Posts Tagged: Florida news

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At least 1 dead, 99 unaccounted for in Florida condo collapse

AFP via Getty Images

A massive search and rescue operation is underway at the site of a partial building collapse in South Florida.

Officials have confirmed at least one death and 35 people injured when a section of the oceanfront Champlain Towers condominium fell around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Surfside, Florida.

Surfside is located about 6 miles north of Miami Beach, Florida.

Officials said the 12-story condominium, built in 1981, was undergoing renovations on the roof. They do not believe the renovations caused the disaster.

AFP via Getty Images

Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue sent 113 units to the site of the collapse. Rescue teams and K9 dogs continue to search the rubble for survivors.

At least 99 people are still unaccounted for, while 102 people have been accounted for and are safe.

Residents in nearby buildings describe hearing a loud cracking sound before part of the building fell.

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Google Maps

Section of the building that collapsed. View is from 88th Street and Collins Avenue.

Security camera footage shows the middle section of the L-shaped building crumble to the ground. Seconds later the rest of the structure fell in a cloud of debris.

The rising sun revealed the total devastation of the pre-dawn collapse. Furniture, carpets and bunk beds can be seen on one floor.

AFP via Getty Images

A child was rescued by a passerby who heard him screaming and saw his hand sticking up from the rubble.

A Twitter user shared video from her home surveillance camera that shows a shower of debris falling before the walls begin to shake and the camera loses connection. The woman was not at home at the time of the collapse (watch video here).

AFP via Getty Images

Engineers will determine the cause of the building collapse when the search and rescue phase is completed. One building expert called it "an oddity of biblical proportions" for the 40-year-old structure to fall unexpectedly.

"Buildings just don't fall down," Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said. "There's no reason for this building to go down like that unless someone literally pulls the supports out from underneath."
 

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No Criminal Charges in Florida Elementary School Paddling Case

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No criminal charges will be filed against the elementary school principal who paddled a 6-year-old student in front of her mother and classmates.

The girl's mother secretly recorded the paddling and the footage went viral, sparking public backlash against the principal.

Investigators determined the principal didn't commit a crime, because the child's mother consented to corporal punishment.

According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter and her clerk, Cecelia Self, paddled the student at the request of the girl's mother.

The child's mother, who is in the country illegally, is under investigation for child neglect at home.

Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham R. Thornburg explains "the evidence in this case appears clear that the child's mother sanctioned and consented to the spanking of her daughter as discipline for misbehavior."

Thornburg also said there were "significant concerns" about the mother's credibility regarding her statements that she was confused or didn't understand the language.

The mother retained an attorney who told reporters the mother didn't know what was going on due to a language barrier. But the principal and clerk are fluent in Spanish -- the mother's native language.

Thornburg said there was "no reason to believe" the principal was aware of any such confusion at the time of the paddling.

Thornburg explained:

"A parent has the right to use corporal punishment to discipline their children, and similarly has the right to consent that others do so on their behalf."

Brent Probinsky, attorney for the family, told TMZ, "The state attorney reached the wrong conclusion here. It's frightening the state attorney, who is in charge of prosecuting crimes in this community, is not filing charges in what clearly is child abuse."

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Florida residents in uproar as scientists prepare to release a BILLION genetically engineered mosquitos in Key West

Joao Paulo Burini/Getty Images

Florida residents are outraged that nearly 1 billion mosquitos are set to be released in the Florida Keys.

Scientists will release 750 million male mosquitos that are genetically engineered to breed with female mosquitos in the wild.

The male mosquitos are modified to carry a protein that will kill off any female offspring before they reach maturity. The experiment ensures that no female mosquitos will survive in the long run.

Any male offspring will mature and mate with female mosquitos, passing on the defective genes and slowly eliminating the mosquito population.

The project's goal is to control invasive, disease-carrying species responsible for infections such as Zika, dengue and yellow fever.

