Florida

pushback grows against Florida State Parks development plans

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2024

pushback grows against Florida State Parks development plans

DUNEDIN, Fla. – Florida has 75 state parks that draw millions every year. This week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection released development proposals for nine state parks, including two in the Tampa Bay area.

The plan adds amenities and lodging to parks in what Governor Ron DeSantis has called “the great outdoors initiative.”

The sunshine state has more than 800,000 acres of land within its state parks – with 2.3 million visitors each year – including Honeymoon Island and Hillsborough River State Park in the Bay Area.

Florida wants to add golf courses, pickleball to state parks

Under the governor’s proposal, nine parks in Florida would undergo major developments, including 18-hole golf courses, pickleball courts and 350-room park lodges.

Plans for the state parks in Tampa Bay call for four pickleball courts at each park, and a disc golf course. It’s getting push back from local groups.

“We just feel really strong that don’t fix it if it’s not broken, and that the state owns a lot of land in the state of Florida that they could use to do something like that with that’s not a state park,” said Robin Miller with Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce. “It’s impossible not to disrupt the wildlife, the birds, you know, all of the things that each park has.”

Republican Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have come out against the proposal, along with other state officials from both parties.

READ: Great Horned Owl that escaped during Tropical Storm Debby dies after being rescued

“Florida natural spaces are unique and special, and I adamantly oppose Governor DeSantis’ radical plan to literally pave paradise and put up a pickleball court … Florida’s unique natural lands and habitats — our state’s identity and way of life — should not be bulldozed to cut developers a cheap deal,” said Representative Kathy Castor from Tampa Bay.

However, the Department of Environmental Protection said the plans only hope to expand public access to parks, increase outdoor activities and provide more lodging options to accommodate more tourists in these destinations.

Following major public interest in the plans, the Florida DEP said on Friday that they are rescheduling planned meetings for next week to accommodate bigger crowds. Meetings are now expected the week of Sept. 2.

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Florida

Florida Lottery Mega Millions, Jackpot Triple Play results for Feb. 24, 2026

Published

5 hours ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

Florida Lottery Mega Millions, Jackpot Triple Play results for Feb. 24, 2026

The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots.

Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

12-39-43-49-55, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Jackpot Triple Play numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

14-20-37-41-43-46

Check Jackpot Triple Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Midday: 02-16-21-25-32

Evening: 06-11-28-29-30

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Morning: 07

Matinee: 04

Afternoon: 13

Evening: 03

Late Night: 04

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Midday: 7-1, FB: 6

Evening: 8-4, FB: 9

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Midday: 3-2-1, FB: 6

Evening: 7-6-2, FB: 9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Midday: 0-2-0-9, FB: 6

Evening: 4-0-1-9, FB: 9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Feb. 24 drawing

Midday: 0-3-2-7-8, FB: 6

Evening: 3-4-7-7-3, FB: 9

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.

You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.

Florida law requires public disclosure of winners

If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:

Full name
City of residence
Game won
Date won
Amount won
Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.

When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.

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Florida

Florida pre-teen allegedly mapped out targets, tactics in planned school attack

Published

17 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Press Room

Florida pre-teen allegedly mapped out targets, tactics in planned school attack

DELAND, Fla. (CBS12) — Deputies say a 12-year-old outlined how to sneak guns into school and target “bullies” before an anonymous tip shut the plot down.

According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, 12-year-old Josephine Simmons Peters was arrested Sunday after an anonymous tipster found the pre-teen’s manifesto online and reported it to Fortify FL, an anonymous reporting platform for school threats.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a news conference that this was more than a kid bringing a gun to school; this was a well-thought-out plan:

It talks about where to hide in a ditch. It talks about how to bring the guns into the school. It talks about who to target.

The middle schooler wrote a 13-step plan to shoot students at Southwestern Middle School, staff, the school resource officer, and herself, according to the criminal probable cause affidavit.

See also: Okeechobee deputy seriously injured, airlifted as back-to-back crashes cause delays

She also reportedly wrote out the names of specific students she claimed to be bullying her.

The entire manifesto was included in the investigator’s report; however, nearly all of it is blurred because it is reportedly “riddled with graphic language.”

“It’s always going on around everywhere,” a Southwestern Middle School parent told WESH. “And it just seems no one wants to take accountability and responsibility of their students.”

Deputies say they arrested Simmons Peters for counts of making written threats to kill and misuse of a two-way communication device.

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Florida

Florida’s first injured K9 air medical transport program launched by Tampa General Aeromed

Published

1 day ago

February 24, 2026

Press Room

Florida’s first injured K9 air medical transport program launched by Tampa General Aeromed

TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time in Florida, life-saving air medical care is available not just for people, but for K9s injured in the line of duty.

Through a new partnership between Tampa General Hospital’s Aeromed team and veterinary specialists in Manatee County, injured K9s can now receive advanced trauma care during helicopter transport, dramatically cutting down response times when every second counts.

READ: Left behind at Las Vegas airport, dog ‘JetBlue’ now has a forever home

What we know:

The Aeromed team at Tampa General Hospital is now trained and equipped to treat and transport injured law enforcement K9s by air. The program makes TGH the first in Florida, and the fourth in the nation, to offer this level of pre-hospital emergency care for police dogs.

Specialized K9 medical kits are now stored on each Aeromed helicopter. Flight nurses and paramedics have also trained law enforcement officers, fire rescue crews and EMS personnel across multiple counties in canine life support.

The partnership includes the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch, where critically injured K9s can be transported for advanced care.

MORE: Orphaned baby monkey finds comfort in stuffed animal after being abandoned by mother at birth

The backstory:

The effort began after a K9 in Highlands County was seriously injured during a mission. With no veterinarian immediately available, deputies had to drive the dog nearly 50 minutes to Polk County for treatment.

Flight nurse Donny Richardson with Tampa General Hospital realized there was a major gap in emergency care for law enforcement K9s. While military working dogs have established trauma protocols, similar pre-hospital systems did not exist in the civilian world until recently.

Richardson sought out training through Tampa Fire Rescue at MacDill Air Force Base and began building a civilian K9 trauma response program from the ground up.

How does the program work?

Training includes the use of a highly advanced canine medical simulator named “Hero,” a $33,000 trainer modeled after U.S. military K9 Astra, who served in Afghanistan. The simulator can bleed, breathe and replicate traumatic injuries, allowing crews to practice advanced treatment techniques.

READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week

According to Richardson, the philosophy is simple: A heart is a heart, whether human or canine.

Since launching the initiative, the Aeromed team has:

Trained TGH Aeromed staff in Hillsborough, Highlands, Polk and Charlotte counties.
Certified about half a dozen fire rescue agencies in the state.
Certified 20 sheriff’s offices across Florida.

The program also includes the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Last month, their skills were put to the test through the Manatee County Sheriff’s Offices Mass Casualty Incident Drill. The TGH Aeromed helicopter was staged at Mosquito Control. East Manatee Fire Rescue coordinated the flight takeoff and landing.

“We gave one of the deputies the simulator and the aircraft came, and he came running out with that simulator in both hands,” TGH Aeromed Flight Paramedic James Hutson said. “Our crews had no idea the receiving hospital had no idea. Everybody thought this was a Life Flight.”

MORE: Robotic pets show positive outcomes in new dementia care clinical study through Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Why you should care:

Law enforcement K9s are often deployed into high-risk situations, from suspect apprehensions to narcotics detection and search operations. In trauma cases, minutes can determine survival.

With helicopter transport and advanced life support on board, response times that once took nearly an hour by patrol car can now be reduced to minutes.

Dr. Devon Diaz, a critical care specialist at the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch, called the partnership “amazing,” saying it allows injured K9s to receive advanced treatment faster than ever before.

The center is one of only three VEX-certified emergency and critical care facilities in Florida.

What’s next:

The TGH team plans to continue training agencies across the state and expand instruction beyond Florida, with upcoming training sessions scheduled in Kentucky. Diaz is also helping advance trauma standards nationwide through the rollout of the Veterinary Advanced Trauma Life Support (VetATLS) course later this year.

The Source: This story is based on reporting from a multi-agency mass casualty drill in Manatee County, along with interviews conducted by FOX 13 News with flight nurse Donny Richardson, flight paramedic James Hutson of Tampa General Hospital Aeromed, and Dr. Devon Diaz of the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch.

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