Florida
Florida DACA recipient optimistic about Biden executive order's affect on Dreamers • Florida Phoenix
President Joe Biden’s executive order protecting undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens sparked condemnations from Republicans and praise from Democrats in Florida and around the country.
“Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors to fund benefits for illegals — draining the programs Americans paid into their entire working lives,” Donald Trump said in a written statement.
“It’s wrong,” added Florida GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, according to Reuters. “We like immigration. But it ought to be legal immigration. These are people who came here illegally, so they should not have a path to citizenship. There should be no amnesty.”
Meanwhile, Central Florida Democratic Congressman Darren Soto applauded the move.
“Thanks @POTUS Biden for your efforts to expand legal protections for immigrant spouses and kids of U.S. citizens and college educated Dreamers,” Soto wrote on X. “This will help preserve many Central Florida families and boost our local economy.”
Orlando House Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani also is supportive.
“Two of Florida’s largest economies are tourism and agriculture, both rely heavily on immigrant workers. If we do not pass common-sense policies, like work permits for folks who are already tax paying individuals, we are hurting our economy and our communities,” said Eskamani.
The announcement came days just after the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy announced in 2012 by then President Barack Obama that shielded “Dreamers” — undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and have lived and attend school in America — from deportation. Former President Donald Trump attempted to kill DACA when he was president, but it survived a court challenge — although its future remains uncertain as the case continues to move through the federal courts.
In addition to shielding the undocumented spouses of individuals married to U.S. citizens if they have been in the country for at least 10 years, the order will allow Dreamers who have earned a degree at a U.S. university and have received an offer of employment to more quickly receive work visas instead of temporary work authorizations, as is now the case.
Gamechanger
With the status of DACA uncertain, particularly if Trump is re-elected this fall, the move could be a gamechanger for Dreamers.
“The main thing that affects me would be that process of going through an employment visa,” said Orlando resident Ahtziry Barrera, 26, a native of Hidalgo, Mexico, who came with her mother to the United States at age 4 and became a DACA recipient a year after the program was created.
“I have been offered jobs where I cannot take them because I’m not a resident,” she told the Phoenix this week. “Nor am I a U.S. citizen, and unfortunately because of that there is no pathway to that. One of the few pathways would be getting an employment visa and we’re waiting for more details, but you still have to go through the same lottery process and the same sponsorship from your employer.”
As Barrera notes, details of who might qualify under the new program have not been laid out. Work visas could be limited in number and apportioned according to job categories.
Approximately 530,000 individuals are on DACA right now, 21,000 of them in Florida. They must reapply every two years for deportation protection and work permits, with the filing fee recently increased by $60 to $555.
But there have been reports of lengthy processing delays, and Barrera is well aware of that.
“I submitted my application already in April and I’m still waiting,” she said. “I’ve seen some people get it within two weeks, others right to the month that you are waiting to receive it. And again, you are compromising, because if you don’t get it with your employer, you risk being fired because you can’t work without authorization.”
Biden’s announcement drew plaudits from Democrats and immigrant rights groups, a far cry from the reaction after the president implemented executive actions to bar migrants who cross the Southern border from receiving asylum when the number of border encounters between ports of entry hit 2,500 per day. That move came after U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that they have encountered more than 8 million people crossing the southwest border since 2021.
Mollifying nobody
Biden’s action seemed to mollify nobody, as Republicans criticized it as too little, too late while immigrant-rights groups said the move echoed the Trump administration’s actions on the border. A Monmouth University poll found that 40% of the public approved of the move, 27% were opposed, and 33% had no opinion.
Immigration ranks alongside inflation as top issues for voters, and Trump’s harder-line policies on immigration have been shown to be more popular in some surveys than Biden’s, and that includes among Latino voters.
In fact, an Equis poll released on Tuesday of 1,592 registered Latino voters in seven battleground states found 41% trust Trump on immigration, compared to 38% for Biden.
