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Florida spring breakers hold illegal beach boxing match — complete with cryptocurrency betting: wild video

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Florida spring breakers hold illegal beach boxing match — complete with cryptocurrency betting: wild video


Now it’s the Sun-shiner State.

Spring breakers in Fort Lauderdale were caught on video holding an impromptu beach prize fight — complete with betting using cryptocurrency — while locals looked on aghast.

A large crowd of rowdy party animals could be seen pushing and shoving in a chaotic circle around two young men who throw haymakers on the beautiful beaches of Fort Lauderdale to the delight of the crowd.

Hundreds of spring breakers formed an impromptu boxing ring where two revelers duked it out to the delight of the crowd. NBC 6

Local resident Joshua Pettus recorded the worrying sight while on a walk in his neighborhood, realizing something strange was going on after overhearing one spring breaker taking bets, he told NBC Miami.

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“I started hearing somebody taking bets and they were doing it with crypto,” Pettus told the outlet.

“Boxing gloves came out, the ring got bigger, and I knew the fight was going to start,” he said.

Pettus’ video shows two shirtless young men throwing devastating hooks at each other as a crowd of over 100 people cheered on and recorded with their phones.

Joshua Pettus said he overheard one person taking bets in crypto-cash before the fight. NBC 6

“Why aren’t they playing football? Something that is not going to get people injured,” Pettus wondered to the outlet.

Soon after the fisticuffs started flying, police arrived and broke up the beachy bout, according to NBC Miami.

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“Fort Lauderdale Police witnessed and broke up two incidents on the beach and the crowd complied both times without further issues,” the city of Fort Lauderdale said in a statement.

“There have been no reported confirmed cases of betting. This type of behavior will not be tolerated,” the statement said.

The unofficially organized fight was broken up by police officers before anyone could get hurt. NBC 6

The city reminded its influx of seasonal tourists that alcohol, live music, and coolers are not permitted at high-traffic beach areas.

Pettus said that while he welcomes the business that the spring breakers bring, he believes they should be maintaining a higher level of civility.

“We want your business. We want you to come and have fun and enjoy our beautiful place down here in sunny south Florida,” he said, adding, “But do it responsibly — without the violence.”

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Judge cites ‘stand your ground’ law in clearing 3 more Florida officers in shooting of a UPS driver

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Judge cites ‘stand your ground’ law in clearing 3 more Florida officers in shooting of a UPS driver


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida judge on Monday cleared three more police officers of wrongdoing in the shooting death of a UPS driver who had been taken hostage during a 2019 robbery.

Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra ruled that Miami-Dade police officers Richard Santiesteban, Leslie Lee and Rodolfo Mirabal — who had been charged with manslaughter in the death of UPS driver Frank Ordonez — could not be prosecuted because Florida’s “stand your ground” law justified the shooting. The same judge cleared officer Jose Mateo in September for the same reason.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office said it will appeal all four rulings.

“Immunity from prosecution is not the same as a defense presented to a jury from this community,” the state attorney’s statement said. “It is our belief that Stand Your Ground immunity does not apply in matters involving innocent bystanders, like Frank Ordonez and Richard Cutshaw, who presented no danger to officers. In this incident, two innocent men were killed, and the lives of numerous other innocent bystanders were endangered.”

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Cutshaw was also killed in the barrage of gunfire that afternoon.

Ordonez, 27, had been delivering packages in Miami-Dade County on Dec. 5, 2019, when police said two would-be jewelry store robbers abducted him and forced him to drive from the scene. A rush-hour police chase ended at a busy intersection in neighboring Broward County.

Prosecutors said Mateo fired the shots that killed Ordonez. The two robbers and a passerby were also killed in a hail of gunfire at an intersection in Miramar, Florida.

Footage from a body camera that was played in court showed Mateo’s pursuit of the UPS truck that afternoon. His partner could be seen in the passenger seat with a long gun drawn. The video also showed Mateo approaching the UPS truck. He emptied his firearm’s magazine, reloaded and then pulled Ordonez from the vehicle.

The judge ruled the officers had reason to believe deadly force was necessary to end the confrontation.

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The four officers are currently suspended from the their jobs.





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South Florida to enjoy plenty of sunshine, warm weather this week with low rain chances

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South Florida to enjoy plenty of sunshine, warm weather this week with low rain chances



After a beautiful weekend across South Florida, the warm weather continues for the workweek.

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A cool start mostly in the lower to mid-60s will lead to a warm and sunny afternoon with highs in the lower to mid-80s.

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The forecast high temperatures in South Florida over the next seven days.

CBS News Miami


Afternoon highs linger in the lower to mid-80s each day for the workweek with changes not arriving until the weekend.

Beachgoers can expect excellent conditions with a low rip current risk as water temperatures remain in the mid-70s.

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The beach forecast on Monday, March 23, 2026.

CBS News Miami


The NEXT Weather Team will continue to monitor an enhanced fire weather risk due to dry air and the ongoing drought conditions.

While there are no major wildfires being reported in South Florida, light north and northwesterly winds overnight have been bringing smoke from ongoing fires along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast U.S. into South Florida, lowering our air quality for the morning hours.

Conditions improve by midday as the wind shifts.

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Warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine are expected in South Florida on Tuesday.

CBS News Miami


No significant rain chances will be found throughout the workweek with just a slim 10% shower chance Wednesday through Friday.

However, rain chances will be on the rise over the weekend as our team monitors a possible disturbance bringing the potential for scattered showers on Sunday.

These showers could help lower afternoon highs to upper 70s by the end of the weekend.

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The forecast in South Florida over the next seven days.

CBS News Miami




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Florida takes lead in ICE arrests this year

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Florida takes lead in ICE arrests this year


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida has become the country’s busiest hub for immigration arrests this year, with ICE agents in the Miami Field Office — which oversees Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — logging more detentions than any other region in the nation according to our news partners at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

According to figures reported by the New York Times, agents under the Miami office are averaging about 120 arrests a day, totaling nearly 9,900 arrests as of March 10. That pace puts Florida well ahead of other regions experiencing federal “surge” operations, including Minnesota, where a high-profile enforcement push drew national scrutiny after two U.S. citizens were killed.



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