UpdateFlorida

Update Florida moves to new Tallahassee.com

2008-02-28T10:31:00.001-05:00

The new Tallahassee.com will launch this afternoon, so check out Update Florida on the new site by clicking here.

Haridopolos plans to transfer his quest for a Ph.D. to FSU

2008-02-28T09:38:00.001-05:00

From the Orlando Sentinel

State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, responding to his controversial hiring at the University of Florida, said last week that he was working toward a Ph.D. in history at the University of Arkansas.

UF said the same in a news release announcing his $75,000-a-year job as a lecturer.

But officials at the University of Arkansas said Wednesday that Haridopolos hasn't been enrolled there since 2000.

Haridopolos now says he is giving up on Arkansas and planning to switch to Florida State University.

Continuing to pursue his doctoral dreams at Arkansas "is not feasible," he said Wednesday after the Sentinel asked about his status there.

Two arrested in failed commissioner recall

2008-02-28T09:35:00.002-05:00

From the Miami Herald

Two people were arrested late Wednesday on charges they knowingly gathered and notarized false signatures for a petition to recall Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas in 2006, authorities said.

Miami-Dade Police say Luz Dunlap, 59, a notary, knowingly authorized forged signatures for the failed recall effort. She is charged with more than 100 counts of falsely taking signatures and receiving signatures to mislead a public servant, both third-degree felonies.

Police also charged Anibal Roberto Orellana-Ramirez, 26, with 23 counts of forgery, a third-degree felony. Authorities say he also falsely signed a petition with someone else's name, a first-degree misdemeanors.

He confessed to forging the signatures, authorities said.

Both were were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Wednesday night.

Haitian tells of life as 'slave' in Kendall

2008-02-28T08:57:00.001-05:00

From the Miami Herald

A young Haitian woman, speaking slowly with tears running down her cheeks, described her life as a ''slave'' -- thinking that suicide was the only way to escape the Haitian family in South Florida that had held her against her will for six years.

The audience listening to her horror story: 12 federal jurors in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom, where Simone Celestin, 23, testified Wednesday at length about her experience in a Kendall home.

''I thought about drinking motor oil or bleach. I decided not to drink the bleach. I chose motor oil,'' she told the jurors in describing her feelings of despair in November 2004 after being beaten for not making a bed for the family.

Celestin's testimony came on the third day of the trial of a Southwest Miami-Dade family -- Evelyn Theodore and her two grown daughters, Maude Paulin and Claire Telasco -- charged with human trafficking and forced labor. If convicted, each defendant could be imprisoned up to 20 years.

Paulin's ex-husband, Saintfort Paulin, faces one charge of harboring the girl. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Political-cash case lands Daytona club manager in jail

2008-02-28T08:56:00.001-05:00

From the Orlando Sentinel

DAYTONA BEACH - What's the ultimate price for illegally funneling $1,500 in campaign contributions in a city election?

It will cost strip-club manager Sean Bishop his freedom.

Bishop, manager of Lollipops Gentlemen's Club in Daytona Beach, was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail for the three $500 checks, written by others but reimbursed by him in cash. With time off for good behavior, he may serve five months.

Many people wrote letters to convince Chief Circuit Judge J. David Walsh of Bishop's good character, of his charitable work, generosity for friends and care of his family, and that he doesn't deserve jail time.

Walsh said few defendants have had so much support.

Ex-husband suspected of killing ex-wife's boyfriend

2008-02-28T08:54:00.001-05:00

From the Orlando Sentinel

Deputies this morning are searching for Dennis Rios in connection with the shooting death of a man in east Orange County.

The man's girlfriend told deputies that her ex-husband, Rios, 30, showed up at her Waterford Pointe Apartment and started arguing with her and her boyfriend sometime around 12:42 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Office report shows. At some point, Rios and the other man began fighting and the woman ran to another apartment. She told deputies that's when she heard gun shots fired and called 911.

Deputies discovered the boyfriend's body in a closed bedroom. He had three gunshot wounds in his back.

Noose at lake sparks inquiry

2008-02-28T08:51:00.001-05:00

From the St. Petersburg Times

TAMPA - Who hung a noose at Lake Roberta?

Tampa police want to know.

Gael Murphy, 59, was at the Seminole Heights lake on Feb. 11 checking on a drainage project when she said she noticed a nylon rope dangling above the head of a subcontractor she was speaking with.

"I look up and it's a noose!" she said Wednesday. "There's nothing like a noose."

Murphy, an animal rights advocate who lives in Egypt Lake, was originally touring the area after getting complaints from neighbors that a drainage project there was affecting wildlife.

