Highs Tuesday will reach near 90 degrees and we’ll feel like we’re still in the low 100s for heat index values. It’ll be breezy, with wind out of the southeast anywhere from 10 to 15 mph with gusts 20+ mph.

Overnight, scattered tropical moisture arrives. The windy and wet conditions take over for Wednesday and through the end of the week. Highs will be locked in the upper 80 degrees. Localized ponding/flooding is possible with the rain showers.

Due to the gusty conditions that will develop, this will create marine hazards. High rip current dangers are expected into the weekend. The windy conditions will last through the week and into the weekend.

Tuesday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90 degrees. Heat index values as high as 102. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 89. Heat index values as high as 102 degrees. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 88. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 90. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

But over the years, processes have been developed to make sure the water pumped to your home is safe, clear, and drinkable. 

NBC6 Responds visited the Alexander Orr Water Treatment Facility operated by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. 

Water from this water treatment facility ends up in homes South of SW 8th Street to 248th Street in Miami-Dade County. But with multiple plants across the county, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department provides drinking water for about 2.3 million people. 

“In Miami-Dade County, the water quality is extremely high, and I am very comfortable with people drinking tap water. I drink the tap water,” said Roy Coley, the Director of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. 

He showed NBC6 the ins and outs of what it takes to filter and disinfect your drinking water.

How water is cleaned for drinking

When water is pumped from the aquifer to the Miami-Dade Water and Treatment facility, lime is added as the first step in a long process. 

Lime helps to soften the water, purify, and eliminate cloudiness. 

Next, disinfectants like chlorine and ammonia are used. Together they create what is known as chloramine. This helps to protect the water against bacteria. 

The water then travels through a series of filters to remove the remaining chemicals. 

Before the water is pumped out to your house, two more chemicals are added: a small amount of fluoride and a compound to reduce corrosion as the water travels through pipes in the distribution system. 

Because things like bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals can leach through corroded pipes, microbiologists and chemists test the water multiple times before it gets to your home. 

Each year, roughly 320,000 analyses of water samples are taken to make sure contaminants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency are under the federal limits for what’s considered safe in our drinking water. 

Water districts are required to publish a drinking water quality report each year. It’s a snapshot of the water quality once a year and it shows contamination levels. 

This report is published online by your local water district and is also distributed through the mail.

The 12 suspects are charged with conspiring with each other and others to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Broward and Miami-Dade, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Friday.

Among those charged are:

• Edgar Garcia-Velasquez, a/k/a “Diablo,” 34, a citizen of Honduras
• Francisco Rangel, a/k/a “Casper,” 41, of Calif.
• Gabriela Rodriguez-Carrillo, 42, of Calif.
• Luis Portillo, a/k/a “Shadow,” a/k/a “Sombra,” 35, of Miami
• Jose Puga, a/k/a “Stranger,” 45, of Calif.
• Malinda Martinez, 42, of Fort Myers, Fla.
• Karina Martinez-Vazquez, 34, of Miami
• Rafael Gutierrez, a/k/a “Rafy,” 28, of Miami
• Jose Hernandez, a/k/a “Blue Demon,” a/k/a “Labomba3,” 39, of Belle Glade, Fla.
• Loupe Loredo, a/k/a “L3g3nd,” 39, of Lake Wales, Fla.
• Felipe Gonzalez, a/k/a “Wicked,” 41, of Calif.
• Hugo Cruz, a/k/a “Houdini,” 33, of LaBelle, Fla.

Five of the suspects are also charged with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

Prosecutors said some of the suspects are members of the notorious international gang MS-13, Sur-13, and the Mexican Mafia.

Authorities began arresting the suspects on Sept. 12, and many have made court appearances.

If convicted they face up to life in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, along with other agencies in Florida and California.

The news conference, hosted by the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON), addressed “the insecurity to the entire Springfield community caused by the xenophobic and racist lies recklessly recounted by  former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance.”

The local leaders in attendance included North Miami Vice Mayor Mary Estimé-Irvin, who chairs NHAEON, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-District 20) and Florida state Sen. Dotie Joseph (D-District 108).

“I want to highlight that immigrant labor, just as with Black America, has literally built this country,” Joseph said. “Make no mistake: without the immigrant labor force filling key jobs that U.S. citizens don’t want… America would be in economic freefall. So I want people to understand what we’re talking about. This is a community in economic decline that has proactively sought more labor.”

South Florida Sep 10

South Florida Dems decry Vance's comments about Haitian immigrants eating pets

Donald Trump Sep 13

How a fringe online claim about immigrants eating pets made its way to the debate stage

Decision 2024 Sep 11

An Ohio city reshaped by Haitian immigrants lands in an unwelcome spotlight

Vance posted on X on Sept. 9 about the influx of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, where officials said around 20,000 migrants have arrived in the city of about 60,000 residents in the past few years.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance’s post read. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.

Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

Vance’s post comes after several viral stories that likely began when a man claimed at a Springfield City Commission meeting back on Aug. 27 that Haitian migrants were taking ducks from local parks so they can eat them.

“They’re in the park grabbing up ducks by they neck and cutting they head off and walking off with them and eating them, like,” the man said.

A Facebook post later claimed a friend’s cat went missing and was eaten by a Haitian migrant.

Springfield Police have denied those reports in a statement.

“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the statement read. “Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

The quality of our drinking water has been a topic of conversation for a long time. 

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was originally passed by Congress in 1974 with the goal of protecting public health by regulating the contaminants in the nation’s public drinking water supply. 

But in the 1980s, many people in South Florida put more faith in bottled water than in their local government’s ability to provide clean drinking water. 

“I just feel like there is too much pollution in it,” a South Florida man told a reporter from our station back in 1984. 

And today, many of the people we have heard from share a similar sentiment.  

NBC6 has heard from dozens of people who have replied to our online survey regarding water quality. Roughly 88% of them say they are concerned about the quality of their drinking water. 

But to understand water quality, we must first understand what pollutes the water. 

Florida’s water supply comes from many sources like rivers, streams, lakes, and springs. But in South Florida, the water comes from just below the land surface. 

The Biscayne and Floridan Aquifers are composed of rock with small holes and cracks. Rainwater seeps through it and fills it up. 

As this water travels to the aquifer, natural minerals along with harmful pollutants or contaminants can make their way to our water supply. 

Contaminants like pesticides from agriculture and residential use, viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment plants and septic tanks, and radioactive chemicals from nearby industrial locations. 

This water gets cleaned up during the water treatment process that takes place at facilities across South Florida. Then, this water is pumped to your home. 

But even after this process is completed, small traces of contaminants remain in the water that make it your faucet. 

“What you flush today, you drink tomorrow,” said Professor Naresh Kumar, who is a University of Miami Public Health professor

Kumar pointed out that laws like the Safe Drinking Water Act regulate how much of each tracked pollutant or contaminant can be in the water. 

Traces of contaminants like arsenic, barium, chromium, and lead are in your water and your local water system tracks how much. 

“So, our drinking water that’s supplied by any jurisdiction to your home through tap is deemed to be safe for drinking for many of these legacy pollutants,” Kumar said. 

But he explains not all pollutants are filtered out or even tracked. Local water systems are still looking for solutions for what they call emerging pollutants – chemicals from everyday household products. 

“When you take shower, they go in the system. And some of them are so fine, they cannot be filtered through any filter system,” Kumar said. “The water processing systems are not designed to deal with these pollutants.”

Concerned about water quality? We want to hear from you. Please fill out our online survey here.

Federico Nannini, 26; his father, Mauro Nannini, 63; and two of his friends, Alejandro Thermiotis, 26; and Francisco Tonarely, 25, were arrested Friday and charged in a federal indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and 24 related offenses, The Miami Herald reported.

Thermiotis is the King of Jordan’s relative. Thermiotis’ brother, Jameel, married King Abdulla’s daughter, Princess Iman, last year. The Jordanian Royal Palace did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the four defendants shared confidential information within a close circle of family and friends, and used it to buy shares at a lower price and then turn a $1 million profit after the information became public.

The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a parallel civil lawsuit against them in Miami federal court. All four had their first court appearances on Friday.

Federal authorities said the alleged scheme began in June 2022 when Federico Nannini, a consultant, began advising MasTec on its planned acquisition of Indiana-based Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives.

MasTec is an engineering and construction company based in Coral Gables, Florida, that provides infrastructure services for the energy, utility and communications industries.

Federico Nannini then started sharing the confidential information with his father, Mauro Nannini, and Thermiotis, a close friend, according to the indictment. Federico Nannini, Thermiotis and Tonarely went to Gulliver Preparatory School together in Pinecrest, Florida, a suburban village in Miami-Dade County.

Mauro Nannini bought shares in Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives the day after his son got access to the financial information about the proposed MasTec acquisition, the indictment said.

Thermiotis also passed along the insider information about the deal to Tonarely.

As the MasTec acquisition progressed, Federico Nannini continued to update his father and close friend, Thermiotis, about the deal. In turn, Thermiotis continued to share the insider information with Tonarely, prosecutors said.

At one point in July 2022, when Federico Nannini became worried the acquisition would not go through, Mauro Nannini sold his IEA stock, according to the indictment.

