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CNN —A jury has acquitted on all counts the former school resource officer who stayed outside during the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – absolving him of wrongdoing in the rare trial of a law enforcement officer for his response to a mass shooting. His attorney argued the then-Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy didn’t enter the building under attack because he couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from. And even if Peterson had known where the shooter was, speculation he could have made a difference is false, Eiglarsh argued. Eiglarsh emphasized Peterson was at the scene for the last 4 minutes and 15 seconds of the shooting, which lasted about 6 1/2 minutes. Peterson also arrived at the scene without a bulletproof vest or rifle and called for measures to lock down the school, the attorney told jurors.

Persons: Marjory Stoneman, Scot Peterson, “ I’ve, ” Peterson, Peterson, didn’t, Scott Beigel, Meadow Pollack, Jaime Guttenberg, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, Peter Wang, Stacey Lippel, Anthony Borges, Kyle Laman, Marian Kabachenko, Peterson “, Kristen Gomes, Mark Eiglarsh, Amy Beth Bennett, AP Peterson, ” Eiglarsh, Eiglarsh, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward, Broward County Sheriff’s, Broward Sheriff’s, BSO, Parkland Locations: Parkland , Florida, Broward County, Coral Springs, Florida

☆ Jury acquits former Florida deputy of failing to protect students in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 29 (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Thursday acquitted a former sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After the verdict, Peterson told reporters at the courthouse that he would like to talk to the parents of students who lost their lives in the shooting. Peterson was armed but never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Parkland's Marjory Stoneman, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Tony Montalto, Gina, Montalto, Nikolas Cruz, Julia Harte, Deepa Babington Organizations: Parkland's, Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward State Attorney’s Office, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

☆ Jury Acquits Deputy Who Failed to Confront Parkland Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy who failed to confront the gunman at a Parkland high school five years ago, and instead backed away from the building while the students and teachers inside endured a deadly barrage, was found not guilty of child neglect and other crimes on Thursday. When Mr. Peterson’s behavior was revealed after the shooting, critics — including some fellow police officers — painted him as being too scared to face a heavily armed gunman. His actions outraged the Parkland community, and Mr. Peterson was cast as the central character in a morality tale about cowardice and law enforcement’s duty to protect children. The gunman was sentenced last year to life in prison. Mr. Peterson was the lone armed resource officer assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre.

Persons: Scot Peterson, —, Peterson, Marjory Stoneman Organizations: Broward County sheriff’s, ”, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Locations: Florida, Parkland, Broward County, Broward

☆ A giant snail that eats plaster and is a threat to human health was spotted in a Florida county, forcing it into quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A giant African land snail was spotted in Broward County, forcing part of it into quarantine. The snail is among the world's most invasive species and lays thousands of eggs at a time. The giant snail is among the most invasive species in the world; it eats plaster, paint, and stucco, poses significant threats to vegetation, according to CBS. The portion of Broward County under quarantine covers Fort Lauderdale and is about 3.5 square miles, the report said. It's illegal to import or possess the giant African land snail in the US; the snail was first spotted in Miami in 1969, according to ABC News.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, CBS News, CBS, Florida's Department of Agriculture, Consumer Services, ABC News Locations: Broward County, Florida's Broward County, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

☆ Trial opens for former Florida deputy in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People attend a memorial service on the five-year anniversary since gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killing 14 students and three staff members, in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File PhotoJune 7 (Reuters) - Florida prosecutors and defense attorneys will make opening statements on Wednesday in the trial of a former sheriff's deputy charged with failing to protect students as the 2018 mass shooting unfolded at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Peterson never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Nikolas Cruz, Marjory Stoneman, Marco Bello, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, REUTERS, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Parkland , Florida, U.S, Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

☆ Former Florida Deputy Goes on Trial for Not Confronting Parkland Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jane Musgrave | Matthew Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The deputy, Scot Peterson, served as the school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at the time of the shootings in 2018. For not confronting the gunman, he is facing 10 charges, including seven counts of child neglect — a rare prosecution of a law enforcement officer involved in the response to a mass shooting. In opening statements, the prosecution repeatedly noted that after arriving at the scene on the afternoon of Feb. 14, Mr. Peterson stayed in a stairway of an adjacent school building while the shootings took place in Building 1200. “The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in that building,” said Steven Klinger, an assistant state attorney in Broward County. “In fact, he doesn’t leave it for 30 or 40 minutes when everything is finished.”

Persons: Scot Peterson, Marjory Stoneman, Peterson, “, ”, Steven Klinger Organizations: Wednesday, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Locations: Parkland, Fla, Broward County, “

☆ Florida parents are suing McDonald's after claiming a chicken nugget left their child with second-degree burns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida couple is suing McDonald's over its "dangerously hot" chicken nuggets, a lawsuit says. The couple's toddler was left with burns after the nugget got stuck between her thigh and seat belt. 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 PolicyThe parents of a four-year-old girl are suing McDonald's for $15,000 after claiming a chicken nugget left their daughter with second-degree burns. In court documents, Holmes said the injury happened after she bought her daughter a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal at a Tamarac McDonald's drive-thru in 2019. Even though the scar doesn't bother her anymore, she does sometimes refer to it as "her chicken nugget," he added.

