What happens in Florida stays in Florida (wishful thinking) (updated with fukkery)

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Study: Florida drivers among worst in country

Johari Canty




(WSVN) - We’ve heard it time and time again, and this time it’s no different: drivers in Florida are not that great, and a new study is verifying it yet again.

According to a study done by SmartAsset, Florida is in a three-way tie with Nevada and Texas for fourth place when it comes to the worst drivers in the country.

Last year, Florida took eighth place in the same study.

SmartAsset said they looked at four metrics when determining the list: the percentage of drivers who are insured, the number of driving under the influence arrests per 1,000 drivers, the number of fatalities per 100,000 vehicle miles driven and how often residents Google terms like “traffic ticket” or “speeding ticket.”

According to the study, just 73.3% of drivers in Florida have insurance — the lowest number in the country. However, the DUI rate is the lowest in the country at 2.17 per 1,000 drivers. Florida also has the 11th highest level of searches for traffic-related tickets.

The state with the worst drivers was Mississippi, while Massachusetts took the spot for the best drivers in the country.

To read the full findings of the study, click here.

 

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Officials: Man drags deputy with car in Orlando-area traffic stop


Officials: Man drags deputy with car in Orlando-area traffic stop

Associated Press

LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida man faces attempted murder charges for dragging a sheriff deputy about 100 yards (91 meters) with his SUV during a traffic stop.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma told news outlets 38-year-old Rocky Rudolph Jr. was shot in the leg by the officer during the Orlando-area incident. He fled on foot but was detained eight hours later and taken to a hospital.

Deputy Aaron Blais was also taken to a hospital.

Blais pulled Rudolph over Saturday in Lake Mary, Florida for illegal window tint and smelled marijuana. Lemma says Rudolph refused to turn off the SUV, and began driving while Blais grabbed the window. Blais pulled his gun out, radioed for backup, but Rudolph drove even further. Lemma says Blais fired into the car before falling off.

 

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Family: Woman dies after contracting flesh-eating bacteria at Florida beach

Courtesy: Fox 13
Associated Press




ELLENTON, Fla. (AP) — A 77-year-old woman was infected by flesh-eating bacteria and died nearly two weeks after she fell and scraped her leg while walking on a Florida beach, her family said Monday.

Wade Fleming told The Associated Press that his mother Lynn Fleming, who retired to Florida’s Gulf Coast, stumbled and fell into the water on Coquina Beach while her family was visiting from Pittsburgh. The wound swelled up and continued to bleed, leading her to urgent care where she was prescribed antibiotics and given a tetanus shot.

The woman was taken a day later to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with the flesh-eating disease and died Thursday after suffering two strokes and organ failure.

Lynn Fleming’s death follows the case of a 12-year-old girl from Indiana, who scraped her toe and contracted the same rare bacteria while vacationing last month in a Florida Panhandle beach. The bacteria thrive in warm, salty water, and usually are found in the South. Kylei Brown almost lost her leg and needs physical therapy to be able to walk again.

A retired bank teller from Charleroi, Lynn Fleming dreamed of moving to the area south of Tampa.

“She always wanted to move to Florida, but my dad was semi-retired and he was a charter boat captain,” he said. “After he died, she pulled the trigger.”

Almost four years ago she moved to Ellenton, where she took walks, played cards and shared dinners with other retired friends from her singles club.


The day she scraped her leg she was taking one of her usual walks on the beach. Wade Fleming said the family didn’t think much of the cut, which was three-quarters of an inch (19 millimeters). But the blood continued to trickle down. Lynn Fleming invited her son and his family to her retirement community’s monthly dinner that night before they returned to Pittsburgh.

“You would never know that anything was wrong,” Fleming said.

After her son and family left, the wound got worse and her friends convinced her to go to urgent care, where she was given a tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics. The next day when her friends were going to deliver the prescription drugs, they found her on her bedroom floor semiconscious. They rushed her to a hospital.

She was told she had been infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, Necrotizing fasciitis. She died after she suffered two strokes and septic shock during surgeries to save her leg.

 

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Fake Florida officer arrested after stopping real officer


Associated Press




PLANT CITY, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer after pulling over an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says 35-year-old Barry Lee Hastings Jr. was driving a black Ford Crown Victoria on Interstate 4 Thursday night when he activated flashing lights on the vehicle and pulled over another driver.

That other driver happened to be an off-duty Lee County deputy, who twice asked Hastings to show him proof he was a law enforcement officer. Hastings replied he was an officer, but he left his credentials at the office.

The deputy then called 911 and Hastings fled. A Hillsborough deputy pulled him over after he exited the interstate.