When Federico Nannini received confidential financials that indicated the acquisition was going forward, he texted Thermiotis, who responded.

At that point, Mauro Nannini began to buy back his position in IEA stock and options, the indictment said.

When MasTec’s acquisition of IEA was reported publicly on July 25, 2022, Mauro Nannini, Thermiotis, and Tonarely all sold their shares and option contracts in IEA at a profit.

A conviction for conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries up to five years in prison, while a conviction on the related 24 securities fraud charges carries maximum penalties of 20 to 25 years imprisonment.

On Saturday, Town Center at Boca Raton was evacuated after an apparent threat made by a caller, police said.

Boca Raton Police later announced that the threat was made during a swatting call and confirmed that no suspicious items were found at the scene.

On Sunday, Miami-Dade Police confirmed to NBC6 that they received another swatting call. This time, in regards to Dadeland Mall.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office also detained and questioned a man over a possible bomb threat at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday night. Detectives said it was baseless.

NBC6 is working to confirm other reports of possible swatting calls.

Researchers at SafeHome.org analyzed crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer to compile the latest statistics and trends in property and violent crime in the United States.

Miami Beach’s property crime rate was reported as 8,557 incidents per 100,000 residents, according to FBI data from 2022. The report points out that the city’s crime rates are much lower today than they were during the surge of violence and drug trafficking in the 1970s and 80s.

In comparison, Florida’s total property crime rate is 1,566 per 100,000 people, nearly 400 points below the overall U.S. rate of 1,954 per 100,000. The Sunshine State ranks 36th overall for property crime.

The Florida city with the lowest property crime rate is Sneads, in Jackson County, with 229 per 100,000 people.

What is property crime?

The report considers larceny, theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft as property theft.

Burglary is defined as any unlawful entry into a structure with the intent of committing a crime. Larceny has a broader definition – the unlawful taking of property that belongs to someone else – therefore, it’s the most common type of property crime. Motor vehicle theft applies to automobiles like cars, SUVs and motorcycles.

Larceny is the most common type of property theft in Florida, with about 1,255 incidents per 100,000 people.

Recent incidents

A wanted serial criminal, who police say is responsible for multiple burglaries, thefts and other crimes, was taken back into police custody in August.

Christopher Pitre, a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, had removed his ankle monitor and escaped a Miami-Dade Corrections treatment facility before stealing from a Walgreens. The 35-year-old is also accused of holding Miami Beach City Commissioner Joe Magazine at gunpoint in a parking garage earlier this year.

The incomplete picture

According to the FBI data, Florida’s violent crime rate is 32% lower than the U.S. rate, and the property crime rate is about 20% than the national rate. However, SafeHome.org acknowledged that the data reported by law enforcement across the state covers only 31% of the population.

Read the full report here.

Lightning in the area delayed the start of the game between the 10th-ranked Hurricanes and the Cardinals, two programs that were set to play for the first time. The game kicked off at 5:55 p.m., or nearly 2 1/2 hours later than originally planned.

The first delay was called shortly after 3 p.m., about a half-hour before the scheduled 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Teams were told they could take the field for warmups around 4:10 p.m. — just as pouring rain began to fall at the stadium.

And around 4:30 p.m., more lightning was detected in the area, starting yet another delay. By rule, the lightning being within 8 miles started another mandatory pushback of at least 30 more minutes. That also meant all fans who had already found their way to their seats had to seek shelter under cover in the concourses once again until the all-clear was announced at 5:34 p.m.

There were other delays around the Sunshine State on Saturday because of storms, which are common in Florida at this time of year. Florida’s game against Texas A&M was delayed for about 45 minutes because of lightning on Saturday afternoon, and an NAIA game in Miami Gardens between Florida Memorial and Clark Atlanta was also halted in the second half because of the weather.

___

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“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

David Knezevich’s defense presented a motion to have access to medical records, witness identities and the Madrid apartment where the victim, Ana María Knezevich Henao, was living when she vanished on Feb. 2, after a man in a motorcycle helmet spraypainted the lens of a security camera outside her residence. She had moved there from South Florida late year after her split from Knezevich.

The judge granted that motion.

Criminal defense expert Erick Cruz, who has no connection to the case, says this may make it easier to fight the case.

“In this case, the Spanish laws do permit a lot of secrecy surrounding evidence of criminal wrongdoing and evidence that’s going to be used in a criminal investigation, and so that has hampered the defense’s ability to obtain that evidence. And so that’s why they are asking Judge Williams to have the US Attorney’s Office assist them in obtaining that evidence,” Cruz explained.

Federal prosecutor Lacee Monk said in court in May that prosecutors believe Ana is dead and that the FBI and Spain’s national police have substantial evidence that Knezevich is behind his wife’s disappearance, which happened five weeks after she left him and moved to Madrid.

She said the couple had been going through a nasty divorce after 13 years of marriage, fighting over how to split a substantial fortune they had amassed from their computer firm and real estate investments. He didn’t want her to have an equal share, Monk said.

Monk said Knezevich flew to Turkey from Miami six days before Ana’s disappearance, then immediately traveled the 600 miles (950 kilometers) to his native Serbia — she said he was covering his tracks. There, he rented a Peugeot automobile.

On Feb. 2, security video shows him 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) from Serbia in a Madrid hardware store using cash to buy duct tape and the same brand of spray paint the man in the motorcycle helmet used on the security camera, Monk said. His cellphone connected to Facebook from Madrid. The man in the motorcycle helmet is the same height and has the same eyebrows as Knezevich, she said.

License plates that were stolen in Madrid in that period were spotted by police plate readers both near a motorcycle shop where an identical helmet was purchased and on Ana’s street the night she disappeared. Hours after the helmeted man left the apartment, a Peugeot identical to the one Knezevich rented and sporting the stolen plates was recorded going through a toll booth near Madrid. The driver could not be seen because the windows were tinted.

The morning after his wife disappeared, Knezevich texted a Colombian woman he met on a dating app to translate into “perfect Colombian” Spanish two English messages, Monk said. After she sent those back, two of Ana’s friends received those exact messages from her cellphone. They said she was going off with a man she had just met, something they say she would have never done. Monk said that proves Knezevich had his wife’s cellphone.

Finally, when Knezevich returned the Peugeot to the rental agency five weeks later, it had been driven 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers), its windows had been tinted, two identifying stickers had been removed and there was evidence the license plate had been removed and then put back.

She said Knezevich has a strong incentive to flee as he is looking at a potential life sentence if convicted of kidnapping and death if it can be be shown his wife has been killed.

Knezevich’s defense attorney Jayne Weintraub said at the time that the government’s case is “built on assumptions.”

The master development, submitted to South Miami’s planning board, would replace the existing mall with over 1,500 residential units and 350,000 square feet of retail stores and offices.

The plans include: 

• 1,513 residential units
• Seven high-rises ranging from 15 to 33 floors
• 287 hotel rooms
• a 1,300 seat theater
• 2,418 parking spaces
• 213 bike spaces

South Florida Apr 14

A new real estate trend? Shopping malls converted into residential units in South Florida

Miami-Dade County Sep 10

Another site for Miami-Dade trash incinerator proposed as battle continues

Located off of South Dixie Highway and Red Road, the Shops at Sunset Place opened in 1999. It was known as a bustling mall offering food, dining and fun.

But now, it’s desolate. A virtually empty building with no foot traffic.

The development aims to change that.

One resident voiced support, saying: “I grew up in Miami… I am happy to hear of these plans for it to be revitalized.”

The revamp planned for Sunset Place also follows a real estate trend we covered in April that involves converting shopping malls into residential units to meet demand for housing.

In the presentation to the planning board, developers listed reasons why the current structure does not work, including that the mall ignores the surrounding area, while creating fake internal streets. 

“It doesn’t really feel like a part of the city,” one of the developers said. 

Still others questioned the potential side effects of such a redevelopment, including traffic.

“A dead mall produces no traffic, right?” a developer responded. “Do you want to create a neighborhood and a community that brings residences back into the downtown? And when you compare the traffic of a 500-and-something thousand-square-foot regional mall versus what we’re proposing, there is a significant reduction in the amount of traffic that those two types of uses generate.”

The idea, he said, was to build the Shops at Sunset Place into an area where people have everything they need: “It’s really about creating a community.”

Vance posted on X on Monday about the influx of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, where officials said around 20,000 migrants have arrived in the city of about 60,000 residents in the past few years.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance’s post read. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.

Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

Vance’s post comes after several viral stories that likely began when a man claimed at a Springfield City Commission meeting back on Aug. 27 that Haitian migrants were taking ducks from local parks so they can eat them.

“They’re in the park grabbing up ducks by they neck and cutting they head off and walking off with them and eating them, like,” wthe man said.

A Facebook post later claimed a friend’s cat went missing and was eaten by a Haitian migrant.

But Springfield Police denied the reports in a statement.

“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the statement read. “Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

South Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, whose parents are from Haiti, denounced Vance’s post.

“J.D. Vance’s recent comments about Haitians in Springfield eating pets and local wildlife are not only a vile, racist lie but also beneath the dignity of any public office, let alone the Senate or the Vice Presidency. It’s disgusting and disgraceful that someone seeking the nation’s second-highest office would stoop to such baseless, hateful rhetoric,” Cherfilus- McCormick said in a statement.

