Florida
Florida man charged with abandoning dog on side of road during evacuation of Hurricane Milton
The cruel Florida dog owner who left his pooch tied to a fence in flood waters on the side of a highway as Hurricane Milton barrelled down on the Sunshine State last week has been caught.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony.
Garcia admitted to leaving the canine, a white Bull Terrier on Interstate 75 as he raced towards Georgia ahead of the storm.
The 23-year-old told officials he left his dog “Jumbo” because he “couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up,” according to Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
Lopez blasted Garcia’s actions and asked for politicians to help change the current laws in place.
“In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously. This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions,” Lopez said. “Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough. Hopefully, lawmakers take a look at this case and discuss changing the law to allow for harsher penalties for people who abandon their animals during a state of emergency.”
A driver flagged down Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Orlando Morales who “diligently searched” for the dog.
Morales, drove a quarter-mile south and used a portable speaker calling for the dog.
When the canine was eventually found, the trembling dog growled and barked at Morales.
“I don’t blame you,” the trooper according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Morales parked his patrol vehicle and trudged across a soggy field next to Interstate 75, rescuing the terrified animal as the water had risen past the dog’s legs.
The pooch was brought to a vet, where he was examined for injuries and received a clean bill of health.
The Leon County Humane Society stepped in to get the Bull Terrier to a foster home in Tallahassee and named him Trooper due to “how much he’s been through and to honor those who saved him” from the catastrophic storm.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out the “unacceptable” actions by Garcia as he evacuated the storm’s eye.
“When this poor dog was left out there,” DeSantis said, “We said … we’re going to nail you when we find out who did it. And that’s exactly what they’re doing here in Hillsborough County with State Attorney Lopez.”
“You don’t just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm. Totally unacceptable, and we’re going to hold you accountable,” DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday.
Garcia faces up to five years in prison for the felony and will not get the dog returned to him, Lopez said.
He was released from jail Tuesday on a $2,500 cash bond.
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Brevard County couple gets married in NICU after birth of premature twins
A Florida couple, told they may not be able to have children, welcomed premature twins and had an impromptu NICU wedding.
Provided by AdventHealth for Children
Ben and Danielle Cassidy were told they likely wouldn’t be able to have children.
But this year they will celebrate Mother’s Day just months after having an impromptu wedding in the AdventHealth for Children hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit shortly after Danielle gave birth to twins prematurely — a week before the Palm Bay couple was scheduled to get married.
Both babies, Joshua and Rhett, are doing well despite arriving nine weeks ahead of schedule on Jan. 19, 2026, just one day after their scheduled baby shower. With a proper wedding out of the question with two premature babies in the NICU, a nurse took action.
Issabel Kenkel, the nurse behind the ceremony, said she was already in wedding planning mode for her own upcoming nuptials when she found out the Cassidy family’s ceremony would be interrupted.
“I couldn’t just let them do something small. They needed decorations and something fun, so I spoke to the music therapist and the chaplain,” Kenkel said. In short order, a wedding was being planned for their hospital room and the couple was saying their vows in the company of their safely delivered newborns.
“When we found out we could request staff members to be on our team, that’s when we requested Issabel and having that kind of consistency from someone who has such a big heart and is so kind,” Danielle said.
The hospital ceremony was all the more special because of the Cassidy family’s own health struggles.
“I have five autoimmune diseases and didn’t really think I would have kids. It’s been a rough journey. When Ben and I met, we were floored at how much a miracle it was to have kids,” Danielle said.
Ben, who battled and beat cancer, said he was worried that his prior treatment would result in negative health outcomes for his future children. Having twins for him was an unexpected blessing.
“When we found out we were pregnant, we found it so shocking. We said, wouldn’t it be great if it was twins? It filled out our hopes and dreams list,” Ben said. “They’ve been miracles for sure.”
The Cassidy couple said there was so much fear and uncertainty when their twins were born nine weeks early. Being able to get married right away just made them feel all the better about the future.
“It was nice getting married because we didn’t have to wait any longer to make it official. It made it that much harder for her to get rid of me,” Ben said.
“The unknown made it scary,” Danielle added. “We had no idea how long we would be in the hospital. Our wedding was going to be at the beach with immediate family and parents. Having NICU babies, we realized we’d never be able to get to the beach. It was really special having the people who care for our babies be part of the ceremony.”
The couple hadn’t even planned to have a band at their wedding ceremony and now the hospital’s music therapist was performing live for them and the chaplain was conducting the ceremony, something nurse Kenkel said was just part of her job.
“The babies are going to have the best outcomes if the families are taken care of and going home happy,” she said. “Being in the NICU is already so stressful. This is just one more thing I could do to take care of my patients.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.
The Vero Beach Police Department took a man into custody May 8 in connection with a threatening phone call directed toward a business.
The agency received information at 5:21 p.m. May 7 about a threatening call to Thrive IRC Inc. at 2300 5th Ave. in Vero Beach, according to a news release. The call included someone threatening to come to the business with an AK rifle and “light the building up.”
Detectives began investigating the threat and identified Michael Sean O’Brien, 27, of Vero Beach, as the person associated with the phone number used during the call.
O’Brien was taken into custody at about 3:30 p.m. May 8 without incident. He was charged with the false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner, which is a second degree felony, according to the news release.
O’Brien was booked in the Indian River County Jail at 6:13 p.m. May 8 but was released at 1:36 p.m. May 9 after posting the $5,000 bond, according to the jail website.
No additional information was available the afternoon of May 9.
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
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