Southeast
Squatter pirates flushed from vacation spot as authorities crack down on ‘disgusting’ water pollution
Vagrants in South Florida this winter are increasingly moving aboard derelict boats sitting along the coast, in a new squatter “phenomenon” that only surfaced for the local sheriff’s office in the last year, Fox News Digital has learned.
“This is a 2023 epiphany. We have had homeless, vagrant population here in Martin County for quite some time. Not a large one, but we have had people that are transient moving through. And we’ve had the derelict vessel issue. These were two separate problems,” Chief Deputy John Budensiek told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview this week.
“But as our marine deputy started citing, tagging and removing these vessels, they learned last year that a lot of these vessels were inhabited by vagrants,” he continued.
Late last year, local media began reporting on the increases in vagrants moving into derelict boats and how the Martin County Sheriff’s Office was working to remove the boats and squatters, or bring some of the derelict boats up to code. Derelict boats are defined as vessels found in waterways with at least two violations, which can range from not having a motor to leaking fuel. Dumping derelict boats is a state crime that could lead to jail time or fines.
SQUATTER PIRATES IN FLORIDA SETTING UP HOMES ON ABANDONED BOATS
Martin County is located in South Florida on the state’s eastern coast, roughly 40 miles north of Palm Beach. Budensiek explained to Fox News Digital that the area is a hot spot for boaters, fisherman and tourists, with many sail boats traveling from the area to the Bahamas and back.
Beachgoers enjoy the weather on May 4, 2020 in Jensen Beach, Florida, located in Martin County. (Getty images )
“One of the byproducts of having a lot of vessels in our area, is some of these vessels tend to get rundown hard and become inoperable. And because they become an operable, some of these owners will abandon them or they’ll sell them to someone who doesn’t re-register the vessel. Those people in turn, stay on these boats or run these vessels until they are completely unusable. And they sink or they leak fuel, if they have the capacity to carry fuel, or they leak human waste and they become a real danger to us environmentally,” he said.
“Unfortunately with South Florida, vagrants come from the northern communities where it’s cold this time of year down here.”
Though derelict boats have long been an issue in the area, the deputy chief said that in the last year, the number of derelict boats has only increased. He said that as 2023 drew to a close, the sheriff’s office tallied at least 50 boats that were abandoned in the last year, all of them consequently cited by authorities. Twenty-nine of the 50 boats were removed and destroyed, while the remainder were brought into compliance.
FLORIDA POLICE DISMANTLE SQUATTERS’ BOOBY-TRAPPED ‘METH ISLAND’
A derelict boat is shown in this undated file photo beng removed by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Derelict boats have long been an issue in the area, officials say, but squatters and homeless people are increasingly moving into the vessels. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
Budensiek clarified that the individuals squatting on the boats are overwhelmingly not homeless people who are working to find jobs and get off the streets. Instead, they are described by the deputy chief as vagrants, who are often people addicted to drugs, who suffer from mental illness and are not making attempts to get out of squalor.
“The vagrant population as a whole seems to be transient. Unfortunately with South Florida, vagrants come from the northern communities where it’s cold this time of year down here. We get an influx of them and we do our best, but they have rights … to do certain things. So we want them to succeed, but we don’t want them to come and ruin the quality of life for people that are working hard and paying taxes and trying to keep, especially in this case, our waterways safe and clean,” he said.
Differentiating a rundown boat that is in compliance from a derelict boat inhabited by squatters, however, is a difficult task, Budensiek explained.
Martin County’s Jensen Beach, Florida. Aerial view of Jensen Beach Park and the Atlantic Ocean. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“It’s hard to differentiate. There’s a lot of vessels that are functional that people living on, that you and I may not stay on, but they are inhabitable,” he said.
SQUATTERS TURNING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD INTO ‘NIGHTMARE’ AS COPS LEFT ‘HANDCUFFED’: REPORT
The sheriff’s office is on a mission to dispose of the derelict boats, or bring them up to code, and works in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard to test boats anchored outside the area’s water channels to see if they are up to code.
