Teen Shooting Justified
State Attorneys ruled the killing of a 17-year- old boy by Lakeland police officers was justified. The shooting occurred last December. A surveillance camera recorded the moments when police claim that Michael Taylor drove his car towards them last December. He was shot multiple times.
“This person ignored multiple verbal commands,” Police Chief Larry Giddens said after the incident. “All that suspect had to do was follow those commands and the next 46 seconds wouldn’t have happened and he wouldn’t have lost his life tragically.”
Halloween Saftey
As Halloween approaches, Tampa Bay law enforcement wants to remind parents to be careful around sex offenders.
Tampa Bay law enforcement visited the homes of registered sex offenders today to prepare for Halloween. They went door-to-door to remind offenders to stay inside and away from children tomorrow night. Sex offenders aren’t allowed to pass out candy or decorate their homes. Two thousand predators reside in Hillsborough county.
Law enforcement are urging parents to lookup sex offenders in their neighborhoods by searching the national sex offender registry. Visits are also happening in counties such as Manatee and Polk.
“Lights off and everybody inside that night,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said as he visited the home of a sex offender in 2018.
Homeless Housing
A Pinellas Park Facility opened its doors to help homeless families. It will provide homes to 33 families. The Ranch held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony today. The project received great support from the City of Pinellas Park. It will also include 10 units, specifically, for homeless veterans
One of the residents, Amy Cox, hasn’t had a stable place to live. “I kept praying, and I kept my faith, and this turned out so great,” Cox said.
Crossing Bay Ferry
The Cross-Bay Ferry set sail today for the first time from its new location. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman hosted the event in front of the Tampa Bay Convention Center. This will be the third year that the ferry will provide citizens a new way of travel from Downtown Tampa to St. Petersburg. The ferry will be open to the public starting this Friday. The tickets cost $8 and will run weekly from Wednesday to Sunday.
“The more people become aware of the ferry, the more ridership will increase,” Kriseman said. “We are going to continue to try and market and get the word out, and this year we’re going to encourage hotels in the area to let people know so they’re guests might use the service to visit both sides of the Bay.”
Holiday Hiring
Busch Gardens is hiring over 200 employees for the holiday season. Positions will include food service attendants, park operation hosts, sales clerks and cooks. Applicants can schedule to have an interview online. Employees will also have benefits which include free admission, discounts, a 401K program and tuition reimbursement. Part-time and full-time positions are available.
The holiday event is having live shows, Santa meet-and-greets, the Carol of the Bells light show, holiday-themed food and more.
Credits for Florida Focus
Anchor: Brianna Froncillo
Producer: Sonu Trivedi
Director: Will Polston
Technical Director: Nate Lovely
Audio: Natalie Conkel
Graphics: David Jones
Prompter: Jordan Gaias
Floor Manager: Jeslyn Santiago
Camera Operator: Austin Peet
Reporter: TiAnna Davis, David Jones
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Advisor: Catherine Gugerty, Jeanette Abrahamsen.