It’s been “disheartening” to observe the rhetoric and legislation targeting undocumented immigrants, Barrera said. A year ago, Florida lawmakers passed one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigration in the nation. Its provisions included requiring businesses to vet new employees’ legal status through the federal E-Verify program, which led to media reports that it was harming some Florida businesses.
“We saw it, right, with a bunch of the workforce,” Barrera said. “A lot of the construction sites were empty, so there’s that component of the economic contributions that we give. There’s a lot of agriculture and a lot of construction sites, right? Florida is being built by immigrants and, whether you have status or not, passing a law like this affects families. Whether one person [in the family] has status, they all fled the state because of the fear of the law.”
Over the years, there have been several congressional proposals to create a legal pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, but none of those efforts have come to fruition. While it’s been frustrating, Barrera said, she’s still grateful for what DACA has given her over the past decade-plus.
“It has already provided me with so many opportunities to not only live here but give back to my community, and to study and work here,” she said.
Can a rocket launch from NASA or Cape Canaveral be seen in Fort Myers, 245 miles away? Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and ULA Atlas V have liftoffs in April 2026.
Can a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral be seen in Lee County skies?
If conditions are just right, yes.
Most recently, when NASA’s massive Space Launch Systems rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center for the agency’s historic moon-orbiting mission, liftoff was visible across Florida, including Fort Myers.
Though Southwest Florida is known more for its pristine shelling over SpaceX rocket launches, people far beyond the launch pad can sometimes see this phenomenon.
In the next week or so, there may be two opportunities to spot a rocket launch in the Lee County and Collier County area.
Keep reading for more information.
NASA Artemis II rocket launch seen in Fort Myers, Florida
The world tuned in for the NASA Artemis II rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on April 1, 2026, sending astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the moon. The launch could be seen as far west as Fort Myers and south from Jupiter, Florida.
The Artemis II crew made history with their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, and set a record the same day for the farthest any human has been from Earth. After the Artemis II astronauts left the moon in the rearview mirror, the crew splashed down April 10, 2026, off the coast of San Diego, California.
When is the next big rocket launch visible in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Naples, Florida?
Blue Origin’s giant New Glenn rocket is standing tall on the Cape Canaveral launch pad once again in preparation for the new rocket’s third flight. New Glenn will launch AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellite to low-Earth orbit.
While it has been teased that a launch is upcoming, Blue Origin has yet to release an official launch date. According to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory and the Space Coast Office of Tourism, liftoff is set for now no earlier than 6:45 a.m. Friday, April 17, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Jeff Bezos’ space tech company, Blue Origin, has New Glenn, one large rocket
Visible from Brevard County beaches, New Glenn may not look big on the launch pad but it is actually one of the largest rockets in history. At 321 feet tall,New Glenn is just a foot shorterthan NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) moon rocket, which recently launched the Artemis II mission.
Going back in history, the only other rocket that would tower over New Glenn would have been the 363-foot-tall Saturn V rocket which sent Apollo astronauts to the moon.
However, the largest rocket of all time is SpaceX’s 403-foot-tall Starship, which may launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A in the coming year, pending the completion of the upcoming test flight out of Texas.
For context, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 stands only 230-feet-tall.
What other Cape Canaveral rocket launch may be visible in Southwest Florida?
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with five solid rocket boosters will launch another batch of 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites on Monday, April 27, with the launch window and launch trajectory to be announced, according to FLORIDA TODAY, a USA TODAY Network newspaper.
Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage of that mission will start 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Photos of Florida rocket launch, SpaceX Falcon 9 and Starship seen in Lee County, Collier County sky
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach, as far south as West Palm Beach and as far west as Fort Myers.
When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos – the rocket lights up the dark sky, and the contrail after makes for a great image.
Andrew West, an award-winning visuals journalist with the News-Press and Naples Daily News, both USA TODAY Network newspapers, captured photos of a United Launch Alliance rocket leaving a streak in the Southwest Florida sky after liftoff from across the state.