Chief Deputy John Budensiek, of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, speaks to Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital )
“We’re going around and testing these boats that are anchored to just outside of our channels, and testing means going and making sure that their lighting functions, so you can see them at night if you’re trying to move through our waterways,” he said.
One sure-fire tell if a boat is derelict, Budensiek said, is testing if a vessel is leaking sewage into the water.
SQUATTERS TURNING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD INTO ‘NIGHTMARE’ AS COPS LEFT ‘HANDCUFFED’: REPORT
“Really what’s of concern us environmentally is most of them don’t have functional bathrooms. So what we find happening here in our county, we have these vagrants that are squatting on the boats, and using the facilities. And the facilities within the boat are just draining right into our estuaries, right into our ocean and our rivers here,” he said.
“Environmentally, it’s a disgusting problem that we’re dealing with, and we are doing everything we can to identify who these people are, which vessels they are, cite them, remove them and get them off of our beaches, off of our shores,” he said.
Authorities drop dye into suspected derelict boats’ toilets, to see if it leaks into the water, he explained.
“They’re also testing them with dye … They’re running this dye through the toilet system in the boats. And if the dye comes out in the water, then we know that that boat is not sound and is in fact leaking sewage into our estuary,” he said.
Reports of people squatting in homes across the U.S. have increased since the pandemic, including in Florida, though Budensiek said that issue has not affected his community as it has others. Instead, the office is dealing with boat squatters as well as people moving to Martin County in RVs.
SQUATTERS TAKE OVER FLORIDA ‘METH ISLAND,’ BUILD ELABORATE TREE HOUSE AND INSTALL TRAMPOLINE
“We have not, we’ve only had a few cases of that,” he said when asked if typical squatting issues on land have increased in recent months.”But what we have had here is individuals coming into our county with RVs. Again, it’s kind of the same thing we’re dealing with with these vessels, where they stay in the RV until the RV is not functional anymore. Then they leave it on the side of the road,” he said, adding that squatters taking over derelict boats is a “new phenomenon.”
Removing and destroying the derelict boats comes at a hefty price: anywhere between $7,000 and $40,000. The funds paying for the removals aren’t taken from the resident’s tax base, but from boater registration fees, Budensiek said. A portion of boater registration fees is set aside explicitly for the purpose of removing derelict boats “in order to make our waterways an appealing place for our residents and people that come here to enjoy our waterways,” he said.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on derelict boats. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
Budensiek said that his office is working with state agencies and the Coast Guard to identify and ensure derelict boats are removed or brought up to code, highlighting that local authorities are committed to making Martin County “a safer and more beautiful place to boat.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS
“They use our local ordinances to combat the issue that we’re having. We don’t do it alone. We do it with our state resources, DEP, the Department of Environmental protection, they help us with some of these environmental issues. The Coast Guard is always available to come beside us. So we’re working locally, on the state level, and then on the federal level to combat this issue and make our community a safer and more beautiful place to boat,” he said.
Read the full article from Here
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
NEBRASKA TEACHER ALLEGEDLY OFFERED TO ‘SHARE’ BOYFRIEND WITH STUDENT IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASE
Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
VIRGINIA BOYS NOTCH COURT WIN AFTER BEING LABELED ‘SEXUAL HARASSERS’ OVER TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM COMPLAINT
A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT FORCES STUDENTS TO HIDE BIBLES IN BACKPACKS, LAWSUIT ALLEGES
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Guy Fieri once had ‘nothing else to sign’ on the beach but postcards; now, he’s built a food TV empire
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
MIAMI BEACH – Twenty years ago, a contestant named Guy Fieri on the second season of what was then “The Next Food Network Star” showed up at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival with little more than spiked hair and ambition.
“He came to that festival that year and was walking around signing postcards because he had nothing else to sign,” recalled Lee Brian Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and its New York City counterpart.
