Citing mental illness, prosecutors won't seek death penalty for man accused of murdering Florida bus driver
TAMPA, Fla. -- Citing a diagnosis of mental illness for murder defendant Justin McGriff, Hillsborough Assistant State Prosecutor Ron Gale surprised the court at an otherwise routine hearing by announcing that the state is taking the death penalty off the table."We would announce our intention to withdraw that notice at this time," Gale said by phone Friday. “I will be filing a formal pleading withdrawing our notice of intent to seek death.”Judge Christopher Sabella appeared surprised by the move saying, "All right, well that’s pretty significant.
Sheriff: Florida residents organizing 'COVID-19 parties,' some led by gang members
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- Florida gang members have supposedly been hosting massive parties at vacation rental homes with the hopes of spreading the coronavirus, according to officials.
'Hey buddy, there's a shark right there!' Off-duty police officer pulls boy away from shark
COCOA BEACH, Fla. - An off-duty Cocoa police officer pulled a boy away from a shark to safety.
After months apart, 90-year-old Florida man wears full PPE to say goodbye to wife with dementia
LAKELAND, Fla. -- For nearly 30 years, Sam Reck was by his wife JoAnn's side.
Florida officer beaten unconscious by suspect needs facial reconstructive surgery, police say
ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida police officer needs facial reconstructive surgery after he was beaten unconscious by a suspect early Thursday morning, July 16.Atlantic Beach police received a complaint around 5 a.m. about a man in the parking lot of a Panera Bread restaurant, First Coast News reported.
Miami-Dade to issue $100 fines for people not wearing masks in public
MIAMI -- Miami-Dade County plans to start aggressively enforcing rules designed to combat the rapidly spreading coronavirus.The county's commission unanimously approved an emergency order on Thursday that gives all code and fire inspectors authority to issue tickets of up to $100 for individuals and $500 for businesses not complying with guidelines to wear masks and practice social distancing.
#FloridaMorons trends on social media as crowds form at reopened beaches
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Crowds reportedly returned to beaches in Jacksonville Friday, April 17 after Governor Ron DeSantis said it was OK to reopen if done safely, Fox News reported.
George Zimmerman, acquitted in shooting of Trayvon Martin, banned from Tinder
MIAMI — The ex-neighborhood watch volunteer who killed an unarmed teenager in Florida in 2012 has been banned from the dating app Tinder.An emailed statement from Tinder cited users' safety as a reason for removing George Zimmerman's profile.An article by Tampa, Florida, weekly Creative Loafing says Zimmerman used a fake name on the dating app.Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting of Trayvon Martin on the grounds of self-defense.He has had several run-ins with the law, including a 2015 arrest after he was accused of throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend.
Families of 17 victims killed in Parkland school shooting will get $400K each from GoFundMe
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The families of the 17 victims killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting will each receive $400,000 from a $10.5 million fund.
'Changing the game:' Parkland shooting survivors to embark on 2-month tour to register young voters
PARKLAND, Fla. — A day after graduating, a group of Florida high school shooting survivors announced they'll spend their summer crisscrossing the country, expanding their grass-roots activism from rallies and schools walkouts to registering young voters to help accomplish their vision for stricter gun laws.David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, Jaclyn Corin and about two dozen other students who have become the faces and voices of bloodshed in American classrooms stood together Monday in matching black "Road to Change" T-shirts, holding placards at a park just down the street from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 were killed on Valentine's Day.In the months since the shooting, the students have rallied hundreds of thousands across the country to march for gun reform, including a massive turnout in Washington, D.C., in March.But the young activists say rallies won't matter unless that energy is funneled into voting out lawmakers beholden to the National Rifle Association this November."This generation is the generation of students you will be reading about next in the textbooks. ...
