Florida couple charged in $5.8 million COVID relief fraud
April 6, 2021
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DAVENPORT, Fla. (AP) A Florida couple accused of COVID relief fraud filed dozens of false loan applications that totaled nearly $6 million, prosecutors said.
Julio Lugo, 44, and Rosenide Venant, 37, used some of the $5.8 million to pay off a luxury vehicle, and spent over $62,000 at casinos, according to the U.S. Attorney s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Lugo also posted a Facebook video showing “a hotel room littered with $100 bills and at least $5,000 in merchandise from Louis Vuitton,” officials said in a news release on Friday. The money was obtained illegally from the Small Business Administration.
Moment of Silence bill moves through Florida Legislature
Moment of Silence bill moves through Florida Legislature
HOPE DEAN of Fresh Take Florida news service, Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida
April 5, 2021
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida’s Legislature is on the verge of requiring public schools across the state to set aside one to two minutes of silence every morning, adding to the mix of school announcements, the Pledge of Allegiance and roll calls.
The House passed HB 529 last month on a 94-24 vote, and a similar bill is making its way through the Senate. In the House, the 24 opponents included 23 Democrats plus Republican Rep. Linda Chaney of St. Petersburg.
Gaetz says he won t resign over false sex allegations
ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
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1of3FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2021, file photo, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.,, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla.John Raoux/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., gives his opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington.Patrick Semansky/APShow MoreShow Less
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WASHINGTON (AP) Rep. Matt Gaetz said Monday he will not leave Congress and denied that he “slept with” an underage girl, suggesting that accusations against him by political foes stem from anger that he “loathes the swamp.”
University of Florida opens vaccine site at football stadium
April 5, 2021
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Starting Monday, any adult in Florida is eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
In addition, the state announced that teens ages 16 and 17 can also get the vaccine with parental permission.
In an effort to get students inoculated, the University of Florida s Athletics Department is working with UF Health and the local health department to administer the vaccine at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. University and health officials plan to inoculate up to 5,000 people, starting at 11 a.m. Monday.
Officials hope to meet a goal of vaccinating 20,000 per week, a news release said.
Man arrested after refusing temp check on $15K Disney trip
April 5, 2021
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) A Louisiana man who said he spent $15,000 on a Disney World vacation learned to his misfortune that the “the most magical place on Earth” has very real rules to maintain public health during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kelly Sills, 47, of Baton Rouge, was arrested on Feb. 13 after he refused to get his temperature checked at a Disney Springs restaurant, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told news outlets. He later pleaded not guilty to trespassing.
An arrest report said Sills skipped the restaurant s temperature screening tent, refused to go back to be tested and wouldn t leave the property once asked to by Disney and the deputies.