Florida
Florida’s top 5 roadside attractions
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+.
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Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
Florida
Bodycam captures life-saving rescue of choking baby by Florida deputies
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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