☆ Congressional Democrats bash Ron DeSantis for alienating Florida job creator Disney World in service of a 'flailing presidential campaign'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Warren Rojas | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis's Tuesday swing through DC, calling it ill-timed, his political resume goofy, and his ongoing fight with Walt Disney World a devastating vanity project. Walt Disney World has roughly 80,000 employees in Florida and is the state's biggest tourist attraction. The Florida governor wasn't being offered much cover by Florida Republicans on Capitol Hill. When another reporter asked whether DeSantis had gone too far by threatening Disney with state prisoners for neighbors, Scott claimed ignorance. "Ron DeSantis is out campaigning outside of the state of Florida and picking fights with Mickey Mouse," Fried said.

☆ Fort Lauderdale got 25 inches of rain in 'unprecedented' storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Abandoned vehicles sit in a flooded street on April 13, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesAn additional 2 to 3 inches of rain fell Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Runways at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are flooded after heavy rain in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 13, 2023. Ron DeSantis on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is, and the county government also declared a local emergency. Santiago Rojas salvages some items from his flooded home on April 13, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

☆ A Florida mayor accused Ron DeSantis — who's away on a book tour — of not calling to check in on Fort Lauderdale as it floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis was away in Ohio on his book tour when Fort Lauderdale flooded this week. I'm not sure what's going on," the mayor of Fort Lauderdale said. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm sure he's very interested in what's going on here, and we're happy to work with his office," Trantalis said. Although he had not officially declared a 2024 bid, DeSantis' book tour is widely regarded as a precursor to his presidential run. In October, DeSantis visited Arcadia to speak about the state's relief efforts after Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Florida.

A woman looks on as she stands outside of his flooded home after heavy rain in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 13, 2023. People in South Florida are grappling with the aftermath of a record-breaking storm that hit Fort Lauderdale this week and damaged critical infrastructure, flooded homes and vehicles and shut down the city's airport. About 600 people have been taken to shelters and no deaths have been reported. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which halted flights Wednesday after exits, entrances and runways were flooded, resumed operations on Friday morning, the airport said. Ron DeSantis on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is located, which orders the director of the Division of Emergency Management to execute response and recovery plans to address the flooding.

☆ Florida cleans up after deluge strands cars, closes airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Crews had worked through the night to attend rescue calls, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. Stranded cars littered streets around eastern Broward County, where rains started Monday, with the heaviest downpours coming Wednesday afternoon and evening. Fort Lauderdale City Hall remained closed Thursday with ground-floor flooding and no power. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport remained closed through at least noon Thursday, with many flights canceled and some passengers stranded. But the entrance to the lower-level, or arrivals, road remained closed, officials tweeted.

☆ Fort Lauderdale Is Drenched With Over a Foot of Rain, Shutting the Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thunderstorms in southeastern Florida dumped 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Fort Lauderdale area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, trapping motorists in floodwaters and leaving travelers stranded inside a major airport that had been shut down. But the rain was so heavy that the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport closed. The Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for the Fort Lauderdale area on Wednesday night. Those are reserved for extremely rare situations after heavy rain that lead to torrents of water that pose a severe threat to human life and can cause catastrophic damage. Fort Lauderdale, which lies in central Broward on the Atlantic coast, is one of Florida’s largest cities.

☆ Southeast Florida swamped by more than two feet of rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A general view shows a flooded street in, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., April 12, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from social media. John Haywood/via REUTERSApril 13 (Reuters) - Torrential downpours inundated Southeast Florida on Thursday, bringing total rainfall in the Fort Lauderdale region to more than two feet in recent days, with widespread flooding that blocked roads, closed schools and shut down an airport. Preliminary reports showed that about 25 inches (64 cm) of rain had fallen in Fort Lauderdale, making it a 1 in a 1,000-year weather event, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Video footage on social media showed sheets of rain pounding the area as flood waters reached the tops of cars, and people wading through waters. "Like putting a faucet right over Fort Lauderdale, turning it on, and walking away."

☆ Florida is gearing up to pass tons of new laws over the next two months: 'It's the Ron DeSantis show'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Florida lawmakers are meeting over the next 60 days to pass new legislation. "It's the Ron DeSantis show," House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said. Ron DeSantis hasn't formally announced he's running for president — and that's in part because his business in Florida isn't finished yet. "Unfortunately, it's the Ron DeSantis show, we all know this," House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Polk County told reporters Monday. Florida Republican Gov.

☆ Disney's strategy to win its battle with DeSantis is to just wait until he runs for president, says a top Florida Democrat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Disney will sue Florida for dissolving its self-governing status, predicted Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo. Florida lawmakers are deciding Disney's financial fate this week. Ron DeSantis will be to simply run out the clock, a top Florida Democrat predicted Monday. Other areas state lawmakers will consider would allow Florida to transport migrants from other states and to give the state more power to prosecute election fraud. Today, more than 40 lobbyists represent Disney before the Florida legislature, according to an Insider review of lobbying disclosures.

