Florida

South Florida company offering aid to Puerto Rico amid drought

Published

1 month ago

August 8, 2026

South Florida company offering aid to Puerto Rico amid drought

August 8, 2026 / 8:20 AM EDT
/ CBS Miami

As parts of Puerto Rico face a record-breaking drought and no running water, a South Florida company is stepping up to offer help by sending machines capable of turning air into water.

Altitude Water shared an inside look at the process of building these machines with CBS News Miami. Workers put the final touches on the machines, which are capable of making 380 gallons of water.

Jeffrey Szur is the CEO of Altitude Water. He explained how the machines work.

“We make water from the thin air,” he said, “we basically take the warm, moist air that we have in Florida, Puerto Rico…and we extract the water.”

The machines are being delivered as Puerto Rico begins rationing water. Those rationing requirements impact an estimated 180,000 customer accounts, which could translate to hundreds of thousands of people losing water for 48 hours across several cities.

This has brought ire from the residents of the U.S. territory, including criticism of its governor.

While the machines won’t solve the drought, Szure said a distributor in Puerto Rico has ordered nearly 100 machines of different sizes. He is hopeful this can at least alleviate some of the woes that citizens there are facing.

“We’re looking to be there to help,” he said, “and show a new way, a new technology that will benefit them and their families.”

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Florida

Rare trail camera video captures Florida panther mom, 3 kittens at Babcock Ranch Preserve

Published

5 hours ago

September 14, 2026

Press Room

Rare trail camera video captures Florida panther mom, 3 kittens at Babcock Ranch Preserve

Published: September 14, 2026 at 8:15 AM

A rare sighting of a Florida panther mother and her three kittens is giving wildlife officials a glimpse at the species’ potential to expand its breeding range.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A rare sighting of a Florida panther mother and her three kittens is giving wildlife officials a glimpse at the species’ potential to expand its breeding range.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists captured the panther family on trail cameras at Babcock Ranch Preserve in March.

The female panther and one of her kittens were spotted again in July.

According to the FWC, the sightings show that Florida panthers are capable of expanding their breeding range north of the Caloosahatchee River.

Officials said that natural expansion could be an important step toward helping the Florida panther population recover.

Overdevelopment and vehicle strikes have kept the species close to extinction for decades.

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Florida

Man arrested, accused of possessing undersized lobsters in Florida Keys

Published

15 hours ago

September 13, 2026

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Man arrested, accused of possessing undersized lobsters in Florida Keys

A North Carolina man was in possession of four undersized lobsters on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

A North Carolina man was arrested Saturday for harvesting undersized lobsters, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Lower Keys Marine Deputy Luis Guiardinu was on patrol around 2:14 p.m. near Sunshine Key when he spotted several people harvesting lobsters, the sheriff’s office said in a Sunday statement. Joe Lopez, 37, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was found in possession of four undersized lobsters and taken to jail.

It is illegal to harvest lobster in Florida using a speargun. During season, the carapace of the lobster, the part that is not the tail, must be longer than 3 inches. The regular recreational and commercial spiny lobster season runs from Aug. 6 through March 31.

The FWC’s hotline to report conservation violations is 888-404-3922 or online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.

Miami Herald staff writer David Goodhue contributed to this report.

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Florida

Pregnant 16-year-old found shot dead in Florida apartment; boyfriend arrested

Published

1 day ago

September 13, 2026

Press Room

Pregnant 16-year-old found shot dead in Florida apartment; boyfriend arrested

LAKE CITY, Fla. (CBS12) — A pregnant 16-year-old girl was found shot to death inside a Florida apartment, with her 17-year-old boyfriend identified as a person of interest.

Deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office say they responded around 4 p.m. Wednesday, to an apartment at 4826 U.S. Highway 441 South in Lake City for a welfare check.

After making several announcements, deputies entered the unlocked apartment and found Ashia La Shai Moore dead on the floor from an apparent gunshot wound, according to investigators.

Moore was visiting friends at the apartment at the time. Her family was notified, and later told investigators she was seven months pregnant when she was killed.

See also: Woman seriously injured after stranger allegedly ignites gasoline at Florida gas station

As detectives continued investigating, they identified Moore’s 17-year-old boyfriend, Dominique Santonio Hill, as a person of interest.

Hill was interviewed by investigators and arrested on a charge of tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility without bond.

The sheriff’s office has not announced an arrest on a murder charge, and the investigation remains active.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 386-719-2005. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at 386-754-7099.

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