Miami Metro News Archives

Two veteran Miami police officers were charged Friday with providing protection for purported shipments of cocaine and stolen goods in an eight-month undercover FBI operation.

Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. FORT LAUDERDALE Fort Lauderdale has named the city's first black police chief.

An effort to remove some 700,000 old tires from the ocean floor about a mile offshore of Fort Lauderdale has ended for the season.

Cantero, the court's youngest member at 47, said he is involved in early discussions with several Miami-area firms that he declined to name.

Prosecutors in Manhattan have charged a Florida businessman with forging documents to try to trick a Fortune 500 company into hiring him as its chief financial officer.

An international pilots' group said Friday that airlines should monitor the level of potentially toxic fumes from the engines in their cabins.

Leading companies in the printing, document solutions and graphic arts supply industries will exhibit in more than 100 booths across 50,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Annual Sir Speedy and PIP ...

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bruce Roberts on Thursday agreed to resign effective immediately and the city named its first black police chief in his place. Assistant Police Chief Frank Adderley, 46, will assume the new position.

One day after its union agreed to a contract with the city, Roberts resigned. He wrote, ''I cannot stand idly by while the safety of the community is at stake, and I will not participate in the dismantling of the community's police department.'' Earlier in the day, the city manager asked him to vacate his office by 5pm.

A former UBS executive is scheduled to plead guilty next month in a U.S. tax case that is part of a wide-ranging probe into whether the Swiss banking giant helped wealthy clients hide assets and evade taxes.

Melissa Green arranges flowers at her store in Miami, Monday, April 21, 2008. Green's mother spoke Spanish, but she never learned _ her father forbid it.

A federal "strike force" concentrating on Medicare fraud in South Florida accounts for 20 percent of the criminal cases brought nationwide over the past year, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said ...

Dear Heloise: My husband and I have several MONTHLY CHORES at our home, such as changing the air-conditioner filter, giving our dog her monthly medication for heartworms and taking my monthly medicine.

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bruce Roberts turned in his letter of resignation on Wednesday.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- A 49-year-old suburban Miami man is facing federal charges after being found in Florida with a 15-year-old Metro East girl who went missing.

On April 9, the Sun erupted and blasted a bubble of hot, ionized gas into the solar system.

A Fort Lauderdale homeowner shot and wounded an intruder early Tuesday morning. The intruder was taken to Broward General Medical Center with minor injuries and then booked into jail, said Fort Lauderdale ...

A sailboat that had left Fort Lauderdale bound for the Netherlands was found unmanned about 20 miles north of West End Bahamas on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Florida yachts receive fleet blessing POMPANO BEACH, Fla., May 26 -- The yacht fleet of Pompano Beach, Fla., plied the seas Sunday in a state of grace after its vessels were blessed by a bishop in a ...

A Florida man is accused of illegally shipping American paddlefish overseas hoping to cash in on the declining sturgeon caviar industry, officials say.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama used a Florida fundraiser to attack conservative media personalities Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh for their militant stand on immigration policy.

Wycliffe Charities Board Member Bob Nass, Quantum House Programs and Services Director Bryn Little and Wycliffe Charities President Marian Rubin.

"Next Wave Las Olas: A New Era of Refinement." The new vision of The Las Olas Company starts this summer with an upgrade for the historic Riverside Hotel.

A former Florida schoolteacher was sentenced Tuesday to more than seven years in prison for forcing a Haitian girl to work without pay in her home.

A corporate jet landed on Runway 8 at Fort Lauderdale's Executive Airport and skidded off the runway after the left side landing gear collapsed.

Two people were on board the flight during the accident, neither person was injured.

The runway has been shutdown, but no fuel was spilled on the runway. Another runway will be used temporarily until the damaged jet is cleared.

One of three men accused of fatally beating a homeless man as he slept on a park bench pleaded guilty Friday and agreed to testify against the others.

Justice Kenneth Bell on Friday became the Florida Supreme Court's second conservative member in six weeks to unexpectedly announce his retirement, meaning Gov.

Royal Caribbean International has announced the names of its newest class of cruise ships.

A tourist stands on his head in South Beach. This year brings a new roster of plagues for the tourism industry: a possible recession, a real estate depression, costlier flights and soaring gas prices.

American Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, said Wednesday it plans to charge passengers $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and eliminate possibly thousands of jobs, as it grapples with ...

The suit, filed by Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller and other prominent Democrats in Fort Lauderdale, claims the federal Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights-era law that requires the U.S. Justice ...

Campaign '08 Delegate Tracker MIAMI Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will both be in Florida Wednesday after avoiding the state since last fall.

You don't have to live in the deluxe downtown Fort Lauderdale condominium The Waverly to enjoy the "opulent lifestyle enjoyed by a privileged few" being advertised.

Noriega turns to appeals court to fight French extradition By CURT ANDERSON - AP Legal Affairs 7:43 p.m., Tuesday, May 20, 2008 FORT LAUDERDALE - Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega wants a U.S. appeals ...

A Mount Sinai Medical Center employee was arrested Wednesday after he confessed to performing a sex act on a male patient waking up from anesthesia after surgery.

New concept hotel to open in one of Florida's Premier Golf Communities in 2009 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

The Museum of Art -- Fort Lauderdale will become part of the expanded creative campus of Nova Southeastern University as of July 1. The Boards of Trustees for both organizations approved the merger, saying via ...

According to the reports, Martin County Sheriff's Office deputies were processing Hollywood resident Lawyer Lamar Thornton, 31, at the jail when they noticed he resembled a suspect depicted in surveillance ...

No tickets needed. Parking is free. Don't bring an umbrella, even if it rains. And be ready for a big crowd. That's what organizers are saying about Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama's rally at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise on Friday. It's being touted as the biggest campaign event of the year in South Florida. But it won't be the first visit this week.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, though trailing Obama in the race for delegates, will beat her rival to South Florida. Republican John McCain was the first presidential candidate in the region this week with stops in Miami and Broward County on Tuesday.

Flanked by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino , Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law Tuesday legislation that requires insurance companies to cover as much as $36,000-a-year in treatment for autistic ...

A state prison and federal detention center in a rural Miami area have been evacuated after a massive wildfire in Everglades National Park burned uncomfortably close to the facilities.

Non-union firm sues Miami port [South Florida] Three employees of Florida Transportation Services , which unloads ships at Port Everglades, died early Tuesday morning when they were apparently overcome by argon ...

Authorities say three people died on a cargo ship at Port Everglades after gas leaked from a shipping container and overcame them.

Two people are going before a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale for sentencing in the case of a Haitian girl prosecutors said was kept as a slave for six years.

Now at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street slices its way into West Palm Beach through Sunday, May 18.

MIAMI - A large fire in the Everglades and other smaller fires in various parts of Florida brought smoky conditions across Florida on Sunday, even as increased humidity in some areas was helping firefighting ...

“When you market Miami as destination, it's a good business proposition”

Three big players in Miami-Dade's economy plan on teaming up for an unusual ad campaign to promote the county abroad as a nice place to live, visit and work. via Hotel Online

About 33,000 acres of Florida's Everglades National Park have been consumed by a 5-day-old wildfire, officials said Sunday. via Daily India

“I don't what to say ... Just thank you.”

Syesha Mercado's "American Idol" dream has ended. Though Mercado's fans rallied to the singer's aid with a voting blitz Tuesday night, it wasn't enough to keep the Bradenton/Sarasota native in the competition. via Bradenton Herald

“The tracking devices that they had a year ago, those things were the size of a loaf of bread”

As a private investigator, Jim Bender has tracked everything from straying spouses to strung-out trust-fund babies - sometimes following them for days at a time. via Florida Times-Union

“We are thrilled to have Bruce and John join our team”

With the new Palm Healthcare Pavilion close to opening, the Palm Healthcare Foundation recently announced it has strengthened its staff with the addition of Bruce Parsons and John Peters. via Wellington Town-Crier

A Miami federal judge on Friday sentenced the founder of a company selling DVD rental machines to 23 years in prison for defrauding more than 400 people with false promises of easy money. via The Orlando Sentinel

“That's insane. You know it's 300 percent more competition than there was when we first started”

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Charity Simon is sharing a bedroom and a bathroom with two other young women she has never met during her stay at the Tropics Hotel & Hostel in Miami Beach. via St. Cloud Times Online

MIAMI (Reuters) - A man trying to flee from Florida sheriff's deputies phoned his mother for help and she obligingly rushed to the scene and rammed two lawmen with her sports utility vehicle, deputies said on Thursday.

Mother and son were arrested after the confrontation on Wednesday night in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pompano Beach, Florida, the Broward County sheriff's office said.

