Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Florida GOP
(Orlando, FL) -- Election Day is still a few days away, but Florida Republicans already have something to celebrate. A judge in Orange County yesterday tossed a lawsuit filed against the Florida GOP and Governor Ron DeSantis. Orlando lawyer Thomas Feiter [[FY-ter]] filed the suit last month after he lost the Republican primary for Orange-Osceola state attorney. Seth Hyman won the primary but then dropped out of the race. Feiter claims that was orchestrated by Florida Republicans to help Andrew Bain win the general election. Bain ran as an independent but was appointed state attorney by DeSantis last year. Feiter claims Republicans offered Hyman a judgeship and other incentives if he went along with the scheme. Hyman denies the accusation. He tells the Orlando Sentinel the lawsuit was frivolous and an abuse of the court system.
Huge Turnout For Early Voting In Taylor County
(Perry, FL) -- Storm damage isn't stopping people from voting in Taylor County. While residents are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, they're finding the time to vote. So far, over half the county's registered voters have cast their ballots. Elections Supervisor Dana Southerland says despite the hurricane, residents are determined to vote. She also credits poll workers, who are showing up every day even as they deal with storm damage, too. Tommy and Betty Mauldin lost their home on Keaton Beach, but they're still volunteering. Betty tells WCTV this is such an important election, we didn't want to give up and let it go by the side.
St. Pete Takes Steps To Protect Trop From Further Damage
(St. Petersburg, FL)-- St. Petersburg is taking steps to protect Tropicana Field from more water damage. The city council voted yesterday to spend up to six million dollars on a temporary drainage system and waterproofing the Trop's electrical system. The work could take a couple months to complete. A city official says if it didn't take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, it could run into problems with the insurance company.
Caretaker Accused Of Stealing From Clients
(DeLand, FL) -- A Volusia County woman is accused of stealing from the elderly people she was caring for. The sheriff's office announced the arrest this week of Yvonne Wroblewski, who also goes by the name Yvonna Hayes. She allegedly stole 100-thousand dollars from a couple she was working for as a caregiver. Wroblewski is accused of using the money for personal expenses.
VyStar Credit Union Fined $1.5M
(Washington, DC)-- A Jacksonville company will have to pay a fine for harming consumers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced yesterday it has fined VyStar Credit Union one-and-a-half million dollars. The fine was issued for what the CFPB calls VyStar's botched rollout of a new online banking system two years ago. The federal agency says the new online banking platform was dysfunctional, made basic banking functions difficult and some features were unavailable for more than six months. The fine will go to the CFPB's victims relief fund.
Baby Powder Recall Extended To Include Florida
(Tallahassee, FL) -- There is a warning out for some Florida families after a recent recall was extended. The FDA says the order, initially issued last month, has grown to include 35 states after tests found asbestos in Dynacare branded baby powder. The potentially contaminated product was sold on or after January 18th in the Sunshine State and through Amazon. More than one-thousand additional cases of the 14 and four ounce plastic bottles were added to the recall this week. Federal regulators are urging customers to stop using the specific baby powder and return it for a full refund.
Judge Involved In 2000 Election Recount Set To Retire
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)-- A retiring judge is looking back on his role in one of the most contentious elections in US history. Robert W. Lee is set to retire this year after 27 years as a judge. He may be most famous, though, for being the chairman of Broward County's canvassing board in the 2000 election. The vote between George W. Bush and Al Gore was so close, a hand recount was needed. Lee says he got death threats, and he had to have security with him. He remembers being accosted twice in what he describes as a very bad way. With another tight election right around the corner, Lee doesn't think things will get like that this time around. He tells NBC 6 there are people who are going to be upset, but we have enough systems in place that it's going to be fine.
Daylight Saving Time Ends This Sunday
(Undated) -- Clocks will go back one hour this Sunday. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2am, November 3rd and starts again in March of next year. That means an extra hour of sleep. Only Hawaii and Arizona don't observe Daylight Saving Time. There have been proposed bills that would end the time change every year and make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Today in History
1800, John Adams became the first President to live in the White House in Washington D.C..