TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign picked up $3.35 million in matching funds from the state on Monday, exceeding the amount he received in public money throughout the 2018 primary and general elections. DeSantis was one of five statewide candidates who received initial draws from the long-controversial matching fund program, according to information posted online by the state Division of Elections. Advertisement DeSantis is receiving the public money as he piles up... Read More
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A man was reported missing; a gun was reported stolen. A shallow backyard grave led to the arrest of the accused killer.
New soil, decorative bricks and an above-ground pool sat atop a homemade grave in Simon Hand’s backyard. Fort Lauderdale Police detectives noticed the newly laid sod on July 15 while they were at the home in the 1800 block of Southwest 64th Terrace in North Lauderdale talking to Hand about a gun that went missing, records say. Days later, detectives would be back with a search warrant. Advertisement Broward Sheriff’s deputies and Fort Lauderdale Police officers dug up the body of an... Read More
Boat carrying Haitian migrants sinks off Bahamas, killing 17
MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the Bahamas combed shorelines and open waters on Monday in hopes of finding more survivors after a boat carrying up to an estimated 60 Haitian migrants apparently capsized. Divers have found the bodies of 15 women, one man and a toddler, while another 20 men and five women have been rescued since Sunday, according to Bahamian officials. Advertisement The U.S. government is helping with the ongoing search as local authorities deploy drones, planes and... Read More
Uber driver: Marjory Stoneman Douglas killer was anxious and nervous on his way to the school
Editor’s note: Daily coverage of the Parkland trial is being provided to all readers as a public service. The Uber driver who transported the killer to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the day of the shooting recalled him being anxious and nervous on Feb. 14, 2018. Advertisement Other than that, Laura Zechinni described in court on Monday a rather uneventful trip from Loxahatchee Road, where she picked up the killer and took him to campus, not knowing he was about to kill 17... Read More
Condo owners brace for steep costs — with post-Surfside reforms on the way
Sell now or pay later? It could become an unpleasant choice for many South Florida condominium owners, ahead of a new state building inspection law driven by last year’s catastrophic collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside. Advertisement By the time Florida’s updated condo safety law goes into effect in 2025, many owners may have decided that it’s too costly to stay in their decades-old, high-rise condominiums. For tens of thousands of Florida condominium... Read More
At least 4 injured, including child, after car drives into ocean in Daytona Beach
A car crashed through a beach toll booth and drove into the ocean Sunday, injuring a child and at least three other people, officials with Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue said. The crash happened about 5 p.m. at the International Speedway Boulevard approach in Daytona Beach. Advertisement One of the people taken to the hospital was a child who was in the water, said Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs. She did not have details on the child’s... Read More
DeSantis ignores challengers as he goes after ‘stumbling’ Biden. Democratic candidate calls governor a ‘monster’
Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly hit on two of his favorite themes — extolling the “free state of Florida” and bashing President Joe Biden as dangerous and incompetent — to rally Florida Republicans on Saturday, previewing the kind of pitch he might deliver as a presidential candidate. For those who love the way he’s reshaped Florida, DeSantis promised even more. Advertisement “We’re just getting warmed up. I’ve only begun to fight,” he said at the state Republican... Read More
Omicron has shattered what we know about COVID reinfections. Here’s why you may be vulnerable.
Initially, enduring COVID had one redeeming quality: It gave you some short-term immunity from getting infected again. But the new omicron subvariants are shattering that trend. BA.5, which now makes up 66% of COVID cases in Florida, has caused more people to catch COVID for the second or third time than previous strains. Advertisement BA.5 is known for having a structure that is maximized to evade immunity and for transmitting from person-to-person more easily than other subvariants in... Read More
Hallandale Beach adds 13 Teslas to its police fleet to save money and go green
HALLANDALE BEACH — The next time you see a Hallandale officer pull up to a curb, they might be driving a Tesla. The Hallandale Beach Police Department is adding 13 Tesla Model Y vehicles to its fleet to bring down emissions and save money, the department said. Advertisement “We’re thrilled to be rolling out the largest deployment of electric police vehicles in the state of Florida — we believe the largest deployment in the United States, and to get these EVs on the road,” City... Read More
Graphic Parkland videos withheld from courtroom view, but jurors must endure every detail
Editor’s note: Prosecutors seeking the death penalty against confessed Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz are tasked with convincing a jury to vote for execution over a life sentence. They are presenting graphic testimony to the jury, some of which comes in the form of video that is being withheld from the general public in compliance with privacy laws protecting victims. A handful of journalists, including South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Rafael Olmeda, have been allowed to watch... Read More