Detectives said they tried to stop Joe Morgan, 25, on a traffic offense but he fled, phoning his mother as he drove away. They said Morgan got caught in a traffic jam and that as the deputies surrounded him and tried to remove him from his vehicle, his mother, Carman Thompson-Wilson, arrived and hit the two deputies with her SUV. Read more

“She's starting to choke. Whatever's around her she figures is choking her and she's biting in all directions”

A wildlife trainer reportedly was bitten on the calf on the Miami set of rapper Rick Ross 's new video for his song "Here I Am." The white tiger named Sabi, which played Ross's pet in the music video, bit ... via 95.7 The Beat

U.S. prosecutors say a man who cheated investors out of millions of dollars in a cancer treatment drug scheme was sentenced to 10 years in prison. via Bradenton Herald

“They've both done a really good job here”

When Chris Landsea talks about global warming and its potential effect on storms, he thinks of his family.

He showed a roomful of emergency managers a picture of them Friday to serve as illustration for any family.

'They're relying on you to help make those tough decisions about evacuations and school closings,' the National Hurricane Center researcher said.

Landsea was one of two hurricane experts who Friday argued opposite views on whether global warming spawns more hurricanes. Read more

“There's a lot of people to be blamed, but I can assure you the speculators, Wall Street people have a lot to do with this”

VIDEO: WTVJ/NBC News Channel Report By Tom Llamas, WTVJ/NBC News Channel MIAMI, FL -- Why are gas prices rising nearly every day? When will it stop, and who's behind it? Those are questions that many of us are ... via WTLV

“Dentists need to understand osteoporosis, its treatments and its complications to provide adequate care”

Physicians and dentists should collaborate to improve early detection and treatment of patients who have or may develop osteoporosis, say researchers in the cover story of the May issue of The Journal of the ... via Newswise

“They were only serving SRQ seasonally and only had been here one season”

USA 3000 is canceling seasonal flights to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport along with those to most Florida airports as part of a retreat from the state. via Bradenton.com

The star was arrested after allegedly attacking his girlfriend during a drunken feud at the hotel on April 30--and entered rehab in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, five days later on May 5. Rodman has been charged ... via Hollywood.com

“This news speaks to the powerful combination of Florida's status as premier destination and a strong marketing effort in the face of ever-increasing competition”

The U.S. economy may be sagging, but tourism is growing in the Sunshine State.

In the first quarter, about 23.8 million people visited Florida, up 3.4 percent from the January-through-March period last year. That includes about 931,000 travelers from overseas, up 2 percent, according to preliminary data released Thursday by Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing group.

Florida residents also took 1.2 million leisure trips within the state during the quarter, up 10.5 percent from a year ago. Read more

“Essentially, Allstate created the difficulty about which they now complain and attempt to use to seek relief”

The state has once again blocked the giant insurer from signing up new customers. via Insurance News Net

“These days, you can take your work with you on a laptop”

TALLAHASSEE - A day after saluting weary crews battling wildfires in Brevard County, Gov. via News Press

“I just can't believe that somebody would intentionally start a fire. It's unconscionable to me that somebody could be that cold-hearted and that uncaring about their fellow man”

The number of wildfires in Florida continued to grow Wednesday. The state Division of Forestry reported that overall containment was still considered "minimal." Emergency management officials said more than ... via Floridatoday.com

“I really know very little about what's going on”

The 14 Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited to the U.S. began appearing Wednesday in federal courts around the country to face drug trafficking and other charges that could land them lengthy prison ... via WSVN-TV Miami Beach

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Now in custody: James Reonardo Blanks -caught in Fort Lauderdale--law enforcement BOLO Dwight Leander Sykes Jr. via WINK-TV Fort Myers

“Never underestimate the power of prayer”

Warning the calm before the storm might not last much longer, Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday called on Floridians to brace for the worst in the upcoming hurricane season, which starts in two weeks.

'We've been very fortunate for the past two years,' he said at the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale 'But just because we've been lucky doesn't mean we need to be complacent.'

Crist said residents should develop a plan and start stocking enough supplies to survive on their own for at least three days. He said they should not count on government to provide support immediately after a storm. Read more

A South Florida man accused of videotaping himself abusing a young girl now faces more than 100 more child pornography charges. via WTVJ Miami Channel 6

“Texas seems to be a good deal, if you are OK with some heat.”

As fellow passengers at Los Angeles International Airport grumbled about soaring air fares, Gilda Chavez-Diaz flew home to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last week. via The News Tribune

“It's not the first time this has happened. There's a lot of people who come to these kinds of events and get called back home.”

George Robins says disaster has weighed heavily on his mind lately. As he sat in a class about emergencies at the Broward County Convention Center on Tuesday, he also was concerned about wildfires threatening his home in Malabar, a rural town in south Brevard County.

'If the wind would have shifted, it would have been right in my yard,' said Robins, deputy chief of operations for the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base.

Robins is among emergency managers preoccupied with Central Florida's wildfires as they attend the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale. During the five-day conference, which ends Friday, emergency planners, rescue workers and government officials plan ways to help one another and Floridians in case of emergencies. Read more

Emergency managers, rescue workers and government officials are meeting in Fort Lauderdale this week to discuss storm preparedness. via WMTX-FM Tampa

“The cornerstone to the defendants' pitch was that Swiss and Leichtenstein bank secrecy was impenetrable”

A former UBS executive was one of two European bankers charged by federal prosecutors on Tuesday for helping a billionaire real estate developer hide assets overseas and evade millions of dollars in U.S. income ... via HeraldTribune.com

Four winners of the ``Fantasy 5'' game will collect $55,097.46 each, the Florida Lottery said Tuesday. via South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Middle-aged people will have a hard time finding a place to shop here”

Saks Fifth Avenue , a veteran retailer at The Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale, soon will close its doors, leaving another vacant anchor space at the shopping center.

The 73,000-square-foot store is expected to close on July 20, Saks spokeswoman Julia Bentley said Monday. Sixty-one employees will be laid off, though all will be offered transfer opportunities or will receive severance packages, she said.

After the Galleria store's closing, there will be 10 stores statewide, including five in South Florida from Miami to Palm Beach, where remodeling is planned. Read more

“They are live, feeling animals that can suffer from abuse.”

Brilliant or bird-brained? Conservation or cruelty? Orlando officials think that bringing more swan species to Lake Eola will create a United Nations of the long-necked - each of the elegantly gliding ... via South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“They fled and eluded and they resisted arrest. Look at all the lives they put in jeopardy, including their own.”

Authorities on Sunday said three men suspected in a Boynton Beach robbery of a Burger King are also connected to at least one recent robbery of a fast-food restaurant in Broward County .

The Broward Sheriff's Office also released the names of the men they said robbed the Burger King Friday night, fled to Deerfield Beach in a high-speed chase and shot at several officers before they were arrested.

Christopher Ladarious Hicks, 18; Robert Louis Jackson Jr., 19; and Reginald Demetris Robinson Jr., 20, all of Pompano Beach, face charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a firearm, fleeing and eluding and resisting arrest, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office news release. Hicks and Robinson also will be charged with tampering with evidence. Read more

The Losonoco biofuels company of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has decided not to build a plant at Colfax that would have used canola. via KGW-TV Portland

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday charged three Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-area doctors with illegal insider trading. via Canadian Business Magazine

Emergency managers, rescue workers and government officials are meeting in Fort Lauderdale this week to discuss storm preparedness. via WSVN-TV Miami Beach

“There were quite a few things that were light but the biggest was the sales tax.”

By Bill Cotterell * FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU POLITICAL EDITOR * May 12, 2008 Forced to cut state spending by more than $4 billion, legislators called this the worst budget year ever. via Tallahassee Democrat

South Beach is becoming a hot tourist destination for young travelers looking to spend less on lodging and more on sightseeing, thanks to a rise in hostels here. via WCTV Tallahassee

By Christopher Elliott - Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, May 11, 2008 Story appeared in TRAVEL section, Page M Q: I flew from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Las Vegas on Spirit Airlines almost six months ago, and my ... via Sacramento Bee Newspaper

“My short leg grew out 3 inches!”

T o a chorus of 'Amens' and 'Thank You, Jesus,' the Rev. Daniel S. Mundell tells followers God will free them of debt, even make them millionaires.

Then comes the sales pitch: Back up your faith with donations. Give, even if it's your last $100. Write a check. Pay by credit card.

Preaching mostly to a low-income following, the Hallandale Beach-based evangelist has raised millions of dollars through services and crusades in South Florida and across the country.

Former followers say the only one who seemed to attain wealth was the preacher.