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A Florida funeral home shipped the men’s remains to Ireland, according to a letter from a Florida medical examiner’s office. A CNN request under open-records law revealed documents confirming the mix-up, including letters from the Irish consulate in Atlanta to the medical examiner’s office and investigators involved in the case. That’s when the victims’ loved ones discovered the mix-up, according to the August letter from the medical examiner’s office. The Pinellas County Forensic Science Center in Largo, Florida -- home to the medical examiner's office. The District Six Medical Examiner Office did not respond to CNN’s request for additional details.

Persons: Kane Mitchell, Luke Comiskey, he’d, Comiskey, Mitchell, they’re, William Pellan, it’s, “, ” Pellan, Luke Comiskey’s, Luke, James Richard Peoples III, Peoples, ”, ’, Chris O'Mera, Pellan, Leana Wen, Police Adam Geissenberger, Barnabas Church Organizations: CNN, Florida, Pinellas Park Police Department, District Six, Office, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Pinellas Park police, Peoples, Six, Medical, Forensic Science, Medical Examiner Office, CNN Florida’s Department of Law, Pinellas, Pinellas Park Chief, Police, Gaelic football Locations: Dublin, Pinellas Park, St . Petersburg, Florida, Ireland, Irish, Atlanta, St . Petersburg , Florida, Pinellas, Largo , Florida, Baltimore, New York, St, Bronx, New York City, Australia, Spain

☆ Tampa is paying Robert DuBoise $14 million after DNA evidence exonerated him after he spent 37 years behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jamiel Lynch | Dalia Faheid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —After a man wrongfully spent 37 years in prison for rape and murder, the Tampa City Council unanimously voted Thursday to approve a $14 million settlement in a federal lawsuit. Robert DuBoise, who was convicted of the August 1983 rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams in Tampa Heights, was exonerated in September 2020 after DNA evidence established that he did not commit the crimes. That made him the 30th person exonerated from Florida’s death row, according to the Innocence Project of Florida, which assisted with DuBoise’s case. CNN has reached out to the Innocence Project of Florida for comment on the settlement. During the city council meeting, council member Charlie Miranda commented on what DuBoise has lost through the wrongful conviction.

Persons: Robert DuBoise, Barbara Grams, ” DuBoise, “, Grams, Amos Robinson, Abron Scott, Jane Castor, DuBoise, ”, Police Lee Bercaw, Charlie Miranda Organizations: CNN, Tampa City, Innocence, Tampa Police Department, of, Police, Tampa Police Locations: Tampa, Tampa Heights, Florida, Pinellas County, of Florida, Hillsborough County

CNN —Florida authorities have identified the woman found dead after an alligator was seen with a body in its mouth. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday identified the victim as Sabrina Peckham, 41. A witness, JaMarcus Bullard, told CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 he earlier saw an alligator with a body its mouth. Officials humanely killed In the the 13-foot, 8.5-inch male, according to the sheriff’s office and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. Alligators have been spotted in the area before, but resident Jennifer Dean told Spectrum News 13 that she had never seen one this large.

Persons: Sabrina Peckham, JaMarcus Bullard, ” Bullard, Jennifer Dean, ” Dean Organizations: CNN, Pinellas County Sheriff’s, Florida Wildlife Conservation Locations: Florida, Largo, Tampa, Pinellas County

☆ Idalia is expected to rapidly intensify in the extremely warm Gulf of Mexico. Here’s what that means
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Mike Lang/USA Today Network Workers and residents clear debris from a destroyed bar in Fort Myers on Saturday, October 1. Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network This aerial photo shows damaged homes and debris in Fort Myers Beach on Thursday. Wilfredo Lee/AP Jake Moses and Heather Jones explore a section of destroyed businesses in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Thursday. Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach on September 24.

