5 Things to Know in Florida for May 16

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

TAMPA MILITARY MOM CONVICTED OF MURDERING HER 2 TEENS

A former Florida Army officer’s wife was convicted Thursday of murder in the shooting deaths of her teenagers, with jurors rejecting her insanity plea. Jurors found 53-year-old Julie Schenecker guilty of killing both her 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter in Tampa in 2011. After daylong closing arguments Thursday, jurors started talking at about 4:45 p.m. and at about 6:30 it was announced they had a verdict.

FLA. GOV. WILL RELEASE DETAILS ABOUT HIS FINANCES

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is promising to release his tax returns and hand over whatever financial details the courts require. His promise came a day after a lawsuit was filed that challenges a year-old state law that allows elected officials to place their assets in a blind trust instead of reporting each investment publicly. The state Supreme Court has been asked to rule before candidates start qualifying for the ballot next month.

TORNADO SPOTTED IN MIAMI, FLIGHTS DISRUPTED

Severe weather in Miami spawned one confirmed tornado and disrupted air travel Thursday. The National Weather Service reported a tornado briefly touched ground one mile west of Miami International Airport. A second funnel cloud was spotted about 20 minutes later. There were no immediate reports of damage. Poor visibility kept planes from taking off or landing at Miami International Airport for over an hour. Airport spokeswoman Maria Levrant said dozens of flights were canceled or delayed.

FLORIDA’S INSURANCE FUND STRONG FOR STORM SEASON

The state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida has billions in the bank and appears capable of withstanding a big storm again this year. New projections show the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund should have nearly $13 billion available for the Atlantic hurricane season that starts June 1. The financial health of the fund is important because the state can place a surcharge on most insurance policies, including auto insurance, if the “Cat Fund” runs out of money.

MIAMI CITY BALLET NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Michael Scolamiero will join the Miami Beach-based company June 30. He says he hopes to work closely with the ballet’s artistic director, Lourdes Lopez. Scolamiero had been the executive director at the Pennsylvania Ballet for 17 years. The Philadelphia-based company’s budget rose from $6.5 million to $11.3 million under Scolamiero.