News Update for 8/01/24
A Lake Placid Drug Dealer arrested in 2022 has been sentenced to serve at least 25 years in State Prison. Ezzard Charles Dixon was sentenced July 29th after being convicted of 11 felonies including armed fentanyl trafficking. A search warrant served on his Lake Placid home September 20, 2022 uncovered various illegal substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone pills, and marijuana. The 49- year-old was sentenced to a total of 210 years overall, but the additional sentences will run concurrently to his 40 year sentence for the armed fentanyl trafficking conviction.
Four people were killed in a house fire in Plant City early Wednesday morning. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at a home along South County Line Road in Plant City after receiving a 911 call at 12:09 a.m from the homeowner. The homeowner reported smoke and flames from inside the home saying 3 adults and five dogs were trapped. Deputies arrived to find four people dead at the scene, according to HCFR. Within five minutes of responding, HCFR says three victims were located and removed from the home through a bedroom window.
Reportedly, Four victims died at the scene and no firefighter injuries were reported.
At least one client is out thousands of dollars after a law firm in Polk County suddenly closed. Family Elder Law closed all three locations, including in Lakeland and Lake Wales, two weeks ago. Leticia Labate says there was no warning, and her mother is out 45-hundred dollars. A rep for the law firm says they had to close due to unforeseen circumstances, but they didn’t offer any details. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Florida Bar tells Fox 13 News it’s investigating Jason Penrod, who founded the law firm 11 years ago.
Forecasters are tracking a large tropical wave as it gets closer to Florida. The latest update from the National Hurricane Center shows that the system is located near the Lesser Antilles, creating disorganized showers and thunderstorms. There is a 60-percent chance the storm will develop into a tropical depression in the next week as it travels toward the Bahamas and most of Florida. The state could start to see impacts from the system this weekend and into early next week. State emergency management officials are urging residents to make sure they have a plan in place before a disaster hits.
UCF football denies that a student who pled no contest to drug smuggling was going to be on the team. A spokesman for the athletics department talked yesterday about Agiye Hall. The 21-year-old was arrested for smuggling marijuana into Orlando International Airport last year. Police say a drug-sniffing dog found 40 pounds of pot in Hall’s luggage. He pled no contest in June and was fined and sentenced to probation. His lawyer says Hall was planning to walk on the football team at UCF, but the athletics department spokesman denies that. Hall’s lawyer also tells the Orlando Sentinel the school was willing to let Hall walk on even after his arrest if the case was settled under more favorable terms.
A cyberattack targeting a Central Florida-based blood center is impacting hospitals in the southeastern United States. OneBlood gave an update yesterday, saying a ransomware incident is affecting its software system that allows it to ship supplies to medical centers in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Blood centers nationwide have started sending donations to the nonprofit. In an effort to further manage the situation, the organization is asking the more than 250 hospitals it services to activate their critical blood shortage protocols until further notice.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are joining forces with the Florida Gators. The franchise and the University of Florida have agreed to a four-year marketing partnership. The agreement will include UF and UF Health brands being displayed at Jags games while they play in the River City and England. The new effort is not tied to a decision of where the Jaguars will play during the 2027 season while their stadium is under renovation. However, Jaguars President Mark Lamping has said the options are down to either Orlando or Gainesville.
Florida can claim victory in a legal battle with the federal government over Title Nine. A federal appeals court yesterday sided with Florida and three other states that filed motion to block a new Title Nine rule from taking effect today. The rule would extend Title Nine’s legal protections to gender identity. Currently, Title Nine bans discrimination based on sex. The federal government can appeal yesterday’s decision calling for an administrative injunction against the new rule.