Nancy Metayer Bowen, a Haitian-American commissioner in Coral Springs, also spoke out against Vance’s comments.

“JD Vance’s baseless and damaging remarks about Haitian immigrants eating pets is a disgusting and unfounded attack on a community that has made tremendous contributions to this country,” Metayer Bowen said. “This kind of rhetoric does nothing but spread fear, misinformation, and hate. As a proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, I know firsthand the values, resilience, and cultural richness that Haitians bring to our nation. To see such an unfounded narrative being pushed by an elected official is not only disheartening but an insult to all immigrant communities.”

A spokesperson for Vance said his X post was based on what he’s from citizens in Springfield.

“Senator Vance has received a high volume of calls and emails over the past several weeks from concerned citizens in Springfield: his tweet is based on what he is hearing from them,” the spokesperson’s statement read. “The city has faced an influx of 15,000-20,000 Haitian migrants over the past four years, stressing public resources and leading to housing shortages, all thanks to Kamala Harris’s policy of extending temporary protected status designations. Many residents have contacted Senator Vance to share their concerns over crime and traffic accidents, and to express that they no longer feel safe in their own homes. Unlike the liberal media, JD takes his constituents’ concerns seriously.”

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and commissioners honored some of Team USA’s finest at the Stephen P. Clark Center.

Among the athletes honored was Bam Adebayo, who won a gold medal in men’s basketball.

“[It’s] just a great moment for me, being able to represent this city… Not only this city but the community and the country. It’s a great honor,” the Miami Heat center-forward said.

Miami native Daniella Ramirez brought home a silver medal in the artistic swimming team event. It was the first medal by the U.S. in the team event in 20 years, dating back to 2004 in Athens when they won bronze.

“There’s nothing I want more than to be honored in my hometown and to really represent Miami-Dade County really well, and it feels really, really good to go back to my roots,” she said.

Twanisha “Tee Tee” Terry, who won gold in women’s track and field in the the 4x100m relay, was cheered on at the ceremony by students from her alma mater Miami Northwestern Senior High School, along with her former coach Carmen Jackson, who said she was “very proud!”

“It’s just an amazing feeling being able to be a positive example for my former high school, the athletes back here you know, and the generations to come,” the gold medalist said.

Olympian Sarah Newberry Moore grew up sailing at Miami Yacht Club on Biscayne Bay.

“It feels really special to be honored in Miami and to be recognized for something that just felt like doing my job,” she said.

Also honored were water polo goalie Ashleigh Johnson and judoka Angelica Delgado.

“This momentous occasion recognizes the dedication, hard work, and achievements of these outstanding athletes who have represented our community on the world stage. Join us for an inspiring ceremony and an opportunity to hear from the Olympians themselves,” the county said in a news release.

 Adebayo, Terry, Ramirez and Moore said they’re not stopping now. They have their eyes set on Los Angeles 2028.

The winning ticket was sold at a Publix store located at 1181 South University Drive in Plantation, according to the Florida Lottery.

There was still no winner for the $627 million jackpot in Friday night’s drawing.

The winning numbers were 10, 17, 20, 24, 54 while the Mega Ball was 8.

The next chance the win big is Tuesday, Sept. 3. at 11 p.m.

Unlike other federal holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, most stores and major retailers are open for business on Labor Day. However, some retailers will operate on shorter hours and few major chains will be closed this year on Sept. 2, 2024.

So if you’re planning to do some shopping or making that last-minute run to the grocery store, be sure to double check hours at your local store. 

What grocery stores are open on Labor Day?

• Aldi – Most locations will close early at 6 p.m., but you’re encouraged to check Aldi’s website for the specific hours at your local store.
• Big Lots
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Fresh Market
• Sam’s Club – Stores will close early at 6 p.m.
• Sedano’s
• Trader Joe’s
• Walmart
• Whole Foods
• Winn-Dixie

What pharmacies are open on Labor Day?

• CVS
• Walgreen’s

What other retailers are open on Labor Day?

• Best Buy
• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Dollar General
• Dollar Tree
• DSW
• Family Dollar
• Hobby Lobby – Locations will operate on reduced hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• Kohl’s
• Lowe’s
• Macy’s
• Marshalls
• Michael’s
• Nordstrom
• Office Depot/Office Max
• Party City
• Petco
• Petsmart
• Ross
• Staples
• Target
• TJ Maxx

What stores are closed on Labor Day?

• Costco
• Locally owned small businesses are typically closed on Labor Day, so call ahead before making a trip.

Is the USPS open on Labor Day?

All U.S. Postal Service locations will be closed for the federal holiday. Regular mail won’t be delivered to residences and business, however, Priority Mail Express will be delivered on federal holidays.

Is FedEx and UPS open on Labor Day?

FedEx and UPS will not have pickup or delivery services on Labor Day. Some FedEx stores will be open with modified hours, so check your local FedEx office location for information and times.

Some UPS stores will be closed while others will be open with modified hours, so check your local UPS store location for information and times.

Are banks open on Labor Day?

Banks are closed on federal holidays, including Labor Day. But some banking services may remain available, such as self-service ATMs for those who need to withdraw money or make a deposit.

How about schools and local government?

All federal and state offices, public schools, public libraries and courts are closed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

Arvin Joseph Mirasol pled guilty to producing child pornography while he worked as a stateroom attendant aboard the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Group, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said. 

Mirasol was discovered when a guest on Feb. 25 found a hidden camera affixed to the counter under the sink in their bathroom and they reported the camera to ship security. 

He was detained until the ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on March 3, when Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officials boarded and began investigating. 

“Law enforcement discovered that Mirasol’s electronics contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress.  The focus of the videos was on the children’s genital areas. One video showed Mirasol himself installing a camera in a guest’s bathroom,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. 

The children in the videos were between 2 and 17 years old. 

Authorities said Mirasol would also enter guests’ rooms while they were showering and hide under their beds so he could secretly record them exiting the shower.

Mirasol, a citizen of the Philippines, had been placing cameras in passenger cabins since December 2023, according to the news release. 

In a statement back in March, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said their Special Victims Unit detectives were working with Homeland Security Investigations agents to find more possible victims.

Authorities said anyone with information regarding suspected crimes on cruise ships, including sexual abuse and child pornography offenses, is encouraged to contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.

The 34-year-old Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, are facing federal and state charges that include grand theft and wire fraud.

They appeared in federal court on Friday and were in state court Monday as Kingston’s attorney seeks to have one of the cases dismissed.

“We’ll get either the federal case dismissed or the state case dismissed,” said Kingston’s attorney, Robert Rosenblatt, who said he’s filing a motion to eliminate one case.

Kingston had been arrested in California back in May, the same day Turner was arrested during a raid on the Southwest Ranches mansion where the singer lives.

Arrest warrants said that from October 2023 to March of this year, Kingston, Turner and others defrauded multiple businesses, including a jeweler, a luxury furniture maker, a high-end auto dealer and a company that specializes in TV and entertainment systems.

Prosecutors said they purchased the items using fraudulent documents including bank wires and payment transfers, then kept or tried to keep the items despite not paying.

In one instance, Kingston allegedly fraudulently obtained a bed valued at more than $86,000 from a company named Maree, whose website said it “designs and creates the world’s largest luxury beds.”

In another, a Cadillac Escalade valued at $159,701.49 was fraudulently obtained from an exotic car dealership, the warrants said.

Also fraudulently obtained was jewelry valued at $480,000, the warrants said.

The total value of the items obtained exceeded $1 million, prosecutors said.

“We believe he’s innocent,” Rosenblatt said. “We’re looking forward to trying this case either in state or federal court, or both if necessary.”

Kingston was already serving a two-year probation sentence for trafficking in stolen property.

As far as how Kingston is handling this legal battle, Rosenblatt said “he’s doing fine.”

He is due back in state court on October 11th.

Kingston had some major hits including his 2007 debut single “Beautiful Girls.” He’s previously collaborated with Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy.

A report released in July by personal finance service The Motley Fool Ascent, indicated the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metropolitan area reported 25,434 cases.

In Florida alone, there were a total of 54,313 identity theft reports – the third highest in the country just behind California and Texas. 

Identity theft in the U.S.

Through the first half of the year, 552,000 cases of identity theft were reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) nationwide.

At that rate, cases for the full year will exceed the amount reported in 2023 – 1,037,000.

What’s the most common form of identity theft?

Roughly 215,000 cases of credit card theft were reported to the FTC in the first half of 2024, up 6% from the previous six months.

There are two types of credit card fraud — new account, which is when thieves use your information to open a credit card account in your name, and existing account, which is when a thief uses a credit card that you opened.

Identity theft comes in many other forms – 96,608 cases of loan or lease fraud were reported in 2024, and 170,784 cases were categorized under other identity theft, which includes schemes involving email and social media, insurance, medical services, online shopping and more.

Read the full report here.

They “are the last strongholds for a lot of wildlife in rapidly urbanizing communities in Florida,” Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida told the Associated Press.

Unlike the issues of abortion, LGBTQ rights, race and guns that have divided voters, state parks apparently hold a place in the hearts of Floridians regardless of party. The state park system has received national recognition for years, and people are resistant to change the protected lands they enjoy.

