Good Morning! On this day in 1930, George Jenkins incorporated the first Publix grocery store in Winter Haven.
Seven years after closing, an iconic petting zoo has found a new location. Find out more and see the cute goats who now make it their home in Et Cetera.
Daytona Beach ☀️ 80/66° | Ft. Myers 🌤️ 88/65° | Jacksonville ☀️ 84/63° | Key West 💨81/74° | Miami 🌤️ 80/74° | Ocala ☀️ 88/60° | Orlando 🌤️ 85/65° | Pensacola 🌤️ 78/66° | Port St. Lucie 🌤️ 81/69° | Tallahassee ☀️ 86/60° | Tampa ☀️ 90/66°
Injured FSU Students Expected to Recover
Florida State University campus remained closed Friday after a shooting a day earlier killed two people and injured six. All of the injured are reportedly in stable condition.
“We do feel that all (six shooting victims transported to the hospital) will make a full recovery,” Dr. Brett Howard of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital said. “Two are possibly going home today, which we’re extremely proud of.“
FSU students united at a makeshift memorial Thursday evening. “This is my school,” Jorge Rivera, an FSU senior, said. “These are my peers, and this is not the time to go to your rooms. This is the time to show people that you’re there for them.“
A prayer vigil was held at City Church Tallahassee on Thursday in support of students. The church, known for hosting its Easter events on the FSU campus, has moved its celebrations to the church auditorium this year.
“There are concerning reports that this gaming platform, which is popular among children, is exposing them to harmful content and bad actors,” Uthmeier said. He cited reports of child predators messaging minors.
Uthmeier requested documents on how Roblox protects minors from mature content, how Roblox markets to minors, communications between Roblox and a Florida user reporting abuse, communications on how parental controls can be subverted and more.
Of Roblox’s 85 million active daily users, 40% are estimated to be under age 13.
Duval DOGE Questions $100M of City Funds
The Special Committee of Duval DOGE is looking into more than $100 million of taxpayer dollars that appears to be sitting in limbo.
In the committee’s second meeting, members examined over 170 capital projects that either haven’t spent money since October 2023 or have been listed as complete but still have money in the bank.
Of the completed projects, committee members identified 36 totaling $17.25 million that could be closed. Another 65 projects totaling $81 million haven’t spent any money over the past two budget cycles or at all since their inception.
Next, the committee will examine city facility usage, travel policies, and overtime, as well as the city’s relationships with independent agencies, and the use of city credit cards by city employees.
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➤Volusia County: The Volusia County Council voted to purchase 356 acres on State Road 44 for a potential motocross facility. (Details)
➤Destin: A Burger King franchisee, with 57 locations, filed for bankruptcy, citing declining sales. (More)
➤Escambia County:County administrators proposed a tax increase to fund fire protection services, with mainland residents paying $226 a year while Pensacola Beach residents would pay $454 annually. (Details)
➤Orlando:Tiffani Gay, 18, a student at Orlando Science Schools, invented a device that alerts visually impaired people to objects ahead of them.(See Video)
➤Martin County:Deputies arrested “traveling parking lot burglar” at Publix. The suspect is now under an ICE hold. (See Video)
➤Florida State has cancelled all on-campus sporting events for the weekend following Thursday’s shooting. Football, baseball, and softball activities plan to resume on Monday.(More)
➤ The Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature an in-state showdown between the Lightning and the Panthers for the fourth time in five years. (More)
➤ Winter sports nominees have been announced for Southwest Florida’s 2025 High School Sports Awards. The final winners will be recognized in late May. (More)
➤ The Miami Heat played the Atlanta Hawks in the late-game Friday night in its last shot at making the NBA playoffs. (See Score)
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➤ Hummingbirdshave begun making their way back across the Gulf of America as part of their annual migration. They often fly 18-22 hours without a break. (See Map)
➤A driver was rescued after his vehicle plunged into a pond in Millenia just as a fire crew happened to drive by. (See Video)
➤Green Meadows Petting Farmin Kissimmee has found a new location and reopened after being closed for seven years. (See Video)
