Florida
Wade Wilson officially moved to Florida’s death row
Wade Wilson is officially on death row.
The 30-year-old Florida man who was sentenced to death last week for murdering two women was transferred from the Lee County Jail in Fort Myers to the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford on Friday where he now awaits execution.
The photo attached to his Inmate Population Information profile appears old as Wilson appears fresh-faced and without his infamous tattoos.
Florida Department of Corrections/YouTube/Law & Crime
Newsweek has contacted Wilson’s lawyers and the Florida Department of Corrections for comment.
On August 27, the families of Wilson’s victims Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz clapped, laughed, and hugged each other when Judge Nick Thompson decided that Wilson would be put to death for strangling both women within hours of eachother in October 2019.
Wilson is the first convicted killer in Florida to be put to death after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial law change. DeSantis signed a law in April 2023 reducing the requirement for jurors to recommend a death sentence from a unanimous decision to an 8-4 vote in favor. Experts argue that this change has turned capital resentencing and trials into a “quintessential game of chance” for those facing the death penalty.
In June, nine of the 12 jurors in Wilson’s case recommended the death penalty for the murder of Melton and 10 recommended death for the murder of Ruiz.
YouTube/Law & Crime/Union Correctional Institution
Life on Death Row
The 274 Florida male death row inmates are housed at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford which has a capacity of 1,486 inmates. Raiford is a Union County town located in the northern part of the county and southwest of Jacksonville.
The two female Florida death row inmates are housed at Lowell Annex in Lowell.
Death row cells measure 6-by-9 feet with a height of 9.5 feet. Inmates awaiting execution, after the governor signs a death warrant, are housed in death watch cells, which measure 12-by-7 feet with a height of 8.5 feet.
Death row inmates are served three meals a day: at 5 a.m., from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meals are prepared by prison staff and delivered to the cells in insulated carts. Inmates use sporks to eat from a provided tray.
Before execution, inmates can request a last meal with a maximum budget of $40, and the food must be purchased locally to prevent extravagance.
Death row inmates can have visitors but they must be approved in advance. Inmates receive mail daily, excluding holidays and weekends. They are allowed snacks, radios, and 13-inch televisions in their cells but do not have cable television or air-conditioning. Inmates cannot gather in common areas but can watch church services on closed-circuit TV.
While on death watch, inmates may have radios and televisions positioned outside their cell bars. They’re allowed to shower every other day and are counted at least once an hour.
Death row inmates are handcuffed whenever they are outside their cells, except during their time in the cell, exercise yard, or shower. Inmates remain in their cells except for medical appointments, exercise, social or legal visits, and media interviews. When a death warrant is signed, the inmate is placed on death watch status and is allowed a legal and social phone call.
Death row inmates wear distinctive orange T-shirts, while their pants are the same blue pants worn by regular inmates.
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Florida
7 of our favorite Florida restaurants in Vero Beach and Fellsmere
TCPalm staff share their top restaurant recommendations in Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere.
Indian River County is home to many unique restaurants, far too many to choose from.
There are so many restaurants on the Treasure Coast to try, but it can be hard knowing where to start.
Here are the TCPalm staff’s recommendations for restaurants in Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere.
Indian River County restaurant recommendations
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
Florida
Pilot program aims to build $200K homes in Central Florida to help low-income families buy, not rent
ORLANDO, Fla. – For many Central Florida families, the dream of owning a home feels further out of reach than ever.
With the median home price now topping $400,000, a new pilot program in Orlando is trying to change that by building new homes for about half the cost.
A lot off Quill Avenue in Parramore may not look like much right now, but organizers say it could soon be the site of a new home priced around $200,000 for low-income families.
“We just really wanted an opportunity to bring actual affordable housing to people who have basically been forever renters,” said Satrina Whithead with the GXVE Homes Initiative.
The GXVE Homes Initiative says the goal is to help families earning between $16,000 and $65,000 a year get a chance at homeownership. Whithead said the homes could range from 500 to 1,400 square feet, depending on the lot size and location.
The Orlando Regional Realtor Association reports the median home price in the area is now more than $400,000. Whithead said GXVE hopes to sell homes for about half that.
“There’s nothing wrong with profit, but at the end of the day, I want to help where the need is greatest,” Whithead said.
Organizers say they are already planning to build in Parramore and are working to close on two additional properties. They also say they have properties planned in Sanford and Mims, with a goal of bringing eight homes a year to Central Florida.
“You can pay 80 percent of your salary on rent just to have a place to live. So getting that number back down to around 50 percent is extremely important,” said Mike Harris, vice president of GXVE Homes.
Florida Made Tiny Homes, which is partnering with the organization, said it plans to build concrete homes that exceed safety requirements for the area.
“I don’t think there’s going to be anything available on the market in that price range, much less new construction,” said Dylan Grace, co-founder of Florida Made Tiny Homes.
Program organizers say they expect to start construction in the fall and hope to complete the first home within six to eight months after work begins. For more information please click here.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
Ex-Florida juvenile probation officer accused of leaking court info to drug traffickers
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Florida juvenile probation officer is facing more than 100 felony charges after investigators said she leaked confidential court and law enforcement information to people tied to a drug trafficking investigation.
Crystal Gaynell Ann Lawson was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday, according to Orange County Corrections records.
Investigators said Lawson improperly accessed the Comprehensive Case Information System, or CCIS, more than 100 times and shared information from active criminal cases with members of a drug trafficking organization.
FOX 35 Orlando reported Lawson was arrested on 113 felony counts of computer crimes for unauthorized access. Investigators said she allegedly accessed the database 106 times between January and May.
Lawson is accused of using the database to search for active criminal cases tied to members of the organization. Authorities said some of the information that was leaked included arrest warrants and documents connected to an active investigation.
Lawson was hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022. As part of that job, she was given access to the CCIS database. Authorities said she was fired later that year after an arrest, but her database access was not terminated.
See also: ‘Elf,’ ‘Couples Retreat’ actor jailed with no bond after Florida arrest
Investigators said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets and at least one person fleeing to avoid arrest before later being taken into custody.
Lawson previously worked for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, where she had access to the court information system as part of her job. Authorities said she was later fired, but her database access was not terminated.
Orange County Corrections records list Lawson’s case status as “presentenced” and show multiple entries for “offense against computer users.”
The records list the arresting agency as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and show bond amounts of $10,000 on several listed case sequences. The jail record also notes an “ICJIS Affidavit.”
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