Orlando

Published on: August 22, 2025

Neighbor angry over bus stop placement uses sprinklers on students with disabilities, police say.

Police say a man is facing charges after he sprayed students with disabilities using his sprinkler system during a dispute over a neighborhood bus stop in Ocala.

Antonio Roman, 61, was charged on Aug. 17 with four counts of stalking, two counts of battery on a disabled person and two counts of battery.

Since at least Aug. 8, 2024, police say Roman activated his sprinklers twice a day to “intentionally spray the family who lived next door,” officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office told Miami Herald reporters. This allegedly occurred specifically when two students with special needs were loaded and unloaded from the bus stop. Police told reporters that the father began wearing a swimsuit to “shield his children from Roman’s sprinklers.

Published on: August 19, 2025

Girl, 11, Hit by Car Near Bus Stop in Port St. Lucie. What to Know.

By Leesfield Shapiro

An 11-year-old girl has been hospitalized with critical injuries after she was hit by a car near a bus stop in Port St. Lucie Friday.

The crash happened before 8:40 a.m. near the intersection of SW Thornhill Drive and SW Gemini Lane, according to reporting from local media. A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the moment the child attempted to cross the street on her way to her bus stop and was hit. The driver immediately stopped and called paramedics, according to the article.

The girl was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in critical condition.

Published on: August 19, 2025

Surviving Fort Lauderdale Personal Watercraft Victim in Stable Condition, officials say.

By Leesfield Shapiro

One of two sisters involved in an Aug. 12 fatal personal watercraft crash in Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway is reportedly in stable condition, according to reporting from local news outlets.

Aviva Bracha Nisanov, 16, of New York, was rushed to Broward Medical Center in critical condition following the crash that killed her sister, 13-year-old Rachel Aliza Nisanov. The two with their parents, Rebbitzin Ora Nisanov and Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, while the family was vacationing from their home in New York.

The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court when the two crashed into a concrete dock.

Published on: August 18, 2025

Here’s How a Boat Scheduled to be Sunk Got Stuck Under a Florida Bridge. What to know about safety on the water.

By Leesfield Shapiro

A 24-year-old diving boat scheduled to be purposefully sunk for use as a coral reef held on a bit longer after it got stuck under a bridge in the Florida Panhandle.

The 75-foot vessel, a diving boat named the Nekton Rorqual, was being towed by a tugboat beneath the William T. Marler Bridge, a four-lane bridge in Destin, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Photos shared online of the vessel made it appear as though it were a perfect fit between the bridge pylons and commenters online drew comparisons to parallel parking. Officials said that as the boat was being towed, it got caught in the current, causing it to get stuck.

Officials reported no evidence of damage caused by the boat following the ordeal. It took about 15 minutes to maneuver the boat out from under the bridge. Authorities temporarily blocked traffic during this time while tugboat operators below attempted to free the vessel.

Published on: August 18, 2025

Fire at North Miami Beach High-Rise Apartment Over the Weekend. What to Know.

By Leesfield Shapiro

Firefighters put out a blaze at a high-rise in North Miami Beach that caught fire overnight Saturday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Emergency responders were called out to the area just before 7 p.m. Friday after getting reports that a 10-story apartment building near the 3700 block of Northeast 166th Street had caught fire. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from an apartment on the sixth floor and evacuated everyone inside. The fire did not spread to nearby units.

At least three people were treated at the scene by paramedics but did not require transport to a nearby hospital. One resident told reporters that she noticed debris falling onto her balcony. She ran from her apartment and knocked on the doors of her neighbors to alert them before fleeing the building.

Published on: August 13, 2025

Child in Critical Condition Following Near-Drowning in Pembroke Pines, officials say

By Leesfield Shapiro

A child remains in critical condition after being pulled from a pool Monday in Pembroke Pines, officials say.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. at a home near Southwest 69th Avenue and 12th Street. When emergency responders arrived, they found a 3-year-old had been pulled from the pool in cardiac arrest, according to local media reporting.

The child remains in critical condition and no names have been released.

Published on: August 13, 2025

One Dead, Another Injured in Fort Lauderdale Personal Watercraft Tragedy, officials say.

By Leesfield Shapiro

Weeks after a devastating sailboat-barge collision in Miami Beach, another tragedy has struck South Florida — this time leaving one teenager dead and another seriously injured.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale on the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24^th Court, according to reporting from local media. The girls were riding tandem on a personal watercraft around 3:30 p.m. when they allegedly crashed into a dock.

Both girls were taken to the Broward Medical Center where one of them died and another remains seriously injured.

Published on: August 8, 2025

Iconic Miami Beach Landmark to Open Water Park. What to Know.

By Leesfield Shapiro

The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, which has largely been credited with altering the landscape of luxury hospitality in the area and was once the playground for elites including Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, has recently announced plans to build a water park on the iconic property.

The home of LIV, one of the top nightclubs in the country that has been the stage for some of the most-famous performers in the industry, is seemingly using the planned construction of a water park to beckon to new clientele: families with children. The park will include 11 slides to the hotel’s pool area, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

In a statement to the newspaper, hotel officials said the move will transform the property into ” … a destination for all-ages, with all-new pools and water features, family attractions and slides, food and beverage offerings, and elevated poolside entertainment.”

Published on: August 5, 2025

Third Child Dies in Miami Beach Barge-Sailboat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield Shapiro

A 10-year-old girl has died at the hospital days after being involved in a barge-sailboat crash in Miami Beach that killed two other children.

Arielle Mazi Buchman died Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Mila Tankelevich, 7, and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han died on July 28, the day that the 17-foot Hobie Getaway they were on as a part of a Miami Yacht Club summer camp program was hit by a 60-foot barge. The barge was being pulled by a tugboat.

Published on: August 4, 2025

Coast Guard: Captain of Tugboat in Fatal Miami Beach Sailboat Crash Not Impaired. What to Know.

By Leesfield Shapiro

Neither the tugboat captain, a camp counselor, nor a person aboard the barge was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the fatal boat crash that killed one child and injured others off Miami Beach on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

These initial findings were reported Friday by The Miami Herald after a 60-foot barge being pulled by a tugboat slammed into a 17-foot Hobie Gateway carrying at five children with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation and their camp counselor.

At least two girls died and two more were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred between Hibiscus and Monuments islands.