Screengrab/Getty Images

The experiment, spearheaded by British firm biotech firm Oxitec, received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Furious Florida residents are calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop "this live experiment", which they refer to as "terrorism."

The experiment is set to begin this week, with the first phase releasing up to 144,000 mosquitoes over the next 12 weeks.

Up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitos will eventually be released in Monroe County.

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Couple invites guests to attend wedding at mansion they didn’t own

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Realtor.com, Facebook

A Florida couple invited guests to their lavish wedding at a 16,300 square foot mansion complete with a tennis court, bowling alley and pool with a waterfall.

In their glossy wedding invitation, Courtney Wilson and Shenita Jones - who referred to themselves as "the Royal couple" - claimed they owned the sprawling $5.6 million mansion with 15 bathrooms.

They called the Southwest Ranches mansion their "dream home" and they said God sent them a message to hold their dream wedding there.

However, the homeowner didn't receive the same message from God.

Nathan Finkel's late father, who owned the mansion, was an early IHOP restaurant franchisee. Finkel recently listed it the home for over $5 million.

Finkel was baffled when Wilson showed up outside the gate on Saturday morning to set up for the wedding.

The homeowner told Wilson he never gave them permission to hold their nuptials there.

"I have people trespassing on my property," Finkel told a 911 dispatcher, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"And they keep harassing me, calling me. They say they're having a wedding here and it's God's message. I don't know what's going on. All I want is (for) it to stop. And they're sitting at my property right at the front gate right now."

Police arrived promptly and told Wilson and his friends to hit the road. No arrests were made.

Wilson previously toured the home as a potential buyer. He fell in love with the property and fancied himself and his new bride living there.

Then he received the Divine message from God telling him the home was his free and clear.

Squatters around the country claim to receive that same Divine message.

"The guy figured it was a vacant house and didn't realize Nathan lived on the property in a different home," Poliakoff said. "This guy had no idea he lived there. You know the shock that must have been on his face when he showed up at the gate and the owner was home?"

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Spring Break killer’s sister pleads with judge to free him on bond: ‘I can attest for his character’

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Handout, Miami Beach Police

The sister of one of the men charged with drugging and raping a Spring Breaker in Florida pleaded with a judge to let her brother out on bond.

Christine Englehardt, 24, was given a "green pill" by 21-year-old Evoire Collier (center) and 24-year-old Dorian Taylor (right) on Thursday. The trio then headed back to her South Beach hotel room.

Englehardt had made the 1,200 mile trip from her home in Bucks Country, Pennsylvania, to attend the Spring break festivities alone, her father told NBC Miami.

Although she was safety conscious at home, Englehardt apparently let her guard down when she met Collier and Taylor, who were both in town from Greensboro, North Carolina.

Her semi-nude body was found in her room at the Albion Hotel at 1650 James Avenue on Thursday, the Miami Herald reported.

Surveillance footage taken from the hotel lobby shows the two suspects accompanying Englehardt into the hotel around 1 a.m. Thursday. Taylor is seen holding Englehardt by her neck as she staggered to the elevator.

Collier later confessed that both suspects had sex with Englehardt, and Taylor raped her while she was unconscious.

They then stole her personal belongings, including her cell phone, credit cards and cash.

Police say Collier and Taylor went on a spending spree with Englehardt's credit cards, including purchasing liquor at South Beach Liquors.

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NBC Miami, Twitter

Both suspects are pictured (right) in the background of another spring breaker's Twitter photo. Collier is shirtless while Taylor wears a white shirt in the photo.

The two suspects were arrested over the weekend and appeared in a Miami-Dade County courtroom before Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Monday.

The sister of the younger suspect (Collier) made an emotional plea to Judge Glazer to let her brother go free on bond.

"I'm severely, um, bewildered by these charges and accusations against him, but I can attest for his character and I can attest for responsibility of him standing trial for whatever charges if you please let my brother come home and let our family handle the situation appropriately. We will do what ever is necessary that Miami-Dade County asks of us."

