Florida
Video of Burmese python eating deer in Florida Everglades serves as dangerous reminder, scientists say
MIAMI — Florida scientists got more than they ever imagined when they actually came across a Burmese python eating a full-grown deer.
“These are things you don’t see every day,” one of them whispered in the video.
It’s a rare sight that scientists came upon while tracking pythons in the Florida Everglades.
That’s a 77-pound, full-grown buck in the mouth of a 14.8-foot python.
“It’s almost like we caught the serial killer in the act here out in the field,” said biologist Ian Bartoszek, who’s with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples.
“Everything is on the menu for native wildlife in Florida. In fact, it’s easier to say what they don’t eat,” he continued. “We haven’t seen them eat fish or turtles, but if it’s furry and feathery. It’s probably on the menu of the python.”
“The moral the story is don’t underestimate the Burmese python,” Bartoszek said.
Marshall Jones, a fifth-generation gladesman at Mack’s Fish Camp, told CBS News Miami that he’s seen the pythons eat all sorts of animals.
“I have seen pythons take down large prey,” he said. “I’ve seen them take down deer here in the Everglades. I’ve seen them take rabbits, large birds like turkey vultures and great blue herons.”
Jones said native wildlife isn’t prepared to take on the invasive apex predator. Between the pythons and man-made problems, he’s seen an alarming decrease in native species.
“Growing up here, I witnessed the Everglades full of wildlife, just absolutely teaming with every species that is now near the extinction level,” he said. “And, my children have seen substantially less and I fear that my grandchildren will see practically none.”
Scientists said pythons will eat just about anything. For example, during necropsies, they pull out 85 different species of animals from pythons stomaches.
If you see a python, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (888) IVE-GOT-1.
Florida
US Coast Guard saves 8, including infant and child, after vessel capsizes off Fort Myers Beach
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A quick-thinking crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach saved eight lives, including an infant and a child, after a boat capsized Friday afternoon near the Sanibel Causeway in Florida.
Responders rushed to the capsized vessel, executing a rapid, coordinated effort that resulted in every person being safely recovered from the water.
Officials credited the success of the operation to the crew’s “relentless” preparation and teamwork.
The U.S. Coast Guard shared photos of the boat nearly completely underwater following the swift rescue. (U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach via Facebook)
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“A successful mission is measured by the lives brought home safely,” U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach wrote in a statement on Facebook.
The Coast Guard emphasized the high-stakes rescue serves as a powerful reminder of why its crews train constantly and remain ready to respond at any hour of the day or night.
Victims were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in Florida on Fourth of July weekend. (U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach via Facebook)
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“When seconds matter, preparation, communication, and teamwork make all the difference,” the Coast Guard station wrote. “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and thankful that this incident ended with everyone returning home safely. Our thoughts are with those involved, and we’re proud of every responder who played a role in this successful rescue.”
The U.S. Coast Guard shared photos of the boat sinking into the water near Fort Myers Beach. (U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach via Facebook)
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The Sanibel Causeway is in southwest Florida, just west of Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast.
The Florida Supreme Court is reversing legal precedent that previously required judges to throw out evidence collected by police, when they don’t knock and announce themselves.
Typically, when police conduct a raid with a search warrant without giving residents enough time to answer the door, the evidence gathered is not allowed in court.
The Justices overturned that procedure in a 6-1 ruling.
Justice Meredith Sasso wrote for the majority that Florida’s knock-and-announce statute does not give judges the authority to suppress that evidence.
The ruling stems from a investigation out of Leon County. State and local police obtained a search warrant for a residence connected to a suspected trafficking organization. During the raid, police knocked and announced themselves several times, but only said they had a search warrant moments before barreling through the door.
As the case moved along, a judge ruled to suppress evidence found during that raid.
That decision was appealed and the case made its way up to the state’s Supreme Court.
Maternal health care training
The University of South Florida is sending medical educators into rural Florida communities to provide critical maternal health care simulation training to local hospital staff and first responders. FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo reports.
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida is sending medical educators into rural Florida communities to provide critical maternal health care simulation training to local hospital staff and first responders.
Florida rural medical training
The backstory:
Fewer hospitals are delivering babies or providing maternity health care in rural Florida communities, forcing pregnant women to travel hours for care. In response, USF Health launched a state-funded maternal health care training program covering 16 rural counties.
The program is led by a partnership between Florida Center for EMS at USF, Florida Prenatal Quality Collaborative and Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation. It brings high-tech simulation mannequins directly into local patient rooms. These advanced simulators can mimic life-or-death scenarios like seizures, preeclampsia and postpartum hemorrhaging.
“I was really surprised, because my background as a firefighter-paramedic I worked in an urban environment where I had those resources. But going out to the rural communities in the Panhandle, sometimes the transport time is over two hours away,” said Penni Eggers, the director of education and assistant professor at the Florida Center for EMS at USF.
The program has already trained emergency personnel in Calhoun County, and the cities of Perry and Arcadia, teaching critical symptom management from the moment a patient enters an ambulance.
Saving mothers and babies
Why you should care:
According to Eggers, 80% of maternal deaths are preventable, and up to half happen after birth. Providing rural staff with hands-on tools builds the confidence needed to handle critical issues until a patient can be safely transferred to a specialized unit.
Emergency training sentiments
What they’re saying:
“This is actually going to touch more people and save more lives, I think. This is more to me, one of the most rewarding things we’ve ever done,” Eggers said.
She added that after training, “they feel much more confident that they can handle an emergency maternal problem, and they feel that they have some tools now and resources that they can actually do their job.”
Expanding medical simulation
What’s next:
The mobile USF Health training team plans to head to Wauchula next to conduct its next simulation exercises for local health care workers.
The initiative began in 2025 as a successful pilot program in Franklin County. The positive results secured a grant through the Florida Department of Health to expand operations, which will fund the training for the next year or two.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo with the director of education Penni Eggers at USF Health’s Florida Center for EMS.
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