Over a dozen new laws officially took effect across Florida today, covering issues that range from consumer protections and housing disclosures to tougher criminal penalties and restrictions on new technology. Housing is a prime focus of the new laws, which includes Senate Bill 948. This law requires property owners and landlords to disclose whether a…
A Norway-based shipping company has been fined $2 million for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste into the Gulf of America. V.Ships Norway A.S. (V.Ships) pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships after oily bilge water and waste were discharged from the Motor Tanker Swift Winchester. The company also admitted that the incidents…
The Florida Supreme Court has remained active this year in advancing death penalty cases, and this month, it has scheduled the executions of two death row inmates—Kayle B. Bates and Curtis Windom—following the signing of death warrants by Governor Ron DeSantis. Kayle B. Bates Bates, whose case is listed under SC2025-1127 and SC2025-1128, is scheduled…
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a Palm Coast woman who posed as a licensed nurse and provided medical care to thousands of unsuspecting patients, following an investigation conducted in coordination with AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway and multiple state and federal partners. The seven-month investigation into Autumn Bardisa, 29, of Palm Coast,…
On August 3, 2025, at approximately 4p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) was alerted to a kidnapping suspect traveling along US 319 in Wakulla County. The suspect, identified as Maurtez Rashaad Edwards, was wanted out of Georgia for the aggravated kidnapping of his 2-month-old child. At 4:35p.m., Trooper Norris and deputies from the Liberty County…
A new Florida law aimed at curbing dangerous driving behavior officially went into effect earlier this summer, introducing criminal penalties for extreme speeding on state roadways. Known as the “Super Speeder” law, the measure allows law enforcement to charge drivers with a criminal offense if they are caught traveling at 100 miles per hour or…
Hating your in-laws is one thing—but what one Englishman on holiday in Florida did takes it to a whole new level. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a heated argument over grandchildren ended with the UK vacationer being arrested and charged with attempted murder. “It’s great that Polk County draws visitors from all across…
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a man wanted in connection with the theft of two black swans and their eggs earlier this year. Authorities are searching for 30-year-old Alfredo Casanova of Homestead, who failed to appear in court after being arrested in February. Casanova was initially taken…
A 70-year-old man from Marianna has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after being found guilty of federal methamphetamine trafficking charges. According to the official release, Lorenzo Heatrice was convicted by a federal jury of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as possession with intent…
The State of Florida has scheduled the executions of two death row inmates later this month, following the latest death warrant filings signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. According to official records published by the Florida Supreme Court, Michael B. Bell and Edward J. Zakrzewski II are slated to be executed at Florida State Prison in…
A Florida man is among fifteen individuals charged in connection with an unprecedented international health care fraud and money laundering scheme that defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs out of more than $10.6 billion. The charges, announced as part of the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, represent the largest health care fraud…
Governor Ron DeSantis today signed the Tristin Murphy Act (Senate Bill 168) into law, introducing new pathways for people with mental illness within Florida’s criminal justice system. The legislation, named after Tristin Murphy—who died by suicide in a state prison in 2021—was sponsored by Senator Jennifer Bradley (R‑Fleming Island) and carried with bipartisan support. “Tristin’s…
Yesterday, Attorney General James Uthmeier joined the U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Florida William Berger to announce the rescue of 60 children as part of Operation Dragon Eye in the Tampa Bay Area. As a result of the operation, eight defendants were arrested, including one on charges of human trafficking. “The real heroes…
A Hillsborough County High School teacher has admitted to her role in a conspiracy involving illegal firearm purchases tied to an international criminal organization. According to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, 46-year-old Shannon Lee Samlalsingh pleaded guilty on June 20, 2025, to conspiring to make false statements to a licensed firearms dealer. She now faces…
A multi-state human trafficking conspiracy that preyed on vulnerable women across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama has been dismantled, according to federal prosecutors—exposing a chilling scheme that involved bonding women out of jail only to enslave them into the sex trade. Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was convicted on Wednesday, June 18,…
