Florida's Recent News

Photo by Dave Decker An estimated 1,200 people from across the state, including children and families, gathered for what began as a peaceful rally in Orlando Saturday afternoon to uplift the call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstration, staged at Lake Eola Park downtown, also commemorated the 76th anniversary of Nakba, a term that translates to “catastrophe” in Arabic. Nakba marks the violent displacement and dispossession of Palestinians and the formation of the State of Israel during the Arab-Israeli War

A 9-year-old Tampa girl has been safely located, but her mother is still missing after their suspected abductor was found dead early Monday morning.  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an AMBER Alert for 9-year-old Briana Pagan around 1 a.m. on Monday and canceled it about an hour later when the child was safely located. The alert was issued after the pair vanished from the 10400 block of Altman Street in Tampa around 10 a.m. on Sunday. At that time, officials believed the

An employee at a Doral restaurant is accused of attacking a person. The incident happened at a Hooters on Northwest 13th Terrace, Monday morning. According to police, two employees got into an argument when one of them started assaulting the victim. That worker then took off before officers arrived. The victim wasn’t seriously hurt. No word on arrests. When you suffer a personal injury, whether in a car accident, slip and fall, or workplace incident, the aftermath can be overwhelming.

A man accused of shooting at a police car outside a South Florida synagogue appeared in bond court on Monday. Thirty-six-year-old Evan Polinski shot the police cruiser in North Miami Beach with an officer still inside on May 8. The shooting took place outside the Kaballah Center near Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 163rd Street. Officials said that after shooting the cruiser, Polinski drove away and crashed his car. Polinski is charged with attempted murder and other charges. He is being held without

 Miami Police are looking for four thieves who, they say, attempted to rob a Miami business. The attempted robbery occurred at the Fresh Dental Smiles and Ashley II Jewelry store on Northwest 7th Street on Monday. According to police, four men opened a hole in the roof of the dental office next to the jewelry store to get inside. Then, they broke two holes in the walls between the officer and the jewelry store as they tried to rob the

A well-known Cuban rapper is facing serious charges in Miami after police said he allegedly kidnapped and sexually battered an ex-girlfriend. Chocolate MC, whose real name is Yosvanis Sierra-Hernandez, was arrested Friday on sexual battery, armed kidnapping, battery and grand theft charges, records showed. The 33-year-old rising rap star has a large social media following, with over 283,000 YouTube subscribers and over 188,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. According to an arrest warrant, the alleged incident happened back on March 31

The brother of a woman killed as police tried to pull over a group of armed carjacking suspects is asking why it took authorities so long to stop the suspects. The chase began Friday in Hallandale Beach and ended at around 11 p.m. after the suspects crashed into a car driven by Patricia Schmelz, 68, in Pompano Beach. Deputies said as Hallandale Beach police chased him, the 17-year-old driver ran a red light exiting Interstate 95 onto West Copans Road,

Police are searching for a trio of suspected burglars who are believed to have stolen thousands of dollars worth of lawn maintenance equipment. The burglary happened during the early morning hours of May 10 at the Greater Refuge Temple. A portion of the burglary was recorded on a surveillance camera that was also one of the pieces of church property reported stolen. The video showed three men exiting a dark blue Honda SUV parked in front of the church storage

A domestic shooting in Port St. Lucie that led to a police standoff over the weekend ended with a 70-year-old woman in a hospital and her 71-year-old husband in jail. The plants and shrubs were perfectly manicured Monday in front of a well-kept home on Southeast Elrose Street, with a tennis court in the side yard. It’s the handiwork of the woman who lives there. Neighbors said she goes outside nearly every day to tend to them. This near-picture-perfect scene

 Panama City Beach Police have released the names of the two bodies they found earlier this month. Police say they are still working to determine the cause of death of the woman found off Hutchison Boulevard. Beach investigators have identified the victim as 53-year-old Amy Sue Green. Originally, it was reported that a pedestrian found Green’s body around 11:00 in the morning on May 1st. Police Chief JR Talmantez now says an officer on foot patrol found Green’s body. Green’s

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw met with homeowners and business owners on Monday after a deadly shooting over the weekend in SoHo. The shooting happened around 3 a.m. on Sunday at a shopping plaza on South Howard Avenue in Tampa. Two men were killed and a third person is recovering from his injuries. Detectives said the victims were targeted and the shooting stemmed from an altercation between two rival groups. Police are working to determine who fired the shots. “We’ve

A Florida man, who aspired to become a police officer, admitted to sexually abusing his cousin during a police department job interview and now faces life in prison.  Stephen Bodley, 26, was convicted by an Orange County jury last week of sexual battery on a child, the office of State Attorney Andrew Bain said in a news release.  Bodley first mentioned “playing sexual games” in a sworn officer application with the Apopka Police Department. He again mentioned the crime during an interview.  “The certified