Florida
How old do Florida kids have to be to stay home alone on spring break?
Several Florida students are celebrating spring break this week, and parents and guardians may be looking for ways to keep their kids busy until school returns next week.
Bouncing around from daycare to summer camps to relatives’ houses can easily add up. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of full-time child care in Florida ranges from $9,548 to $13,021, depending on the children’s ages.
With these expenses, some families might wonder whether their children are ready to stay home alone. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make the decision.
At what age can kids stay home alone in Florida? What’s the youngest legal age?
Florida doesn’t have clear laws specifying an exact age at which children can legally stay home alone. It’s up to parents to decide when their children are old enough.
The state agency overseeing children’s welfare recommends that they not be left home alone before age 12.
The state does have more specific laws surrounding child abandonment and neglect. According to Florida State Statutes, it is a felony of the third degree to deprive a child of necessary food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment.
Can a 12-year-old babysit siblings in Florida?
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends that children not be left alone before the age of 12. It also notes that older siblings should not supervise younger children until they are 15.
See tips for parents and caregivers letting kids stay home alone
Once you have determined that your child is ready to stay home alone, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families shared tips to help caregivers prepare children for being home alone:
- Have a trial period and start small. When your child is ready, leave them home alone for a short time while staying nearby. This is a good way to see how they will manage.
- Talk about it beforehand. Encourage your child to share their feelings about staying home alone with you, and address any thoughts or concerns they may have before leaving.
- Teach them about safety. Before leaving your child home alone, make sure they are mature enough to handle the responsibility and understand the safety rules. Develop a family emergency plan to help them handle situations such as a fire, a power outage, or a stranger approaching the house. Practice basic first aid and teach them what to do if they need to contact emergency services, perhaps through role-play.
- Establish family rules and set boundaries. Set clear guidelines about what your child can and cannot do while home alone. Establish rules for screen time, internet use, and the use of kitchen appliances and other potentially dangerous items.
- Don’t overdo it. Avoid leaving your child home alone overnight or for extended periods. Consider other options or resources, such as family or friends, or programs offered by your child’s school, community centers, youth organizations, or faith-based groups, to help with supervising your child.
- Follow up. After your child is left home alone (including during any trial period), talk about the experience with them. How did they feel about it? Were they nervous? Did anything unexpected come up? If they were watching another child, ask how they felt about doing so.
When is spring break for Florida students? See list by county
Spring break dates vary by county and range from early in March to mid-April. Here’s the list by county, with those in bold currently having its spreak break:
Special note: School calendars often change. Here’s a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Florida man arrested after suspected human remains found buried at property where his father lived
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A Florida man was arrested Monday after investigators uncovered suspected human remains buried at a Marion County property while investigating the disappearance of his father, according to authorities and an arrest affidavit viewed by Fox News Digital.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said deputies began investigating the disappearance of 43-year-old Andres Bahamon-Prada on May 16, after a family member reported he had not been seen since May 7.
Authorities said Bahamon-Prada lived with his 25-year-old son, Andres Bahamon, at a home in Dunnellon.
During the investigation, detectives uncovered evidence suggesting foul play may have been involved in Bahamon-Prada’s disappearance, prompting authorities to investigate the case as a homicide.
TEXAS COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER BODY OF SPECIAL NEEDS SON, 26, DISCOVERED BURIED IN BACKYARD
Andres Bahamon was arrested Monday in connection with his father’s disappearance investigation, authorities said. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the affidavit viewed by Fox News Digital, Bahamon initially told deputies he last saw his father on the evening of May 7, after Bahamon-Prada returned home and claimed someone unknown was coming to pick him up.
Detectives also noted Bahamon-Prada’s silver 2007 Infiniti M35 disappeared from the property several days later and remains missing.
The victim’s mother later told investigators she believed Bahamon killed his father after she encountered him near a local store, according to the affidavit. She told deputies the suspect said he believed the victim was dead and “in hell where he deserves to be” because he was “an evil person” and a “junkie.”
When deputies responded to the Dunnellon property on May 18, investigators reported finding shattered glass doors with what appeared to be a bullet hole, a shell casing near the porch, suspected bloodstains and freshly disturbed dirt in the backyard, according to the affidavit.
MAN UNCOVERS MISSING FATHER’S BONES BURIED BENEATH FAMILY HOME, UNLEASHING ‘A THOUSAND’ OTHER SECRETS
Authorities are searching for Andres Bahamon-Prada’s silver 2007 Infiniti M35, which investigators believe may contain evidence connected to the homicide investigation. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities also learned Bahamon allegedly sent his mother, who lives in Germany, a photograph depicting a man appearing deceased near wooden steps at the property, investigators said. According to the affidavit viewed by Fox News Digital, the image appeared to show a man matching Bahamon-Prada’s description lying motionless beside the steps with a large red stain visible near his head and shirt.
Detectives later obtained a search warrant for the property and discovered what they described as a large rolled carpet buried beneath freshly disturbed dirt.