Persons: Ian —, Idalia, ” Brian McNoldy, Allison Wing, Florida State University . Hurricane Franklin, ”, Wing, ” McNoldy, Andrew Kruczkiewicz, Kruczkiewicz, Ricardo Arduengo, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Hurricane, Evan Vucci, Greg Guidi, Thomas Bostic, Joe Raedle, Win McNamee, Stephanie Fopiano, Kenya Taylor, Mike Lang, Giorgio Viera, Jonathan Drake, Candy Miller, Ana Kapel, Amy Beth Bennett, Meg Kinnard, Shannon Stapleton, Steve Helber, Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentintel, Alex Brandon, Jim Watson, Eva Marie Uzcategui, Bob Levitt, Thomas Cordy, Wilfredo Lee, Jake Moses, Heather Jones, Douglas R, Clifford, Tom, Jonathan Strong, Kylie Dodd, Brenda Brennan, Sean Rayford, John Raoux, Stefanie Karas, ZUMA, Ian, Marco Bello, Ben Hendren, Pedro, Reuters Melvin Phillips, Crystal Vander, Bryan R, Smith, Hurricane Ian, Greg Lovett, Stephen M, Dowell, Zuram Rodriguez, Joe Cavaretta, Crews, Ramon Espinosa, Yamil Lage, Chris O'Meara, Maria Llonch, Willie J, Allen Jr, Alexandre Meneghini, Reuters Frederic, Mary Herodet, Pete, Adalberto Roque, Phelan M, Ryan Copenhaver, Siesta, Gregg Newton, Cathie Perkins, Martha Asencio, Sarah Peterson, Andrew West, ” Kruczkiewicz, McNoldy, you’re Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center, University of Miami, “, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Florida State University . Hurricane, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University, Getty, Fort Myers, Venice High, USA Today Network Workers, Reuters, South Florida Sun, AP, US Army National Guard, AP University of Central, Bloomberg, Texas, Force, USA, Tampa Bay Times, Zuma Workers, Orange County Government, An, AP Vehicles, NOAA, NASA, City, Naples Police, Anadolu Agency, Punta Gorda, El, El Nuevo Herald, TNS, Officials, Orlando Sentinel, AP Highways, Wednesday, Sentinel, AP People, Southwest, Tampa International Airport, Bistro, Vehicle, Kennedy Space Center, International, Costco, ZUMA Press, Hurricanes Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Matlacha , Florida, AFP, Fort Myers , Florida, Island , Florida, Fort, Fort Myers Beach, Kenya, North Port, Venice , Florida, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach , South Carolina, South Florida, Quarterman, North Charleston , South Carolina, North Port , Florida, Sanibel, AP University of Central Florida, Orlando , Florida, Orlando, Charleston , South Carolina, New Smyrna Beach , Florida, Cape Coral , Florida, Palm Beach County , Florida, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, Naples , Florida, Orange County , Florida, Orange County, Punta Gorda , Florida, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte , Florida, Captiva, Port Charlotte, Iona , Florida, Bonita Springs , Florida, An Orlando, Sanibel , Florida, Tampa , Florida, Punta, Tampa, Roberts, El Nuevo, Stuart , Florida, Tampa Bay, Delray Beach , Florida, The, Hurricane, Pembroke Pines , Florida, Davie , Florida, Havana, Cuba, Batabano, Pinar del Rio, St, Pete Beach , Florida, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Cuban, Fanguito, Sarasota , Florida, Havana Bay, Kissimmee, Pinellas County , Florida, Augusta , Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina

☆ How Ron DeSantis Joined the ‘Ruling Class’ — and Turned Against It
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nicholas Confessore | More About Nicholas Confessore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In January, Pinellas school district officials yanked Toni Morrison’s classic novel “The Bluest Eye” from high schools after a parent complained about a two-page rape scene. But in counties like Pinellas, his policies and rhetoric have already had what his critics believe is their intended effect. She objected to parts of the syllabus Mr. Robinson had distributed to his class on African-American history, which her son had briefly enrolled in. “I don’t stop my class and ask my white kids, ‘Hey, how are you feeling?’ What kind of teacher would do that?” Mr. Robinson said. In January, someone reported Mr. Robinson for a TikTok mentioning that he had taught students in his Dunedin sociology class about the Black thinker W.E.B.

Persons: DeSantis, yanked Toni Morrison’s, Ruby, ”, Jeffrey Sachs, Diaz, Laura Hine, Renee Chiea —, —, Brandt Robinson, Robinson, Chiea, Nell Irvin Painter, DeSantis’s, Mr, “ It’s, Robinson’s, W.E.B, Du Bois Organizations: Republican, Liberty, Disney, Acadia University, Dunedin High School, Princeton, America, Mr, The Times, Black Locations: Pinellas County, Pinellas, ”, New Orleans, Nova Scotia, Tallahassee ’, Florida, Dunedin

☆ Rapid intensification, explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

So as the climate crisis forces up ocean temperatures, rapid intensification becomes more likely, pushing storms to explode at a rapid pace into deadly hurricanes, scientists say. Mike Lang/USA Today Network Workers and residents clear debris from a destroyed bar in Fort Myers on Saturday, October 1. Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network This aerial photo shows damaged homes and debris in Fort Myers Beach on Thursday. Wilfredo Lee/AP Jake Moses and Heather Jones explore a section of destroyed businesses in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Thursday. Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach on September 24.

Persons: ”, Phil Klotzbach, Klotzbach, ” Klotzbach, Ricardo Arduengo, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Hurricane, Evan Vucci, Greg Guidi, Thomas Bostic, Joe Raedle, Win McNamee, Stephanie Fopiano, Kenya Taylor, Mike Lang, Giorgio Viera, Jonathan Drake, Candy Miller, Ana Kapel, Amy Beth Bennett, Meg Kinnard, Shannon Stapleton, Steve Helber, Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentintel, Alex Brandon, Jim Watson, Eva Marie Uzcategui, Bob Levitt, Thomas Cordy, Wilfredo Lee, Jake Moses, Heather Jones, Douglas R, Clifford, Tom, Jonathan Strong, Kylie Dodd, Brenda Brennan, Sean Rayford, John Raoux, Stefanie Karas, ZUMA, Ian, Marco Bello, Ben Hendren, Pedro, Reuters Melvin Phillips, Crystal Vander, Bryan R, Smith, Hurricane Ian, Greg Lovett, Stephen M, Dowell, Zuram Rodriguez, Joe Cavaretta, Crews, Ramon Espinosa, Yamil Lage, Chris O'Meara, Maria Llonch, Willie J, Allen Jr, Alexandre Meneghini, Reuters Frederic, Mary Herodet, Pete, Adalberto Roque, Phelan M, Ryan Copenhaver, Siesta, Gregg Newton, Cathie Perkins, Martha Asencio, Sarah Peterson, Andrew West, Ida, Laura, Hurricane Dorian Organizations: CNN, of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, North Atlantic, Getty, Fort Myers, Venice High, USA Today Network Workers, Reuters, South Florida Sun, AP, US Army National Guard, AP University of Central, Bloomberg, Texas, Force, USA, Tampa Bay Times, Zuma Workers, Orange County Government, An, AP Vehicles, NOAA, NASA, City, Naples Police, Anadolu Agency, Punta Gorda, El, El Nuevo Herald, TNS, Officials, Orlando Sentinel, AP Highways, Wednesday, Sentinel, AP People, Southwest, Tampa International Airport, Bistro, Vehicle, Kennedy Space Center, International, Costco, ZUMA Press, Louisiana, Simpson Locations: North, Matlacha , Florida, AFP, Fort Myers , Florida, Island , Florida, Fort, Fort Myers Beach, Kenya, North Port, Venice , Florida, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach , South Carolina, South Florida, Quarterman, North Charleston , South Carolina, North Port , Florida, Sanibel, Florida, AP University of Central Florida, Orlando , Florida, Orlando, Charleston , South Carolina, New Smyrna Beach , Florida, Cape Coral , Florida, Palm Beach County , Florida, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, Naples , Florida, Orange County , Florida, Orange County, Punta Gorda , Florida, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte , Florida, Captiva, Port Charlotte, Iona , Florida, Bonita Springs , Florida, An Orlando, Sanibel , Florida, Tampa , Florida, Punta, Tampa, Roberts, El Nuevo, Stuart , Florida, Tampa Bay, Delray Beach , Florida, The, Hurricane, Pembroke Pines , Florida, Davie , Florida, Havana, Cuba, Batabano, Pinar del Rio, St, Pete Beach , Florida, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Cuban, Fanguito, Sarasota , Florida, Havana Bay, Kissimmee, Pinellas County , Florida, Bahamas

☆ Fact Check-DeSantis yearbook photo shared alongside a fabricated quote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A yearbook photograph of Florida Governor and 2024 Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis has been digitally altered to include a fabricated quote attributed to him. DeSantis, but the yearbook does not include any quote below his portrait, said a spokesperson for Pinellas County Schools, which includes DeSantis’s alma mater Dunedin High School. An earlier iteration of DeSantis’s yearbook photo posted on Reddit on April 14, 2023 does not include any quote. DeSantis graduated from Dunedin High School in 1997, according to Florida news reports (youtu.be/UH-dZ-PgJeM?t=105), (here). Sean Clark, director of strategic communications at Pinellas County Schools, said in an email that the photo is from the Dunedin High School yearbook, “however there is no quote within the yearbook photo beneath Governor DeSantis’s photo nor any other student within the yearbook”.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Rushmore, Jesus, Reponses, DeSantis, Sean Clark, DeSantis’s, Read Organizations: Florida Governor, Pinellas County Schools, Dunedin High School, Nintendo, Twitter, UH, Reuters Locations: Florida, alma, Reddit

☆ Opinion | Soon We Won’t Have Enough Kids to Fill Our Schools. That’s a Problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The number of school-age children in America is declining. And declining university enrollment based on a lower school-age population — which has been described as a “demographic cliff” — is something that some colleges are already grappling with. K-12 public school systems around the country are facing a similar demographic reality. As The Times’s Shawn Hubler reported in May, “All together America’s public schools have lost at least 1.2 million students since 2020,” according to a survey from the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. Even in states like Arizona, where there’s been overall population growth in recent years, enrollment has remained below prepandemic numbers, and rural schools in the state have been struggling for several years.

Persons: Shawn Hubler, “, Thomas Dee, ”, there’s Organizations: American Enterprise Institute, Stanford’s Graduate School of Education Locations: America, Chicago, Michigan, Philadelphia , New York City, Seattle, Boston, United States, Florida’s Orange County, Orlando, Pinellas County, Tampa, Arizona

CNN —The 2-year-old boy found last month in an alligator’s mouth in a St. Petersburg, Florida, lake died of drowning, police say. The boy was put in the lake by his father, who is charged in both deaths, according to a St. Petersburg police affidavit. The Pinellas County medical examiner confirmed Monday that the cause of death was drowning, St. Petersburg police told CNN. Thomas Mosley St. Petersburg PoliceThe toddler’s father, Thomas Mosley, 21, is facing two counts of first-degree murder. They found Jeffery inside with “apparent cuts and stabs in excess of 100 wounds,” according to the affidavit.

☆ Neo-Nazi and woman charged with conspiring to attack Maryland power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office via APAn admitted neo-Nazi and a Maryland woman were arrested and charged with plotting to attack several electrical substations in the Baltimore area, federal authorities announced Monday. Russell, who lives in Orlando, Florida, is due to appear in federal court in that city on the charges Monday afternoon. Clendaniel, a resident of Catonsville, Maryland, is due to appear in Baltimore federal court on Monday afternoon. That interview was conducted after Devon Arthurs, a roommate of Russell's in Tampa, killed their two other roommates, the complaint said. Arthurs told law enforcement authorities at the time "that he had recently converted from Neo-Nazi beliefs to Islam," the complaint said.

The Tampa Police Department announced it had terminated an officer Tuesday following an internal investigation into a video where he was seen dragging a woman into jail. Interim Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said Damon's actions were "unacceptable and are not tolerated at this department." Supervisors at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the agency which manages the jail, referred Damon's actions to Tampa Police's standards bureau. Tampa Police Department had revised its protocols in 2013 following a similar incident with uncooperative prisoners. Damon's termination comes after two other incidents of police misconduct at the Tampa Police Department in recent weeks.

☆ Tampa Police Chief Resigns After Flashing Badge to Get Out of Traffic Stop on a Golf Cart
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mary O’Connor came out of retirement to become Tampa’s police chief, the city said earlier this year. The police chief of Tampa, Fla., resigned on Monday, weeks after she flashed her badge to get out of a traffic stop, officials said. The former chief, Mary O’Connor , was off duty and riding in a golf cart with her husband in Oldsmar, a city in Pinellas County just west of Tampa, on the night of Nov. 12, Tampa police said. In a body-cam video of the traffic stop, a sheriff’s deputy said he stopped the couple because their golf cart wasn’t tagged.

The police chief of Tampa, Florida who flashed her badge to get out of a stop for traveling in a golf cart without a license plate has resigned, according to a statement published on Monday. O’Connor, who was appointed police chief in February, was a passenger in a golf cart driven by her husband that night, police said in a statement. Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor in a golf cart driven by her husband in Oldsmar, northwest of Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 12, 2022. Public trust in Tampa’s police department is paramount to our success as a city and community," Castor said. Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw will take over as acting chief "while a comprehensive national search is conducted," according to the statement.