Judge Glazer ordered both suspects held without bond until investigators determine whether the pill they gave Englehardt contributed to her death. Police found pills on one of the suspects. The pills were sent to a lab to be tested.
 


 

Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the photograph(s) or video(s) used in this post. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" of photographs for purposes such as parody, criticism, commentary, news reporting, education, and research.

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2 women dressed up as grannies to receive Covid-19 mRNA shots

Stock: Jackyenjoyphotography

Two women were so desperate to get the still experimental Covid-19 mRNA shots that they dressed up as "grannies" to skip the line.

Florida health officials say the two women aroused suspicion immediately.

"So yesterday, we realized a couple of young ladies came dressed up as grannies to get vaccinated for the second time. So I don't know how they escaped the first time," said Dr. Raul Pino, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, during a press briefing on Thursday.

According to Dr. Pino, the two women showed up to the Orange County Convention Center wearing bonnets, gloves and glasses -- "the whole thing," he said. The women wore disguises to make themselves eligible to receive the vaccination outside of a health care or long-term care facility setting.

The women had valid vaccination cards for their first injections, but there was an issue with their driver's licenses on the second go 'round.

Their dates of birth "did not match those they had used to register for the vaccines," said the Orange County Sheriff's Office in a statement. "The names, however, did match the registration."

The sheriff's office identified the women as Olga Monroy-Ramirez, 44, and Martha Vivian Monroy, 34.

The women were not arrested or cited. But security was increased at the vaccination site.

"This is the hottest commodity that is out there right now," the director said. "So we have to be very careful with the funds and the resources that we are provided."

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Outrage: Video shows maskless supermarket in Florida

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YouTube

NBC's Shep Smith fantasizes about "a time when we won't have to wear the masks anymore." But for many Floridians and Georgians, that time is now.

NBC's Sam Brock filmed a video of a supermarket in Naples, Florida where both employees and customers don't wear masks. The video shows maskless shoppers and employees smiling and chatting face-to-face.

There are no mask mandates or Covid-19 restrictions in Florida, where the death rate is less than half of the rates in heavily restricted blue states.

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YouTube

Masks are not enforced in the store because the store's guidelines include medical exemptions. A sign that greets shoppers states: "If we see you without a mask, we will assume you have a medical condition and we will welcome you inside to support our business."

Brock asked the store owner, Alfie Oakes: "Is your position about medical exemptions or is it about the fact that you don't think masks work...?"

"I know that the masks don't work and I know that the virus has not killed 400,000 people in this country," Oakes replied. "That's total hogwash,"

The video quickly went viral on social media.

In other news, the CDC and state health officials are sounding the alarm because white people are getting vaccinated at higher rates than Black people.

Data from 23 states shows that white Americans are being vaccinated at rates of up to three times higher than Black Americans.

Despite the fear mongering about new virus “variants" and “mutations," Black people are wary of vaccination efforts in the Black community for a virus that has a lower death rate than the seasonal flu.
 

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11th suspect arrested for fraudulently obtaining Covid-19 funds in Florida

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Polk County Sheriff

The Polk County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of an 11th suspect who received $2,000 in federal CARES Act Funds intended for residents who were financially impacted by Covid-19.

Saget Genoret, 33, a Publix employee in Lakeland, was arrested after he used a falsified letter on a Publix letterhead to apply for the $2,000 benefits. Genoret claimed Publix cut his hours due to the pandemic.

During a Friday afternoon press conference, Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrests of 10 suspects who fraudulently obtained Covid relief funds.

Judd said the fraud started with 49-year-old Phyllis Tirado -- a manager of McDonald's located at 416 West Central Avenue in Lake Wales.

TIrado didn't apply for funds herself, but she allegedly falsified a letter for a McDonald's worker whom she "felt sorry" for.

