Florida
College crime surging back to pre-COVID levels. Here’s the crime at Florida colleges, universities
Liberty University accused of making it ‘impossible’ to report rape
A lawsuit is alleging that Liberty University made it essentially ‘impossible’ for students to report incidents of rape and sexual assault.
New York Post
Not everything back to normal after the pandemic is good. Campus crime has risen back up, too.
Government data shows the number of crimes reported on college campuses around the U.S. surged back up to pre-pandemic levels by 2022. Crime reported from nearly 6,000 institutions rose about 8% from 2019, even though enrollments dipped during the same period.
Experts see little reason to worry and say the numbers are largely consistent with what colleges have been experiencing since 2013, according to S. Daniel Carter, president of the consulting firm Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses.
Which Florida college or university saw the most crime in 2022?
The University of Florida in Gainesville topped the charts with 183 total crimes reported in 2022, up from 117 in 2021. That’s the highest it’s been in the last decade.
Some of the crimes included 17 rape reports, 38 reports of aggravated assault, 31 reports of burglary, and 83 reports of motor vehicle theft, according to data.
UF had 55,211 students enrolled in 2022. In comparison, Florida State University, with 44,161 students enrolled, had 74 crimes reported in 2022.
Crimes on college and university campuses in Florida
Here’s how Florida campuses are doing. Below are some of the major colleges and universities in Florida and the crimes reported in 2022. Click on USA TODAY’s Crimes on Campus tool below for detailed information or to search crimes on more than 10,000 college and university campuses.
Don’t see a map? Click here.
- Criminal offenses: 6
- Violence against women: 14
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 3
- Violence against women: 0
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 3
- Violence against women: 0
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 3
- Violence against women: 7
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 6
- Violence against women: 0
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 11
- Violence against women: 8
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 39
- Violence against women: 11
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 14
- Violence against women: 2
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 22
- Violence against women: 42
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 2
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 3
- Violence against women: 2
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 1
- Violence against women: 0
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 74
- Violence against women: 18
- Hate crime: 3
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 6
- Violence against women: 2
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 1
- Violence against women: 0
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 7
- Violence against women: 2
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
Stetson University (DeLand)
- Criminal offenses: 8
- Violence against women: 3
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 1
- Violence against women: 1
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 4
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 46
- Violence against women: 49
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 6
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 183
- Violence against women: 105
- Hate crime: 1
- Unfounded crimes: 4
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 23
- Violence against women: 9
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 2
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 41
- Violence against women: 18
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 4
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 22
- Violence against women: 21
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
- Criminal offenses: 5
- Violence against women: 3
- Hate crime: 0
- Unfounded crimes: 0
Click here for breakdown, previous years
Suhail Bhat and Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, contributed to this story.
Florida
South Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open
Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
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