► Stunning rocket launch photos! NASA SpaceX Crew-12 journeys from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the space station
From NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to Fort Myers, Florida, it’s about 245 miles. Most rocket launches that have a late-night or early morning liftoff time are better viewing options for Southwest Florida.
Debris from SpaceX Starship rocket launch in Texas visible in Collier County, Florida, sky
SpaceX Starship debris falls to Earth after rocket ‘disassembly’
SpaceX said it lost contact with its Starship rocket, which Elon Musk’s company said “experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
SpaceX’s Starship rocket explodes over Caribbean skies
Witnesses spotted debris from a SpaceX Starship after the spacecraft exploded midair following a test flight from south Texas.
In 2025, two Starship rocket launches from the Boca Chica area of Texas, renamed officially to Starbase, were visible in certain parts of Florida.
On March 6, 2025, during a Starship rocket launch test flight from Starbase, flight operators lost contact with the 165-foot upper portion of the vehicle, which exploded less than 10 minutes into the flight, creating debris visible from Florida to the Caribbean. Locally, pieces of the uncrewed Starship rocket were seen streaking across the sky from West Palm Beach to Naples.
Starbase, headquarters for SpaceX in South Texas, is more than 1,500 miles away from Naples, Florida.
Watch some rocket launches with NASA on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches and information about the Artemis II moon-circling mission, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Jennifer Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
Family of dead Alabama man claims surgeon removed wrong organ
The family of Alabama man William Bryan claims that he died after his liver was mistakenly removed from his body during surgery at a Florida hospital.
unbranded – Newsworthy
PENSACOLA, FL — A Florida doctor has been indicted in connection with the death of a 70-year-old man who had his liver wrongly removed instead of his spleen during an August 2024 medical procedure at a hospital, authorities said.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted on a second-degree manslaughter charge by a grand jury in Walton County, Florida, on Monday, April 13, according to the county sheriff’s office and the Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit. He was arrested on the morning of April 13 and later released on a $75,000 bond, online inmate records show.
In a news release, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said the grand jury indictment connected Shaknovsky to the “operating room death of an Alabama man.” William Bryan, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and his wife, Beverly, were visiting their rental property in Okaloosa County when William Bryan suddenly began experiencing left-sided flank pain, according to the family’s attorney.
They went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, and he was admitted for further studies pursuant to concern for an abnormality of the spleen. The sheriff’s office said Shaknovsky had removed William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during what was scheduled to be a laparoscopic splenectomy, “resulting in catastrophic blood loss and the patient’s death on the operating table.”
The grand jury indictment follows an extensive investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office, the Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, and other state and medical authorities, according to the news release. The sheriff’s office said the jury found probable cause to “charge that the actions taken in the operating room constituted criminal conduct” under state law.
“Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. “The Grand Jury has spoken, and our responsibility is to ensure the charges are carried out through the proper legal process. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and their unspeakable loss.”
Medical examiner found spleen still in William Bryan’s body during autopsy
A Pensacola law firm, Zarzaur Law P.A., is pursuing a civil lawsuit on behalf of William Bryan’s family, citing wrongful death, medical malpractice, and personal injury.
William Bryan began suffering “severe abdominal pain” while on vacation with his wife in August 2024, according to Joe Zarzaur, the Bryan family’s attorney. Shaknovsky, who was a surgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital at the time, had diagnosed William Bryan with hemoperitoneum and splenic injury, or bleeding of the spleen, an operative report states.
William Bryan initially elected to hold off on surgery until they got back to their home in Alabama, but Beverly Bryan said Shaknovsky told her husband would bleed to death if he traveled in his condition, according to Zarzaur. Shaknovsky performed the procedure after discussing the “risks, benefits and alternatives” with the couple, the operative report states.
During the procedure on Aug. 21, 2024, William Bryan died from massive blood loss after the removal of the “large” spleen, according to the operative report. After the procedure, a pathologist realized the removed organ labeled “spleen” was actually liver tissue, Zarzaur said.
Once an autopsy was done, the medical examiner determined William Bryan’s liver had been removed, and his spleen was still in his body with a cyst attached to it, according to Zarzaur.
“The spleen had a small cyst on it that had some hemorrhage around it, but it was not a fatal issue,” Zarzaur said. “It was a fairly routine-looking cyst. It probably would have been very treatable.”
Thomas Shaknovsky involved in 2023 surgical mishap
In September 2024, the Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo ordered an emergency suspension of Shaknovsky’s license. Ladapo had cited William Bryan’s death and a prior incident in 2023, in which Shaknovsky removed a portion of a different patient’s pancreas instead of the adrenal gland and purportedly claimed the adrenal gland had “migrated” to a different part of the body.
The 2023 case was settled, and no lawsuit was filed against the surgeon or Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, according to Zarzaur. State records show that Shaknovsky paid $400,000 in 2024 to settle a medical malpractice claim.
“That one got swept under the rug,” Zarzaur said at a news conference in September 2024 while announcing the case. “Here we are in a case after that.”
The Florida Department of Health lists Shaknovsky’s current medical license status as “retired.” The department defines retired status as the licensed practitioner “not practicing in the state of Florida, but maintains a retired license status.”
“The licensed practitioner is not authorized to practice in the state of Florida,” according to the state health department. “The practitioner is not obligated to update his/her profile data.”
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY
The rapper Offset was ambushed by a “large group” of people who tried to rob him outside a Florida casino last week when he was shot in the leg, the FBI said Tuesday.
Federal investigators said that they are still searching for the suspects who assaulted Offset last Monday night outside of Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami. Throughout the assault, a single shot was fired into Offset’s leg before an unsuccessful attempt to remove the rapper’s watch, the statement said. Offset, who rose to fame as part of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, was hospitalized for a couple of days, but swiftly returned to the stage at a performance at a music festival at the University of Arkansas on Saturday.
The suspects fled the scene in two Chevrolet SUVs that went in separate directions: A black Suburban that fled towards Hollywood, Florida, and a Tahoe that fled southbound towards Miami.
Following the shooting, officers detained two people, but law enforcement hasn’t shared evidence to directly tying either one to the shooting.
One of the people detained was rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt. He was arrested in connection with an altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, told The Associated Press last week that Lil Tjay did not have a gun and was not charged with any weapons or gun-related crimes. He was swiftly released after posting bond.
Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, launched his career with Migos, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The Atlanta trio is celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often-imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.
The group had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos.” Migos released four full-length albums across their career.
More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.
Alaska musher sues U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services over immigration case
Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #19: 4/15 @ Orioles
Arkansas State Police investigating fatal shooting in Wynne
California cities scramble to comply with or fight major state housing law
Boulder bar owner agrees to give up Colorado liquor license amid allegations of drugging, sex assaults
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Spanberger signs gun bills, makes a proposed gun ban even harsher
Magyar calls on Orbán to lift veto on Ukraine loan before his exit
‘No peace’: Nearly a year after her son’s death, she learned that ICE was responsible
Dem fundraising giant in the hot seat as GOP lawmakers demand answers over dodged subpoena
Fifth woman accuses former US lawmaker Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct
-
Ohio1 day ago‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
-
Georgia1 week agoGeorgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
-
Arkansas5 days agoArkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
-
Pennsylvania1 week agoParents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo
-
Milwaukee, WI1 week agoPotawatomi Casino Hotel evacuated after fire breaks out in rooftop HVAC system
-
Culture1 week agoCan You Name These Novels Based on Their Characters?
-
Austin, TX1 week agoABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today
-
Pittsburg, PA1 week agoPrimanti Bros. closes Monroeville and North Versailles locations