Jail records do not list a lawyer for Hastings.

 

[loyola llothta]

Family: Woman dies after contracting flesh-eating bacteria at Florida beach

Courtesy: Fox 13
Associated Press




ELLENTON, Fla. (AP) — A 77-year-old woman was infected by flesh-eating bacteria and died nearly two weeks after she fell and scraped her leg while walking on a Florida beach, her family said Monday.

Wade Fleming told The Associated Press that his mother Lynn Fleming, who retired to Florida’s Gulf Coast, stumbled and fell into the water on Coquina Beach while her family was visiting from Pittsburgh. The wound swelled up and continued to bleed, leading her to urgent care where she was prescribed antibiotics and given a tetanus shot.

The woman was taken a day later to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with the flesh-eating disease and died Thursday after suffering two strokes and organ failure.

Lynn Fleming’s death follows the case of a 12-year-old girl from Indiana, who scraped her toe and contracted the same rare bacteria while vacationing last month in a Florida Panhandle beach. The bacteria thrive in warm, salty water, and usually are found in the South. Kylei Brown almost lost her leg and needs physical therapy to be able to walk again.

A retired bank teller from Charleroi, Lynn Fleming dreamed of moving to the area south of Tampa.

“She always wanted to move to Florida, but my dad was semi-retired and he was a charter boat captain,” he said. “After he died, she pulled the trigger.”

Almost four years ago she moved to Ellenton, where she took walks, played cards and shared dinners with other retired friends from her singles club.


The day she scraped her leg she was taking one of her usual walks on the beach. Wade Fleming said the family didn’t think much of the cut, which was three-quarters of an inch (19 millimeters). But the blood continued to trickle down. Lynn Fleming invited her son and his family to her retirement community’s monthly dinner that night before they returned to Pittsburgh.

“You would never know that anything was wrong,” Fleming said.

After her son and family left, the wound got worse and her friends convinced her to go to urgent care, where she was given a tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics. The next day when her friends were going to deliver the prescription drugs, they found her on her bedroom floor semiconscious. They rushed her to a hospital.

She was told she had been infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, Necrotizing fasciitis. She died after she suffered two strokes and septic shock during surgeries to save her leg.

Scary

 

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Interstate confusion
"Florida authorities say a 13-year-old Tennessee boy charged with stabbing his brother told investigators he’d rather go to jail than spend 8 hours in the car with his sibling."


Boy stabs brother, says jail’s better than 8-hour drive


Associated Press




CRESTVIEW, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say a 13-year-old Tennessee boy charged with stabbing his brother told investigators he’d rather go to jail than spend 8 hours in the car with his sibling.

Deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested the boy Saturday and charged him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Investigators say he stabbed his 15-year-old brother in the arm three times with a pocket knife.

As he was being questioned about the incident, he said he understood his rights and that he didn’t regret stabbing his brother, who had been teasing him.

Deputies say the boy told them, “I’d rather be in jail than eight hours in the car with him.”

The boys live in Clarksville, Tennessee, northwest of Nashville.

 

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Woman accused of leaving $5,000 tip on boyfriend’s credit card after argument


CNN




CLEARWATER, Fla. (CNN) — A woman who gave a waitress in Clearwater a $5,000 tip has been arrested, as deputies say she used a credit card in her boyfriend’s name to get back at him for not buying her a plane ticket to New York.

Serina Wolfe, 24, of Buffalo, N.Y. was in the news a few days ago when she left a $5,000 tip for a server grieving the loss of her dog in Pinellas County, but now we have the rest of the story.

According to an arrest affidavit, Wolfe made a purchase using a credit card in her boyfriend’s name. He said they were in an argument because he wouldn’t buy her a plane ticket home to New York.

Deputies say he initially put a hold on the card so she couldn’t buy a plane ticket, but once he lifted the hold she gave the $5k tip.

Wolfe denied making the purchase. Then her boyfriend reported the charge to his credit card company as fraudulent, saying he believes she was drunk or trying to get back at him.

Clear Sky Cafe, where the tip was given, was notified the purchase was fraudulent on Monday, and they had already paid out their waitress for the amount of $5,000 for the tip and $55.37 for the food.

Wolfe voluntarily handed over the card she used to deputies and was arrested for grand theft.


It is unclear at this time whether or not the server will get to keep the money.

 

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Florida deputy accused of planting drugs in traffic stops


Associated Press




TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A former sheriff’s deputy in the Florida Panhandle was arrested Wednesday on charges that he routinely pulled over drivers for minor traffic infractions, planted drugs and then arrested them on made-up drug charges, including one victim who lost custody of his daughter because of the arrest.

Former Jackson County deputy Zachary Wester was arrested in Crawfordville, Florida, after a nearly year-long investigation, according to a statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. An arrest warrant detailing the case showed a pattern of Wester pulling drivers for minor offenses or because he said he smelled marijuana coming from the vehicles. He would then search the cars and plant methamphetamine in the vehicles, investigators said. During most stops, he violated department policy by not turning on his body camera during the search.

“There is no question that Wester’s crimes were deliberate and that his actions put innocent people in jail,” Chris Williams, an assistant special agent in charge for the FDLE in Pensacola, said in a statement.

Prosecutors had to drop charges in nearly 120 cases that occurred between 2016 and 2018. Jackson County is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Tallahassee along the Georgia and Alabama borders.

Wester faces felony charges of racketeering, official misconduct, fabricating evidence, possession of a controlled substance and false imprisonment. He also faces misdemeanor charges of perjury, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Benjamin Bowling, who was a passenger in one of the cars Webster pulled over, was arrested and charged with possessing methamphetamine in October 2017. Florida’s child welfare agency had recently awarded Bowling custody of his daughter after being released from prison on a DUI conviction. One of the conditions of his release was to be routinely tested for drugs, according to the arrest warrant. After his arrest, he took another drug test and it was negative. He asked to see body camera video, but never received it.

Bowling lost custody of his daughter because of the arrest.


In another case, Wester planted a used syringe with traces of methamphetamine in Joshua Emanuel’s car, according to the arrest warrant. Emanuel told investigators Wester was smirking and telling him he was going to jail and there was nothing he could do about it. But a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who stopped while Wester was searching the car realized Emanuel was a distant relative whose mother worked for two prominent local attorneys and father worked in the federal prison. Wester’s demeanor changed, and he told Emanuel he would write in his arrest report that the syringe may have belonged to someone else, authorities said.

The FDLE began investigating Wester last August at the request of the sheriff’s office. He was fired last September.

Online court records showed no attorney listed for Wester. He was booked into the Wakulla County Jail and was being held without bond.

 

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75-year-old Florida man kicks alligator, saves dog


Associated Press




PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — A 75-year-old Florida man says he kicked an alligator in the snout after it attacked his dog.

Buddy Ackerman says the 8-foot (2.44-meter) gator came from a retention pond near his Palm Harbor condominium earlier this week and grabbed the dog while they were out for an early morning walk.

He kicked the gator until it let go of the golden retriever. Neither animal was injured.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida wildlife officials came and trapped the gator later that day.

 

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Deputies: Florida man tied up wife’s lover, cut off penis
Courtesy: Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office
Associated Press




BELL, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida man held his wife’s lover at gunpoint and cut off the man’s penis before fleeing with the flailing appendage.

News outlets report 49-year-old Alex Bonilla was arrested hours later on charges including aggravated assault.

The Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Tuesday that said Bonilla broke into his neighbor’s home Sunday, tied the neighbor up and mutilated his genitals with scissors. Deputies say the victim told authorities that Bonilla then took the severed penis and fled across the street to his own house.

Deputies say the motive still is under investigation, though an arrest report says Bonilla caught his wife and the victim having sex in May.

The victim was hospitalized.

 

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Florida man looks to warn public about panhandler who rejected offer for work

Courtesy: Fox 13
Johari Canty



BRADENTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida man is looking to warn the public not to give money to a panhandler who he said rejected his job offer.

According to Fox 13, Ryan Bray took some time to stand at an intersection in Manatee County to warn drivers not to give money to panhandlers.


Ryan Bray of Manatee County offered a homeless man a hand up when he asked for money. He offered the man a job. Ryan says he turned it down so he made this sign in response. Now when the man panhandles he holds this sign for all to see @FOX13News #Manatee #Bradenton

Bray, who works for his family’s remodeling business, said he has seen the same group of panhandlers at the intersection before and wanted to do more than just give money for a temporary solution. So he said he offered one of the men a job paying $15 an hour to do yard work along with help to get off the streets.

“He reached his arms inside my vehicle, resting them and said, ‘Hey, do you have any money?’ I said, ‘No, but I have one better for you…’ He said, ‘Absolutely not,’ started getting belligerent and cursing,” Bray told Fox 13.

Bray said the panhandler then kicked his car’s tire and told him to leave.


Now, Bray is hoping to warn others and is now carrying a sign with a message: “I offered him $15 an hour to do yard work for me and he refused. If we as a community stop paying them, they will leave our neighborhood.”

“I can’t have my 13-year-old daughter and my wife driving with their windows up and being berated the entire time if they don’t get money,” he said.

The panhandler who Bray said turned down his offer confronted him at the intersection, saying he didn’t do anything wrong.

“You can’t shut me down, brother,” the man said.

Adell Erozer, the executive director of homeless assistance organization Turning Points told Fox 13 that the best way to help is to give money directly to organizations and charities helping the homeless.

 

[™BlackPearl The Empress™]

Florida man looks to warn public about panhandler who rejected offer for work

Courtesy: Fox 13
Johari Canty



BRADENTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida man is looking to warn the public not to give money to a panhandler who he said rejected his job offer.

According to Fox 13, Ryan Bray took some time to stand at an intersection in Manatee County to warn drivers not to give money to panhandlers.


Ryan Bray of Manatee County offered a homeless man a hand up when he asked for money. He offered the man a job. Ryan says he turned it down so he made this sign in response. Now when the man panhandles he holds this sign for all to see @FOX13News #Manatee #Bradenton

Bray, who works for his family’s remodeling business, said he has seen the same group of panhandlers at the intersection before and wanted to do more than just give money for a temporary solution. So he said he offered one of the men a job paying $15 an hour to do yard work along with help to get off the streets.

“He reached his arms inside my vehicle, resting them and said, ‘Hey, do you have any money?’ I said, ‘No, but I have one better for you…’ He said, ‘Absolutely not,’ started getting belligerent and cursing,” Bray told Fox 13.

Bray said the panhandler then kicked his car’s tire and told him to leave.


Now, Bray is hoping to warn others and is now carrying a sign with a message: “I offered him $15 an hour to do yard work for me and he refused. If we as a community stop paying them, they will leave our neighborhood.”

“I can’t have my 13-year-old daughter and my wife driving with their windows up and being berated the entire time if they don’t get money,” he said.

The panhandler who Bray said turned down his offer confronted him at the intersection, saying he didn’t do anything wrong.

“You can’t shut me down, brother,” the man said.

Adell Erozer, the executive director of homeless assistance organization Turning Points told Fox 13 that the best way to help is to give money directly to organizations and charities helping the homeless.

Advertise against the homeless brehs

 

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City hopes looped ‘Baby Sharks’ will drive homeless from park
Courtesy: Nickelodeon
Associated Press




WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Officials in West Palm Beach are hoping a continuous loop of children’s songs played throughout the night will keep homeless people from sleeping in a city park.

West Palm Beach parks and recreation director Leah Rockwell tells the Palm Beach Post they’re trying to discourage people from camping out along the glass-walled Lake Pavilion. She says the pavilion rakes in some $240,000 annually from events.

The loop of “Baby Sharks” and “Raining Tacos” is a temporary fix to keep homeless people off the patio. Rockwell says the city wants to formalize hours for the park, which should make trespassing laws easier to enforce.

Illaya Champion tells the Post “it’s wrong” to chase people away with music. He says he’ll still sleep there, but “it’s on and on, the same songs.”

 

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It's been so damn hot here they hit us with this warning...


Plastic water bottle left in vehicle could start fire in minutes

Posted: 2:30 PM, July 17, 2019Updated: 2:30 PM, July 17, 2019

MIAMI - Leaving a plastic water bottle in a hot car in direct sunlight could start a fire in just minutes, according to officials.

With temperatures reaching the high 90s in South Florida during the summer months, it's a warning which should be heeded by all.

“It would need to be a full water bottle, that is filled to the top of the water,” firefighter Jay Symonds told WSTM. ”The water and the plastic create a magnifying effect, and could essentially set upholstery on fire or a piece of plastic on fire."

A fire department in Oklahoma found that sunlight magnified by a water bottle reached 250 degrees, weatherboy.com reports.

Fire officials say to keep water bottles away from the sunlight by keeping them in the trunk, glove compartment or under a seat.

 

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Florida dad says he tossed boy in ocean to teach him to swim





DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A 37-year-old Florida man is accused of throwing his 5-year-old son into the Atlantic Ocean and then doing back flips off a city pier as the boy struggled in the water.

An arrest report says that when Daytona Beach police arrested John Bloodsworth on child abuse charges Monday night, he told them he’d been teaching the boy to swim and that he was “going to jail for being awesome.”

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports lifeguards were off-duty Monday night.

Witnesses said the boy was treading water while Bloodworth jumped from the pier.

The report says Bloodworth had four to five beers before going to the beach.

The boy was turned over to his mother. Bloodworth was released from jail. A lawyer isn’t listed on jail records.