Left: Self-proclaimed ‘bear trainer’ faces wildlife violations after Kodiak cubs escape in Florida (Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office)
Right: Several killed when plane crashes into Florida home, erupts in flames (Steven Ascari) (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)
The small plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza V-35, went down just after 7 p.m. Thursday in a 55+ community off of U.S. Highway 19, just a couple of miles from the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport.
The fire chief said several homes caught fire though the plane was found “predominantly” in one mobile home.
“I can confirm we have several fatalities both in the aircraft and within the mobile home,” said Fire Chief Scott Ehlers.
He said the FAA stated that the pilot reported an engine failure before the crash.
“The tower over there was able to get a radio transmission from the pilot that he was having a ‘mayday, mayday, mayday’ and the aircraft went off radar,” Ehlers said.
Witnesses say the crash sounded like a huge explosion and many of them rushed out of their homes in fear, not knowing what had happened.
“I just come out because I wanted to get everybody out, but the, the heat was horrible,” one resident said.
A fatal crash on East Highway 40 (Marion County Sheriff's Office)
3 killed in Marion County crash involving stolen sheriff’s office patrol vehicle
Deputies in Marion County are investigating a crash involving a stolen patrol vehicle — killing two innocent people along with the suspect.
Troopers said the deputy got out of his cruiser to confront a 33-year-old woman who was involved in this incident, but she somehow managed to get into the deputy’s vehicle and drive off.
Investigators said she drove away in the stolen cruiser and slammed head-on into a pickup.
The woman in the cruiser was killed in the crash, along with the driver and a passenger in the pickup, according to FHP.
A passenger in the truck was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and may not survive, troopers said.
Two bear cubs found by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office (Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office)
Self-proclaimed ‘bear trainer’ faces wildlife violations after Kodiak cubs escape in Florida
Black bears are no stranger to Florida, but grizzly sightings certainly are rare.
A deputy responded after a man reported seeing the cubs on the road.
Turns out, they’re not just grizzlies. They are Kodiak cubs and were about 3,600 miles from their native home in Alaska.
So how did they get here? According to the sheriff’s office, they escaped an “inadequate” enclosure at the home of a self-proclaimed bear trainer.
That person now is facing fines.
The Constitutional Convention of 1868 was the first to make constitutional provision for a State flag. The Constitution adopted by that convention provided that the Legislature should, as soon as convenient, "adopt a State Emblem having the design of the Great Seal of the State impressed upon a white ground of six feet six inches fly and six feet deep." The Constitution further directed the Legislature, at its first session, to adopt the seal. This was done on August 6, 1868, and completed the design prescribed for the flag.
In the background is the 1985 version of the Great Seal of the State of Florida on the flag. (Florida Memory) (State Archives of Florida)
Random Florida Fact
The Florida State flag didn’t always look like it does now.
The flag used to consist of only a white field with the state seal in the center. In 1900, then-governor Francis P. Fleming advocated for the red diagonal crosses so that the flag wouldn’t look like a white flag of truce if hanging limp on a flagpole.
Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.
Katrina Scales is a senior content producer for News 6 Mornings, News 6 at Noon, News 6 at 4:30 p.m. and for WKMG's numerous digital platforms. She is the voice and producer behind the award-winning podcast "Your Florida Daily". Katrina grew up in Brevard County and began her journalism career in radio before joining News 6 in 2021.
