Sneaker Heist at Treasure Coast Mall

Masked robbers cut a hole in the roof of the Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen Beach on Tuesday, dropping in to steal over 400 pairs of Nike and New Balance sneakers valued at around $40,000.

“We had a burglary that we discovered … that appears to be right out of ‘Mission Impossible’,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.

Surveillance video shows one of the robbers in the back room of the Champs Sporting Goods store. The crew bagged the merchandise, threw it off the roof, and loaded it into a getaway vehicle, leaving some shoe boxes behind on the rooftop.

“If you zoom into those photos, it’s a really clean cut,” Budensiek said. “They didn’t do that with a handsaw. They used electric tools—probably a grinder or saw—and somehow worked for hours without being detected.”

Coral Species Declared Extinct

Florida’s iconic staghorn and elkhorn corals have been declared functionally extinct after a record-breaking marine heatwave devastated reefs in 2023, according to new research published in Science.

“The 2023 heatwave was up to four times more severe than any other heatwave on record, and thus the sheer magnitude of the heat stress and its effects on the corals was shocking,” said Ross Cunning, research biologist and co-author of the study.

In July 2023, Florida’s Coral Reef experienced the highest ocean temperatures ever recorded in the region, peaking at 90.1 degrees.

The temperatures were so high in the middle and lower Florida Keys that some corals died within days from acute heat shock.

Melissa Expected to Become Hurricane

Tropical storm Melissa is expected to become a hurricane today or tomorrow, bringing wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour to South Florida over the weekend, with stronger winds possible as it strengthens.

On the forecast track, Melissa is projected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti early next week.

See the storm’s projected path.

➤ Escambia County: Two school board members have gone to a federal appeals court as they seek to be shielded from testifying in a long-running legal battle about removing books from school libraries. (More)

➤ St. Johns County: The former fire chief was awarded $500,000 after a jury found the county breached his contract rights by refusing to reinstate him after a disagreement over vacation days and uniforms. (More)

➤ Tampa: Crews are installing new signs and markings designed to stop wrong way drivers on the Selmon Expressway, which has been a concern because of reversible express lanes. (Details)

➤ Sanford: After the cancellation of the Orlando Air Show due to the government shutdown, businesses are expecting a major loss of revenue. One owner said, “We would do as much (sales) in a weekend as we would do maybe in a month.” (More)

➤ Fort Lauderdale: Commissioners are choosing a developer to build the new city hall, which will replace the structure destroyed by flooding in April 2023. The new facility is expected to be completed by 2028. (More)

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➤ South Florida kicks off college football today with a must-win game against Memphis to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Then Florida Atlantic takes on Navy—the American Conference leader—in the afternoon with a chance for an upset. Finally, the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes look to get back on track tonight against Stanford. (See Full Schedule)

➤ Florida State revised the contract of baseball coach Link Jarrett to keep him in Tallahassee for the foreseeable future. The move comes after former Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello signed a lucrative offer to join the San Francisco Giants just days prior. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Florida named Chuck Jeroloman interim baseball coach while head coach Kevin O’Sullivan takes a leave of absence to address personal matters. (More)

➤ Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was noncommittal about whether he’d keep playing football or simply retire after suffering a season-ending knee injury in late September: “Wherever my mind is at the time, the decision will be made.” (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NBA | NHL | NCAAF | Soccer | Golf | Tennis

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➤ It rained monkeys on one surprised kayaker at Silver Springs State Park in Marion County, with macaque monkeys cannonballing around her. (See Video)

➤ A helicopter pilot who took her first flight in Bay County at just 12 years of age is now inspiring the next generation to reach for the skies. (See Video)

➤ A lost dog was reunited with its owner seven years after he went missing in Tampa, thanks to a microchip. (See Video)

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Have you ever been to a World Series baseball game?

1. Yes
2. No

Friday’s Results:

Have you ever been to the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens in Fort Lauderdale?

1. Yes: 23%
2. No: 77%

What can you be trained to do in Devil’s Den in Williston?

Show me the answer