Orlando judge suspects foul play by ICE agents, orders 2 Venezuelans freed

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on February 13, 2026. Posted in Crime and Public Safety, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, News, Social.

A federal judge in Orlando ordered two more Venezuelan migrants released from ICE custody on Thursday and said he suspected foul play by the agents involved in their detentions. In one case, U.S. District Judge John Antoon, who released another detainee earlier this month, said the warrant ordering Junier Silva-Parucho’s arrest on Jan. 29 arrest was signed three hours after he was taken into custody. The warrant for Silva-Parucho, a construction worker with a pending asylum application and valid employment authorization, was therefore invalid, the judge ruled. “If the court considers it an...

Elon Musk’s tunneling company tapped to link Universal parks

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on February 12, 2026. Posted in Amusement Parks, Business, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, News, Social, Things To Do, Universal Orlando.

Elon Musk’s tunneling firm The Boring Company was tapped Wednesday to plow connections among Universal’s Orlando theme parks. The board of the Shingle Creek Transit and Utility Community Development District, a special purpose district encompassing Universal properties, voted to begin contract negotiations with Musk’s firm to design and build the infrastructure improvements, following a monthslong competition. The Boring Company was one of three bidders, alongside V2R and Sunshine Connection Partners. It is best known for its expertise in underground tunnels, having dug the “Vegas Loop”...

Gun-control advocates blast Florida Attorney General for refusing to defend concealed carry law

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on February 10, 2026. Posted in Crime and Public Safety, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Local News, News, Politics, Social.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked an appeals court to uphold a teenager’s right to carry a concealed weapon even after a Broward judge last year declared the ban constitutional, all but handing another victory to gun-rights supporters who have tried to make it easier to buy and carry firearms in the Sunshine State. Uthmeier’s office is legally responsible for representing the state in appeals, but in this case he is siding against state prosecutors who say the law is still on the books and should be enforced. The Broward State Attorney’s Office asked Uthmeier’s office for...

Darden to close all remaining Bahama Breeze locations

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on February 4, 2026. Posted in Business, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, National News, News, Restaurants, Food and Drink, Social, Things To Do.

Orlando-based Darden Restaurants announced Tuesday it would be closing all of its remaining Bahama Breeze locations nationwide, ending the brand after 30 years. Half of the 28 Bahama Breeze locations across the country will be converted into Darden’s other restaurant brands over the next 12 to 18 months and are expected to continue operating until any temporary closures are needed to convert them, the company said. The other 14 will be permanently closed as of April 5. Darden said it doesn’t expect the closures to have a material impact on its financial results. “The company believes the...

Judge orders Florida elections division to update pot petition numbers on website

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 30, 2026. Posted in Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Marijuana, News, Politics, Social.

A Leon County circuit judge Thursday ruled that the Florida Division of Elections is required to update its website to reflect the number of valid petition signatures for a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment. Judge Jonathan Sjostrom backed arguments by the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which faces a Sunday deadline for submitting enough valid signatures to put the proposed amendment on the November ballot. The committee filed a lawsuit this month alleging that the Division of Elections was not complying with a requirement to post weekly totals of valid...

Olympic gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson charged with speeding at 104 mph near Orlando

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 30, 2026. Posted in Crime and Public Safety, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, News, Social.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Olympic gold metalist Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested and charged with speeding in Florida on Thursday, according to law enforcement. Richardson was arrested for allegedly going 104 mph (167 kph) on a parkway just outside of Orlando, Florida. A spokesperson for the Orange County sheriff’s department said she was “dangerously tailgating and traveling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists.” The 25-year-old sprinter is one of the fastest women of all time, winning a silver metal in the 100 meter dash in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and gold in the 4×100...

Tri-Rail leader David Dech resigns to head Midwest commuter railroad

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 29, 2026. Posted in Business, Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Local News, News, Social, Transportation.

David Dech, the top Tri-Rail executive who led a variety of initiatives to upgrade South Florida’s aging publicly funded commuter railroad, has resigned to head a Midwest rail line. Dech, who is executive director of Tri-Rail’s governing body, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, stunned his staff with a phone call from Tallahassee announcing his resignation Monday, spokesman Victor Garcia said Wednesday. His new position: president and general manager of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. His hiring becomes effective March 16, according to The...

Vaccine exemption for conflict with parents’ ‘conscience’ advances in Florida Senate

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 27, 2026. Posted in Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Health, Latest Headlines, News, Social.

TALLAHASSEE — A Senate committee Monday narrowly approved a bill that would create a new path for parents who don’t want their schoolchildren vaccinated, with the proposal’s sponsor saying parents should be in the “driver’s seat” — but opponents warning of public-health consequences. The bill (SB 1756), sponsored by Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, includes creating an exemption to vaccination requirements for parents who say the shots conflict with their “conscience.” It would add to an already-existing exemption for parents who cite conflicts with religious beliefs. “The main thrust...

Appeals court rejects class-action lawsuit over data breach at Broward Health

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 15, 2026. Posted in Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, News, Social.

An appeals court Wednesday rejected a class-action lawsuit filed against the North Broward Hospital District after a 2021 data breach. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that the district, also known as Broward Health, was shielded by sovereign immunity, which helps protect government agencies from liability. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of patients whose private information was exposed in the data breach, alleged negligence and breach of contract by the hospital system. But the appeals court, in a ruling written by Judge Robert Gross and...

Pictures: Thousands of ‘Surfing Santas’ congregate on Cocoa Beach

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on December 25, 2025. Posted in Florida News, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, News, Social.

Goff Stepien of Daytona Beach catches a wave during Surfing Santas at Cocoa Beach on Dec. 24, 2025. The annual event gathers people for Sunshine State holiday cheer and catching waves, Santa style. This year was estimated to have record-breaking attendance with over 12,000 visitors. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) Thousands of festive Floridians and visitors congregate on the beach during Surfing Santas at Cocoa Beach on Dec. 24, 2025. The annual event gathers people for Sunshine State holiday cheer and catching waves, Santa style. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) A trio of festive...

Category: Florida News