Florida
Florida Adds Jail Time For Speeders – Jalopnik
Four years ago, a Florida driver ran a red light at 85 miles per hour, killed an 11-year-old child who was crossing the street, and got off with a traffic infraction: Failure to stop at a red light. Prosecutors said they simply didn’t have the evidence to charge her with reckless driving, which is a prerequisite in the state for a charge of vehicular homicide. Now Florida has made a new law, defining “dangerous excessive speeding” in hopes of curbing such deaths in the future, but the law has a problem — it may not have been enough to charge Anthony Reznik’s killer.
The new law, HB 351, defines “dangerous excessive speeding” as driving “in excess of the speed limit by 50 mph or more,” or “at 100 mph or more in a manner that threatens the safety of other persons or property or interferes with the operation of any vehicle.” The punishment it lays out for dangerous excessive speeding is up to 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine for a first offense, and going up for further offenses.
The problem
The problem with HB 351, often called the Anthony Reznik Act in its early days, is that it may not have actually done much to help Reznik himself. The law punishes drivers who hit 50 or more miles per hour over the posted speed limit, but the street on which he was killed has a posted limit of 35 mph, according to signs viewed on Google Street View. Reports from 2021 say Samentha Toussaint, the driver who killed Reznik, was traveling around 85 miles per hour when she blew the red light. The “around” here is key — at 84 miles per hour, she would not legally be dangerously excessively speeding, and would get off with the exact same ticket for running a red. Even if she had been traveling exactly 85, or 86, or higher, how would a prosecutor sufficiently prove that? Without a radar gun onsite, could anyone prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she wasn’t doing a mere 84?
The issue with HB 351 is that it dodges the core issue of vehicular homicide: The act of killing someone with a car is not, in itself, sufficiently punished. There are prerequisites, other requirements to warrant a charge, and those are how Toussaint got off scot-free for killing a child. If Florida’s legislature really wanted to protect kids like Reznik, it could simply have removed those prerequisites and instituted punishments for all car-induced killing, but it chose not to. In Florida, it’s apparently still fine to kill with your car so long as you don’t exceed 49 mph over the speed limit while doing so. HB 351 is a step in the right direction, but it’s not walking the right path.
ORLANDO, Fla. – With overnight temperatures expected to drop into the 20s and 30s across parts of Florida, AAA is urging drivers and homeowners to act quickly to safeguard their vehicles and homes.
“Whenever temperatures drop this quickly, the calls start pouring in. Dead batteries become extremely common,” Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said in a news release. “At the same time, homeowners face the risk of frozen pipes that can burst and cause thousands of dollars in damage.”
Cold weather can severely reduce a car battery’s ability to hold a charge, especially if the battery is older or weakened, and AAA said it expects a spike in roadside assistance calls for dead batteries during the cold snap.
Jenkins added, “Cold weather is tough on older batteries. If yours gives out, AAA can come to you. Our technicians can test, charge, or even replace your battery on the spot for members who request help.”
AAA recommends having your battery tested if it’s more than three years old, listening for slow engine cranking as a warning sign, and replacing batteries that show signs of weakness.
Frozen or burst pipe prevention
Homeowners should also be aware that freezing temperatures can cause water inside pipes to freeze and expand, potentially rupturing plumbing hidden behind walls or under sinks. Multiple nights of hard freeze conditions increase this risk.
To prevent frozen or burst pipes, AAA advises the following:
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Let faucets drip slightly to keep water moving.
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Open cabinet doors to allow warm air circulation.
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Keep the thermostat set to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Know the location of your main water shutoff valve.
Keeping tabs on tire pressure
Cold weather also lowers tire pressure, often by 1 to 2 PSI for every 10-degree drop in temperature. Underinflated tires can reduce fuel economy, affect handling, and increase the risk of blowouts.
[WATCH: Tire pressure light on? Why cold weather can set it off]
AAA suggests:
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Check tire pressure in the morning when tires are cold.
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Inflate tires to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI found on the driver’s door jamb.
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Don’t rely solely on tire-pressure monitoring systems.
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Inspect tires for wear or damage.
“With weather like this, preparation is everything,” Jenkins said. “A few simple steps today can prevent a breakdown on the road or a disaster at home tomorrow.”
AAA recommends members download the AAA mobile app for fast access to roadside help, weather updates, and safety information.
To schedule a vehicle inspection, click here to locate a nearby AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility.
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A large crowd of several hundred people gathered in downtown Pensacola on Monday afternoon in protest of ICE and its actions in Minnesota.
As the sun set over MLK Plaza, protestors had spilled out of the park and to three of the corners surrounding Palafox and Garden streets. Many holding signs, some chanting, the message was the same—get rid of ICE.
“We’re out here today in rejection of the violence happening in Minnesota between ICE and working class people,” said volunteer Dashawn McKenzie with the Pensacola Liberation Center. “We saw the murder of Alex Pretti and the murder of Renee Good. We’re standing in contrast to that saying we want ICE off our streets and we want the government to stop spending our tax dollars on ICE that is murdering people and deporting our neighbors because we have no issue with our immigrant neighbors.”
Opposition to ICE has grown steadily in recent days after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis this month, including Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who treated veterans, and Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three.
Republican lawmakers have increasingly called for investigations into the killing of Pretti as Democrats refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security despite the likelihood of a government shutdown.
After a call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz on Monday, Trump said he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to lead some operations on the ground.
Pensacola protest calls for an end to ICE video
Video shows Pensacola residents protest in a show of solidarity with Minneapolis
The protest on Monday was one of several planned across Florida this week, and the first of two in Pensacola. Organizers say they plan to hold a second protest on Friday.
During Monday’s event, there was no visible counter-protest other than a couple stray comments from vehicles driving by. That didn’t surprise McKenzie, who said he has seen both sides of the aisle come together in recent days over ICE actions.
“I’ve talked to a million right-wingers and I know people want us to all hate each other like it’s a Facebook comment session war, but in reality most people don’t their government murdering people. Even Second Amendment advocates are standing in defense of Alex Pretti, working class people on the right are like ‘Hey, I may like Trump ,but I don’t like this.’ That’s the reality of what’s happening.”
USA TODAY reporters contributed to this story.
Florida
Man arrested after punching Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost at Sundance Film Festival event, police say
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