Florida
Central Florida beaches prepare for spring break crowds
Central Florida beaches prepare for spring break
Spring Break 2024 is right around the corner; beaches in Central Florida are preparing for the influx of young tourists.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Spring Break 2024 is right around the corner; beaches in Central Florida are preparing for the influx of young tourists.
FOX 35’s Kelsie Cairns spoke to New Smyrna Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Daytona Beach officials.
Each city has its own approach to rule crackdowns.
Starting with New Smyrna Beach, you may remember the infamous Spring Break of 2022, with videos circulating online of high-school-aged kids taking over the streets and dancing on top of cars on Flagler Avenue.
New Smyrna is ensuring all bases are covered to curb the chaos this year.
“If this is the Spring Break where you were hoping to fill up a cooler with beer and head to NSB, then this probably isn’t the location you wanna pick,” says New Smyrna Beach Police Department Chief Eric Feldman.
“We welcome kids, we welcome everybody to enjoy our beach, but we want them to treat it as if it is their own backyard,” says Lisa Martin, City Commissioner.’
“When they come in, they’re going be greeted by an army of police officers smiling on foot – who will absolutely write you a ticket for not having your seatbelt on,” Chief Feldman said.
The city will be enforcing its 11 p.m. curfew for anyone under 17. The city has this rule year-round but will use extra resources to ensure it’s followed.
City leaders anticipate the biggest “kid crowds” in the third week of March.
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“Based on experiences we’ve learned over the last couple of years, we will have significant extra staffing this year,” Feldman said.
Martin said, “This is not the same crowd that spends in our shops and restaurants – it’s a different crowd, and they’re kids who wanna have fun.”
Bike Week in Daytona Beach begins Friday
Daytona Beach is preparing for an influx of bikers, and Bike Week kicks off on Friday and runs through the following Sunday. Over 400,000 bikers are expected, and local law enforcement will step up patrols to keep people safe.
Moving on to Cocoa Beach, Wes Mullins, the Chief of the Cocoa Beach Police Department, said, “We’re not Miami, but we’re also a town that has 2.5 million visitors a year.”
City Manager Wayne Carragino said, “We just want to get the word out, like we do every year, that anybody that has the intention of coming to Cocoa Beach and making a mess, drinking excessively, driving after they drink, and causing rowdiness, We’re just not going to put up with it.”
Mullins and Carragino want to ensure beach safety. Mullins said, “We’re staffed appropriately. We’re out on the beaches. We are out on the waterways and the roadways to ensure that everybody in the city of Cocoa Beach is going to be safe.”
Cocoa Beach and New Smyrna Beach have contacted state agencies for extra help on standby. FOX 35 contacted Daytona Beach officials, who said there would be no curfews for Spring Break.
Florida
2 Florida men arrested after scamming $20K from man in California
Two Florida men were arrested in Port St. Lucie after being accused of conducting a bank scam on a man in California, police said.
Trey Romans, 21, is facing several charges, including one count of grand theft and one count of scheme to defraud, while Jean Dorcena, 25, was charged with one count of grand theft, one count of Scheme to defraud, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
According to Port St. Lucie Police, on Oct. 30, the man in California reported that he was scammed out of $20,000 after he received a call from someone who claimed they were a Chase Bank representative.
The victim told authorities that the caller said his account was compromised and told him to physically transfer his funds to another Chase Bank in Port St. Lucie.
After listening to the caller, the victim withdrew his money from the bank, put it in a yellow envelope and then mailed it through FedEx.
Police said that the victim became suspicious after sending the money, searched the address and found out it was a residential address and not a bank.
After the victim couldn’t reach anyone at FedEx because they were closed, he called local law enforcement, who told him to call PSLPD.
In Florida, officers were able to find the local FedEx distribution and take the package before it was delivered, and detectives set up a plan to lure Romans and Dorcena to the delivery location.
With the help of FedEx employees, the package was delivered to the Port St. Lucie address, and detectives saw the two suspects arrive in a Hyundai SUV.
Romans was seen getting out of the car, while Dorcena, who was the driver, stayed behind.
Body camera footage captured the two being arrested by police.
Police said they also spoke to the resident of the drop-off address, who told them he knew the suspects, and that Dorcena asked him if he could have a package delivered to his home, but not to open it.
