North Central Florida students win big in Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

North Central Florida students win big in Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Several students across North Central Florida earned top spots in a competition at the University of Florida.

More than 70 students attended the annual Florida 4-H Ecology Contest at UF’s Austin Cary Forest on March 30.

Participants prepared for the challenge by brushing up on their wildlife and nature skills.

Alachua County’s William Pruden took home the gold for having the highest individual score in the Intermediate group.

Meanwhile, Marion County’s Lane Taylor, Kylie Goodson, Cora Taylor, and Ada Perryman earned the title of first place senior team.

Here is a full leaderboard showing how top contestants stacked up across the state:

Junior Division:

· 1st Place Individual: Jada Foucha, Sumter County

· 2nd Place Individual: Joycelynn Gardis, Leon County

· 3rd Place Individual: Addalynn Upton, Marion County

· 1st Place Team: Sumter County – Addilyn Childs, Jada Foucha and Caroline Cattrell

· 2nd Place Team: Marion County – Addalynn Upton, Callie Rae Cassidy, Jax Adamiak and Joshua Force

· 3rd Place Team: Sumter County – Eden Wilkins, Ava Baltzersen and Lily Toman

Intermediate Division:

· 1st Place Individual: William Pruden, Alachua County

· 2nd Place Individual: Isabella Wise, Okaloosa County

· 3rd Place Individual: Madison Wall, Marion County

· 1st Place Team: Marion County – Caleb Force, Forest DeRoy, Jacob Metzgar and Madison Wall

· 2nd Place Team: Okaloosa County – Isabella Wise, Kaden Wise and Kayleigh Thames

· 3rd Place Team: Pinellas County – Charles Wood, Charlotte Watkins, Christian Galiano and Ellis Godfrey

Senior Division:

· 1st Place Individual – Jocelyn Wood, Pinellas County

· 2nd Place Individual – Ada Perryman, Marion County

· 3rd Place Individual – Helena Perryman, St. Johns County

· 1st Place Team: Marion County – Ada Perryman, Cora Taylor, Kylie Goodson and Lane Taylor

· 2nd Place Team: Pinellas County – Annalise Watkins, Jocelyn Wood, Maleah Godfrey and Wesley Wood

· 3rd Place Team: Duval County – Kaela Weaver, Mina Shippey, Skye Burgos and Ziva Ponciano

TRENDING: Forestry officials offer reward for arsonist in Levy County

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7 of our favorite Florida restaurants in Vero Beach and Fellsmere

Published

2 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

7 of our favorite Florida restaurants in Vero Beach and Fellsmere

TCPalm staff share their top restaurant recommendations in Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere.

Indian River County is home to many unique restaurants, far too many to choose from.

There are so many restaurants on the Treasure Coast to try, but it can be hard knowing where to start.

Here are the TCPalm staff’s recommendations for restaurants in Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere.

Indian River County restaurant recommendations

Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.

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Pilot program aims to build $200K homes in Central Florida to help low-income families buy, not rent

Published

12 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Pilot program aims to build 0K homes in Central Florida to help low-income families buy, not rent

ORLANDO, Fla. – For many Central Florida families, the dream of owning a home feels further out of reach than ever.

With the median home price now topping $400,000, a new pilot program in Orlando is trying to change that by building new homes for about half the cost.

A lot off Quill Avenue in Parramore may not look like much right now, but organizers say it could soon be the site of a new home priced around $200,000 for low-income families.

“We just really wanted an opportunity to bring actual affordable housing to people who have basically been forever renters,” said Satrina Whithead with the GXVE Homes Initiative.

The GXVE Homes Initiative says the goal is to help families earning between $16,000 and $65,000 a year get a chance at homeownership. Whithead said the homes could range from 500 to 1,400 square feet, depending on the lot size and location.

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association reports the median home price in the area is now more than $400,000. Whithead said GXVE hopes to sell homes for about half that.

“There’s nothing wrong with profit, but at the end of the day, I want to help where the need is greatest,” Whithead said.

Organizers say they are already planning to build in Parramore and are working to close on two additional properties. They also say they have properties planned in Sanford and Mims, with a goal of bringing eight homes a year to Central Florida.

“You can pay 80 percent of your salary on rent just to have a place to live. So getting that number back down to around 50 percent is extremely important,” said Mike Harris, vice president of GXVE Homes.

Florida Made Tiny Homes, which is partnering with the organization, said it plans to build concrete homes that exceed safety requirements for the area.

“I don’t think there’s going to be anything available on the market in that price range, much less new construction,” said Dylan Grace, co-founder of Florida Made Tiny Homes.

Program organizers say they expect to start construction in the fall and hope to complete the first home within six to eight months after work begins. For more information please click here.

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Ex-Florida juvenile probation officer accused of leaking court info to drug traffickers

Published

22 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Ex-Florida juvenile probation officer accused of leaking court info to drug traffickers

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Florida juvenile probation officer is facing more than 100 felony charges after investigators said she leaked confidential court and law enforcement information to people tied to a drug trafficking investigation.

Crystal Gaynell Ann Lawson was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday, according to Orange County Corrections records.

Investigators said Lawson improperly accessed the Comprehensive Case Information System, or CCIS, more than 100 times and shared information from active criminal cases with members of a drug trafficking organization.

FOX 35 Orlando reported Lawson was arrested on 113 felony counts of computer crimes for unauthorized access. Investigators said she allegedly accessed the database 106 times between January and May.

Lawson is accused of using the database to search for active criminal cases tied to members of the organization. Authorities said some of the information that was leaked included arrest warrants and documents connected to an active investigation.

Lawson was hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022. As part of that job, she was given access to the CCIS database. Authorities said she was fired later that year after an arrest, but her database access was not terminated.

See also: ‘Elf,’ ‘Couples Retreat’ actor jailed with no bond after Florida arrest

Investigators said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets and at least one person fleeing to avoid arrest before later being taken into custody.

Lawson previously worked for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, where she had access to the court information system as part of her job. Authorities said she was later fired, but her database access was not terminated.

Orange County Corrections records list Lawson’s case status as “presentenced” and show multiple entries for “offense against computer users.”

The records list the arresting agency as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and show bond amounts of $10,000 on several listed case sequences. The jail record also notes an “ICJIS Affidavit.”

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