Today, Fieri is one of the most recognizable faces in food on television. But, in 2006, he was just another up-and-comer working a crowd on the sand.
Speaking to “Fox & Friends” from Miami Beach, Florida, Friday morning, Fieri said he wasn’t chasing TV fame.
“I was doing what I wanted to do,” he told Steve Doocy while walking the beach. “I wanted to be a great dad. I wanted to be a great husband. I wanted to be a chef. I wanted to own my own restaurant. So, I had accomplished the things I wanted in life and never really saw the other side of it.”
South Beach Wine & Food Festival founder Lee Brian Schrager and celebrity chef Guy Fieri pose for a photograph back in 2009. (South Beach Wine & Food Festival)
Two decades later, Fieri still comes back.
“He’s been part of our festival every year since he won ‘Food Network Star,’” Schrager told Fox News Digital.
The knack for spotting and elevating talent is part of the festival’s legacy as it marks its 25th year in Miami Beach.
GORDON RAMSAY SLAMS ‘STUPID’ OZEMPIC-INSPIRED RESTAURANT MENU TREND
Schrager recalled a similar instinct with Giada De Laurentiis. When her agent suggested she might be ready the following year, Schrager pushed back.
“I said, ‘I don’t want her next year. I want her this year so she’ll remember where she got her big start,’” Schrager said.
Giada De Laurentiis, pictured here in 2015, was another celebrity chef who got her start at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)
Yet the festival doesn’t claim to have created celebrity chefs.
“We don’t take responsibility for turning anyone into a superstar,” Schrager told Fox News Digital. “We do take some credit for giving them a platform and putting them in front of their fans.”
“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars.”
Over the past 20 years, the platform has grown alongside the broader transformation of food culture.
“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars,” Schrager said.
OZEMPIC BOOM COLLIDES WITH AMERICA’S EATING HABITS AS RESTAURANTS SHRINK PORTIONS
What began as a one-day wine event on the campus of Florida International University evolved after Schrager was tasked with reimagining it. His directive was to “make it better — not bigger, but better.”
Schrager had a solution.
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is where chefs like Fieri “became rock stars,” said Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
“Move it to the beach, partner with the Food Network, get all their celebrities and make it more than just local,” Schrager said.
Today, the festival draws marquee names from the culinary world as well as from music and entertainment. Among those who showed up for Thursday night’s Burger Bash event were comedian Bert Kreischer and Cloud 23 hot sauce founder Brooklyn Peltz Beckham.
Chefs don’t get paid for appearances at the festival.
“If it’s somebody new, the first question out of their agent’s mouth is, ‘Oh, what’s the honorarium? What’s the fee?’ I’m like, ‘Zero,’” Schrager said.
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham is among the celebrities to attend the food festival for free. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
The model works, Schrager said, because the festival operates as a nonprofit benefiting FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
“Everyone’s doing it to support the cause, or they’re doing it because they want to do it,” Schrager said. “It’s not a bad place to be in the middle of winter.”
Schrager, left, appears along with Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
The festival has raised more than $50 million for student scholarships.
“To me, that’s why we do it,” Schrager said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
“We listened to the consumers,” Schrager said.
Fieri, left, and a shirtless Bert Kreischer share a moment onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
“There was never any ego involved in this festival.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
He added, “Our goal was never to be the biggest.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It happens that we turned out to be the biggest, but being the best, or at least doing our best, has always been the most important to me.”
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
Video: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghanistan
Video: The Web of Companies Owned by Elon Musk
Baz Luhrmann will make you fall in love with Elvis Presley
Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show
State Dept authorizes non-essential US Embassy personnel in Jerusalem to depart ahead of possible Iran strikes
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
Has India’s influence in Afghanistan grown under the Taliban?
Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links
Read Judge Schiltz’s Order
Vulnerable House Dem lashes out at Trump’s ‘racist’ SOTU challenge: ‘That was uncomfortable’
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana4 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making