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Tag: Florida

  • Florida sheriff found largely responsible for teen’s 2014 death, ordered to pay $15M

    Fourteen-year-old Andrew Joseph III was struck and killed by a car while he was trying to cross a highway after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies ejected him from a state fair. In the wake of his 2014 death, the teen’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

    On Thursday, a jury determined the sheriff’s office was 90% responsible for Joseph’s death and ordered the sheriff to pay $15 million to his parents, The Associated Press reported. The jury also determined the teen was 10% responsible for his death.

    Joseph lost his life after deputies kicked him out of the Florida State Fair. The deputies reportedly took that action after they received a report about a group of teenagers causing a disturbance at the event. The deceased teen tried to cross Interstate 4 after he was ejected, but he was struck and killed by a car.

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    The decision by the jury comes six years after Joseph’s parents filed the lawsuit. And following the verdict, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister released a statement commiserating with Joseph’s family.

    “Losing a child is a heartbreaking and eternal grief that no parent should have to face, and we continue to keep the Joseph family in our prayers,” Chronister said in Friday’s statement.

    Joseph’s parents will equally share the awarded sum. But Chronister can still appeal the decision by the jury.

    “That child didn’t do nothing wrong,” the deceased teen’s father, Andrew Joseph Jr. reportedly said after the decision. “Fifteen million (dollars) put some respect on it.”

    “We are elated at this moment,” his mother Deanna Joseph also said.

    Deputies said Joseph and other individuals were made to leave the fair because of an alleged physical altercation and theft, per The Associated Press.

    And after he was ejected from the fair, attorneys for Joseph’s family said the teen’s football coach offered to give him a ride, adding that he turned that down and rather opted to attempt crossing the highway to get to the main gate.

    “It was not foreseeable that someone would leave and enter the interstate,” attorney Robert Fulton said.

    The attorneys for Joseph’s parents also said authorities shouldn’t have put the juvenile in such a position.

    “A kid should never have been put in this position,” attorney for the plaintiffs Chris Anulewicz told the jury. “He should not have been put in the position of trying to do this on his own.”

     

    Source: Face2faceafrica

  • Florida watches Harmine while Hurricane Fiona makes way to  Canada

    As it made its way along the Atlantic coast of Canada, Hurricane Fiona battered Bermuda early on Friday with strong winds and rain.

    Residents in Canada’s eastern provinces have been cautioned by officials to get ready for coastal flooding and power outages.

    Fiona is expected to hit Canada’s shores by Saturday morning.

    Florida also faces a hurricane threat after a separate tropical cyclone formed in the Caribbean Sea.

    Tropical Depression Nine is in its early stages and is moving on a path that could bring it to Florida next week as Hurricane Hermine, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    Hurricane Fiona, now a Category 3 storm, had already wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic earlier this week, and many are still left with no power or running water.

    Five people have died across the Caribbean: one in Guadeloupe, two in Puerto Rico, and two in the Dominican Republic.

    In Bermuda, Hurricane Fiona forced schools and offices to close.

    Workers remove fallen trees from the highway after Hurricane Fiona in the Dominican Republic.
    GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Workers remove fallen trees from the highway in the northeast of the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Fiona on 21 September

    The National Hurricane Center has said Fiona’s maximum sustained winds could hit 130 mph (215 kph).

    Canadian officials and meteorologists are urging residents to brace themselves for the storm’s impact as it reaches the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

    The region could receive up to six to 10 inches of rain, increasing the risk of flash flooding.

    Shelters have been prepared in Halifax and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia for people to take cover ahead of the storm.

    “Every Nova Scotian should be preparing,” said John Lohr, the minister responsible for emergency preparedness in the province, in a Thursday press conference.

    Mr Lohr added the storm may be “very dangerous”.

    “The storm is expected to bring severe and damaging wind gusts, very high waves, coastal storm surges, intense and dangerous rainfall rates, and prolonged power outages,” Mr Lohr said.