While those complaints didn't appear to be substantiated, Murphy said what she did find that day concerned her enough to contact the company doing the work, the NAACP and the city.

Eventually, Tampa police got involved.

Disney hotel guests targeted by scam artist

2008-02-28T07:48:00.002-05:00

From WKMG Local 6 News

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Police are searching for a scam artist who has conned Disney hotel guests out of hundreds of dollars in recent weeks, Local 6 has learned.

Sheriff's deputies said they believe a con man is hanging out in a hotel lobby on Disney property, listening in on conversations and then making a phone call to the victim's room to scam them.

At least nine guests have been targeted, officials said.

Read more from WKMG Local 6 News.

Florida Strawberry Festival begins today

2008-02-28T07:47:00.001-05:00

From the Tampa Tribune

PLANT CITY - The queen is crowned, the parade floats decorated, the strawberries stemmed and the atmosphere charged with anticipation as this town prepares to pay annual homage to the crop that put it on the map.

At a time when modern culture is defined by the wireless BlackBerry, Plant City's obsession with a simple fruit might seem quaint but antiquated.

Yet tens of thousands journey to this rural enclave each year to participate in the Florida Strawberry Festival, which begins today and runs through March 9.

Nothing short of world war has stood between Plant City and its celebration of the perfect storm of latitude, climate, circumstance and providence that created the world's winter strawberry capital in the eastern corner of Hillsborough County.

Second paralyzed inmate claims abuse

2008-02-28T07:31:00.001-05:00

From the Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - A video that was used to convict a man of attacking deputies now is being used against the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The same attorney who represented a disabled inmate weeks ago in an abuse case against the sheriff's office said another handicapped inmate also was dumped from a wheelchair by deputies.

Former inmate Brian Sterner's treatment on Jan. 29 by detention Deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones resulted in her arrest on a felony charge of adult abuse and her resignation after 22 years with the agency. The video of his treatment made its way around the globe, prompting outcries from the public and an apology from Sheriff David Gee.

Largo lawyer John Trevena wants the sheriff's office to open a second criminal investigation into the treatment received by Benjamin Rayburn, 32, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

S. Fla. blackout still being investigated

2008-02-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

From the Tampa Tribune.

One half-second.

That's all it took for a set of sluggish circuit breakers in a Miami neighborhood to set in motion a cascade of power outages that rolled across Florida on Tuesday, from the Keys to Tampa to Gainesville, according to the first probes conducted by power regulators in Florida.

When it was all over, more than 3 million people in Florida lost power. And if anyone is looking for punishment to be handed out, federal investigators will have new weapons to deploy if they find fault with utility companies.

They'll be able to impose fines of up to $1 million per day for any faulty equipment or mishandled procedures at utility companies that broke new federal energy rules, rules brought about after massive blackouts in the northeast on Aug. 14, 2003.

Meanwhile, utility companies are still unraveling what happened.

It started about 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the first reports from the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council, a nonprofit group that oversees the cooperative power grid that's shared by utilities across the region.

About 1 p.m., equipment failed at a Florida Power & Light substation in the Miami area. Circuit breakers at the site were supposed to instantly cut off the station from the larger power grid. Instead, they were "too slow," and took about a half second to disconnect, said Sarah Rogers, president and CEO of the FRCC. A fire broke out at the substation, but that fire was an effect of the breakdown, not the cause, she said.

Officer accused of breaking into home

2008-02-28T06:30:00.001-05:00

From WKMG Local 6 News

ST. CLOUD, Fla. -- A St. Cloud police officer was arrested after authorities said he broke into a model home and stole furnishings while on duty.

Richard Berndt Jr. was fired immediately and stripped of his badge Wednesday after St. Cloud police said he broke into the home and took a small table and other furnishings.

Berndt, who was a probationary officer with the department, told police he took the items because he thought the property was abandoned.

Read more from WKMG Local 6 News.

NASA confirms thousands will lose jobs when shuttle program is retired

2008-02-28T06:27:00.001-05:00

From WKMG Local 6 News

For the first time, NASA confirmed what most workers at Kennedy Space Center have feared -- thousands of people will lose their jobs when the space shuttle program is retired.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday that as NASA prepares for the future, they will need different people for different jobs.

"At the Kennedy Space Center specifically, we will see -- after the shuttle retires -- a net reduction in contractor force of at least several thousand," Griffin said.

Read more from WKMG Local 6 News.

Orlando Weekly to end 'adult' ads

2008-02-28T06:24:00.002-05:00

From WKMG Local 6 News.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Weekly agreed at a hearing on Wednesday to permanently remove its "adult services" ads in exchange for all charges against the alternative newspaper being dropped.

