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Family whose home was hit by space debris seeks damages from NASA

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Family whose home was hit by space debris seeks damages from NASA


A family is seeking compensation from NASA after a piece of metal trash from the International Space Station tore through the roof of their home in Naples, Fla. in March.

No one was hurt, but a legal representative for the Otero family described it as a “near miss” that “could have been catastrophic,” in a news release published Friday.

Homeowner Alejandro Otero previously told The Washington Post that on the day of the incident he received a panicked call from his son. He returned home to find the dense, cylindrical piece of charred metal a little smaller than a soup can lodged in a wall, and knew immediately it “was from outer space.”

“My clients are seeking adequate compensation to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives,” the family’s attorney, Mica Nguyen Worthy, said in a news release. “If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality.”

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NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legal claim.

NASA previously confirmed that the 1.6-pound cylindrical object that smashed through the roof of the Otero’s house was a piece of a 5,800-pound cargo pallet carrying old nickel hydride batteries released from the International Space Station in March 2021.

The space junk had been expected to burn up upon reentering the Earth’s atmosphere, but somehow survived, sparking concerns about a possible increase in such incidents in the future.

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“Space debris is a real and serious issue because of the increase in space traffic in recent years,” Worthy said.

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How NASA responds to the claim could set a legal precedent for how it treats such incidents when they involve U.S. citizens and residents, Worthy said. She is asking NASA to treat the family’s case in the same way that it would meet its obligations under international space law.

In the case of international incidents, the “launching state” — the country that procured an object’s launch or the country from which it was launched — is liable for any damage its objects cause. In the early ’80s, the Soviet Union agreed to pay millions in compensation after a malfunctioning satellite burned up over Canada.

“If the incident had happened overseas, and someone in another country were damaged by the same space debris as in the Oteros’ case, the U.S. would have been absolutely liable to pay for those damages,” Worthy said.

Worthy did not immediately respond to questions on the claim, including how much the family is seeking. She told science and technology publication Ars Technica that the claim is “in excess of $80,000.”

NASA has six months to respond to the claim under the Federal Torts Claim Act, she said in the news release. The claim includes noninsured property damage loss, business interruption damages, emotional and mental anguish damages and the costs for assistance from third parties.

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Praveena Somasundaram and Daniel Wu contributed to this report.



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Destination Known for Former Florida Gators Guard

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Destination Known for Former Florida Gators Guard


Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported Thursday that former Florida Gators guard Zyon Pullin signed a two-way player deal with the Miami Heat after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

It’s no surprise that Pullin stayed in Florida to sign with the Heat. Miami hosted the guard in early June. Furthermore, his college production more than shows that he can hang with almost anyone in this year’s draft. 

With the Gators, Pullin averaged 15.5 points per game, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He also set Florida’s single-season record with a 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, which was the best ratio by an SEC player since 2000.

Moreover, he reached double figures in 23 straight games to start his career, which set a new program record.

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As a result of his terrific performances in his only season with the Gators, Pullin was named to first-team All-SEC. 

This might not be how Pullin hoped to make an NBA roster, but the most important thing is that he has a chance in the league with the Heat. 

Pullin will get the chance to learn from one of the best coaches the NBA has ever seen in Erik Spoelstra. Moreover, the Heat have a great culture and are known to give chances to anyone regardless of their draft position.  

Miami currently has multiple players who were undrafted but earned significant minutes during the regular season the past couple of years. Jamal Cain, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin are the most notable examples. 

Robinson and Martin have earned second NBA contracts too, which is no small feat for an undrafted player. 

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The Heat are as good of a landing spot as any for Pullin. Now, the ex-Florida guard must prove he belongs.

As a two-way player, Pullin can play with both the Heat and for the organization’s G-League affiliate. However, he will not able to play all 82 games at the NBA level.

The league rules state that “players under NBA two-Way contracts may be active for up to 50 games with their NBA team.”



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Time frame to report construction defects in Florida to shift from 10 to 7 years starting July 1

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Time frame to report construction defects in Florida to shift from 10 to 7 years starting July 1


FLORIDA – Florida construction law is changing, cutting the amount of time homeowners have to file construction defect claims by 30%.

Beginning Monday, July 1, the time frame to report construction defects in the state of Florida will shift from 10 years to seven years.

The change in the law affects anyone who owns a home that was recently built, but it especially impacts homeowners in that 7-to-10-year time frame.

The News4JAX I-TEAM receives complaints regularly about construction defects in newer-built homes. Most recently, we heard from a Middleburg homeowner dealing with mold, humidity, and improper ventilation issues.

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“It’s a brand-new house. It’s unacceptable,” homeowner Erin LePage said last year. “If we could have been here for our walkthrough, it would have been different.”

RELATED | ‘It’s unacceptable’: Middleburg homeowner says new build troubled with mold, humidity, ventilation issues

Brian Crevasse, a board-certified construction attorney, said this change will impact hundreds of thousands of people in Florida — if not more.

Senate Bill 360 was signed into law last summer changing the time limit from 10 years to seven years.

Crevasse said this is a real concern because he deals with clients who are often past the seven-year threshold when reporting construction defects.

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“Oftentimes, these defects are actually concealed. And you wouldn’t be able to necessarily see that you have water intrusion, just by taking a walk around the building and looking at it, you would have to actually remove some of the exterior facade to look for the types of issues that we typically see,” Crevasse said.

The new law also changes when the countdown starts for filing claims. Previously, the time frame started when you got possession of your home or when construction was finished.

MORE | Worried about construction fraud? Here are some ways you can protect yourself

“If you are a homeowner or association that was built, you know, seven to 10 years ago, you know, you’re going to want to run out and get counsel as soon as possible to see if there’s a way to file by Monday. And then, for everybody else that may have homes that are four or five, six years old, you know, you’re just going to want to be extremely diligent about pursuing any potential issues that you might see with your home going forward so that you don’t run out of time at that seven years,” Crevasse said.

The new law starts the countdown from the earliest of the following events:

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  • When the building gets a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy

  • At the completion of the building

  • At the abandonment of construction, even without completion

Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.



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BBB warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida

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BBB warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida


HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla — The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida. Operating without a license is illegal in the state, and the BBB wants homeowners to know what to look out for.

“This is very important as we’re heading into hurricane season,” said Bryan Oglesby of the BBB.

He explained that this is an issue that follows a big storm or hurricane. Each year, the BBB hears from consumers whose homes were damaged by a storm.

“They receive that knock on the door. They had damage to the home, the person was there to help. They paid money up front and the person never came back to finish the job and that is what we want to warn consumers of,” Oglesby said.

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He explained that those workers flock to Florida after a big storm. Some come for the business opportunity to make money fixing up homes. In other cases, some unlicensed workers will take the money and not come back to do the work.

“These are usually storm chasers, out of town companies that come in knocking on doors offering to do work,” Oglesby said.

He said hiring any unlicensed worker is a risk for the homeowner. In Florida, operating without the proper license is illegal. During a state of emergency, the crime is bumped up from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

Oglesby wants consumers to be proactive and get a list of trusted and licensed professionals together so you have it on hand.

“As opposed to reactive to the unlicensed guy that knocks on your door, the scammer that’s trying to take advantage of you when you’re in an emotional state,” Oglesby said.

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The BBB has an online toolto help find licensed professionals in your area.

Florida man’s journey to citizenship stalled by deportation
Yanara Perez-Sanchez spoke with ABC Action News about her family’s struggles since her husband Felix was ordered to a 5 year mandatory stay in Honduras because of a missed immigration appointment in 2004.

Florida man’s journey to citizenship stalled by deportation





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