DeSantis’ administration announced plans this week to carve out golf courses and pickleball courts in Florida’s beloved state parks. The proposal, dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” has drawn opposition from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups alike.

The proposed changes, which would affect nine parks, include lodges of up to 350 rooms, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and golf courses.

The aftermath of the criticism

The state Department of Environmental Protection has pushed back a series of meetings about the controversial proposal. Eight meetings had been scheduled for Tuesday at sites throughout the state, but the department said Friday in a post on X that new meeting dates will be announced for the week of Sept. 2.

“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate,” the department said.

The post said the agency was looking for new venues to accommodate the public.

What’s the difference between state parks and national parks?

The “Great Outdoors Initiative” would only affect state parks, but South Florida is home to three national parks.

The biggest difference is the governing body that oversees them. State parks are operated by the state government, and the federal government oversees national parks. But both serve the same purpose – they’re protected lands that serve economic value, health and environmental benefits, and have social importance, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.

Here are the many state and national parks you can find in South Florida:

Florida Aug 22

State offers more details on plan to revamp parks including in South Florida

Florida Aug 22

Pickleball at state parks? It could happen – Parkgoers react to ‘Great Outdoors Initiative'

State parks in South Florida

MIAMI-DADE

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park: Located on the tip of Key Biscayne and just minutes from downtown Miami, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is also home to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Built in 1825, it’s the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County and holds almost 200 years of history.

Oleta River State Park: Billed as Florida’s largest urban park, Oleta River State Park offers parkgoers 15 miles of off-road bicycling trails and paddling along lush mangrove forests. It hosts about 15 endangered species and contains one of the largest concentrations of Australian “pine,” an invasive species. This is one of the parks up for development under the Great Outdoors Initiative.

Grossman Hammock State Park: Also known as the Chekika Day Use Area, this park was closed indefinitely in 2013 due to budget cuts. It was previously only open seasonally and parkgoers used the area for bicycling, short hikes and picnicking.

BROWARD

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park: Located in Dania Beach, this state park is named after the late civil rights activists who led “wade-in” protests to desegregate beaches and was once Broward County’s designated “colored beach.” It’s now a popular location for swimming, fishing, boating, hiking and picnicking. This park is also up for development under the Great Outdoors Initiative.

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park: The “Central Park” of Fort Lauderdale was a gift to the city by Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch and is described as an urban oasis between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.

MONROE

Bahia Honda State Park: This park, an island, is known for its iconic Florida Keys scenery, including the derelict Bahia Honda Bridge that now acts as an overlook and offers a panoramic view of the islands.

Curry Hammock State Park: This secluded, undeveloped parcel of land is described as a vital habitat for many local and migrating species and protects areas essential to the Florida Keys ecosystem, including mangrove swamps and seagrass beds.

Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park: This park, whose namesake is a local environmental activist, was slated to become a condominium development but is now the home of 84 protected species of plants and animals and contains one of the largest tracts of West Indian subtropical hardwood hammock in the United States.

Long Key State Park: Once a popular luxury tourist destination for the rich and famous, Long Key State Park can now be enjoyed by all and offers bird-watching, swimming, kayaking and more.

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park: Parkgoers can step back in time and explore the former quarry made up of Key Largo limestone. In the early 1900s, the Florida East Coast Railroad used the stone to build Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad.

PALM BEACH

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park: This park is described as a unique mixture of coastal and tropical hammock and mangrove forest, and is a haven for several rare or endangered native tropical and coastal plant species.

National parks in South Florida

Everglades National Park: Everglades National Park is the largest designated subtropical wilderness reserved in the North American continent and is home to many critically threatened and endangered species, such as the Florida panther, American crocodile and the West Indian manatee.

Biscayne National Park: Biscayne National Park, south of Miami, is 95% underwater and protects the shoreline mangrove swamp, Biscayne Bay, the coral limestone keys and the Florida Reef. It’s also home to many threatened and endangered species such as manatees, crocodiles and sea turtles.

Dry Tortugas National Park: West of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park protects a seven-key archipelago (Garden, Loggerhead, Bush, Long, East, Hospital, and Middle) in the Gulf of Mexico. Garden Key is the home of the 19th-century Fort Jefferson, the largest all-masonry fort in the United States.

The event started at 4:00 p.m. and went on for more than seven hours. Hundreds of people were in line before the park opened.

Venezuelans in South Florida are demanding freedom and democracy. They’re condemning leader Nicolas Maduro after he said he beat opponent Edmundo Gonzalez in last month’s election. They’re also calling for an independent review of the votes.

South Florida’s protest was one of many across the world over the weekend. John Fix and his wife Andrea were two of the thousands of people at Bayfront Park.

“It tells me that the movement is not dead, it tells me people are not quitting,” Fox said.

Dana Arocha was born in Venezuela and moved to South Florida when she was 5-years-old. She says even though she’s far away, she won’t let distance stop her from doing her part.

“I feel like by being here, we’re showing our face for our country and fighting for the people who are struggling over there,” Arocha said. “Be very educated about what’s going on in our country and about the crisis we have going on.”

This was the second protest at Bayfront Park this month. Artists including Willy Chirino, Arturo Sandoval, Amaury Gutiérrez and Danny Ocean were expected to perform Saturday.

There were no reported arrests or medical transports at Bayfront Park.

Sunshine State Sonar identified them as Doris Wurst, 34, and her 3-year-old daughter, Caren, who were reported missing from their residence located at 13411 Northwest 2nd Street in Plantation.

They were last seen alive on Nov. 7, 1974. The mother’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala was also nowhere to be found, police said.

Their disappearance became a cold case by 1975, with follow-up investigations occurring in 1977, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018; however, results came back negative and the two were never found, police explained.

According to Plantation Police, family members have been contacted regarding the likelihood that the remains of their loved ones have been located. Police are still waiting for DNA/dental records.

Sunshine State Sonar, an organization that conducts volunteer searches for vehicular missing person cases in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, teamed up with Plantation Police back in June of 2023 with hopes of closing the case.

On Sunday, the sonar team located a vehicle in a Plantation canal near the 10100 block of West Broward Boulevard, that was later identified as a 60’s model Chevrolet Impala following a dive search.

Skeletal remains consistent with an adult and small child were located inside that Chevrolet Impala, police confirmed.

Sunshine State Sonar also shared an image of items found inside the Impala, including toys, clothes and shoes.

“There was a hole in the roof on the vehicle and as I got right above the top of the vehicle I shined my flashlight in that hole and I saw what I didn’t know what it was at the time, it looked like a purse or little briefcase,” Michael Sullivan of Sunshine State Solar said. “I grabbed it and when I got it up to the surface and saw what it was – it was a Fisher Price kids toy. Me and my brother just looked at each other and it was a pretty emotional moment because, to us, it was Caren, it was Caren saying, ‘I’m here, you got me.'”

Cellphone video obtained by NBC6 shows the moment the remains of the vehicle were pulled from the canal.

Meanwhile, Plantation residents who live near the canal are on edge.

Piedad Caballero said she received a knock on her door Saturday from the team at Sunshine State Sonar, for permission to access the canal from her property.

“We’ve been here 20 years and we’ve been sleeping with dead bodies there over 20 years, not knowing. Who knows how many more are in there,” Caballero told NBC6. “It’s really scary.”

In a nearby lake, Sunshine State Sonar said a man’s remains and a car were found submerged, in the area of 80 Wimbledon Drive.

“They laid his bones out. They had his dentures,” resident Cookie Saccenti said. “It was really sad.”

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Sunshine State Sonar, an organization with the mission of finding missing people on the waterways, told NBC6 that three bodies were recovered from a canal and lake in Plantation.

Cellphone video obtained by NBC6 shows the moment a car was pulled from one of the scenes.

Two of the bodies, those of a woman and child, were recovered in a canal near 10151 SW 1st Street in Plantation. The discovery is connected to a 50-year-old cold case, according to Sunshine State Sonar.

The volunteer search team said it worked for months with cold case detectives from Plantation Police to bring this case to a close, after the mother, her child and vehicle vanished in November of 1974.

Meanwhile, Plantation residents who live near the canal are on edge.

Piedad Caballero said she received a knock on her door Saturday from the team at Sunshine State Sonar, for permission to access the canal from her property.

“We’ve been here 20 years and we’ve been sleeping with three dead bodies there over 20 years, not knowing. Who knows how many more are in there,” Caballero told NBC6. “It’s really scary.”

An image shared with NBC6 shows the scene where a man’s remains and a car were reportedly found in a nearby lake, in the area of 80 Wimbledon Drive.

“They laid his bones out. They had his dentures,” resident Cookie Saccenti said. “It was really sad.”

Investigators have not yet confirmed this information related to the lake discovery. NBC6 has reached out to Plantation Police for more information.

This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.

For instance, according to NBC6 in 2018, hourly rates in Little River surged from $1.75 to $2.50, with Wynwood seeing the steepest increase from $1.25 to $3 per hour. Fast-forward to July 2024, and Wynwood’s rates have climbed further to $3.40 per hour and $6.65 for two hours. In contrast, Time Out reported in 2018 that Bayfront Park’s hourly rate was $3.50, but by 2024, it had soared to $10.

