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With Homeless Rights Agreement Terminated, Miami Attorney Says He Will 'Keep A Watchful Eye'

An agreement between Miami’s homeless residents and the City of Miami that had been in effect for more than two decades came to a close last week , as part of a class action federal lawsuit that has been active since 1988. The understanding outlined basic rights for the city’s homeless population, offering protection from being arrested for sleeping on the pavement, being in a park after hours, and going to the bathroom in public – which were common in the 1980s.

Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP Pool

Broward Judge Sets New Trial Timeline For Case Against Confessed Parkland School Shooter

Live From The 305: Meet Haitian American Genre Mixer Inez Barlatier

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Where To Find Mental Health, Trauma Support If You're Hurting From Marjory Stoneman Douglas Tragedy

Americans Arrested In Haiti With Arsenal Of Guns Won't Face U.S. Charges

By Jacqueline Charles & Jay Weaver & David Ovalle • 5 hours ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The five heavily armed Americans arrested in Haiti earlier this week are back on their home soil and won’t be facing any criminal charges in the United States — a decision already causing outrage among some Haitian leaders.

Federal sources told the Miami Herald that the men will not be charged criminally, but are being debriefed. They told U.S. authorities they were on the island providing private security for a “businessman” doing work with the Haitian government.

House, Senate Move Closer To Ending Pot Smoking Ban

By News Service Of Florida • 8 hours ago

Florida legislators are ready to vote on measures that would allow patients to smoke medical marijuana, boosting chances of approval before a mid-March deadline set by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The House and Senate moved closer to agreement on the issue, after the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday eliminated a proposal that would have restricted medical marijuana dispensaries to selling pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes with filters.

Federal Prosecutors Broke Law In Jeffrey Epstein Case, Judge Rules

By Julie K. Brown • 10 hours ago

A judge ruled Thursday that federal prosecutors — among them, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta — broke federal law when they signed a plea agreement with a wealthy, politically connected sex trafficker and concealed it from more than 30 of his underage victims.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra, in a 33-page opinion, said that the evidence he reviewed showed that Jeffrey Epstein had been operating an international sex operation in which he and others recruited underage girls — not only in Florida — but from overseas, in violation of federal law.

Competitive Workforce Act Aims To Prevent LGBTQ Discrimination, But How Far Should Lawmakers Go?

By Casey Chapter • 11 hours ago

How far should Florida go to protect its LGBTQ community? Two bills moving through the legislature have different answers.

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#MeToo Graffiti Scrubbed From Sarasota V-J Day Kissing Statue

By Amy Held • 11 hours ago

Is it an innocent display of jubilation over a war's end or an unacceptable act of sexual aggression?

The context of a kiss is clashing with an evolving emphasis on consent in the #MeToo era.

Hackers Take Over Tampa Mayor's Twitter Account

By WUSF Staff • 11 hours ago

UPDATED at 1:20 p.m. with cybersecurity information.

Several racist, sexist and pornographic images have been deleted from Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Twitter account after they were posted reportedly by hackers early Thursday.

Calls For Change Amid Reports Of Housing Problems On Military Bases

By Stephanie Colombini • 11 hours ago

U.S. Army and Air Force leaders have ordered inspections of housing on their bases amid reports about unsafe conditions.

Record 126.1 Million Tourists For Florida In 2018

By editor • 11 hours ago

Florida tourism officials say a record number of visitors came to the state last year.

Heckler & Koch Fined $4.2 Million Over Assault Rifle Sales In Mexico

By Bill Chappell • 12 hours ago

A German court says gunmaker Heckler & Koch skirted the law when it exported thousands of military-grade assault rifles to Mexican states struggling to cope with violent drug cartels, hitting the large company with a fine of 3.7 million euros ($4.2 million).

As part of the ruling, two former H&K employees were given suspended prison sentences of 17 and 22 months. Prosecutors had initially put five former employees on trial and sought prison sentences for three of them.

A Blown-Out Sneaker, An Injured Superstar And A Night To Forget For Nike

By Uri Berliner • 13 hours ago

It was the most highly anticipated college basketball game of the season: Duke was facing archrival North Carolina, with the spectacular talents of Duke's freshman sensation Zion Williamson on display.

Former President Barack Obama was there. Tickets for the game were reselling for more than $3,000 — Super Bowl prices. Duke's exuberant student section, known as the Cameron Crazies, was extra hyped.