'A sad day:' Diplomas presented to families of 4 seniors killed in shooting at Parkland high school
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The senior class from the Florida high school where 17 people died in February's gun massacre held graduation ceremonies Sunday afternoon, with the focus on honoring four students slain in the attack.Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will present diplomas to the families of Nicholas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver, Meadow Pollack, and Carmen Schentrup at the event that began about 2 p.m. The school principal, Ty Thompson, underscored the honors to the four slain students in a tweet Sunday."Remember those not with us, and celebrate all the successes the Class of 2018 has brought to the community and the world!" Thompson tweeted.The ceremony for the 784 members of the Class of 2018 was being held at the BB&T Center, where the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers play.
Mutual admiration as Parkland students celebrate milestones
MIAMI — Samantha Fuentes, one of the Parkland school shooting survivors who gave emotional speeches at the March for Our Lives in Washington, has something to celebrate: Three months after the attack, she says "My face is finally shrapnel free!"Fuentes tweeted a photo of her face on Saturday, showing a wide smile despite bruises and a hospital bandage stretching from her ear to her mouth."Regardless of the fact I look like I lost a fight, inside I'm winning in a way.
Nikolas Cruz and his brother might have $1 million in bank, attorney says
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nikolas Cruz could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, his public defender said Wednesday as the Florida school shooter appeared at a hearing to determine if taxpayers will pick up the tab for his defense.Wearing an orange jumpsuit and flanked by five Broward County Sheriff's Office deputies, Cruz looked down as his defense team addressed the court.
Florida school shooting hero blames sheriff, superintendent
PLANTATION, Fla. — A student gravely wounded while saving his classmates' lives by blocking a door during the Florida school massacre said Friday that the county sheriff and school superintendent failed the victims by not arresting the shooter before the attack and by allowing him to attend the school.An attorney for 15-year-old Anthony Borges read a statement from him during a news conference criticizing Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and Superintendent Robert Runcie for the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 14 students and three staff members.Borges was shot five times, suffering wounds to the lungs, abdomen and legs.
Clear bags among security measures at Parkland, Florida school where 17 died
PARKLAND, Fla. — Students at a Florida high school where 17 people died in a mass shooting are receiving clear backpacks.The Sun Sentinel reports that Broward County Public Schools officials were providing the new bags as students returned Monday to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Superintendent Robert Runcie said sports equipment or musical instruments may be carried in non-clear bags, but students should expect those items to be searched.Additional sheriff's deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers also have been stationed at the Parkland school since the Feb. 14 massacre.Principal Ty Thompson said the school would begin using a single entrance instead of four entry points.
Ted Nugent: Parkland teens attacking the NRA have 'no soul'
Rocker Ted Nugent says the Florida students calling for gun control have "no soul" and are "mushy brained children."He made the comments Friday while defending the National Rifle Association as a guest on the Joe Pags Show, a nationally syndicated conservative radio program.Nugent, an NRA board member, said survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are wrong to blame the NRA for mass shootings.He went on to say that "the evidence is irrefutable, they have no soul," and that the gun-control measures they support amount to "spiritual suicide."A representative for the 69-year-old Nugent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Stoneman Douglas senior Kyra Parrow says on Twitter that Nugent is "is being a 5 year old acting like a bully."
Rick Santorum: Students should learn CPR, not seek gun laws
PENNSYLVANIA -- Former Pennsylvania Sen.
'Get out there and vote:' Parkland survivor marks 6 minutes of strength and silence at rally
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Chin high and tears streaming, Florida school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez stood silent in front of thousands gathered for the "March for Our Lives" rally in Washington, D.C.She continued to stand silently as a few crowd members shouted out support.
Pictures: 'March for Our Lives' rallies in Milwaukee, D.C., Parkland and across the US
MILWAUKEE -- Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators at student-led anti-gun rallies held across the United States on Saturday were joined by counterparts the world over.In Paris, France about 100 demonstrators rallied near the Eiffel Tower in solidarity with the American "March for Our Lives" events.Caitlin Waters, co-organizer of the Paris event, said it's important for Americans overseas to let Washington know that they want more gun control.