Florida

Florida’s top 5 roadside attractions

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2024

Press Room

When you plan your next vacation Florida’s Fourth Estate is helping you go beyond the theme parks and beaches.

Hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden are breaking down their top five roadside attractions in the sunshine state.

5: Robert the Doll

The doll that inspired the series of “Chucky” films happens to be a Florida resident.

People interested in visiting Robert the Doll can go to Key West.

“This all started in 1900. There was a pretty wealthy family — had some servants — and they say, this is the legend, the servant got this doll for the kid and maybe put a voodoo curse on it because the family treated the servant badly. According to legend and this roadside attraction, the family would hear the child speaking to someone in the room while he was by himself with this doll, and they would hear a voice that was not their child’s. They would go into the room, and it would be the kid and the doll, they say things would get flipped over and crash in the middle of the night and they would go in there and the kid would say the doll did it,” Austin said.

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4: Dinosaur World

Ginger sids when she lived in Tampa, she would go to Dinosaur World in Plant City all the time. She said there are more than 100 dinosaurs for children and parents to enjoy, but that’s not all.

“They have areas where kids can skim for dinosaur eggs,” she said.

She went on to say there are no rollercoasters, but “it’s really entertaining”.

“If you have ever driven past it, you are on I-4 and you are going from Orlando to Tampa or vice versa, you can’t miss it, because they have these giant dinosaurs outside of the wall,” Gadsden said.

3: The Fountain of Youth

One of the most popular attractions in St. Augustine is the Fountain of Youth.

“This is supposedly where Ponce de Leon landed in Florida, found this spring that he could sip from, that would keep him young forever,” Austin said. “ (But) Ponce de Leon is dead.”

2: Weeki Wachee

Austin is excited about the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Spring Hill.

He pointed out the guy who designed the park and the breathing devices that helped the performers stay underwater without scuba gear was a genius.

“The mermaids are actually swimming in a spring and you’re in this 500-person amphitheater watching the mermaid show through glass into a natural spring,” Austin said.

1: Coral Castle

Gadsden cannot get enough of Coral Castle. She said she has been there twice and completely understands why this roadside attraction draws such a crowd.

She said the guy who created the castle and its surrounding structures from limestone was inspired by unrequited love and would erect new parts of it under the cover of darkness. Austin added the walls are huge and that the designer claimed he had figured out the secret of how people designed the pyramids.

You can learn more about each of these attractions on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:

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Florida

Florida takes lead in ICE arrests this year

Published

6 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

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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Florida

From the Archives: Hospital has 70-year history in Southwest Florida

Published

18 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

From the Archives: Hospital has 70-year history in Southwest Florida

The following information comes from a March 3, 2024, article in the Naples Daily News.

Founded in 1953, the first modern medical facility opened on Fourth Street South in March 1956 with the name Naples Community Hospital. The hospital’s first baby was born the next day.

Ten years later, in 1966, the hospital added 50 more beds, an emergency department and several specialized departments. Later that decade, several more departments were added including an intensive care unit.

In 1970, the hospital expanded the original building to six stories and began construction on a new, two-story building next door. This building was later expanded to six stories and was dubbed the “South Tower” while the first tower was called the “North Tower.”

Construction on the Downtown Naples facility continued in the 1980s and on Oct. 15, 1984, The North Collier Health Center opened its doors. This facility was opened as a satellite facility of the main hospital. Shortly after, on Feb. 4, 1985, another satellite facility, which included a helipad, was opened on Marco Island.

In January 1990, North Collier Hospital (the North Naples campus) opened with 50 beds at its location on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The healthcare system, as well as the local population, continued to grow during this decade.

NCH was the only hospital in Collier County until 2001.

NCH, Nicklaus announce Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children

The four-story, 156,000-square-foot center will offer advanced care for families and be housed on the NCH North Hospital campus.

In February 2007, the system expanded once again with the opening of the $64 million Jay & Patty Baker Patient Care Tower at the North Naples hospital.

In 2020, NCH purchased a 186,000 square foot office building on Immokalee Road to relocate some of its administrative support and non-clinical functions which it expects to complete in spring of 2021.

NCH also started a $35 million renovation and expansion of its Baker Hospital emergency room with a two-story, 19,000 square foot addition to expand its emergency room capacity to 47,000 square feet, with expected completion in February 2022.

In 2023, a rebrand changed what NCH stands for, becoming Naples Comprehensive Health.

Information gathered from the Naples Daily News archives, Wikipedia, Collier100.org and Collier County Museum archives.

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Florida

Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than $3,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than ,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs

A woman in Florida has been charged with felony criminal mischief after allegedly urinating on property in two different Airbnbs. The woman, Nicolette Keough, 31, was allegedly filming videos of herself urinating and uploading them to an adult film site, according to the Pensacola Police Department (PPD).

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