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Fishermen describe rescue of teens who spent 16 hours adrift overnight off Gulf coast

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Fishermen describe rescue of teens who spent 16 hours adrift overnight off Gulf coast


Cutting through the waters and chilly temperatures off Florida’s Gulf coast just after sunrise early Tuesday, a trio of fishermen aboard a small boat experienced the catch of a lifetime: They spotted two 16-year-old friends who had spent the night adrift on a paddleboard waving down their rescuers from atop an oyster bar miles from shore.

The teens, identified by family and friends on social media as Eva Aponte and Avery Bryan, survived 16 hours on the water in temperatures that dipped into the low 40s. Rescuers described them as shivering cold with cuts to their hands and feet from razor-sharp oyster shells but otherwise OK.

The teens were blown off course Monday about 4:30 p.m. near the fishing village of Cedar Key by strong winds while wearing just shorts and sweatshirts with no life jackets.

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As darkness fell – and temperatures dropped – so did the odds of survival. A massive search of the Gulf waters by the Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sheriffs’ offices and a fleet of volunteer civilian boats continued all night without success.

Capt. Will Pauling of Inglis, Florida, and his fellow anglers Alex Jefferies of nearby Yankeetown and Russell Coon of Clermont, near Orlando, scrapped their plans early Tuesday for a morning of snook fishing to join the search. They were on the water looking for the teens by 8:30 a.m., just after sunrise, and found them within 30 minutes.

“We tried getting out there as soon as we could, and it paid off,” Pauling said in a phone interview.

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Jeffries said he told the teens after their rescue, “You laugh about this one day, just not today.”

The teens and their families didn’t immediately respond to phone messages Tuesday to discuss their ordeal.

Winds pushed the teens off course returning from Atsena Otie Key, an historic and uninhabited island town of abandoned buildings about a half mile from Cedar Key, across a shipping channel. The paddle is popular and usually safe when tides are favorable and winds are mild, generally below 5 mph. Monday’s winds were gusting more than twice as strong.

It wasn’t clear initially where the teens may have drifted. Tides and current could have pushed the teens into the Gulf, further from shore. It turned out, their inflatable paddleboard had acted like a sail and was pushed by winds southeast across Waccasassa Bay toward Mangrove Point, off the coast of Yankeetown, about 15 miles away. 

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“It was an inflatable object. It’s treated more like a balloon,” said Cap. Gary Bartell Jr. of Crystal River, who spent the night searching for the teens. He picked them up in his airboat from Pauling’s small boat. 

A photo shows the rescuers carrying the wayward teens – who were too weak to stand – over their shoulders across an oyster bar toward the airboat. On board, Bartell and his 8-year-old son, Brody, gave the girls snacks and the coats off their backs. Bartell then delivered them to their families and officials at Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park.

“They had a great spirit for two young ladies that were stranded in the middle of the night, that 

had drifted 15 miles from their original location, especially in those high winds that we had last night,” Bartell said.

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Sue Colson, the mayor of picturesque Cedar Key, said the Gulf waters can be more dangerous than they look. 

“We look so picture card perfect, and just slick and pretty,” Colson said. “You just don’t feel in danger here, which is a great thing to feel by the way.”

This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at diego.perdomo@ufl.edu. You can donate to support our students here.



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Florida

South Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open

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South Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open


On Monday, more than 800 faith leaders and community activists from across South Florida, crowded into the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Miami to demand the Miami Dade County Commission move forward with opening the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery.

“Are we OK with being told to wait when lives are on the line?” said Quanda Dupree, of the St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church. “Or do we believe real accountability means keeping your word? Even when things aren’t guaranteed. We believe our communities deserve more than a delayed response. We deserve action.”

The center – which was promised to voters back in 2004 – would take mentally ill individuals out of the jail and move them into a place where they can receive comprehensive treatment and support. The county has spent more than $50 million renovating the building and two years ago, a pair of non-profit groups were selected to operate the facility while numerous local groups and agencies have pledged their support, including the Homeless Trust. Funding for the first two to three years of the center is already in place.

And yet, the center remains empty – not helping anyone.



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SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday

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SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday


New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.

What we know:

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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.

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“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.

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“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:

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Source:  Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.

Hillsborough CountyHealth



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GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds

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GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds


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.

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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
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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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