☆ 3 Florida nursing schools sold 7,600 fake diplomas that helped applicants skip essential steps to becoming licensed nurses, federal prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three schools in Florida sold 7,600 fake credentials to nursing license applicants, officials said. The faux diplomas and transcripts qualified applicants for the national nursing board exam. They would have allowed buyers to potentially skip thousands of clinical trainings, prosecutors said. The fake credentials wouldn't have given the buyer a nursing license, but it would qualify them to sit for the national nursing board exam. The diplomas would state that the buyer had attended the respective school's nursing program, when they never took classes there, prosecutors said.

☆ Rapper Flo Rida wins $82 million lawsuit against energy drink company Celsius
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Alex Portée | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A Florida jury ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought forth by rapper Flo Rida against Celsius energy drinks and awarded him a total of $82.6 million in damages. On Wednesday, a jury found Celsius guilty of breaching an endorsement deal with Flo Rida that ran from 2014 to 2018. In a statement, Flo Rida, whose legal name is Tramar Dillard, thanked the jury, judge and his attorneys, and said he gained a "new respect for the judicial system." Rapper Tramar Dillard, known as Flo Rida, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday. "I’m glad, in this case, the jury concluded that Flo Rida should get what he worked for."

☆ Homebuyers who fled to Florida to escape high taxes are now shocked at their massive tax bills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida law caps property taxes at 3% a year for existing homebuyers. The tax bills have come as a shock for some, who may have to consider moving out of the state. Anyone who bought a Florida property in 2022 will be in the same situation next year. Corporate homebuyers are also getting hit with higher tax billsDeeply resourced, large-scale homebuyers are getting caught off guard, too. Some local governments in Texas have argued for increasing property taxes in order to finance things like hurricane relief, the Texas Tribune reported.

☆ Trump lashes out at DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Youngkin as he readies 2024 launch in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — As former President Donald Trump readies for the planned launch Tuesday of his 2024 presidential campaign, he issued fresh broadsides against two Republican governors who emerged as early favorites to challenge him for his party's nomination: Florida Gov. That's the message Republicans must deliver to Donald Trump. Arkansas Republican Gov. "President Trump has racked up over 215 wins for his endorsements — a truly unprecedented accomplishment and something only possible because of President Trump's ability to pick and elect winners," Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich told CNBC. DeSantis won reelection in a landslide, defeating former Florida Gov.

Former President Donald Trump described in great detail Thursday night how he purportedly delivered a 2018 election win to now-Gov. Ron DeSantis by sending FBI agents to stop "ballot theft" in a major Florida county. Her comment on Twitter was in response to Trump's statement about the Florida elections that year. “The Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office has no documentation of any federal law enforcement presence during the 2018 elections,” Ivan Castro, spokesman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, told the newspaper. "We conclude that the November 2018 election was not efficiently and effectively conducted.

☆ 'Bogus,' 'ridiculous,' and 'made-up crap': DOJ veterans throw cold water on Trump's claim that he 'sent in the FBI' to help Ron DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sonam Sheth | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DOJ veterans shot down Trump's claim that he "sent in" the FBI to help Ron DeSantis win the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race. The feds are now investigating if "Stop The Steal" protests surrounding the 2018 Florida election served as a roadmap for the Capitol riot. But in another post, Trump went beyond simply relitigating the 2018 election to making a new, remarkable claim about his past support for DeSantis. It prompted eye-rolling, and with some, public denials that the Justice Department and FBI ever investigated 2018 election fraud at Trump's behest. Activities surrounding the 2018 Florida elections have attracted federal scrutiny — but not for the reasons the former president spouted off about on social media.

☆ DOJ plans to monitor elections in these 46 cities and counties to ensure voters aren't harassed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Justice Department plans to monitor polls in two dozen states across the country to ensure no one intimidates voters or otherwise meddles with Tuesday's midterm elections. The department's Civil Rights Division selected 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Nevada, for oversight in both the general election and early voting. The division routinely monitors elections in the field, starting in 1965 when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. DOJ monitored polls in 18 states and 44 cities and counties in 2020, by comparison. Attorneys' Offices and the Office of Personnel Management will assist the DOJ Civil Rights Division in monitoring efforts and maintaining contact with state and local election officials.

☆ Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Is Expected to Get Life Without Parole
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nikolas Cruz is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday for the murders of 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school in 2018, concluding a case that was emotionally grueling for victims’ families and whose outcome left them fuming. A jury in October spared him the death penalty and instead recommended that he spend the rest of his life in prison. At the request of prosecutors, Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer scheduled a hearing that began Tuesday to allow victims’ family members to express themselves before the court and the defendant. It is scheduled to resume Wednesday, and once concluded, the judge is expected to sentence Cruz.

☆ Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Sentenced to Life Without Parole
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday for the murders of 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school in 2018, concluding a case that was emotionally grueling for victims’ families and whose outcome left them fuming. A jury in October spared him the death penalty and instead recommended that he spend the rest of his life in prison. At the request of prosecutors, Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer scheduled a two-day hearing that began Tuesday to allow victims’ family members to express themselves before the court and the defendant.

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