The resident was not suspected of knowing what was being delivered to his home.
During a search of their vehicle, officers found around 17 grams of marijuana.
The two remain at the St. Lucie County Jail with no bond.
A check with the victim’s money will be sent to him.
Florida
Central Florida sees surge in food aid requests as WIC delays hit vulnerable households
ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 420,000 Floridians use WIC, according to a 2024 USDA report — the fourth highest number in the country.
However, those benefits are delayed for many in Central Florida due to the government shutdown, leaving families without a way to pay for baby formula and nutritional food for their children.
Destiny Perez-Prado is trying to figure out how she’s going to feed her seven children this month since her WIC and SNAP benefits are delayed.
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“It’s still just heartbreaking, you know, to think that for Thanksgiving, we might not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving — you know, have the food that we need, food that would be typically accessible to us,” Perez-Prado said.
Her benefits pay for around $800 in groceries each month, and WIC specifically covers her more expensive items like baby formula, Pediasure, and other nutritional foods.
“It’s so expensive. Just a can of formula — the cheapest is $28, I believe. And it’s crazy. Some kids need specialized formulas,” she said.
Between being a single mother, college student, and self-employed, Perez-Prado says getting a second job to afford groceries is nearly impossible.
“I have two children with autism — a little girl and a little boy — and then my third with ADHD. So for that, you know, it’s hard for me to keep a consistent job, even with my degree,” she explained.
One Heart for Women and Children is stepping in to help Perez-Prado. Founder Stephanie Bowman says about 30,000 people in Orange County use WIC — and many of them now need extra help.
“We’ve had 500 calls just this week from individuals we’ve never seen or heard from before,” Bowman said.
One Heart typically helps around 20,000 people per month, but that demand is rising due to the shutdown.
“What we’ve had to do is give families less food — and we never want to do that. But we want to make sure that every individual who comes to us can get food,” Bowman added.
Perez-Prado says she’s working to become financially stable one day, but right now her priority is feeding her kids.
“You know, they still deserve to eat. They’re babies — they didn’t ask to be here. And even if we as parents didn’t go about it the way certain people think we should to avoid problems like this, it’s still a problem. We’re still here, and we still need help,” she said.
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Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
‘It’s unfair:’ SNAP cuts leave Central Florida seniors struggling for food
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – SNAP benefits for thousands of families here in Central Florida are cut off, leaving many scrambling to afford the food they need, including local seniors. Many have medical needs that require special diets, and they say food banks just can’t always meet them.
“Being a citizen and being on the income that I’m on—it is hard. To tell you the truth, it’s unfair,” said senior Shirley Williford, who is among those impacted by the delay.
On Saturday, Williford and another local senior, Kim Augenstein, received notifications that their SNAP benefits for November would be pushed back. For Williford, who lives on a fixed income and doesn’t have transportation, it’s a nightmare.
“I only have high blood pressure. I kind of went on a diet myself. The food that I need for my diet—I’m not going to be able to get it,” Williford said.
Augenstein, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, said losing those benefits could put her health at risk. “When you’re almost a diabetic or you are a diabetic, you have to have that food for your insulin. If you go without food, that’s a big problem,” she said.
[VIDEO: Central Florida food programs face challenges as federal SNAP support stops]
Now, the seniors are relying on local organizations in Osceola County, such as Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries and the Black Empowerment and Community Council, which are already seeing a rising demand.
“Families are already so tight with money and resources. For us to be at this critical time, it’s important that we rally together,” said Tiffany Jeffers with the Black Empowerment and Community Council.
But those groups say the ongoing government shutdown is also limiting the resources they can offer. “The grant writers keep saying we can’t do this one or that one. So many programs are being cut. Some of the grants we would normally get—recurring grants—we’re no longer getting, and that’s definitely because of government funding,” said Doreen Barker, founder of Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries.
In the meantime, seniors are helping each other by sharing rides and picking up groceries—but they’re still hoping the shutdown ends soon.
“I don’t think it needs to be cut down. It doesn’t need to be cut off—because I depend on those food stamps,” Williford said.
The Black Empowerment and Community Council is partnering with Solid Rock Community Church in Kissimmee and AARP next week to distribute food and resources to those impacted by the SNAP delays.
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
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