Florida
South Florida residents encouraged to recycle Christmas trees
MIAMI – Now that Christmas has come and gone, many people are planning to keep their trees up through New Year’s Day and then take them down.
To dispose of trees, there is always curbside pickup. But Miami-Dade and Broward counties are encouraging residents to participate in their respective Christmas tree recycling programs.
In Miami-Dade, people can drop off clean, decoration-free trees at one of the below Trash and Recycling Centers, which are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.:
North Dade
21500 NW 47 Avenue
Norwood
19901 NW 7th Avenue
Palm Springs North
7870 NW 178 Street
Golden Glades
140 NW 160 Street
West Little River
1830 NW 79 Street
Snapper Creek
2200 SW 117 Avenue
Sunset Kendall
8000 SW 107 Avenue
West Perrine
16651 SW 107 Avenue
Eureka Drive
9401 SW 184 Street
South Miami Heights
20800 SW 117 Court
Moody Drive
12970 SW 268 Street
Trees can also be dropped off at the Home Chemical Collection Center, 8801 NW 58 Street in West Miami-Dade. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday for tree drop-off only, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This service is for residents who receive waste collection services from Miami-Dade County only.
The trees will be turned into mulch which will be available beginning in spring 2025. Sign up to be notified when the mulch is ready. Residents are reminded to bring a shovel and bags or pails to take away the material.
Residents who are unable to drop off their Christmas tree can place it at the curbside. Crews will collect Christmas trees from the curbside beginning Wednesday, Jan. 8. This year trees will be collected throughout the service area during two sweeps. Do not place whole trees or cut-up trees in the green garbage carts or blue recycling carts.
First Christmas Tree Collection Sweep: Jan. 8 – 19
Trees will be collected on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays
Final Christmas Tree Collection Sweep: Jan. 22 – Feb. 2
Trees will be collected on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays
Trees placed at the curbside as part of a scheduled bulky waste pickup will not be recycled into mulch.
For more information, click here.
In Broward, you can recycle your three through the county’s annual Chip-a-Tree initiative. Every year Broward County Parks recycles thousands of trees, most of which probably would otherwise have gone to landfills. The trees will be chipped and used for landscaping throughout the county park system.
To recycle your tree, you can take it to one of the following locations before Jan. 20, no decorated trees will be accepted. There is a limit of two trees per vehicle, artificial trees are not accepted, and no commercial vehicles or garbage trucks are allowed.
(Hours vary, you are encouraged to call the park of your choice for details.)
Park locations are:
Brian Piccolo Sports Park & Velodrome
9501 Sheridan Street, Cooper City (954) 357-5150
C.B. Smith Park
900 N. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines (954) 357-5170
Easterlin Park
1000 NW 38 Street, Oakland Park (954) 357-5190
Fern Forest Nature Center
201 Lyons Road South, Coconut Creek (954) 357-5198
Markham Park and Target Range
16001 W State Road 84, Sunrise (954) 357-8868
Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park
2520 NW 6 Street, Fort Lauderdale (954) 357-8801
Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area
3600 SW 62 Avenue, Miramar (954) 357-8776
Tradewinds Park and Stables
3600 W Sample Road, Coconut Creek (954) 357-8870
Tree Tops Park
3900 SW 100 Avenue, Davie (954) 357-5130
Topeekeegee (T.Y.) Park
3300 N Park Road, Hollywood (954) 357-8811
Vista View Park
4001 SW 142 Avenue, Davie (954) 357-8898
West Lake Park
1200 Sheridan Street, Hollywood (954) 357-5161
Curbside pick-up varies by city and contracted waste disposal company. Usually, they pick up in the first two weeks of January.
Florida
Federal judge blocks DeSantis executive order declaring CAIR a 'terrorist organization'
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
Florida
Man convicted of 1991 fatal shooting of a police officer is set to be executed in Florida
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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