MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Miami-Dade County has agreed to pay a record $4 million for the care of a girl whose spinal cord was severed in a crash with a police cruiser.

A judge sentenced a former South Florida police lieutenant to life in prison for molesting two young girls who are now in their 20s.

The Ultra Music Festival will call Bayfront Park “home” every March for the next five years. Ultra signing a new deal to keep the festival where it is until 2027.

A small plane has crashed on a bridge near Miami, striking an SUV and bursting into flames.

Police have made another arrest over the balloon-popping incident in Biscayne Bay.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that eliminates special districts created before 1968, including Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed four bills between Leon and Miami-Dade counties.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County has declared a crisis in South Florida when it comes to housing affordability.

Taxes weren't collected on about 60% of all unemployment benefits issued in 2021. Recipients may owe money or get a smaller refund this tax season.

Gunfire on a Miami Beach street crowded with spring breakers has left three people wounded.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who served as Florida’s Republican governor from 2007-11, has emerged as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary based on recent polls and campaign dollars raised.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Friday that Florida has passed the mark of 1 million registered recreational vessels.

The mayor of the South Florida town where 98 people died in a beachfront condominium collapse last summer has been voted out of office. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett came in third in Tuesday's election, according to uncertified results from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department. Business owner Shlomo Danzinger won the race with 499 votes, followed by Vice Mayor Tina Paul with 476 votes and Burkett with 466.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced $289 million for programs he said were meant to promote student achievement and to close learning gaps in Florida schools.

Residents of a small South Florida town where a beachfront condominium building collapsed last summer killing 98 people voted their mayor out of office on Tuesday.

Florida voters in 2022 will decide if Gov. DeSantis will stay in office, who should run the Florida Legislature, who should represent them in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, all the way down to county commissioner and school board member.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a missing child alert for 10-year-old Jerman Octelus from Miami-Dade County.

Signatures of some voters in apartment buildings and high-rise towers in South Florida whose registration was changed to Republican appeared noticeably different than on paperwork...

The option to take a high-speed train from Orlando to Miami will soon become a reality.

An argument in the checkout line of a South Florida grocery store escalated into a fatal shooting.

Ten Cuban migrants in a sinking vessel were rescued off the Florida coast.

FacebookA Florida real estate agent with a soft spot for cryptocurrency has been formally charged with murder in the nighttime killings of two homeless men in Miami, the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Daily Beast.Willy Suarez Maceo, 25, is suspected of fatally shooting 56-year-old Jerome Antonio Price five times on Dec. 21, 2021, as he slept on a sidewalk in Miami’s Wynwood district. Hours earlier, Maceo allegedly shot another homeless man sleeping in the area. The un

A Florida man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for distributing Islamic terrorist propaganda videos online.

Commissioners in Florida's Miami-Dade County have given a nonprofit the green light to issue IDs for immigrants who are in the country illegally and others who don't have identification.

Commissioners in Florida's Miami-Dade County have given a nonprofit the green light to issue IDs for immigrants who are in the country illegally and others who don’t have identification. The plan proposed by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava passed by a 7-2 vote Tuesday. Supporters note that immigrants often struggle to gain access to their children’s schools or to coronavirus tests and vaccines.

Peacocks could soon be on the outs in some Miami-Dade neighborhoods after the county commission agreed to loosen a law protecting the birds.

Florida man accused of attacking victim with machete, biting his face Demetrick "Psych" Sanders, 45, is facing attempted murder and armed robbery charges in the incident, which occurred in the West Little River area of Miami-Dade County. (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation)MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man is behind bars after authorities said he attacked another man with a broomstick and machete, bit his face and robbed him. After the victim said no, Sanders used a broomstick to attack him before slicing him with a machete, the affidavit said. The victim sought help at a 79th Street gas station and was treated at a nearby hospital, WPLG reported. One week later, the victim again spotted Sanders at the supermarket and alerted police, the news outlets reported.