Miami Beach, renowned for its entertainment and South Beach areas, charges $4 per hour for street parking, escalating during peak periods like Memorial Day and Spring Break. During Memorial Day, non-residents were charged $30 for flat parking, whereas residents paid $15 at all city parking garages in the Entertainment District. Regular rates in most city garages range around $14 for 1–2 hours.

Other Miami neighborhoods, such as Brickell commands $3.40 per hour, while Coconut Grove charges $3.15.

Vehicle subscription company FINN released a study on 2023 of which major U.S. cities have the most affordable surface lots and parking garages.

According to FINN’s 2023 study, Miami was tied with Boston for fourth place in its list of the most expensive monthly parking in the country, with costs starting at $150 per month. In comparison, cities like Dallas offer rates as low as $40 per month, with Nashville and Houston at $50.

Reflecting broader industry trends, Towne Park noted a substantial growth in the parking sector, from $58 billion in 2020 to $121 billion in 2022, expecting further increases to $144 billion in recent years.

“It’s nearly impossible to find parking which makes us late everywhere, the parking rates are now almost at $10 for one hour,” said Pamela Gomez, a Miami-Dade resident. “Why do we have to pay for it?”

Like Pamela, many drivers question the need for parking fees, especially as rates continue to rise annually.

The world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935, according to History.

It was created as a solution to the lack of parking space for the rapidly increasing number of automobiles crowding into the downtown business district each day.

Economists argue that charging for parking can be beneficial. According to JSTOR Daily, free parking often encourages more driving, rather than walking or using public transportation. Vox cites UCLA economist Donald Shoup, who advocates for metered parking in high-demand areas to better manage limited spaces.

Shoup argues that parking isn’t a true public good. Unlike resources shared by everyone, parking spots are finite. “Parking doesn’t just appear out of thin air,” Shoup explains. “So those without cars end up subsidizing those with them. Every time you walk, bike, or take a bus, you’re effectively paying for other people’s parking.”

For residents in a county like Miami-Dade, with its large population, hot climate, and long distances, the need for personal vehicles is more pressing. With public transportation ranked 52nd out of 100 cities, many rely heavily on their cars.

While parking fees contribute to street repairs, cleaning projects, and other improvements, the combined costs of parking, gas, and other driving expenses can be a significant burden for drivers.

Miami-Dade’s parking landscape highlights a challenging reality for its residents amidst rising costs nationwide, prompting ongoing concerns about equitable access and financial strain.

Reef restoration is extremely important to South Florida’s ecosystem because the coral colonies help protect us from waves and storm surge especially during tropical systems.

Katherine Hardy, a PhD Student at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami says, “with the really devastating heat wave that we saw in 2023, we really have this urgency to outplant new genetic diversity to the reef.”

A company by the name of Wincup developed the Phade products which are biodegradable utensils to help reduce plastic waste that ends up in our waterways… but oceanographers and researchers are using these unconventional tools to help restore the coral reefs.

Kyle Pisano, the CEO of Reef Fortify says, “what we developed using the Phade technology of the PHA is we brought two very separate industries together.”

“We are using these structures to give them a few months on the reef to be able to acclimate to the wild and be in those conditions and not be preyed upon,” Hardy said.

Biodegradable boba straws are being used as coral forts by Reef Fortify to protect coral from predators, like the parrotfish, that will eat the corals before they have a chance to survive on the reef.

Pisano says, “because it slowly goes away, the parrotfish don’t recognize that coral once it’s transplanted as new anymore.”

Hardy says the straws biodegrade in roughly 60 to 80 days.

“So this is going to be fully biodegradable, and then this can be reused. So this is a separate mechanism, this umbrella, which can be detached and reattached to another base. So they both have different benefits,” says Hardy.

Pisano tells us,” The issue with that [reusable] method is that divers have to return to either clean the cage or they need to eventually remove it. And sometimes what happens is when it’s removed, it has that same effect of the coral being new on the reef to the parrotfish and that triggers them to feed on it for some reason.”

The straws are essentially made up of fermented canola oil that breaks down in the ocean as natural bacteria begins to eat it… but they last long enough to keep the corals from becoming a snack.

Pisano says, “you know, sometimes you only see 40% survivorship in certain areas with heavy parrotfish predation on your corals. So immediately just going from the realm of 40% up to the 90% that we saw in our initial trials was already a big success.”

Johanna Michely Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a news release Tuesday.

Garcia, 41, from Broward, was the former Chief Executive Officer of MJ Capital Funding, LLC, which solicited funds from investors for merchant cash advances, or MCAs, a type of short-term financing typically used by small businesses.

From October 2020 through August 2021, Garcia, Pavel Ramon Ruiz Hernandez, and others got investors to hand over funds by making false statements about how their money would be used for the MCAs, prosecutors said.

The company ended up making few loans and didn’t earn anywhere near the profits it needed to pay investors their promised returns and as a result, Garcia started paying investors by running a large Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said.

Garcia began paying existing investors using new investor funds while misappropriating millions of dollars for her own personal benefit, and of the nearly $200 million raised, investors lost nearly $90 million.

The FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission effectively shut down MJ Capital Funding in the fall of 2021, but Garcia, Ruiz Hernandez, and others began operating a new Ponzi scheme that was identical to the MJ Capital Funding criminal enterprise, prosecutors said.

Garcia led the new scheme up until her arrest and even after while she was in Bureau of Prisons custody.

Just like the MJ Capital Funding fraud, Garcia and her partners told victims that their money would be used to fund commercial loans, but the money raised was used to pay off previous investors, and fund Garcia and her coconspirators’ lifestyles.

Ruiz Hernandez was charged in August 2022, pled guilty in April 2023, and was sentenced in September 2023 to just over nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Garcia’s sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 20, where she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Hundreds of boats hit the water, several even before the sun came up, for the start of the mini-season, which runs through Thursday.

Miami-Dade County incidents

In Miami-Dade County, the first vessel capsized before 8 a.m. A diver was briefly reported missing before being found on another boat. 

In another incident, authorities said two individuals were diving as their boat began to sink. Chopper6 caught an aerial view of the vessel upside down in the water.

The divers were picked up by Miami-Dade Police Department Marine Patrol, and they were brought to Crandon Park Marina. Neither was injured. 

In Sunny Isles, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to calls after noon about two missing divers.

“Our units were able to locate the divers and transported them back to their vessel,” the fire rescue said.

Officials also said there was one small boat fire at Crandon marina, but no one was hurt. A tow company driver said they used a fire extinguisher and bucket of water to put it out.

Florida Jul 23

What to know as Florida's 2024 lobster mini-season set to start

Animals and Wildlife Jul 23

Watch: Breaching whale takes out small boat in New Hampshire

Monroe County incidents

In the Lower Keys, a man diving for lobster near the Boca Chica Bridge was reportedly struck by a boat propeller and flown to a Miami hospital at around 8:09 a.m., according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The man’s condition is not known.

He “was brought ashore at the Key Haven Boat Ramp and Trauma Star landed on the Shark Key Bridge — temporarily blocking U.S. 1 traffic at the Shark Key Bridge,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating.

In another incident, the Sheriff’s Office rescued four people from a vessel that was taking on water near Mile Marker 39 around 11:33 a.m. Wednesday, according to Monrow County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials also said that a diver found a “package of suspected cocaine” approximately one mile offshore of Tavernier on the oceanside around 2:14 p.m.

The package was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, said MCSO.

Diving safety tips

According to the Divers Alert Network (DAN), a diving safety organization, “statistics have shown that lobster mini-season has resulted in unexpected injuries and fatalities as divers have rushed to hunt.”

The organization highlights four steps to take to stay safe in the water:

• check air often
• always dive with a buddy
• know your limits
• plan your dive, and dive your plan

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also encourages safety on its website and lists the following guidelines for divers:

• wear a life jacket when underway
• designate a sober operator for the vessel
• stay within 300 feet of a properly displayed divers-down flag or device when lobstering in open water
• stay within 100 feet of a properly displayed divers-down flag or device if near an inlet or navigation channel

As for boat operators, they must slow to idle speed when traveling within 300 feet of a divers-down flag or device in open water or within 100 feet of one on an inlet or navigational channel, the FWC says.

Delta Air Lines is still seeing significant delays across the country.

At around 3:30 p.m., Miami International Airport experienced 45 cancellations in 24 hours, and Fort Lauderdale International Airport experienced 37 cancellations in 24 hours, according to FlightAware. The majority of cancellations are with Delta Airlines.

“It’s been the worst experience he’s ever had,” said Jaclyn Johnson, a Palm City resident.

Johnson said her husband was supposed to leave on a Delta flight out of Palm Beach to Atlanta on Sunday at 11 a.m. After a cancellation and multiple delays, he finally left at 10:40 p.m.  

“He said he had a feeling when he got on the plane that he should have just turned around,” Johnson said.

When he arrived in Atlanta, he arrived to another canceled flight.

“He said it was pure chaos, people got off the plane, one lady saw the line to talk to an agent and collapsed, people were sobbing on the floors,” she said.

To make matters worse, his checked bag is still in limbo while he’s driving to New Orleans.

