/Christopher Sacco, 35, took the weapon to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.Christopher Sacco was fighting a large fish. Or so he thought. He’d already lost it once and he wasn’t going to lose it again. When he finally reeled in the line, he realized he had the catch of the day.But it wasn’t a fish. Instead, it was an abandoned gun.Sacco, 35, was fishing off the shore of Fort De Soto Park before noon Saturday when he reeled in a Publix plastic bag. