Brevard County Commissioner Targets Employers In Immigration Crackdown (Brevard County, FL) -- Brevard County Commissioner John Tobia is targeting employers in his expanded effort to crack down on illegal immigrants. Tobia says he plans to introduce legislation that requires companies that have contracts with the county and receive county tax money to be part of the "E-Verify" program.
The program is basically a way for employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. Tobia also said he's considering expanding the program to private employers as well.
Man Had Sex With Teenage Daughter Of Homeless Woman (Cocoa Beach, FL) -- Federal investigators say a 45-year-old man had sex with the 13-year-old daughter of a homeless woman he befriended. The suspect identified as Keneon Isaac would reportedly book hotel rooms for the woman and her family. He then would allegedly take one of the woman's daughters to a condo he was renting and have sex with her there.
Officials also discovered hundreds of images of child pornography on Isaac's phone. Isaac has a history of predatory sexual behavior.
Teen Arrested After Snapchat Threat Made Toward Timber Creek High School (Orlando, FL) -- Police say they arrested a teenager who made a threat toward Timber Creek High School on Snapchat. The Orange County Sheriff's Office says 15-year-old Noah Griffith faces a felony charge of "written threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism."
Police were made aware of the threat on Sunday evening after another student reported it. Additional law enforcement is present on the campus and Griffith is being held at the Juvenile Assessment Center.
Manatee Deaths Spiking (Tallahassee, FL) -- Florida wildlife officials are reporting a spike in manatee deaths this year. The stats show 540 manatees have died so far in 2018, surpassing the 538 total that died last year.
Animal experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say the deadly red tide in the Gulf is responsible for about 100 of this year's deaths. Experts say the cold weather at the beginning of the year is also partly to blame.
Florida Official Faces Backlash After Islamophobic Facebook Post (Seminole County, FL) -- An elected official in Seminole County is facing backlash after apparently posting an Islamophobic Facebook post. Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg insists he has nothing against Muslims after posting the controversial post that spread like wildfire.
The post read: "Name just one society in the developed world that has benefited in any way from the introduction of more Muslims. Just one. Asking for a friend." Greenberg has said he doesn't condone the message he shared, but he doesn't regret sharing it. He also said he won't be apologizing for it.
Pinellas Stops Active Shooter Training Videos After Parents Object (Pinellas, FL) -- The Pinellas County school system is putting an end to active shooter training videos after parent complaints. The plan was to show a video to elementary school students to prepare for the state-mandated active shooter drills.
The district released three videos, one for children in Kindergarden through second grade, one for children in third grade to fifth grade and one for middle and high schoolers. Parents noted that the footage and vocabulary in the videos were not appropriate for the children. The videos will remain on the district's website for those who want to use them.
AR-15 Thief Caught After Bragging On Instagram (Boynton Beach, FL) -- A South Florida gun thief is behind bars after police say he started bragging about his crime online. The AR-15 semiautomatic rifle was taken last week from an unmarked Palm Beach County deputy's car parked at a Boynton Beach shopping center.
It wasn't missing for long as officers say they found it under a mattress at the home of a 17-year-old. They say he posed with it in an Instagram pic so the evidence is clear. The teen is charged with burglary and grand theft.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the Union.
1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the Nautilus.