“Between the hotels and the rental cars, and not being at work, it’s a significant loss for us financially,” Johnson said.

news Jul 22

CrowdStrike shares tumble as fallout from global tech outage continues

Air travel Jul 22

Delta Air Lines says cancellations continue as it tries to restore operations after tech outage

In a statement released Monday, Delta Air Lines said it’s “working around the clock to get this operation where it needs to be.”

The airline said that the CrowdStrike outage impacted its most critical system, which ensures all flights have a full crew at the right place and time.

As they continue trying to reboot and repair, Delta is extending a travel waiver through July 23, providing refunds, reimbursements, points and rebooking options.

Johnson’s husband was offered 6,000 points, but for Thomas Patch, he’s getting a refund.

Patch said he waited a whole day for a flight that never happened.

“There’s a long, long line, they only had a couple of people helping to solve these problems, and it’s just a pain,” he said.

Mandee Adler, who spoke to NBC6 while in the car, described the airport as a “zoo.”

Adler was with her family, driving more than nine hours back to South Florida after their Atlanta flight booked with Delta was delayed, delayed, and then canceled.

“It’s just unfortunate,” she said. “We saw people crying in the airport, we heard people saying that they were missing funerals.”

The Adlers made a reservation for a rental car that same night, only to arrive at a lot of no cars. The agents at the counter told the Adlers they would not be able to honor their reservation.

The family then had to spend the night in a hotel. Thankfully on Monday, they were able to hit the road.

“We knew about the delays when we left, and we thought they would be resolved rather quickly, but even the individuals at the airport at the rental car place said they were so shocked at how long this is going on for,” Jason Adler said.

The chaos even caused their daughter Sara-Pearl to miss her internship,

“I guess there’s not much you can do in this kind of situation,” she said, adding that thankfully, her boss understood.

The Adlers haven’t received any sort of reimbursement or refund, however, they were told by the airline that they can request one. The family said they tried calling but didn’t want to continue waiting on the line.

Instead, the family is learning to expect the unexpected, and trying to use this experience as a lesson in patience and gratitude.

Mandee Adler said she wishes that the airline would bring a little more humanity to the travel experience.

“I understand that these companies want to make as much money as they can, but it really stinks that they can screw up your schedule in such a way and then there is no one you can get in touch with,” she said.

She wished they had more people helping customers face-to-face or over the phone.

Delta did not provide a timeline for when they believe to be back up and running, business as usual.

For now, they asked that passengers continue to check their bookings and visit delta.com for updates.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

A heat advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Largely dry conditions will take over as Wednesday afternoon rolls in. There will be partly cloudy skies with a few scattered downpours far inland.

Rain chances pop back up by late weekend.

Tips for dealing with the heat

The Red Cross and the National Weather Service (NWS) have a series of recommendations for facing days with high temperatures and avoiding health problems.

• The general basic recommendation is to stay hydrated, wear light clothing, and protect yourself from the sun if you’re going to be engaging in outdoor activities.
• One of the first warnings is related to vehicles, as the heat inside a car can be deadly. “Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The interior temperature of the vehicle can quickly reach 120 degrees,” says the Red Cross.
• It is also recommended to avoid excessive consumption of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.
• If you don’t have air conditioning, seek relief from the heat during the hottest hours of the day in places like libraries, theaters, and shopping malls.
• It is also advisable to avoid extreme temperature changes. Avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.
• Take frequent breaks if you work outdoors and check frequently to ensure that pets are not suffering from the heat. Make sure they have plenty of fresh water and shade.

The crash happened on Sunday in the westbound lanes just after exit 67, the exit for several Disney World parks and resorts, in Lake Buena Vista, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. 

A red Chevrolet Camaro traveling behind a Hyundai Tucson can be seen on video trying to move into the leftmost lane by squeezing in front of another vehicle. But the gap between the Tucson and the other vehicle closes, and the Camaro clips the Tucson, sending it spinning on the roadway until it flips on the shoulder. 

The driver of the Tucson, a 20-year-old woman, was not hurt, FHP said. 

The three people in the Camaro fled the scene on foot, FHP Trooper Migdalisis Garcia told NBC affiliate WESH. 

“We did have several witnesses thankfully stop by and were able to capture some photos of the three occupants that were fleeing the scene,” Garcia said. 

FHP later received reports that the three subjects got into a silver or gray vehicle near Disney Springs and “continued fleeing.”

“Luckily the other driver survived and she’s not seriously hurt, however, the fact these three people chose to be selfish and walk away from the scene of a crash that they caused without even checking to see if the other person was OK, her vehicle overturned, it could’ve been way worse,” Garcia said.

Anyone with information should call *FHP (*347) or CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

A heat advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. for Miami-Dade and Broward, and until 7 p.m. for the Florida Keys.

Heat index values of 107 to 112 are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday morning air temperatures were in the low 80s, while feels-like temperatures were in the upper 80s and low 90s before the sun was even up.

Highs will be near seasonable and in the low 90s throughout the day.

As Monday afternoon rolls in, storms turn inland and a passing downpour is possible.

Dry air is going to start moving in just above all of the surface humidity. This will limit the rain from becoming widespread, at least through midweek.

Overall, this week remains steamy, with feels-like conditions in the low 100s and a few passing downpours.

Tips for dealing with the heat

The Red Cross and the National Weather Service (NWS) have a series of recommendations for facing days with high temperatures and avoiding health problems.

• The general basic recommendation is to stay hydrated, wear light clothing, and protect yourself from the sun if you’re going to be engaging in outdoor activities.
• One of the first warnings is related to vehicles, as the heat inside a car can be deadly. “Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The interior temperature of the vehicle can quickly reach 120 degrees,” says the Red Cross.
• It is also recommended to avoid excessive consumption of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.
• If you don’t have air conditioning, seek relief from the heat during the hottest hours of the day in places like libraries, theaters, and shopping malls.
• It is also advisable to avoid extreme temperature changes. Avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.
• Take frequent breaks if you work outdoors and check frequently to ensure that pets are not suffering from the heat. Make sure they have plenty of fresh water and shade.

All except two of the suspects are from Miami-Dade County. 

The accused are:

• Dayana Garcia, 34, of Miami
• Eduardo Monteagudo, 41, of Miami
• Armando Rodriguez, Jr., 38, of Miami
• Bernardo Olvera, aka “King Handsome,” 35, of Miami
• Blas Barrios, aka “King Blasito,” 44, of Miami
• Ricky Mourin, aka “King Rick,” 33, of Naranja 
• Jerry Rodriguez, aka “King Suave,” 30, of West Palm Beach
• Joshua De Paula, aka “King Vision,” 28, of West Palm Beach

The 26-count indictment charges Garcia, Monteagudo and Rodriguez, Jr. with conspiring with Olvera to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine in Miami-Dade County, officials said. 

Garcia, Monteagudo and Rodriguez each face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Olvera and the other four defendants are all known members of the Almighty Latin King gang known as the Latin Kings. 

“Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin engaged in the illegal sale of narcotics and/or firearms on multiple occasions between January and June 2024. The indictment charges [them] with conspiring to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 28 grams of cocaine base throughout South Florida,” the news release reads. 

The five alleged gang members also face firearms charges, including trafficking, possessing them after felony convictions and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula and Mourin were arrested on June 27 “at locations across South Florida,” according to authorities. 

All are currently under arrest and face up to life in prison if convicted.  

What makes this pattern even more uncomfortable is the warmth already giving us a stranglehold early in the day.

We haven’t seen any pre-sunrise temperatures below 80 degrees across the region.

Don’t expect much in the way rain relief as most of the action will be west and north of us.

Tuesday looks very similar, but Wednesday may finally offer some rain relief.

Expect daily storms and temperatures a couple of degrees cooler. It’s not much but we will take it.

Tips for dealing with the heat

The Red Cross and the National Weather Service (NWS) have a series of recommendations for facing days with high temperatures and avoiding health problems.

• The general basic recommendation is to stay hydrated, wear light clothing, and protect yourself from the sun if you’re going to be engaging in outdoor activities.
• One of the first warnings is related to vehicles, as the heat inside a car can be deadly. “Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The interior temperature of the vehicle can quickly reach 120 degrees,” says the Red Cross.
• It is also recommended to avoid excessive consumption of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.
• If you don’t have air conditioning, seek relief from the heat during the hottest hours of the day in places like libraries, theaters, and shopping malls.
• It is also advisable to avoid extreme temperature changes. Avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.
• Take frequent breaks if you work outdoors and check frequently to ensure that pets are not suffering from the heat. Make sure they have plenty of fresh water and shade.

WalletHub, a financial services company, wanted to find out what states had the most self-reliant population, based on five sources of dependency—consumer finances, the government, the labor market, foreign trade, and personal vices. Out of the 50 states, Florida came out as the third most independent state, only behind Utah and Colorado.

Florida is the third-most independent state, with one of the earliest “tax freedom days” in the country. A state’s tax freedom day is the number of days since the start of the year that its residents have collectively earned enough money to pay their federal, state and local tax bills for the year, the study said.

For Florida, this happens only 93 days into the year, compared to 122 days for the slowest state.

Florida “benefits from one of the earliest ‘tax freedom days’ in the country… which reflects a lower tax burden on its residents,” said Cassandra Happe, an analyst at WalletHub. This plays a huge role in Florida’s ranking.