    Severe hurricanes in Canada are rare, as storms lose their energy once they hit colder waters in the north and become post-tropical instead. But the pressure in the region is predicted to be historically low as Hurricane Fiona hits, making way for a heavier storm.

    Nova Scotia was last battered by a tropical cyclone in 2003 with Hurricane Juan, a Category 2 storm that killed two people and heavily damaged structures and vegetation.

  • Florida State Senator sues Ron DeSantis over migrant political stunt

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing more legal challenges after he participated in a cruel political stunt that involved luring migrants away from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on false pretenses last week.

    Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo (D) on Thursday sued the Republican governor and other state officials, alleging their actions as part of the scheme broke state law. He aims to ban DeSantis from continuing to transfer migrants.

    Pizzo said DeSantis used state funds to help pay for the transportation costs of flying two planes carrying about 50 migrants to Massachusetts.

    While there is a provision in the state budget allocating $12 million to “a program to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens from this state consistent with federal law,” in this case, the migrants were not in Florida to begin with.

    The only time the migrants were in the Sunshine State was when the two planes landed at a Florida airport before taking off again for Massachusetts.

    Besides, the migrants are legally allowed to stay in the country while their requests for asylum or other relief are being processed.

    “Senator Pizzo never misses an opportunity for his 15 minutes of fame and is challenging an action on an appropriation he voted for,” Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for DeSantis, told CNN Thursday.

    Apart from DeSantis, the three other defendants named in the lawsuit are Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer; the state’s Department of Transportation; and Jared W. Purdue, the department’s head.

    Three Venezuelan migrants who were flown to the island filed a lawsuit Tuesday against DeSantis and others involved in executing the scheme.

    “These immigrants, who are pursuing the proper channels for lawful immigration status in the United States, experienced cruelty akin to what they fled in their home country,” the lawsuit states.

    The three migrants described how they were tricked by hired scouts who offered free accommodation and the promise of legal work papers if they boarded planes, which they were told would take them to Washington, D.C., and Boston. Instead, the planes transported them to the remote island of Martha’s Vineyard without giving prior notice to local officials, and where no arrangements had been made to house them.

    But locals stepped up to the challenge.

    “Our island jumped into action putting together 50 beds, giving everyone a good meal, providing a play area for the children, making sure people have the healthcare and support they need,” Massachusetts state Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D) wrote on Twitter. “We are a community that comes together to support immigrants.”

    Fernandes has also called on the Justice Department to launch a probe into DeSantis’ actions.

    The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas is investigating the operation.

    DeSantis has been floated as a likely 2024 presidential candidate for the Republican Party.

    Source: Huffpost

  • Multiple-vehicle collision: Florida highway covered in Coors Light beer cans

    Due to the hundreds of beer cans that had covered the road following a multi-vehicle crash, a Florida highway had to be temporarily closed.

    The semi-trailer had been carrying cases of Coors Light when it crashed and spilled its load all over the busy road.

    All lanes of Interstate 75, which is around 30 miles north of Tampa, had to close following the collision, which also included other trailers and a pickup truck.

    The pileup began when one semi-trailer clipped another while changing lanes, causing other semis to brake, officials said.

    But the one filled with cases of the Silver Bullet beer failed to come to a stop and collided with a pickup truck and another trailer.

    People inside the pickup truck suffered minor injuries, and the highway opened sometime later on Wednesday.

    The inside shoulder and travel lanes were opened to traffic around two and a half hours after the crash, but it was six hours after, at around 12 pm, that the rest of the road was reopened.

  • Lady Gaga forced to stop show amid lightning storm

    Lady Gaga was forced to halt the final show of her Chromatica Ball tour in Florida after a fierce storm descended.

    The star was approaching the end of her show when lightning started to strike around Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

    “We just got to stop the show for a minute,” she told the 65,000 fans at the show, advising them to “really calmly move to the inside area”.

