Florida
Florida women accused of sextorting Hardee County grandmother in jail for baby’s hot car death: Documents
WAUCHULA, Fla. – A Florida grandmother who is in jail after her granddaughter died under her watch in a hot car months after her grandson died in her care is accusing two women of extorting her in jail.
Who is Tracey Nix?
Tracey Nix is a Wauchula grandmother who spent decades as a teacher.
Timeline:
In December 2021, deputies say her 16-month-old grandson wandered outside and drowned in a pond on Nix’s property.
Nix was not charged in that case.
PREVIOUS: Wauchula woman arrested in granddaughter’s death after 2021 death of grandson
In November 2022, Nix’s 7-month-old granddaughter died after she was left in a hot car while Nix was babysitting.
Two of Tracey Nix’s grandchildren died in her care less than a year apart.
In January 2025, a jury found her not guilty of aggravated manslaughter, but guilty of leaving a child in a car unattended.
After the verdict was read, Nix was taken into custody. She was ordered to be held in jail without bond until her sentencing.
Sextortion
According to an affidavit, while in jail, two women, Sandra Cardoza and Rosanna Sanchez, came up with a scheme to get money from Nix.
Dig deeper:
Documents show that on February 19, Sanchez asked Nix to write her a love letter and Nix drafted a fabricated newspaper advertisement depicting a romantic relationship between herself and Sanchez.
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After Nix read the document to Sanchez, documents show that Sanchez demanded $1,000 from Nix, threatening to send it to the local newspaper if she did not comply.
Pictured: Rosanna Sanchez. Image is courtesy of the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.
The affidavit states Nix called her husband “under duress” and asked him to trust her and bring the money to the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.
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Nix’s husband met with a woman, later identified as Cardoza’s sister, Guadalupe Botello, in the parking lot and handed over the money.
On February 26, documents show Sanchez demanded an additional $10,000 from Nix and threatened to publicly expose her sexuality if she did not comply.
Pictured: Sandra Cardoza. Image is courtesy of the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.
When Nix declined, the affidavit states that Sanchez pinned Nix against a wall.
Nix escaped and called detention staff for help.
While investigating, authorities say Nix admitted to having a consensual sexual encounter with Sanchez that also involved Cardoza on at least one occasion.
Tracey Nix mugshot courtesy of the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.
Nix also told investigators that Sanchez claimed to have different personalities and had offered a voodoo ritual for a fee of $15,000 to ensure that Nix’s current legal charges would disappear.
Investigators looked at video footage that confirmed that Nix’s husband handed over a white envelope to a Hispanic woman in the sheriff’s office parking lot on February 19. They also analyzed call logs that corroborated statements from Nix and her husband.
Cardoza has been charged with extortion, illegal use of a 2-way communication device, and conspiracy.
Sanchez has been charged with attempt to commit extortion, extortion, and conspiracy.
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What’s next:
Nix was transferred to the DeSoto County Jail on February 27 and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3.
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Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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