Three Orlando Weekly advertising managers, Brian Martin, 43, the classified director for the newspaper; Katherine Miller, 27, an account executive; and Matthew Whiting, 37, an account executive, were arrested in October during a job fair at the downtown Orlando Marriott Hotel by Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation officers.

The trio received nine months of pretrial diversion with 100 hours of community service.

The deal comes a few months after the MBI released undercover tapes showing three Orlando Weekly employees allegedly selling adult ad space to undercover agents.

In a news release, the MBI said it "applauds that the Orlando Weekly has agreed to 'Do the Right Thing' and remove the 'Adult Services' advertising, which was a category of advertising that was fueling the Central Florida organized prostitution trade. This will solve the problem that the MBI's investigation sought to address."

Read more from WKMG Local 6 News.

Shutter scam artist arrested

2008-02-28T06:18:00.000-05:00

From Florida Today

Andrew Fernald, a hurricane shutter scam artist who skipped a December sentencing hearing in Brevard County, was arrested Wednesday afternoon about 5:45 p.m. in Bethpage, N.Y., the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island said.

Fernald, 50, is scheduled to be arraigned at a court in Nassau County on Thursday, said Thomas Brussell, a spokesman for the department. “He was a fugitive from justice,” Brussell said.

Brevard Circuit Judge John Harris issued a failure to appear warrant when Fernald failed to show up for his Dec. 20 sentencing on charges that he scammed more than two dozen homeowners out of more than $50,000 for hurricane shutter work he did not finish.

Brevard law enforcement said that Fernald duped customers by using “sales representatives” to do job estimates.

Skull, leg found near campsite may belong to bear attack victim

2008-02-27T13:07:00.001-05:00

From WKMG Local 6 Orlando
MARION COUNTY - Scattered human body parts found at a camp site in the Ocala National Forest have prompted an investigation into whether a bear or wildlife attacked the person near a tent.

A passer-by discovered the remains near the intersection of state Road 19 and Forest Road 77 near the Marion-Putnam County line.

A skull and a leg with a boot were found along with a Florida driver's license and money at the site, officials told the Ocala Star Banner.

Marion County sheriff's office Sgt. David Hopkins said it appeared the body had been at the tent for several weeks and there were no signs that foul play was involved.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials were trying to determine if the person died of natural causes or if wildlife in the area contributed to the death.

Ecotourism a bright spot in slow economy

2008-02-27T12:30:00.001-05:00

From Florida Today
BREVARD COUNTY - While the rest of the economy sputters, ecotourism may provide one bright spot, a state report released today suggests.

The report released by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says ecotourism in the state doubled from $1.57 billion in 2001 to $3 billion in 2006.

The report, “The 2006 Economic Benefits of Wildlife-Viewing Recreation in Florida,” prepared by Southwick Associates, Inc., uses data from the “2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation” from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The combined annual economic impact of recreational hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing in Florida tops $11 billion, according to the commission.

Student hospitalized, bacterial meningitis suspected

2008-02-27T12:16:00.000-05:00

From The Orlando Sentinel
DAYTONA BEACH - Daytona Beach Community College officials have confirmed that one student has been hospitalized and bacterial meningitis is suspected.

The student is a female and 18. Further details were not available.

The Volusia County Health Department said it is assuring students and parents that there is no public health threat to most students. Only those who came in close contact with the 18-year-old female student could be affected.

The department has helped get antibiotics to people who lived with the student or who might have come into contact through kissing, sharing food or a drink or being coughed or sneezed on.

Symptoms of meningitis include high fever, confusion and a stiff neck. They can develop rapidly, or can appear over several days.

Schools to take another hit from state

2008-02-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

From The Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE - State lawmakers are poised to slash more than $350 million from schools -- forcing layoffs in some districts before the end of the school year in June -- in an effort to balance the current year's budget, shrunken by withering sales-tax collections.

Schools, community colleges and universities will take the brunt of the $542 million in proposed cuts lawmakers want to make for the budget year that ends June 30. Other areas hit hard include state attorneys and public defenders, county and circuit courts, county health departments and juvenile justice programs.

Gov. Charlie Crist called the House and Senate proposals ''unfortunate'' and repeated his recommendations to lawmakers to dip into reserve accounts and use one-time cash from the state's rainy-day fund to avoid making cuts. For the budget year that begins July 1, the governor has proposed a budget that adds $1 billion to schools by relying on higher property tax revenues and new state lottery games.

Floridian's confidence bucks national trend

2008-02-27T10:54:00.002-05:00

From The Miami Herald
MIAMI - Consumer confidence plunged in February as Americans worried about less-favorable business conditions and job prospects, a business-backed research group said.

