.

The body was discovered at 10:45 a.m. in a wooded area on Saturday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced at a press conference.

Miya Marcano was last seen on September 24 at Arden Villas apartment complex where she lived and worked in Orlando, Florida.

"We can't imagine the pain, the anguish, that Miya's parents, family, loved ones, the friends and really our entire community have gone through and will continue to go through," Mina said Saturday at a press conference. "On behalf of the men and women in the Orange County Sheriff's Office, we offer our deepest condolences."

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Orange County Sheriff's Office

The man suspected of Miya's murder, Armando Manuel Caballero, 27, killed himself in his apartment at a Seminole County apartment complex. His body was found on Sept. 28, days after he was questioned by police and cleared as a suspect.

Caballero worked as a janitor at Arden Villas apartments since June.

Police say Caballero was romantically interested in Miya, and she repeatedly rejected his advances.

Miya worked in the leasing office at the apartment complex. Caballero used a master key fob to enter her apartment about 30 minutes before her shift ended at 5 pm.

An arrest warrant was issued for Caballero after the complex manager told authorities he entered Miya's apartment that day without permission.

Her apartment showed signs of a struggle. There was blood on her pillow and the front door was barricaded from the inside.

Miya, a student at Valencia College in Orlando, was scheduled to fly home to Fort Lauderdale to visit her parents the day she went missing.