Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
SEAWORLD ALLEGES GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATOR WHO PROBED TRAINER’S DEATH ENGAGED IN UNETHICAL CONDUCT
In its complaint sent to the Labor Department, SeaWorld says Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator Lara Padgett “violated the Standards of Ethical Conduct for government employees.” Padgett investigated the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau who was pulled into a pool by killer whale. The complaint says Padgett’s violations of federal statute include posting critical comments about SeaWorld on social media and pictures of her attending film festivals with makers of the 2013”Blackfish” documentary.
GOV. RICK SCOTT URGES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TO CONSIDER SANCTIONS AGAINST VENEZUELA
Scott has sent a letter to Obama expressing solidarity with the people of Venezuela. He wants Obama to consider sanctions as well as revoking the U.S. visas of anyone involved in attacks on protesters. Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., met Thursday with the Venezuelan community in Doral.
FLORIDA LAWMAKERS GIVE PROBLEM-PLAGUED HAMPTON A MONTH TO PROVE IT IS FIXING PROBLEMS
A state audit found more than 30 problems with the government of the city of 447 people. Florida lawmakers have threatened to dissolve the north Florida city if its problems can’t be resolved. After meeting with residents Thursday, two lawmakers say they’ll give Hampton about four weeks to prove it is making progress.
FISHERMEN IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SAY OCTOPUSES THREATEN THEIR STONE CRAB HARVESTS
Octopuses are intelligent, voracious predators that easily prey on stone crabs caught in traps in the Gulf of Mexico. While octopuses are plentiful off Lee County, they’re not causing problems in other parts of the state. Fishermen in the Florida Keys and the Ten Thousands Islands say they have seen some octopuses among their traps, but they’re not reporting the losses experienced farther north.
PANHANDLE AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE DEATH OF A NEWBORN FOUND IN A GARBAGE BAG
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office says a woman who was 38 weeks pregnant was treated earlier this week at the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. She was no longer pregnant when she returned Wednesday, but there was no record of a birth. The sheriff’s office says a baby girl was found in a garbage bag in a ditch near the woman’s home. Autopsy results are pending.
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