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ST. PETERSBURG — Fewer manatee deaths have been recorded so far this year in Florida compared to the record-setting numbers in 2021, but wildlife officials cautioned Wednesday that chronic starvation remains a dire and ongoing threat to the marine mammals. Between Jan. 1 and July 15, about 631 manatee deaths have been confirmed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That compares with 864 during the same period last year, when a record number of manatees died mainly from... Read More

Mitch Landrieu, the White House infrastructure coordinator, plans a two-day Florida visit to promote infrastructure projects in the Everglades and in Orlando. In South Florida on Thursday, Landrieu and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, will highlight $1.5 billion in federal spending on Everglades restoration. Most of the funding, $1.1 billion, is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure law. Advertisement They will take an airboat tour to see project improvements. In... Read More

The killer gave one warning to one student — “Get out of here,” he said. “Things are going to get bad.” Jurors in the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nicholas Cruz got another look Tuesday at how bad things got, sitting through 15 minutes of silent surveillance camera footage that showed his deadly rampage through the hallways and stairwells of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018. Advertisement And they heard from some of the survivors of... Read More

Here are updates from Day 30 in the sentencing trial of confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, 23; a jury will decide if he will be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole. He pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Survivors testify: Injured students and teachers testified about their experiences during the mass shooting. On Tuesday, the... Read More

The man charged with attempting to extort state Sen. Lauren Book was sentenced Tuesday to one year and one day in prison and followed by 10 years of probation. Jeremy Kamperveen, of Plantation, pleaded no contest last month to charges of cyberstalking and extortion for threatening to release explicit photos and videos of Book. Advertisement Kamperveen, 20, was arrested Nov. 17 and pleaded not guilty in December. But he changed his plea in June. Kamperveen was facing a maximum sentence... Read More

Plantation voters will head to the polls in November to pick new council members for three of its five seats. The council members help set policy and sign off on the budget, including the tax rate, and develop new initiatives. The council races are expected to revolve around development. Advertisement Voters also will choose a new mayor. That race is between incumbent Mayor Lynn Stoner and challenger Councilman Nick Sortal. Both the mayor and council members are elected citywide to a... Read More

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Ron DeSantis runs for re-election in November, he has drawn attention across the country as a potential 2024 candidate for president. With that has come lots of cash, in big chunks and pocket change, from Tallahassee to Honolulu. Advertisement Since the beginning of this year, DeSantis’ political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, has raised at least $56.2 million. Money has flowed into the committee from every state and Washington, D.C, with at least $29.2... Read More

Make sure you’re registered to vote in the Aug. 23 primary election — before it’s too late. The last day to register to vote is Monday, July 25, and it’s a good idea not to wait until the last minute. Sign up “ideally before Monday, as soon as possible,” urged Ivan Castro, Broward’s Supervisor of Elections’ spokesman. Advertisement If voters want to change their party affiliation, July 25 also is the last day to do that so they can vote in their party’s races for the... Read More

A Parkland man was arrested and charged in a sexual assault that lasted three hours at a Century Village home, Pembroke Pines Police said. Robert Kabolowsky, 62, was charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment, according to jail records. Advertisement The woman answered the door when Kabolowsky went to her home about 2 p.m. July 15, an arrest report says. The two sat in the living room and began to argue about personal matters, the arrest report says. He undressed, grabbed her by... Read More

ExpandAutoplay Image 1 of 39 State witness Brittany Sinitch, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, cries during direct examination in the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, July 18, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP,... Read More