Connect with us

Southeast

Florida helicopter pilot charged with harassing protected birds after landing on shorebird nesting site

Published

on

Florida helicopter pilot charged with harassing protected birds after landing on shorebird nesting site

A helicopter pilot in Florida was charged this week by the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) after he allegedly landed on a closed shorebird nesting site.

Ernesto Cordero was charged with harassing the nesting birds, a misdemeanor, for allegedly harming the eggs of a protected species when he landed at Egmont Key State Park, scattering hundreds of shorebirds after he smelled fuel, according to FOX 13. 

He was also cited for landing a helicopter in a state park and entering a closed area. 

The shorebirds have gathered at the wildlife refuge to breed, according to the FWC. 

CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS BRAZIL’S BELOVED SPIX’S MCCAW FROM ANIMATED ‘RIO’ FILMS

Advertisement

Video shows the pilot allegedly landing at the birds’ nesting area.  (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission courtesy FOX 13)

Cordero told FOX 13 he was afraid that fuel was leaking from the copter, and he chose to land at the island wildlife refuge at the mouth of Tampa Bay, instead of risking a crash. 

FWC investigators said that witnesses reported seeing a woman get out of the helicopter and take photos at the closed nesting site, which contained black skimmers and sandwich terns. Cordero said he was able to check for a leak without getting out of the helicopter. He added that he didn’t radio in an emergency. 

Hubbard’s Marina Capt. Robyn Lela told FOX 13: “It’s their home, and we’re coming to it, and we need to respect that.” 

INVASIVE, 5-FOOT-LONG LIZARD SEEN NEAR ROAD IN FLORIDA, VIDEO SHOWS

Advertisement
Birds at Egmont Key State Park

Birds at Egmont Key State Park in Florida.  (FOX 13)

Cordero was flying a company helicopter owned by CC Landscaping Warehouse Plus, Inc., in Bradenton, Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing Flight Aware. Cordero reportedly owns the company. 

Cordero eventually landed south in Punta Gorda, the Times reported. 

Pelicans at Egmont Key

Pelicans swimming at the Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge.  (Nick Ameen/U.S. Coast Guard via Bloomberg)

“Our seabirds and shorebirds have an intrinsic value, and, a right to exist here on the beach,” Audrey DeRose-Wilson of Audubon Florida told FOX 13. “But if we want to talk about, like the value they give to us, they are indicators of a healthy, functioning ecosystem, which is something that benefits all of us.”

Audubon Florida said that the wind from the helicopter’s blades likely damaged eggs at the nesting site as the pilot landed. 

Advertisement

Cordero is expected back in court on July 1, according to the news station. 

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southeast

Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

Published

on

Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. 

“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote on X Saturday. 

The president-elect has nominated Rubio to be secretary of state. 

“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” Lara Trump added.

TRUMP SAYS HE DOESN’T EXPECT DESANTIS TO NAME DAUGHTER-IN-LAW LARA TRUMP AS RUBIO’S SENATE REPLACEMENT

Advertisement

Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month.

” I have read so many of your kind messages and I cannot thank you enough,” Lara Trump said, adding she has a “big announcement that I’m excited to share in January.”

She said she remains “incredibly passionate about public service and (looks) forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”

The president-elect had previously pressed DeSantis to name Lara as Rubio’s replacement, a source in his political orbit told Fox News Digital, but he later told reporters he didn’t necessarily expect him to select her. 

Advertisement
Marco Rubio at the RNC

The president-elect has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

“That’s his choice,” the president-elect added. 

Rubio’s senate replacement will be appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term. 

In 2026, the seat will be open for a full six-year term. 

Lara Trump with her husband at President-elect Trump's election night party.

Lara Trump is married to President-elect Trump’s son, Eric Trump.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Lara Trump had previously said she was “seriously considering” the position, although she wasn’t sure it was right for her. 

Advertisement

DeSantis previously said he would make an appointment by early January. 