Waste collection departments are experiencing higher than normal employee absences due to the COVID-19 surge.

Waste collection departments are experiencing higher than normal employee absences due to the COVID-19 surge.

The president of Florida International University has resigned after working at the South Florida school for about 45 years.

A Haitian-Chilean businessman considered a key suspect in the killing of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse has appeared in U.S. federal court and was accused of providing weapons to former Colombian soldiers charged with fatally shooting the country’s leader.

A Miami-Dade County police sergeant shot and critically wounded a 15-year-old early after the boy allegedly drew a gun on the officer during a chase.

Rapper killed: Rapper Wavy Navy Pooh, shown performing in Atlanta during a July 2021 concert in Atlanta, was killed Friday night. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)MIAMI — A Miami rapper was fatally shot Friday night while he was driving a vehicle, according to media outlets in South Florida. >> Read more trending newsWavy Navy Pooh was ambushed in the West Kendall area of Miami-Dade County, the Miami Herald reported, citing “multiple law-enforcement sources.” The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shandler Beaubien, was gunned down near Zoo Miami, according to the newspaper. BREAKING: Miami rapper Wavy Navy Pooh shot to death while driving near Zoo Miami. Police believe the gunman was inside a gray, four-door Lexus that pulled up next to the Camry, the Herald reported.

An average of more than 550,000 Americans are testing positive every day, about 10% of them are in Florida

Districts that have opted for virtual learning this winter are firmly in the minority right now. Only about 100 of the nation's over 13,000 school districts are opting for virtual learning this winter despite surging case numbers.

Mask requirements are returning in some school districts that had dropped them.

MIAMI — (AP) — Florida is seeing a sharp rise in coronavirus infections as the omicron variant rages through the state. READ: Central Florida hospitals beginning to feel omicron surgeThe new CDC estimate raises the 7-day average in Florida to more than 36,400 new cases. WATCH: Here’s where you can find COVID-19 testing in Central FloridaGov. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department says Florida hospitals were treating about 4,000 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, compared to 3,400 the previous day. READ: Do at-home COVID-19 tests detect omicron variant accurately?

Florida is seeing a sharp rise in coronavirus infections as the omicron variant rages through the state.

The University of Miami will start the spring semester with remote-only classes amid surging cases of COVID-19 in South Florida.

Officials say a South Florida 46-year-old man walked into a police station and confessed to killing his wife.

As South Florida home prices spiked during the pandemic, some people decided to put their home shopping on pause in the hopes that prices might drop, a decision they are coming to regret.

Genomic surveillance data shows omicron has overtaken the delta variant in Miami-Dade County as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in just a matter of weeks.

Of the 33 law enforcement officers in South Florida who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past two years, three were killed by gunfire, one died in a car crash and another lost his life to a work-related injury.

With the omicron variant looming, the mayor of Miami-Dade County has reinstated an emergency order requiring hospitals to report the numbers of COVID-19 cases treated each day and the availability of hospital beds.

MIAMI — A former deputy clerk in South Florida is accused of stealing more than $109,000 in court filing fees over a two-year period, authorities said. Since 2007, Smith had worked as a deputy clerk in the section of Miami-Dade’s family court where people file new lawsuits and complaints, the Miami Herald reported. But in over 200 cases, investigators believe, that money actually wound up in the pockets of a longtime court clerk, authorities said Monday. https://t.co/5in6lUiAcq — Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) December 13, 2021Smith resigned on June 4, 2018, after supervisors began auditing mission cash, according to WTVJ. According to an audit by the Miami-Dade Inspector General’s Office, Smith processed 201 cases where filing fees were never filed.

A federal jury in Miami has convicted a man of kidnapping the plastic surgeon who had treated his wife and torturing him with a blow torch to get money from him.

The superintendent for Miami-Dade County schools is being knighted by Spain for his work in expanding Spanish-language programs.

Semmie Lee Williams Jr. was arrested Wednesday and was taken into custody in Miami on a first-degree murder charge for the killing of Ryan Rogers, 14.