The employee, 34-year-old Ebony Chaney, received $2,000 in Covid relief funds from the federal CARES Act distributed through the Polk County CARES ACT program.

Authorities say Chaney didn't qualify for the funds she received.

"[Tirado] felt sorry for her employees," Judd explained. "Thought they could use some extra money so she dummied up a letter for one."

The form was then altered to remove Chaney's information and copies were handed out to employees at Publix, a literacy program, and the Scott Lake Health & Rehabilitation.

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"In some instances," Judd said, "they took signed forms, scanned them in... and then wrote the information in. interestingly enough, in one of them, they spelled Phyllis' name wrong."

Judd added: "Yesterday, when we started arresting people, if you were in line at McDonald's, and you got your hamburger and it was cold, it's because we were arresting people."

The investigation, which began in June, is still ongoing. Judd said more arrests are expected. He issued a word of warning to anyone who stole money from the CARES Act: "If I were you, I would beat feet down to the county and give that money back before we figure it out."

He said the judge is more likely to be lenient with those who returned the funds before sheriff's deputies show up at their door with arrest warrants.

The suspects were charged with Obtaining Property by Fraud, Grand Theft, and Criminal Use of Personal ID.

One man, Mervin Suttle, 36, of Bartow, was also charged with fraudulently receiving food stamps and unemployment.

Another suspect, Patricia Taylor, 38, of Lakeland, worked as an LPN at a nursing home.

All of the suspects lost their jobs following their arrests.
 

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Two Florida women arrested for impersonating police officers during fake traffic stop

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YouTube

Two Florida women are behind bars, accused of impersonating Sarasota police officers.

Police arrested Jymieka McDowell, 28, and 39-year-old Ryshawnna Poole, who are accused of impersonating a police officer more than once.

Police responded to a 911 call about a suspicious traffic stop at 1 a.m. Sunday. The caller told dispatch they believed a Sarasota Police Department officer was in distress.

While searching the area for the distressed officer, police stumbled upon the two women pulling over a vehicle while impersonating police officers.

During the investigation, police learned the women live-streamed their fake traffic stops where they used profanity and ordered occupants out of their vehicles.

The women can be heard telling the victims, "driver, exit the vehicle," "put your ******* hands up driver," "I need everyone to exit the ******* car," "do not make a move," "Black lives don't ******* matter," and "anybody move and I will shoot."

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino advised motorists to call 911 dispatch if they suspect they are being pulled over by someone impersonating a police officer.
 

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Judge Says Miami Strip Club Can Stay Open Past ‘Illegal’ Covid-19 Curfew

Blend Images/ Getty)

A judge has ruled that a Miami strip club can keep its doors open past Miami-Dade County's "illegal" Covid-19 curfew.

Tootsie's strip club in Miami Gardens won a civil case that was closely watched by other local business owners who were forced to close amid the fading Covid-19 pandemic.

Tootsie's will be allowed to stay open past the county's Covid-19 curfew nearly three months after the curfew was put in place.

Miami-Dade County ordered all non-essential businesses to close at 11 p.m. to stop the spread of the weakening coronavirus.

Tootsie's filed a lawsuit, and last week, Judge Beatrice Butchko ruled that Tootsie's can remain open all night because of Gov. Ron DeSantis' statewide executive order that slaps down local mandates such as face masks and lockdowns.

"The Miami-Dade curfew orders conflict with [DeSantis' executive order] because they prohibit Tootsie's from operating; they prohibit employees and contractors from working; and they reduce capacity to zero for the entire time subject to the curfew," Butchko wrote in her ruling.

Broward County Mayor Dale Holness also imposed a similar order to close all businesses at 11 p.m.

Nightclub owners in Broward County demanded answers from Mayor Holness, who said businesses would still have to shut down at 11 p.m.

Strip clubs are considered essential businesses because they provide a much-needed outlet to release pent-up sexual tension in the male species.