Sheldon James Biddle, 25, of Ormond Beach, is being charged with threatening to kill the President of the United States. If convicted, Biddle faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. According to the indictment, on April 2, 2025, Biddle made a threat to take the life of the President of the United…
John P. “Jack” Heekin, once responsible for advising on death penalty cases in Florida, now holds the reins as the top federal prosecutor for the state’s northern region. Sworn in this morning by Chief District Judge Mark E. Walker, Heekin becomes the 42nd U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida—a post that puts him…
The Florida Supreme Court is expediting legal proceedings in the case of death row inmate Anthony Floyd Wainwright, following the signing of a death warrant by Governor Ron DeSantis. Wainwright is scheduled to be executed at 6:00 p.m. on June 10, 2025, for the 1994 murder of a Florida woman. The case, Anthony Floyd Wainwright…
In a scandal that reads more like a reality TV plot than a federal indictment, the former Chief Operating Officer of Jackson Health Foundation has been charged with masterminding a million-dollar kickback scheme — allegedly using stolen nonprofit funds to bankroll a lifestyle of designer handbags, luxury gadgets, and even a rose gold-colored golf cart…
Residents who think they can legally harvest berries from their own backyards may want to think again. Under Florida law, picking the olive-shaped fruit known as saw palmetto berries without proper authorization can result in significant fines and even criminal charges. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), officers respond to numerous…
A licensed Orlando physician has admitted to illegally injecting silicone oil into patients’ buttocks during cosmetic procedures performed at his office and home, despite the practice being banned due to serious health risks. Nhan Pham, 54, of Orlando, pleaded guilty to receiving and offering to deliver an adulterated medical device, a violation of the Federal…
On January 21, Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves, 26, of Sebring, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to smuggle migrants into the United States, a crime that led to a deadly boat sinking off the coast of Florida. Court documents and testimony revealed that Dominguez-Nieves, who entered the U.S. illegally, played a central role in a human smuggling…
A major collaborative effort between the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Animal Control Officers and Citrus County Animal Services has resulted in the rescue of 90 dogs from a Hernando home. Describing the living conditions as “deplorable” and “severe,” Animal Control Officers (ACO) were alerted to the situation following a routine check of the property. The…
A Florida man has less than a month to live, if court proceedings go as planned. The Florida Supreme Court has set a rapid timeline for proceedings in the case of James D. Ford, whose death sentence is under review as his execution date approaches. Ford, convicted in 1999 for a brutal double homicide in Charlotte County, Florida,…
Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has announced that detectives are seeking tips from the public in the hopes that they may lead to the arrest of a Florida woman who pooped on the floor of a local Family Dollar and her male partner in crime who stole from the store during the…
A woman who was targeted by her husband in an attempted murder-suicide in Edgewater last weekend has officially been announced as stable from her injuries following the attack. According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO), on Saturday, January 11, 2025, the victim had been shot around 12:17 am on Carol Ann Drive. She was promptly transported…
An 11-year-old Deltona boy was arrested by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) last Friday and is currently being charged with a second-degree felony for making a false report of a bomb on the bus. According to VSO, on Friday, January 10, 2025, 11-year-old Aiden Brown decided to yell out that another student on the bus had a bomb…
A local Florida family is dealing with a tragic loss tonight following a fatal attack from a pair of dogs that took the life of their 8-year-old boy north of DeLand. According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO), a witness called 911 to report the attack on Monday, January 13, 2025, just before 5 pm. While…
Neighbors looking out for each other has led to the arrest of a 58-year-old from Bradley Junction by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) last week. According to a release from PCSO, at around 2:10 pm on January 6, 2025, a resident in the hamlet of Bradley Junction south of Mulberry contacted PCSO, reporting that she believed she’d witnessed…
Collaborating detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) have arrested a 58-year-old man suspected to be involved in an extensive fraud operation. According to the January 11, 2025, press release, throughout the course of their investigation, HCSO and SCSO discovered that 58-year-old Isaac Allen was in possession of hundreds of…