Police say a 15-year-old South Florida girl may have been kidnapped and taken to North Carolina by someone she met in an online video game.

Police say officers responding to a call about vehicle thefts in South Florida fatally shot one of the suspects.

Authorities have taken into custody a 26-year-old man who apparently stowed away in the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines fight that arrived at Miami International Airport.

Arrested: Ricky Williams is accused of robbing a woman and striking her with a sock filled with "rocks or hard objects." (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation)MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of striking a woman with a sock full of rocks to steal her purse Monday, authorities said. >> Read more trending newsRicky Williams, 28, was arrested early Tuesday and charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery, according to Miami-Dade County online booking records. The woman told police she was waiting for an Uber driver at about 4:45 p.m. EST, WPLG reported. With the help of surveillance video, police were able to identify Williams and arrested him Tuesday, WPLG reported.

A 23-year-old woman called her former high school teacher a “monster,” cursed at him and then clapped as he was handcuffed and led from a Miami-Dade courtroom.

A new lawsuit contends that construction of a luxury building next door triggered the collapse of an already fragile Florida condominium that killed 98 people in June.

Twenty-five years ago, a man feeding ducks with his nephew spotted a cardboard box wrapped in rope and duct tape floating down a Miami Lakes canal. Thinking it might be something valuable, they corralled the box, opened it and were immediately met with the smell of rotting flesh.

A South Florida teenager died in police custody after he was arrested for a carjacking and leading police officers on a chase.

Miami-Dade Police use reward cards to solve child homicides.

Florida’s largest school district is dropping all mask mandates.

The Florida Department of Health is hosting two free COVID-19 vaccination events at middle schools across Lake County.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was caught on camera saving a choking toddler on Interstate-95 in Miami-Dade County this month.

When Loretta Bruno got dropped off at the bus stop near her Florida City home in Tuesday morning darkness, the friend driving Bruno saw one of her children come out of the bushes behind the bus stop.

A John I. Smith K-8 Center teacher was charged with having an inappropriate relationship and sex with a 15-year-old former student of hers, police say — becoming the third teacher in Miami-Dade County arrested for similar charges this month.

Frank Pichel was arrested early Friday on a felony charge of impersonating a police officer after the 59-year-old mayoral candidate allegedly flashed a badge and claimed to be an active deputy in Key Largo, Fla., according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

A South Florida man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that killed three people and injured 20 others outside a banquet hall earlier this year.

A hearing was held Thursday morning to discuss several topics surrounding the aftermath of the Surfside condominium collapse.

They're specially trained to detect and alert officials of any potentially infected travelers before they board.

"It's a tremendous loss," said one education official of the death of a 30-year teacher.

Florida is reporting its deadliest peak since the pandemic began, surpassing previous coronavirus surges in the state.

We have seen a series of meltdowns at Florida airports in the past few months, but the latest at Miami International got physical. The confrontation happened Friday night at the American Airlines gate.

The Miami-Dade County school district on Wednesday joined Alachua and Broward counties in mandating students wear masks in schools, with exceptions only for medical reasons....

Miami mask mandate By a 7-1 vote, the Miami-Dade School Board approved a mandatory mask rule, which goes into effect when schools open on Monday. The decision comes days before Florida’s largest school district begins classes on Monday, WPLG reported. Before the vote, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the State Board of Education that he was prepared to defy Gov. The State Board of Education ruled that the Broward district violated a state rule that gives parents the option of having their children opt out of masks, the newspaper reported. The mask rule in Miami-Dade applies to all indoor areas and school buses, according to the Herald.

The decision comes one day after education officials in the state voted to investigate and possibly punish two counties that have flouted the ban.

Anyone who is planning to get an antigen rapid test at a Miami-Dade County-run testing site will now also be required to get a PCR test, which is more accurate in detecting early COVID infections but takes slightly longer to process results.

"My grandfather just comes in the house screaming, 'We have to leave immediately," one resident said.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, that aired on Sunday, August 8, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

Masks will be required at all indoor county facilities in Miami-Dade County, and all of Orange County's 4,200 non-unionized county employees must be fully vaccinated by end September.

Following the newest CDC guidance, Miami-Dade County is requiring masks to be worn by employees and visitors inside all county facilities — vaccinated or not.

The final victim of the condo building collapse in Florida has been identified, a relative said Monday, more than a month after the middle-of-the-night catastrophe that ultimately claimed 98 lives.

Miami-Dade County has identified the final known victim of the Surfside condominium collapse, capping more than a month of recovering bodies and remains of the missing from the rubble of the Champlain Towers South complex.

The last victim of the June 24 condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., has been identified, a relative confirmed Monday to the Associated Press. The latest: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed at a press conference Monday afternoon that 98 people died in the condo collapse, and all have been identified.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free"All 97 persons for whom we had missing persons reports have been recovered,

The family of Estelle Hedaya say they have confirmation she is the 98th victim of the Surfside disaster.

Residents of a condo building in Coral Gables have been told they will no longer need to evacuate their homes after emergency measures were taken over the weekend to address fears of structural concerns in the underground parking garage.

The mural is almost done now.

If you asked Miami hoteliers in January what 2021 would have in store for the city’s hospitality industry, likely none would have predicted they’d be charging higher rates for rooms than ever before.

Miami-Dade County is escalating coronavirus prevention, opening five new mobile vaccine and testing sites as COVID-19 case numbers reach levels not seen since the height of the pandemic.

Florida Democrats can’t stop losing.

Miami-Dade County announced on Friday that fire rescue crews who have been at the site of the Surfside condo collapse since the night of the tragedy will be handing over the remainder of the recovery effort to Miami-Dade Police.

The city of Aventura could soon become the first in Florida to require that condo associations hand over any engineering, architectural, and life-safety reports they conduct to the city.

Firefighters have ended their mission in clearing debris from the collapsed Surfside condo building Friday, officials said, while police and forensic specialists continue their work to identify human remains in the disaster. Miami Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told The Associated Press that the fire department’s role in recovering remains at the collapsed Surfside condominium has finished. The disaster site in Surfside is empty now, but it remains a challenge for local officials.

Some people are looking to get tested in South Florida, either because they were exposed to the virus or because they’re planning to travel. Others are trying to get a vaccine.

After the collapse that killed 97 people, a new rule requires buildings are cleared by an engineer or vacated if they are overdue for recertification.

With almost all of the debris removed from the Surfside condo collapse, the oceanfront town expects Collins Avenue to reopen soon around the site of the former Champlain Towers South complex. That’s caused another worry: can the hollowed-out condominium site still support the adjoining road?

Miami-Dade County's Unsafe Structure's Board is under pressure to speed up the process for reviewing problematic structures following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South a month ago. Before the tower collapsed June 24, the county board already had a backlog of 1,000 unsafe-structure cases, the Miami Herald reported. If a building can't get an engineer's endorsement that quickly, residents would have to be evacuated, Spencer Errickson, supervisor of the county's Unsafe Structures division, said at a meeting Wednesday.

A national report compared 53 metro areas in the country.

New indictments in a $78 million pharmaceutical diversion case show the large scope of the scheme

Miami-Dade County police on Saturday announced that one more victim in the Surfside condo collapse has been identified. Authorities have identified 95 victims who lost their lives in the disaster.

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, Miami-Dade County will be offering vaccines at three new locations.

Crestview Towers, the condominium tower that the city of North Miami Beach shut down and evacuated due to structural concerns about the building’s safety, has amassed 39 code violations, including failing to have a working fire alarm system.

Efforts to recover human remains from the debris of a South Florida condominium are nearing an end.

Authorities searching for victims of a deadly collapse in Florida say they hope to conclude their painstaking work in the coming weeks as a team of first responders from Israel departed the site.