    Although she had hoped the storm would pass, the concert ultimately had to be called off.

    The star later posted a tearful apology to fans on her Instagram account.

    “We really tried to finish the show tonight in Miami but we couldn’t because even when the rain stopped there was lightning striking right down to the ground so close to us,” she said, still wearing her stage outfit, and wiping rain from her face.

    “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to anybody in the audience or to any member of my crew.”

    The singer then picked up a bouquet of roses that a fan had tossed onto the stage and said she would “cherish them forever”.

     

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    A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

    The Hard Rock Stadium is home to American football team Miami Dolphins and only has a partial roof.

    Before the show was cancelled, fans gathered under the sheltered portion of the venue and sang Gaga’s hit Rain On Me – punctuated by terrifying claps of thunder.

    Although they later made their way back to their seats, organisers decided it was unsafe for the concert to go ahead.

    Gaga, who had about six songs left to perform, took to the stage to announce the cancellation, saying: “I don’t want to put your life in danger”.

    “Get home safely, God bless you and thank you for coming to the show,” she said, before taking a final bow.

    Fans who attended the show said Gaga was “clearly upset” by the cancellation.

    “It was surreal and really sad when she came out and told us to go home,” wrote one on Reddit. “You could tell how heartbroken she was.”

    The Hard Rock stadium posted a statement on Twitter, reading: “Tonight’s Lady Gaga show couldn’t continue after a show pause at 10:50 pm in the interest of fan safety due to inclement weather that included lighting. Thank you for your understanding.”

    The Chromatica Ball tour began in Dusseldorf, Germany, in July before visiting Sweden, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Japan and North America.

    With a setlist including Bad Romance, Poker Face, Born This Way, Edge Of Glory and Stupid Love, the show has won rave reviews for its combination of dramatic set-pieces and a running narrative about surviving trauma.

    The Guardian called it a “hit-stacked show that also creates an intimate human connection”; while Rolling Stone magazine said it served as “a reminder that she’s one of the greatest living musical performers”.

    Lady GagaGetty Images
    The Miami show was the last stop on Gaga’s Chromatica Ball world tour.

    The tour was confined to just 20 shows, with several rest days between concerts to help Gaga cope with the medical condition fibromyalgia.

    The condition often leaves her in chronic pain, and resulted in the cancellation of the last 10 dates of her previous world tour in 2018.

    “It took so much in my heart to get back to a place where I could perform and be healthy,” she said on Instagram after the Miami concert.

    “Part of why I decided not to finish the show was because I am healthy. It’s a healthy decision for all of you and for myself as well. So I love you… and I’ll see you next time on stage.”

    Source:bbc.com

  • Republican uproar over FBI raid on Trump’s home

    Furious allies of former President Donald Trump are demanding an explanation for the FBI’s raid on his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.

    The FBI and Department of Justice have yet to comment on the search, which Mr Trump disclosed on Monday evening.

    It is reportedly linked to an investigation into his handling of classified and sensitive material.

    It was the first time a former US president’s home has ever been searched by law enforcement.

    Reports suggest the FBI activity is connected to an investigation into whether Mr Trump, a Republican, removed classified records from the White House and took them to Mar-a-Lago.

    The search was approved at the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DoJ), an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

    Republicans have depicted the investigation as politically motivated, with leading figures demanding a briefing from Attorney General Merrick Garland, head of the DoJ.

    Mr Trump’s former Vice-President, Mike Pence, who has subtly distanced himself amid speculation they may both launch 2024 White House runs, called on the attorney general to give “a full accounting” of why the search warrant was carried out.

    “No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Mr Trump’s allies in Congress, meanwhile, vowed to launch an investigation if they win back control of the House of Representatives and Senate in November’s mid-term elections, when the balance of power in Washington will be decided.

    White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday that President Joe Biden was given no advance notice by the FBI of the raid, and that he “learned about this from public reports”.