In addition, Florida residents show their independence from common addictions. Florida has the second-lowest share of adults with gambling disorders, as well as relatively low rates of binge drinking and smoking. Florida residents also have some of the lowest usage of “smart” devices, but that may be partially due to the advanced age of many residents, the study said.

“Economically, Florida is robust, with a low unemployment rate of 3.1%, a high job growth rate, and a minimal percentage of underwater mortgages, which stands at only 1.3%,” said Happe.

In terms of shares of adults saving for college education, Florida ranked 7th.

Happe also stated that Florida’s “low unemployment rate of 3.1% and strong employment growth create an environment conducive to financial stability, fostering a culture of savings. Additionally, Florida’s emphasis on financial independence and its low incidence of vice dependencies, such as gambling disorders, further encourage residents to prioritize long-term financial planning, including saving for their children’s education.”

Additionally, Florida ranked number nine in the share of jobs supported by exported goods. This showcases the state’s strong involvement in international trade.

“Key industries such as aerospace, electronics, agriculture, and tourism-related services likely played crucial roles in driving these exports,” said Happe.

In terms of either maintaining or improving its ranking, Cassandra says that “promoting financial literacy and encouraging savings could enhance metrics like median credit score and the percentage of households with emergency funds while also reducing underwater mortgages.”

“Continuing efforts to combat substance abuse and gambling disorders through targeted education and treatment initiatives are crucial for improving vice dependency indicators.”

Christine Betancourt said she left South Florida for a trip to Disney World before a judge signed an order last Friday saying her daughter should be immediately with her father. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert over the weekend for the 3-year-old.

Her attorney moved to delay that custody exchange, but South Miami Police issued an alert for the pair before a judge could grant an extension until Tuesday afternoon.

That’s when the mother complied and brought the girl to her father.

“No kidnapping or interference with child custody occurred in this case,” said Sam Rabin, Betancourt’s attorney. “There was no criminal conduct nor criminal act and that’s why Ms. Betancourt wasn’t charged with a crime. Events were set in motion by a false missing persons report that should not have been made.”

“I was not contacted by the police. There was not a well-check, nothing was done and the falsified missing person report reached the level it did and it even maintained and was upheld even after he had been notified,” Betancourt said. “I was fine and my mother had notified the police that my daughter and I were fine.”

Betancourt said she will file an internal affairs complaint with South Miami Police. The department declined to answer NBC6’s questions, only saying they did their job and the child is safe.

The father’s attorney said they had no idea where the mother and daughter were, and the dad filed the missing persons report because the judge had signed the pick-up order — which the mother and her attorney concede was in effect for three days while they were in central Florida.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

Panthers fans have waited 30 years to see their team win hockey’s ultimate prize, and the celebration along A1A is sure to be a raucous event.

It of course won’t be the first parade celebrating a sports championship in South Florida, just the latest.

Here’s a look back at some of the memorable celebrations in South Florida sports history.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were South Florida’s first champions in the four major sports leagues going undefeated in the 1972 NFL season en route to their win in Super Bowl VII.

The victory set off major celebrations in Miami, with impromptu parties breaking out in neighborhoods across the area.

A day after the Super Bowl victory, a crowd of some 10,000 fans greeted the team at Miami International Airport to show their appreciation.

A year later, the Dolphins would repeat as NFL champs, beating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII.

Sadly, that was the last championship for the Phins, so for now we’ll just have to imagine what kind of celebration there’ll be when they win it all again.

Florida Marlins

In 1997, before they were known as the Miami Marlins, the Florida Marlins became South Florida’s second championship team when they defeated the Cleveland Indians in a thrilling seven-game World Series.

Two days later, South Florida celebrated in style with a ticker tape parade in downtown Miami followed by a speedboat parade down the New River in Fort Lauderdale.

The day ended with a rally at the Marlins’ stadium, then known as Pro Player Stadium, where Gloria Estefan performed before tens of thousands of fans.

Six years later, after defeating the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series, the Marlins celebrated the victory with another parade in downtown Miami and a massive gathering at Bayfront Park.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat got in on the fun in 2006, when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win their first ever NBA championship.

Three days later, an estimated crowd of 250,000 fans, came out for a parade and celebration at American Airlines Arena with Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the team.

The Heat and their fans wouldn’t have to wait too long for the next celebration. In 2012, with Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh forming the “Big Three,” the Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games for the team’s second championship.

It was time for another massive celebration, with the team riding double-decker buses though a ticker tape parade to the arena, where a packed party was held inside.

The Heat got to do it all over again the next year when Wade, LeBron and Bosh led Miami to victory in the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

That meant the double decker buses were back out, along with a massive crowd and another rally at the arena.

Miami Hurricanes

We’d be remiss to not mention the Miami Hurricanes, whose football team has been crowned national champions five times, in 1983, 1987, 1989, and 2001.

Anyone who was around for those championships remembers the lively parties and parades that were held for the Canes.

The incident happened Wednesday when Davie Police responded to a call of a shooting at the 20-year-old’s home.

As the officers arrive at the front of the home and encounter Doherty’s head of security inside the gate, they seem to already know that the call was bogus.

“He’s getting swatted again,” one officer tells the man. “Is he good, is everything good here?”

“He’s upstairs, everybody’s, there’s a couple guys in the back wrestling,” the man says.

Doherty is later seen approaching the gate and telling the officers that all is well.

According to an incident report, an officer had already seen that Doherty was streaming on Kick.com and was safe.

The report also said that the home has been involved in swatting calls in the past.

Doherty has a popular YouTube page that boasts more than 14.7 million subscribers, and has more than 9.6 million TikTok followers.

Some swatting incidents have led to police shooting people, and officials also say they worry about diverting resources from real emergencies.

Seventeen of them are in South Florida.

A millionaire city is defined as a place where the typical value of a house is at least $1 million. But does that high price tag come with a catch?

“There’s not much more you could ask for at least out of Palmetto Bay,” said Alex Carr, who owns a home right across from Coral Reef Park since 2015.

“When we first bought this house we thought at the beginning, ‘Oh man, can we afford this house?’, ‘Did we bite off more than we could chew?’ And now looking back, it was a home run. It was a steal,” Carr said.

His wife, Ana-Mari, a longtime resident of Palmetto Bay, remembers how a neighbor sold his house for $880,000 two years ago.

“We were like, ‘Wow look how much that sold for!’ And now he could sell it for $1.5 million or something along those lines. So, it is really astounding to see how much these homes are worth,” she said

The Village of Palmetto Bay is a new addition to Zillow’s latest report on millionaire cities.

The South Florida cities included in the list are: Bal Harbour, Coral Gables, Fisher Island, Golden Beach, Key Biscayne, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and Surfside in Miami-Dade County. Broward County’s millionaire cities are Parkland, Sea Ranch Lakes and Southwest Ranches.

And Golf, Gulf Stream, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge and Palm Beach are millionaire cities in Palm Beach County.

The Carrs believe that what makes their village of 25,000 residents desirable is the park system, which is now comprised of six parks, 15 public and private schools, the green space, proximity to water and less traffic.

The Mayor of Palmetto Bay, Karyn Cunningham, thinks of their village as a “million-dollar home community,” as most of the residents are not millionaires, but rather, made a good investment.

But is there a catch to that smart move?

“I think the housing market itself has kind of kept people in place, where even if you could sell a home for over $1 million, then where are you going to move?” Cunningham said.

AN AFFORDABILITY ISSUE

Mayor Cunningham says that the majority of the community is over the age of 65, and about 20 percent of the residents are under the age of 18. That means there are lots of families, like the Carrs, who are worried about future generations.

“It’s pretty amazing, but scary at the same time,” says Ana-Mari Carr.

The mayor of Pinecrest, which has remained one of Florida’s million-dollar cities, has his own concerns.

“The problem is that unless you bought a house recently in Pinecrest, most of us in Pinecrest couldn’t afford our own homes,” said Mayor Joseph M. Corradino. “So, the children can’t move back to town because now this is unattainable. The average home price is $1 million. These houses are ginormous. They are 25,000 square feet. Some are bigger than that, and at $25 million. It’s a place where the people who have perhaps grown up here, either young or old, can’t stay in the community, so they are getting displaced.”

Corradino says the city of large density lots, tree canopy and easy accessibility thanks to its location, faces what many other million-dollar cities in the state face: an affordable housing crisis.

So, while the title is a nice one to have, it comes with the responsibility to figure out how those who live here can stay here.

Zillow’s Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy says that Florida tends to be a healthier market, “in the sense that the home value appreciation has slowed.”

“We have seen a big increase in new listings, homes being listed in the market for sale in the last year, so that slowdown has contributed to a small decrease in a number of cities with homes valued at a million dollars and above,” Divounguy said.

Because of this trend, three Florida cities have been taken off the list: Siesta Key, Santa Rosa Beach and Sanibel.

But Divounguy says what impacts what remains as a million-dollar city is population growth, demand for housing and supply.

Over the next year, experts believe the number of million-dollar cities and homes will decrease.

“I think that’s welcome. With affordability strained, so many people being priced out of housing market because mortgage rates have doubled over the last several years, slow down in price appreciation is going to help people who are right there, and cross over that threshold to be able to afford a home,” Divounguy said.