Lara Trump did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southeast

Florida driver hits student with her truck, covers license plate before fleeing, deputies say

Published

on

Florida driver hits student with her truck, covers license plate before fleeing, deputies say

A Florida woman was arrested after she allegedly struck a teenager who was crossing the road with her truck, covered her license plate and sped off.

Sarah Wright, 37, was arrested Thursday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license.

The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Gage Avenue and Noah Street in Deltona, Florida, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was riding his scooter home from Pine Ridge High School when he was struck by a black Chevrolet Silverado as he was using the crosswalk, the sheriff’s office said.

FLORIDA MAN BERATED, PHYSICALLY ABUSED CHILD FOR NEARLY 30 MINUTES OVER MISSING COUCH CUSHION: DEPUTIES

Advertisement

Sarah Wright, 37, is facing charges of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license. (Flagler County Jail)

The teenager fell to the ground, resulting in a serious laceration to the back of his head as well as an arm injury, but he remained alert and conscious after the incident.

A witness reported that she was checking her mailbox nearby when she heard the crash. She told investigators that the suspect, later identified as Wright, exited her truck after the crash and checked on the boy before she went back to her vehicle and covered her license plate with paper and tape.

But the witness still managed to see the first character of her tag. A neighborhood Ring camera also captured the truck fleeing the scene.

Sarah Wright's truck

A witness managed to see the first character on the truck’s tag and a neighborhood Ring camera captured the vehicle fleeing the scene. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)

The victim and the witness were also able to provide a detailed description of the suspect.

Advertisement

Officials were then able to locate a suspect vehicle captured on a nearby License Plate Reader camera within minutes.

Wright was found in Flagler County and taken into custody with assistance from Florida Highway Patrol and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

FLORIDA SHERIFF MOURNS ‘REALLY GREAT’ DEPUTY KILLED DURING TRAFFIC STOP; SUSPECT LATER KILLED

Jail

Sarah Wright was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond. (iStock)

She was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond.

Advertisement

The teenage victim required staples for the laceration and treatment for his arm injury, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southeast

Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

Published

on

Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

A child was hospitalized on Saturday after being hit by a drone that was part of an Orlando, Florida holiday drone show.

According to the Orlando Fire Department, a 7-year-old boy was transported to the hospital because of injuries sustained from the falling drones, FOX 35 in Orlando reported. 

In a video posted online by X user MosquitoCoFl, hundreds of drones being used as part of an aerial light show appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground.

A man could be heard saying to children nearby, “Oh no! I don’t believe they’re supposed to be falling.”

MYSTERY DRONES COULD BE IDENTIFIED FASTER USING NEW DETECTION TOOL, BUT FAA LACKS RESOURCES

Advertisement

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Geese also appear on the water, flapping their wings to try and get out of the way of the chaotic scene.

City officials told the station the holiday drone show was permitted by the FAA.

Still, after one drone show went wrong, the city chose to cancel the second that night at 8 p.m. due to “technical difficulties.”

DRONES SPOTTED ACROSS NORTHEAST LIKELY COMING FROM ‘INSIDE THE US,’ MILITARY EXPERT SAYS

Advertisement
several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (2)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

The FAA told Fox News Digital it will investigate the cause of the drone show malfunction.

“Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over [Eola] Lake in Orlando, Florida,” the FAA said. “The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 21.”

According to the agency, drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver to a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time.

For each drone show application, the FAA looks at things like the software controlling the drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show, procedures if drones fail, and procedures for when an aircraft gets too close to the show.

DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT

Advertisement
several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (1)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Additionally, the FAA reviews how the operator will keep the drones inside a confined area using Geofencing, and whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show.

For the second year, the City of Orlando used Sky Elements Drones as its vendor to operate the drones, the station reported.

Sky Elements Drones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

In a statement to Fox 35, the vendor said, “Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Advertisement

“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the company continued. “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending