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Florida is one of America’s highest generators of plastic waste

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Florida is one of America’s highest generators of plastic waste


Littering, particularly plastic pollution, remains a bigger Florida problem than most of us think. The recent viral video depicting a group of young boaters polluting the waters off Lake Boca during the annual Boca Bash event has brought the problem into clearer focus. Here are three reasons why Floridians should care about littering and its impact on Florida and the world:

1. Florida, according to a 2023 study by Florida International University, is the nation’s third-highest generator of plastic waste. The state produces more plastic waste than the current recycling system can process. Its 8% recycling rate has gone down, despite increasing initiatives to improve recycling.

2. Florida remains among 19 states that, according to 2023 data compiled by the Retail Industry Leaders Association, have placed restrictions on regulating plastic carryout bags.

3. Some 33 billion pounds of plastic enter oceans every year, according to Plastic Free Florida, an organization of volunteers taking action to curb plastic pollution in the state. That amount is roughly the equivalent of dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the oceans every minute. At that rate, the 2016 World Economic Forum report predicted, the world’s oceans could soon hold more plastic than fish.

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Man shot to death in Wabasso, Indian River sheriff seeks help

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Man shot to death in Wabasso, Indian River sheriff seeks help


A man is dead, found by Indian River County sheriff’s deputies with multiple gunshot wounds early March 28, Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a social media post by the agency.

The victim was not publicly identified.

Authorities believe the shooting happened about 5:30 a.m. near the 8500 block of 64th Avenue in the unincorporated area of Wabasso, Flowers said in the video, where he stood at the scene of the shooting.

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The victim, Flowers said, was “transported to the emergency room, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Flowers also asked for assistance from the public in piecing together what happened.

“Anybody who knows anything about this, anybody who lives in the Wabasso area who may have seen something or heard something, any delivery drivers, we’re looking for information from you,” Flowers said.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers, 800-273-8477.

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This story will be updated.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at Wicker.Perlis@TCPalm.com.



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Tiger Woods charged with DUI after rollover crash in Florida

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Tiger Woods charged with DUI after rollover crash in Florida


Tiger Woods showed signs of impairment and was arrested at the scene of a car crash in which he struck another vehicle and rolled his Land Rover.

Tiger Woods was arrested on ‌a DUI charge following a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, ⁠Florida, that ⁠did not cause any significant injuries.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods and the person in the other vehicle were not injured. Woods was able to crawl out of the passenger side of his Land Rover.

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The crash occurred just after 2pm (18:00 GMT), not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island. Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road. He swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck, but clipped the back end of its trailer. Woods’s vehicle then rolled onto its driver’s side.

Budensiek said investigators at the scene found Woods to be showing signs of impairment. He did a breathalyser test, which came out negative, but he refused to take a urine test. Authorities charged him with driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, Budensiek said. Both charges are misdemeanours.

Woods’s manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking information.

This was at least the third time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021, when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at high speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said later doctors considered amputation.

Woods has played 11 tournaments since that 2021 crash, not finishing closer than within 16 shots of the winner the four times he finished 72 holes.

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He was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2017 when South Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car that was parked awkwardly with damage to the driver’s side. Woods said he had taken a bad mix of painkillers. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Woods won his fifth Masters and 15th major in 2019. He has 82 wins on the PGA Tour, tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead.

Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from a seventh back surgery in September. He had not decided whether he could play in the Masters on April 9-12.

His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025, and that kept him off the course all season, even before the back surgery. He managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league on Tuesday night.

He has kept deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chairman of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the model of the tour.

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Woods also faced a soft deadline at the end of the month to decide whether to become the US Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland. Woods was offered the job for the last Ryder Cup and did not turn it down until June. The PGA of America wants a decision much sooner this time.



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House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

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House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations


WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee found Friday that Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida had committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ push to expel her from Congress.

After meeting for over seven hours Thursday night, an ethics panel composed of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks.

The allegations center around her receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after the state of Florida made an overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.

The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic Caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November elections.

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Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using it for purchases like a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged in the alleged scheme. She pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.



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