March 10 (UPI) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for a 48-year-old man convicted of kidnapping and strangling a woman to death in 2000.
The warrant, made public by the Supreme Court of Florida, states Michael Tanzi is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. EDT April 8 at Florida State Prison.
Tanzi was sentenced to death on April 11. 2003, after being convicted of first-degree murder, carjacking with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and robbery with a gun or deadly weapon.
Court documents state that his victim, Janet Acosta, was reading a book in her van parked at the Japanese Gardens in Miami during her lunch hour on April 25, 2000, when Tanzi approached her.
After asking for a cigarette and the time, he punched her in the face to gain entry to the van, which he then drove away while threatening his victim with a razor blade.
The court documents state he was seeking a way to return to Key West where he lived.
He bound Acosta with rope and gagged her with a towel. During the drive, he sexually assaulted her while threatening her life with the razor blade if she injured him.
He also used her ATM card to withdraw money from her bank account.
Upon arriving in the lower Florida Keys, Tanzi strangled Acosta to death and disposed of her body in a wooded area.
He was arrested two days later by police who spotted Acosta’s van, which they had been searching for after the woman’s friends and coworkers reported her missing.
Court documents state that he had receipts in his pocket showing the ATM withdrawals he had made from his victim’s account.
Tanzi told police that he “knew what this was about,” according to the court documents, which added, “He also spontaneously stated he wanted to talk about some bad things he had done.”
“Tanzi confessed that he had assaulted, abducted, robbed, sexually battered and killed Janet Acosta,” according to court documents.
“Tanzi repeated his confession with greater detail several times on audio and videotape. Tanzi also showed the police where he had disposed of Janet Acosta’s body and where he had discarded the duct tape and rope.”
Tanzi is scheduled to be the third person executed in Florida this year, following James Ford, who was killed on Feb. 14, and Edward James, who is set to have his sentence carried out on March 20.
There have been six executions in four states so far this year — four by lethal injection and one each by nitrogen hypoxia and firing squad.
Christopher Sepulvado was scheduled to be executed in Louisiana on March 17, but the octogenarian died late last month on death row.
According to Robert Dunham, director of the Death Penalty Policy Project, nine states have issued 31 death warrants for this year.
ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 420,000 Floridians use WIC, according to a 2024 USDA report — the fourth highest number in the country.
However, those benefits are delayed for many in Central Florida due to the government shutdown, leaving families without a way to pay for baby formula and nutritional food for their children.
Destiny Perez-Prado is trying to figure out how she’s going to feed her seven children this month since her WIC and SNAP benefits are delayed.
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“It’s still just heartbreaking, you know, to think that for Thanksgiving, we might not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving — you know, have the food that we need, food that would be typically accessible to us,” Perez-Prado said.
Her benefits pay for around $800 in groceries each month, and WIC specifically covers her more expensive items like baby formula, Pediasure, and other nutritional foods.
“It’s so expensive. Just a can of formula — the cheapest is $28, I believe. And it’s crazy. Some kids need specialized formulas,” she said.
Between being a single mother, college student, and self-employed, Perez-Prado says getting a second job to afford groceries is nearly impossible.
“I have two children with autism — a little girl and a little boy — and then my third with ADHD. So for that, you know, it’s hard for me to keep a consistent job, even with my degree,” she explained.
One Heart for Women and Children is stepping in to help Perez-Prado. Founder Stephanie Bowman says about 30,000 people in Orange County use WIC — and many of them now need extra help.
“We’ve had 500 calls just this week from individuals we’ve never seen or heard from before,” Bowman said.
One Heart typically helps around 20,000 people per month, but that demand is rising due to the shutdown.
“What we’ve had to do is give families less food — and we never want to do that. But we want to make sure that every individual who comes to us can get food,” Bowman added.
Perez-Prado says she’s working to become financially stable one day, but right now her priority is feeding her kids.
“You know, they still deserve to eat. They’re babies — they didn’t ask to be here. And even if we as parents didn’t go about it the way certain people think we should to avoid problems like this, it’s still a problem. We’re still here, and we still need help,” she said.
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OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – SNAP benefits for thousands of families here in Central Florida are cut off, leaving many scrambling to afford the food they need, including local seniors. Many have medical needs that require special diets, and they say food banks just can’t always meet them.
“Being a citizen and being on the income that I’m on—it is hard. To tell you the truth, it’s unfair,” said senior Shirley Williford, who is among those impacted by the delay.
On Saturday, Williford and another local senior, Kim Augenstein, received notifications that their SNAP benefits for November would be pushed back. For Williford, who lives on a fixed income and doesn’t have transportation, it’s a nightmare.
“I only have high blood pressure. I kind of went on a diet myself. The food that I need for my diet—I’m not going to be able to get it,” Williford said.
Augenstein, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, said losing those benefits could put her health at risk. “When you’re almost a diabetic or you are a diabetic, you have to have that food for your insulin. If you go without food, that’s a big problem,” she said.
[VIDEO: Central Florida food programs face challenges as federal SNAP support stops]
Now, the seniors are relying on local organizations in Osceola County, such as Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries and the Black Empowerment and Community Council, which are already seeing a rising demand.
“Families are already so tight with money and resources. For us to be at this critical time, it’s important that we rally together,” said Tiffany Jeffers with the Black Empowerment and Community Council.
But those groups say the ongoing government shutdown is also limiting the resources they can offer. “The grant writers keep saying we can’t do this one or that one. So many programs are being cut. Some of the grants we would normally get—recurring grants—we’re no longer getting, and that’s definitely because of government funding,” said Doreen Barker, founder of Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries.
In the meantime, seniors are helping each other by sharing rides and picking up groceries—but they’re still hoping the shutdown ends soon.
“I don’t think it needs to be cut down. It doesn’t need to be cut off—because I depend on those food stamps,” Williford said.
The Black Empowerment and Community Council is partnering with Solid Rock Community Church in Kissimmee and AARP next week to distribute food and resources to those impacted by the SNAP delays.
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
| Malique Ewin | Arkansas |
| Moustapha Thiam | Cincinnati |
| Owen Freeman | Creighton |
| Patrick Ngongba | Duke |
| Alex Condon | Florida |
| Chris Cenac | Houston |
| Tomislav Ivišić | Illinois |
| Flory Bidunga | Kansas |
| Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky |
| Ernest Udeh Jr. | Miami |
| Aday Mara | Michigan |
| Rienk Mast | Nebraska |
| Henri Versaar | North Carolina |
| Nate Bittle | Oregon |
| Oscar Cluff | Purdue |
| Robbie Avila | Saint Louis |
| Magoon Gwath | San Diego State |
| Zuby Ejiofor | St. John’s |
| Felix Okpara | Tennessee |
| Tarris Reed, Jr. | UConn |
2025-26 Florida Men’s Basketball Ticket Information
Traditional season tickets are officially SOLD OUT for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Arena Pass
Arena Passes are officially SOLD OUT for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Single Games
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 Florida men’s basketball season are now on sale.
Fans can purchase tickets at FloridaGators.com, by calling the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683, or in person at Gate 2 on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
All Gators Weekend Pack
The All Gators Weekend Pack is now available, which includes the Florida men’s basketball game against Merrimack on Friday, November 21, and the Florida football game against Tennessee on Saturday, November 22, for only $149 plus taxes/fees.
All fans attending the Merrimack men’s basketball game will receive a 2025 NCAA National Championship replica ring, presented by Meldon Law.
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