The police chief of Tampa, Florida, has apologized and is asking for a disciplinary review of herself after she flashed her badge to get out of a stop for traveling in a golf cart without a license plate, officials said Thursday. Chief Mary O’Connor, who was appointed in February, was a passenger in a golf cart driven by her husband, police said in a statement. Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor in a golf cart driven by her husband in Oldsmar, northwest of Tampa, on Nov. 12. Tampa PD via YouTubeThe video shows O’Connor ask the deputy whether his body camera is on, and when he responds that it is, she says, “I’m the police chief in Tampa." I’m hoping that you’ll just let us go tonight,” O’Connor says as she opens her badge case and hands it to her husband, the video shows.

☆ In DeSantis' small Florida hometown, voters see 'scumbag' or 'hometown hero' as they head to the polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

DeSantis is up for reelection Tuesday, and could seek the White House in 2024.Insider interviewed voters from his small hometown of Dunedin, Florida. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyDUNEDIN, Florida — Florida Gov. Dunedin, Florida, has an arch in the center of town that reads, "Defending Freedom." "Ron DeSantis is a scumbag," Laura, who declined to share her last name, told Insider after exiting a polling station. Polls in Florida will close at 7 p.m., so it's not yet clear whether DeSantis will win over his hometown.

☆ Florida attorney who opposed state helmet law dies in motorcycle crash while not wearing one
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Friends are speaking out after a Florida attorney who fought state helmet laws died in a motorcycle crash while not wearing one. "He was a guy that you went to for advice," Gary Pruss told the Tampa Bay Times. Smith had spent over a decade fighting Florida laws that required the use of helmets, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He represented a number of clients who violated state motorcycle requirements in court cases that have been credited with helping to overturn the helmet law. As a result of the case, the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office briefly stopped enforcing the state’s helmet law after a judge dismissed the person's citation.

TAMPA, Fla. — More than 2 million people in Florida were under orders to pack up and head east to safer ground Tuesday as Hurricane Ian barreled north from Cuba on a path toward Tampa. But Burks, who moved to Tampa in 2005 and has weathered several hurricanes since then, said he's not going far. Many Floridians in more rural areas like Polk County live in trailers that are especially vulnerable to high winds. “Just go straight across the state to Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach.”And "do not go north," because that's where Hurricane Ian is going, he said. Three bridges span Old Tampa Bay, two of which connect Tampa to St. Petersburg and the third of which links to northern Pinellas County.

Tampa has been undergoing major infrastructure upgrades to protect the vulnerable city from flooding, but as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida’s west coast, the project is still years from completion. Construction is only about 30% done, said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. “The potential area of inundation for the same intensity storm would be greater in the Tampa Bay area,” he said. The region has not borne the brunt of a major hurricane since 1921. “The Tampa Bay area hasn’t seen this type of storm in decades, if not 100 years,” said Rick Davis, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tampa office.

☆ Ian to become a major hurricane overnight, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hurricane Ian was forecast to become a major hurricane overnight as it churned toward Cuba with powerful winds and a storm surge that was expected to swamp the island’s western coast, U.S. weather officials said late Monday. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide emergency, saying Ian could hit the state as a punishing Category 4 hurricane, with wind speeds topping 130 mph. "We already have so little.”Earlier Monday, Ian passed by the nearby Cayman Islands with no major damage reported. The latest on Hurricane Ian By Monday night, Ian, moving northwest at 13 mph, was about 105 miles east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba, with top sustained winds increasing to 105 mph. Forecasters expect Ian to hit Florida’s west coast as a major hurricane as early as Tuesday.

☆ Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida's Gulf Coast, canceling Biden rally and bringing Ron DeSantis his biggest storm test as governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency in Florida as the response kicks into high gear. "We know we are going to have some major impacts throughout the state of Florida," said DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis' emergency declaration also allows Floridians to bypass typical time limits on prescriptions and stock up early. In a press conference Monday afternoon in Largo, Florida, state Attorney General Ashley Moody reminded businesses that Florida law prohibits them from price gouging supplies people will need. "Our entire county is going to feel some type of impact," Cathie Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, said at the Largo press conference.

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