“I don’t go by the machines,” said Blanca. “They tell you 25, 20, and usually it’s even more. But I try to do 20%.”

Clara said she didn’t mind going above the norm.

“If it’s great service and great food, then we definitely go above the 20%,” she said.

And Ronnie said he always tries to take care of the workers. 

“Majority of times I will try to tip, even if it’s a pickup order,” he said. 

But according to a recent Bankrate survey of over 2,400 adults across the country, 59% of those surveyed said they had a negative view of tipping, with 35% saying tipping culture has gotten out of control.

“There’s been a lot of tip creep, as in being asked to tip in unconventional settings and people are annoyed about it,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. 

Rossman said inflation is partly to blame for the tipping fatigue.

“Higher prices have squeezed people’s buying power,” he said. “They have less to go around.”

Another reason may be the fading support of service workers, he said.

“Back during the pandemic, there was briefly a big uptick in tipping, and that has really faded,” Rossman said. “A lot of people are fed up with it and I also think that some of the tip creep at food trucks and coffee shops and places like that has left a bad taste in people’s mouths and they’re tipping less.”

Some of the survey’s other findings include:

• 67% of those surveyed said they always tip servers at a sit-down restaurant;
• Only 55% said they always tip their hair stylist or barber, which is about the same for food delivery people;
• And only 41% of those surveyed said they always tip their taxi or rideshare drivers.

A little over a third of those surveyed believe businesses should pay their employees better instead of relying so much on tips, and 14% said they would be willing to pay higher prices to do away with tipping.

The survey also suggests older generations and women are more likely to tip restaurant servers, with only 35% of GenZers saying they always tip at a sit-down restaurant, compared to 56% of millennials and 78% of GenXers.

“Some young people have kind of a social justice take on this, which is tipping’s not fair, let’s not do it,” Rossman said. “Unfortunately, though, it is the rule of the land right now so if you’re not tipping, you’re hurting the worker, not the business.”

Rossman said you should always be tipping when you go to a restaurant since tips are a big part of the wages of servers there.

In a news release Tuesday, Port St. Lucie Police said their investigation began after they received complaints in May of 2022 that cosmetic surgical procedures were being conducted at Cosmetica Plastic Surgery and Anti-Aging by a physician assistant rather than a licensed surgeon.

Detectives identified four different adult victims who had various cosmetic procedures performed on them between 2021 and 2022. They included “liposuction 360s,” “Brazilian butt lifts with fat transfer,” “tummy tucks,” and “breast augmentations” that cost anywhere from $6,000 to $22,900.

All four patients suffered various complications, including necrotic skin that spread from the surgical sights, police said.

Some surgeries were performed by 51-year-old Adley DaSilva, who was only a physician assistant, police said.

DaSilva’s wife, 41-year-old Kiomy Quintiana, who holds no medical license in the United States, performed some procedures such as Botox injections and treated some of the surgical complications from DaSilva’s botched cosmetic surgeries, police said.

Dianne Linda Millan, a 52-year-old surgical technician, 74-year-old Fermal Lee Simpson, an anesthetist, and a fifth unnamed staffer also participated in the botched surgeries, police said.

Millan, Simpson and Quintana were arrested June 13 on one count of RICO – conduct of or participation in enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity. Quintana was also charged with one count of grand theft pursuant to a scheme to defraud, one count of organized fraud, and three counts of practice of medicine without a license.

DaSilva was arrested June 14 on one RICO count, four counts of aggravated battery causing great harm, one count of grand theft pursuant to a scheme to defraud, one count of organized fraud, and four counts of practice of medicine without a license.

The fifth employee is still at large, police said.

Cosmetica closed in 2023, but police said they’re still looking for more possible victims.

“Anytime there’s one spotted in a public place, we literally have people flying from all over the country just to come get a glimpse of one — even if it’s through binoculars,” Dr. Frank Ridgley, the head of the conservation and research department at Zoo Miami, told NBC6. 

And it’s pink. So what more could you want from one of the quirkiest birds in the Sunshine State?

Um, maybe for it to actually stay.

Though American flamingos are native to South Florida, they have not nested or existed in significant, wild populations here for more than a century.

But in 2023, birds likely from the Caribbean and Yucatán, where they are also native, rode the winds of Hurricane Idalia to land back in South Florida.

As many as 101 birds were counted in the state during a February 2024 census organized by Audobon Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of state birds and their habitats.

Now, experts want the flamingos, recently spotted in the marshy parts of South Florida they inhabited abundantly 100 years ago, to stay for good.

How did they get here?

“Well, the flamingos have always been here — that’s part of the story,” Ridgley said. “For many years, they were considered like escapees, or they were even classified as non-natives for a while. But flamingos have been here a long time.”

The bird was almost entirely wiped out in South Florida due to the 19th century plume trade — “when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold,” according to Audubon Florida — and the destruction of their habitat in the Everglades. 

“Hurricane Idalia basically sent a whole bunch of them off course,” Ron Magill, the communications director of Zoo Miami and South Florida’s own Steve Irwin, said.

Some flamingos kind of whoopsied their way to Georgia, Alabama and even as far north as Wisconsin, Magill said.

“Now those birds that flew way up north, after a couple of weeks they said, ‘Nah, we don’t belong here,’ and their GPS kind of sends them back south. But the ones in Florida have been staying here,” he explained.

According to the survey, the largest flamboyance — the actual term for a group of flamingos — was spotted in the Florida Bay, which the National Park Service describes as “a large (approximately 2,200-square-kilometer), shallow lagoon” between the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys.

Fifty birds were counted there, followed by 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Why have they stuck around?

Well, why not?

Just kidding. A lot of work has gone into nurturing an environment that could host these animals once again.

“We have several places that are national parks and preserves, or waterways that have undergone extensive restoration, and certainly Everglades restoration efforts. We want to probably credit that,” Ridgley said. “And that gets the result of all this freshwater flow that’s coming back to the South that everyone’s been working on for so long… the flamingo is likely a success story of that.”

But whether or not the birds truly get comfortable in South Florida is still to be seen.

“Our hope is that there’s been enough of environmental restoration, that the water levels are at the right level, that they’re basically saying, hey, there’s no reason to leave,” Magill said. “You know, these are opportunistic feeders. If they have an opportunity to thrive here, there’s no reason for them to fly.”

What about the ones at Hialeah Park Casino?

Those birds are also American flamingos, but they’re said to have been originally imported from Cuba long ago.

They are not birds brought in by Hurricane Idalia, Ridgely said.

Why does it matter if the flamingos stay?

Ridgley said the answer is threefold: environmental, cultural and economic.

On a scientific level, large nesting colonies of birds “absolutely” change their habitat, “and other species will learn to either coexist or exploit those,” Ridgley said.

If the flamingo is a wading bird native to Florida, it probably helped the nutrient cycling process by consuming small invertebrates and crustaceans.

Then, there’s the fact that flamingos are a cultural icon. Their funny physiques are all over maps and tourism promotions of Florida, and many think it’s the state bird. (It’s not, it’s the mockingbird, but that’s another conversation.)

They’re a charming creature, despite their “obnoxious” sound that Magill imitates to great effect and terrible smell. (Remember, they eat crustaceans all day.) And they bring an interesting touch to Florida’s fauna.

“Generally speaking, they’re monogamous birds [that] build a nest out of mud … it looks like a little volcano. And they only lay one egg,” he said.

And interestingly, “they usually won’t breed unless at least 30 other flamingos are looking at them,” Magill said.

Zoos with populations too small to encourage breeding turn to, you guessed it, mirrors.

“They’re the ultimate kind of voyeur,” Magill said. “The mirrors stimulates them to breed … So see all those people who think the mirrors are kinky, they’re not that kinky.”

We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.

“And then, for people who maybe don’t care about the environment or don’t care what the state bird is, I think they’re an important economic driver,” Ridgley said. “Anywhere where there is responsible ecotourism in parts of the Caribbean or even in other parts of the world where flamingos are found–people love flamingos.”

You heard it here first. Now tell the world: if I behave, I may be able to see baby flamingos return to the Sunshine State.   

Until then, experts urge you to please keep your distance and not bother them. Or you’ll be to blame for ruining the triumphant return of the future state bird.

Paul Thomas Morris, 26, of Boca Raton was arrested Friday on a charge of written threats to commit a mass shooting or threat of terrorism, records showed.

The investigation began after a man reported to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office that his friend, Morris, posted a threatening statement that he “would shoot a synagogue and murder all Jews,” an arrest report said.

Investigators spoke with Morris’ roommate who said Morris made the threatening posts on Discord and Instagram.

“I want Hitler come back to kill all the Jews,” one Instagram message read, while a Discord post said “im shooting up a synagogue,” the arrest report said.

“If anyone is concerned about my well-being, this is where I am at: I want to scream ‘kill all Jews’ at anyone I have ever known,” another Discord post read, according to the report.

The roommate said he has known Morris to suffer from mental health issues but was concerned because he’d never made any statements about committing violence, the report said.

Detectives met with Morris, who admitted to making the messages, the report said.

Morris said he didn’t intend to commit violence but made the posts so his friends would leave him alone about his political opinions, the report said.

Authorities arrested Morris and booked him into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.