Florida
‘Everybody is quiet': Business owner seeks answers after Florida City gas explosion
New video was released Thursday of a gas explosion at a Florida City strip mall last month as one of the business owners at the plaza said he and his attorneys have even more questions after seeing the footage.
Rudy Betancourt is the owner of Rainbow Smoke Shop, one of several businesses damaged and destroyed in the May 24 gas explosion.
He was able to retrieve surveillance video from inside and outside his business showing the blast. He nor his employee were not there at the time but there were other people at the strip mall that morning.
“Lost everything, lost the business, the workers don’t have work now,” Betancourt said. “Everybody is just not saying anything, everybody is quiet.”
The owner of a Florida City restaurant that was the scene of an explosion speaks.
The video shows that seconds after the blast, people started to make their way outside. Betancourt and his attorneys say in the video, you see the gas employees walking out too.
“You see the man walking away from the explosion, they see it occur, they know it occurs and they walk away and drive off,” attorney Vivian Fazio said.
Attorneys representing the smoke shop are suing the gas company, Florigas. They filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging Florigas made several failures.
“Florigas is responsible for the negligence of their contractor whether licensed or unlicensed,” attorney Sam Coffey said.
A Florida City Police report reveals there was gas present in the pipeline which likely led to an explosion at Caribbean’s Heart restaurant. A total of 10 people had to go to the hospital.
Nearly a month after a propane gas explosion at a Florida City strip mall, new surveillance footage is showing the blast from inside one of the businesses while a new lawsuit has also been filed against the gas company.
The police report says a technician from Anel Costatrueba Company told an officer he was working on the gas line to make sure everything was working properly and as soon as he turned on the gas, there was an explosion.
Betancourt’s attorneys say they cannot locate Anel Costatrueba Company but they believe they were the subcontractor. The attorneys say the company didn’t follow basic safety rules.
“If you follow the safety rules and you pull a building permit and you used a licensed contractor to install the gas appliances the explosion should never occur,” Coffey said.
However in this new video the attorney’s shared Thursday, there’s a truck with the name Radiant Propane Gas, which raises more questions for Betancourt, his attorneys and everyone else impacted by the explosion.
“Thank God that nobody really got hurt but just do the right thing, we didn’t create this problem, whoever created the problem come fix the problem,” Betancourt said.
NBC6 reached out to Radiant Propane Gas Thursday. Someone who picked up the phone said that they and Florigas fall under the same ownership. NBC6 has also not heard back from Florigas.
Florida
Florida man accused of supplying fentanyl that killed woman in Hillsborough County
RIVERVIEW, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man was arrested after investigators linked him to a fatal fentanyl overdose that occurred in December.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded Dec. 29, 2025, to a home on Balm Boyette Road in Riverview, where they discovered the body of a woman identified as 43-year-old Grace Remington. Investigators determined she died from a fentanyl overdose.
See also: Man killed, grandson arrested after family dispute leads to quadruple shooting in PBC
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation revealed that Aaron Lee Morris had delivered the fentanyl to Remington before her death. Toxicology results showed a fatal amount of the drug in her system.
On Tuesday, HCSO’s Opioid Overdose Investigation Section arrested Morris, 46, and charged him with first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
“Fentanyl continues to destroy lives and devastate families in our community,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “If you choose to distribute this deadly poison, you will be held accountable for the lives lost as a result of your actions.”
Florida
What is the Tartan Army? Scotland’s fans take over South Florida
From Boston to now Miami, the Tartan Army has been marching through the streets of South Florida preparing for the Scotland v. Brazil World Cup game at 6 p.m. Known for their crowd-drawing shenanigans, the term “Tartan Army” has been trending on people’s For You Page, but who are they exactly?
The term “Tartan Army” is a nickname for Scotland’s fan base who support the country’s national team. The concept of “Tartan” comes from the iconic fabric design on kilts and is recognized as a symbol of Scottish identity.
The army gained attention for their rowdy team spirit, but also because some bars in Boston ran out of beer as the city hosted Scotland’s first two games. Now they have arrived in Miami and have been making their presence known.
On Monday, around 8,000 army followers marched from a bar called Ball and Chain to the Marlins’ game, making their presence known throughout South Florida.
Then on Tuesday, the Scotland fans invaded Miami Beach as the beer company Miller Lite presented the fans with a tartan beer barge that read “Restock the Scots.”
With the game against Brazil set for later tonight, the Tartan Army will now flood Miami Stadium with beer, bagpipes and kilts.
Florida
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