“Upon investigating and digging into that area of dirt, detectives encountered the odor of decomposition,” the affidavit states.
FLORIDA MAN ALLEGEDLY STUFFED HUMAN REMAINS IN TWO SUITCASES FOUND IN REMOTE ‘COMPOUND’
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said deputies began investigating the disappearance of 43-year-old Andres Bahamon-Prada in Dunnellon, Fla. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office, File)
Authorities said detectives ultimately uncovered suspected human remains inside the carpet, though investigators are still working to positively identify the remains.
As the investigation progressed, detectives identified Bahamon as a person of interest in the case. He was arrested Monday and charged with tampering with evidence in the missing-person investigation.
Investigators wrote in the affidavit that they believe Bahamon concealed or removed the victim’s body in an attempt to impair the homicide investigation.
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Authorities are continuing to search for Bahamon-Prada’s missing silver 2007 Infiniti M35, which detectives believe may contain evidence connected to the case.
Anyone with information about the vehicle or the investigation is urged to contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 352-732-9111.
Florida
U.S. says suspected drug trafficker rescued from plane crash off Florida linked to Bahamas politician
Opposition leaders in the Bahamas are demanding an investigation into a suspected drug trafficker who survived a recent plane crash near Florida and was allegedly found with roughly $30,000, according to a U.S. federal agent. The money was inside a bag labeled with the name of an unidentified high-ranking politician from the archipelago.
The suspect, who was deported to the Bahamas more than a decade ago after being convicted on drug and money laundering charges, is accused of trafficking cocaine through the Bahamas to the U.S.
He also is accused of meeting the unnamed politician in October 2024 at the Bahamian Parliament in Nassau to talk about a deal involving some 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of cocaine, according to a court document filed May 14 in the Southern District of New York, a day after the plane crash. It stated that the politician “could provide security for the planned cocaine shipment” and was introduced to an unnamed suspect as a “future associate.”
The allegations are the latest blow to the Bahamas, whose police commissioner resigned in December 2024 after a sergeant and two officers were indicted in what the U.S. Justice Department at the time called “a massive cocaine conspiracy enabled by corrupt Bahamian government officials.”
“Since at least May 2021, drug traffickers have smuggled tons of cocaine through The Bahamas for importation into the U.S. with the help and support of corrupt Bahamian government officials,” the Justice Department said in 2024 when announcing charges against the chief superintendent of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Michael Pintard, leader of the opposition Free National Movement party, claimed Monday that he does not believe the Bahamas’ prime minister, who secured reelection the day of the plane crash, will hold anyone accountable.
“We issued warnings about the close relationship between members of this administration and characters of interest to police locally and internationally,” he told reporters.
Latrae Rahming, spokesman for the office of the prime minister, shared a statement with The Associated Press on Tuesday noting that the government is taking the matter “extremely seriously.” It stated that local law enforcement will launch its own inquiry and that the government will reach out to U.S. officials to seek the sharing of information and obtain any available evidence, adding that it has received no official information identifying any public official related to the case.
“The position of the Government of The Bahamas remains wherever wrongdoing is established, any person involved will be held accountable without fear or favor, and the chips will fall where they may,” the statement read.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Coleman asserted in his deposition that multiple drug trafficking organizations are ferrying loads “under the protection of local officials” in the Bahamas.
He alleged that the suspected drug trafficker who survived the plane crash owns a business he uses to “bid on Bahamian government-issued construction contracts and launder his narcotics trafficking proceeds.”
Coleman said the suspect was one of 11 people who survived the crash off the coast of Florida late last week. He was rescued and later arrested. The pilot told CBS News he lost both engines, all communication and avionics in the lead-up to the crash.
“Basically, lost my navigation, all radios — flying over 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Ian Nixon, the 43-year-old Bahamian pilot and father of three, told CBS News. “I did my best. I had a lot of stuff going on in the aircraft — just trying to get that under control.”
Dr. Duane Sands, chairman of the Free National Movement party, told The Nassau Guardian newspaper on Monday that the current administration was bringing shame and embarrassment to the Bahamas as he called for a commission of inquiry.
“The Bahamian people are entitled to know,” he was quoted as saying. “The heart and soul of our country are at stake.”
Florida
Roger Goodell says NFL is cooperating with Florida AG after receiving subpoena
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena.
Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.
“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. “We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”
Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.
Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
The subpoena orders the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on June 12. It asks the league to produce extensive documents, including “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present.”
Among the programs being reviewed by Uthmeier’s office is the accelerator program, which the league created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.
The accelerator program gives participants an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend informative sessions designed to equip them for future interviews.
The NFL held its revamped accelerator program on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando after pausing it last May. It now includes nonminority participants and nearly half of this year’s group were white men.
“There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity,” Goodell said. “So, the people that are up there are the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best. And what we’re trying to do here is to make them even better and to give them opportunities. And that’s what I heard is that one, they appreciate the opportunity; two, it was helpful in that.”
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