In Florida, however, consumer confidence actually increased by four points in February, according to a University of Florida survey.

The Conference Board said its national Consumer Confidence Index fell to 75 this month from a revised 87.3 in January. The reading was the lowest since the index registered 64.8 in February 2003, just before the U.S. invaded Iraq, researchers said.

The index measures how consumers feel about the economy. It has been weakening since July, suggesting that wary consumers may retrench financially, which could fatigue the economy further.

In Florida, the increase in confidence was likely prompted by the Jan. 29 referendum approving changes to the property tax system, coupled with approval of a federal stimulus package a few days later, according to the Survey Research Center at UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Psychologist charged in lover's overdose

2008-02-27T10:35:00.001-05:00

From The Miami Herald
MIAMI - High school senior and aspiring model Rachel Elaine Finzi, battling depression, turned to a clinical psychologist for help.

Just 18, she became his girlfriend. Two years later, Finzi was dead.

Miami-Dade homicide detectives and prosecutors on Thursday said Finzi's 2006 death was caused by an overdose of the painkiller OxyContin -- supplied by boyfriend Adam Feder, now 40, a substance abuse counselor who had been illegally writing prescriptions.

Feder, of North Miami-Dade, was charged Thursday with manslaughter, one count of trafficking in illegal drugs and seven of obtaining a controlled substance.

Man found not guilty in deaths of wife, son

2008-02-27T09:55:00.001-05:00

From The Orlando Sentinel
SANFORD - The Central Florida man charged with hacking his 11-year-old son and wife to death in June 2006 was found not guilty by reason of insanity by a Seminole County Circuit Court judge today.

Franklyn "Frankie" Duzant, 42, agreed to forgo a jury trial and was ordered to a secure state mental hospital by Judge Donna McIntosh after a nearly hour-long hearing.

Duzant was accused of beheading wife Evangeline "Gigi" Duzant inside their Lake Mary-area home June 16, 2006.

Neighbors said they watched in horror as Duzant's son Nico ran frantically out of the house to escape his father. Nico ran across the street toward neighbors, but Duzant caught up with the boy and slashed him to death with a sword. It was Nico's birthday.

Four mental health experts, two for the state and two for the defense, agreed Duzant was hallucinating and insane when he killed his family.

Duzant told experts he was the target of a conspiracy involving the KKK and CIA. He thought officials of Nico's Little League tem were out to destroy him and had lizards and frogs that could read his lips.

Georgia governor pessimistic about resolution to water feud

2008-02-27T08:29:00.001-05:00

From WTSP Tampa Bay 10
WASHINGTON - Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is acknowledging what his counterpart from Alabama suggested last week — the outlook isn't promising for a water-sharing agreement between those two states and Florida.

He also accuses Alabama and Florida of lacking the resolve that Georgia has to make a deal. He argues that Georgia's drinking water shortage is more critical than the water problems faced by its neighbors.

Governor Bob Riley of Alabama says Perdue's comments show why the talks are failing. Riley argues that Florida and Alabama brought good proposals to the negotiating table.

The three states have been feuding for nearly two decades over water rights in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river basins.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is the only one maintaining an optimistic tone. He says he remains hopeful — although there "are some challenges ahead."

Panhandle student dies during PE

2008-02-27T07:41:00.001-05:00

From Florida Today
PANAMA CITY - A middle school student in the Florida Panhandle has died after losing consciousness during a PE class.

Washington County Sheriff’s authorities say the 11-year-old boy was running uphill Tuesday afternoon when he lost consciousness. Paramedics tried to revive him. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of death. An autopsy is expected to be performed Wednesday.

Democrat narrowly wins Bob Allen's vacated House seat

2008-02-27T07:27:00.002-05:00

From The Orlando Sentinel
BREVARD COUNTY - Democrat Tony Sasso narrowly defeated Republican Sean Campbell by about 400 votes in Tuesday's election for state House District 32, ending a fierce battle marred by attack ads and misleading accusations in the final days of campaigning.

Sasso, a former Cocoa Beach city commissioner, captured 10,330 votes to Campbell's 9,918. No-party candidate Jerry Maynard, who was never considered a serious opponent, received 1,409 votes.

Voter turnout for the special election was low, with 26 percent in Brevard and only 10.9 percent in Orange County, where Campbell captured most of the votes, said Fred Galey, Brevard supervisor of elections.

Sasso will serve the rest of former state Rep. Bob Allen's term, about eight months. He then will have to run for re-election to hold on to the seat, which serves parts of Brevard and Orange counties.

After seven years in the Legislature, Allen reluctantly resigned late last year when a jury found him guilty of soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in a Titusville park restroom.