Boy Loses Hand in Gator Attack

An 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy lost his right hand in an alligator attack while fishing with his father at a Marion County fish camp near Umatilla.

Brodie had just unhooked a fish and was releasing it back into the water on June 27 when an 8-foot-7 alligator lunged up and clamped onto his arm, a family spokesman said. His father jumped off the dock onto the gator’s back and fought to pry its jaws open.

The hand could not be reattached despite multiple surgeries, and wildlife officers later captured and killed the alligator.

Brodie is back home in Pennsylvania. A GoFundMe has raised thousands for his recovery. “The two loves of his life were baseball and fishing. If he wasn’t playing baseball, he was fishing,” relative Andrew Raines said.

Meanwhile, a 71-year-old North Fort Myers man fought off a gator that dragged him into a canal on June 26, jabbing its eyes with his thumb and fishing pole until it let go.

Andrew Gillum Arrested in Alabama

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, was arrested on July 2 on drug charges in Daphne, Alabama.

Officers pulled Gillum over on U.S. 98 after seeing him driving erratically, and a glass pipe spotted on the center console led to a search of his car, Daphne Police Chief Brian Gulsby said. Police reported recovering several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Gillum, 46, was booked into the Baldwin County jail on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia, and second-degree marijuana possession, then released the following day.

Gillum lost the 2018 governor’s race to Ron DeSantis by about 32,000 votes. He faced federal campaign-finance charges in 2022. A jury acquitted him on one count in 2023, and he has not commented on the arrest.

Lifeguard Survives July 4 Lightning Strike

A Volusia County lifeguard survived an indirect lightning strike on the Fourth of July while helping a beachgoer into his patrol truck on Ormond Beach.

Damien Curry was clearing a seat for a woman near the Seminole Avenue beach approach around 1:30 p.m. when lightning struck the truck he was touching. “My whole side was pins and needles for a good six hours after. I was in full shock, my ears were ringing,” he said.

Curry was checked by paramedics, taken to a hospital as a precaution, and released. Even after the jolt, he kept warning crowds to clear the sand.

Curry had picked up the holiday shift after lifeguards handled hundreds of water rescues the day before. “I was like, ‘Holy moly, I’m alive!’ I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

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➤ Miami-Dade/Broward: A heat advisory took effect Tuesday with heat index values near 105 degrees. Saharan dust arriving midweek will bring drier, hazier air with highs in the mid-90s. Feels-like readings could reach 110 by the weekend. (See Details)

➤ Hallandale Beach: A 2-year-old died Sunday after being left in a hot car in Hallandale Beach while in a babysitter’s care. It’s Florida’s fourth hot-car death this year and the 10th nationwide. It’s the second such fatality in South Florida in the past week. (See Details)

➤ Manatee County: Opioid-caused deaths fell about 56% from 2023 to 2024, dropping from 136 to 63, the biggest decrease in Florida, according to the Department of Children and Families. The state is rewarding the county’s recovery program with a $500,000 grant. (See Details)

➤ Key Largo: A Delray Beach couple was charged with felony child neglect after deputies say they left two young children alone in a Reefhouse Resort room for up to an hour on July 4 while they drank at the pool. Staff found the children crying in nursery beds. (See Details)

➤ Sebastian: A person fishing found the body of an unidentified man along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline near the Sebastian River Bridge on Monday. Indian River County deputies are investigating the death as suspicious. (More)

➤ Miramar: Lightning struck an underground gas line on Dahlia Drive on Monday, bursting the line and igniting a parked, unoccupied car. Hazmat crews responded, and no one was hurt. (See Video)

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➤ Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas, who returned to Florida last week on a six-year deal, credited the state’s lack of an income tax for the team’s free agency success: “Players are willing to play there even for a little less money.” (More) 

➤ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in “no rush” to extend quarterback Baker Mayfield or defensive tackle Vita Vea with training camp three weeks away, according to recent reports. Mayfield has said he won’t negotiate once camp opens on July 28, and Vea skipped minicamp over the stalemate. (More) 

➤ Former Jaguars defensive end and sportscaster Marcellus Wiley was arrested in Orange County over the Fourth of July weekend on a domestic battery charge. He has since posted bond and been released. (More)

➤ Former Miami football player Rashaun Jones had his bond raised to $650,000 after he was arrested for possessing synthetic marijuana in jail. He’s currently awaiting a second trial in the 2006 shooting death of his teammate Bryan Pata. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Online real estate platforms that display estimated property taxes must use a standardized formula based on the listing price and Florida Department of Revenue data, beginning Feb. 1 of next year. Platforms that skip the estimate can no longer show the seller’s current tax bill, which resets when a home sells. (See Details)

➤ Orlando broke ground Tuesday on the first phase of the Church Street Festival Street project, rebuilding the stretch from Garland Avenue to the railroad tracks into a curbless, pedestrian-friendly corridor for outdoor dining and events. Phase one is expected to wrap up this winter. (See Details)

➤ Developers broke ground on a new phase of affordable student housing in Tallahassee’s College Town neighborhood near Florida A&M University, aimed at meeting high demand for close-to-campus living. The project is part of a broader revitalization effort that includes Habitat for Humanity. (More)

➤ Taylor County Commissioners declined to impose a data center moratorium Monday night after dozens of Perry residents urged restrictions, agreeing instead to hold a public workshop Aug. 25 at the county courthouse. Taylor County has no data center ordinance, unlike several neighboring counties. (See Details)

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➤ Summerland Key resident Kevin Renly, 62, won the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship by downing a 9-inch pie in 59.6 seconds without using his hands. His trick after two runner-up finishes: dive in shirtless and wipe out the whipped cream first. (Read Story)

➤ After a helicopter made an emergency landing on a floating island in the gator-packed Lake Jesup between Sanford and Winter Springs, airboat captain Derrick Lockhart rigged his boat Green Mamba to haul the roughly 1,500-pound aircraft a mile back to shore. No one was hurt. (See Photo)

➤ Orlando’s Discovery Cove welcomed two Asian small-clawed otter pups, Hazel and Toffee. (See Video)

➤ Florida’s ninth annual Python Challenge kicks off Friday with $25,000 in prizes for removing invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades. But don’t plan on python tacos: the Florida Department of Health advises against eating the snakes because of high mercury levels in the meat. (See Details)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Iran has resumed missile strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials say, threatening the peace deal. (Hear Details)

➤ Ukrainian forces have struck deep into Siberia, putting Russia’s largest refineries within reach for the first time. (Hear Episode)

➤ Discarded items found behind a Georgia Cracker Barrel have helped authorities crack a man’s 1985 killing in Ohio. (Listen Now)

How much would it take for you to eat an entire key lime pie without your hands?

1. $20
2. $100
3. $1000
4. Not for any price!
5. I’ll do it for free!

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you ever worry about getting attacked by a shark?

1. No, odds too small: 41%
2. No, never go in: 31%
3. Yes, I go in anyway: 28%

What’s the name of the bar that is also the title of a 2014 hit song by Kenny Chesney, situated in a place he called the “redneck Riviera”? 

Show me the answer