    “The president was not briefed and was not aware of it. No-one at the White House was given a heads-up,” she said.

    She told reporters that Mr Biden had gone to great lengths to preserve the independence of the justice department, adding: “President Biden believes in the rule of law.”

    An anti-Trump protester outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, An anti-Trump protester outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday

    The raid was first announced on Monday evening in a statement by the former president, who was at Trump Tower in New York City.

    Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer for Mr Trump, said she had received a call around 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) that the FBI had a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago and that she should come to the property.

    She said she saw 30 to 40 gloved FBI agents, some in suits and others dressed casually, and around 10 to 15 FBI vehicles, including a rental truck.

    Ms Halligan told CBS she and another lawyer for Mr Trump were barred from entering the complex, and that the search was divided into three sections: a bedroom, office and storage area.

    “Complete overkill,” she said. “If they needed documents, they could have asked.”

    The Secret Service agents protecting Mr Trump were notified shortly before the warrant was served, an unnamed law enforcement official told CBS.

    In a fundraising email to supporters on Tuesday, Mr Trump – who is currently at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club – said he and other Republicans were being targeted because of his political influence and “my dominance in all polls”.

    “They are trying to stop the Republican Party and me once more,” he said, adding: “The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be exposed and stopped.”

    Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell released a statement on Tuesday saying the justice department “should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately”.

    While many Democrats welcomed the raid, several urged the DoJ to provide more information. Some aired concerns that it could boost support for the former president.

    “This could be very useful to him as many people rally around him during this time,” Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach, where Mar-a-Lago is based, told the BBC. “Trump will use this to regain his martyr status.”

    Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she first learned of the “visit” by FBI agents through public reports on her phone.

    “To have a warrant, you need justification,” she told NBC News. “And that says that no-one is above the law, not even a president or former president of the United States.”

    Source: BBC

  • Florida governor resists issuing lockdown order

    Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has drawn criticism for resisting issuing a mandatory statewide stay-at-home order, as 30 US states have already done.

    So far only four counties in southern Florida are under “safer-at-home” restrictions, despite there being more than 85 deaths across the state’s 69 counties. Of the eight states with the highest number of Covid-19 cases, Florida is the only one without a mandatory lockdown order.

    Earlier this month Mr DeSantis was panned for refusing to close beaches, even as spring break tourists flocked to the state.

    “I think no matter what you do, you’re going to have a class of folks who just do whatever the hell they want to,” he said on Tuesday, as he called on Floridians to “just chill out and stay around the house as much as they can”.

    “In terms of being social right now, this is just not the time to have big social gatherings.”

    His reaction contrasts sharply with Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who has been praised for his early action to prevent the spread of coronavirus in his state.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Biden crushes Sanders in Florida and Illinois primaries

    Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has steamrolled rival Bernie Sanders in primary elections in Florida and Illinois, US media project.

    Accelerating his momentum in the race, the former US vice-president led Mr Sanders in both states with over 60% of the vote.

    Arizona was also voting on Tuesday, though its polls have not yet closed.

    Mr Biden is the favourite to become the Democratic candidate who will face President Donald Trump in November.

    According to polling of Florida voters, most said electability was a priority for them.

    About three in four said Mr Biden would have a better chance of beating Mr Trump, a Republican. Just one in five said the same of Mr Sanders.

    Older voters were more likely to say they supported Mr Biden.

    Nearly half of Florida’s voters said Mr Sanders’ stances were too liberal.

    Florida was the biggest prize of the night, awarding 219 of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.

    It was also an important victory for Mr Biden because Mr Trump won the traditional battleground state by 1.2 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election.

    Ohio was also due to hold a primary on Tuesday, but it cancelled the vote because of the nationwide coronavirus outbreak.

    Voters in the three states that did go ahead encountered poll workers wearing surgical gloves and hand sanitiser dispensers.

    Source: bbc.com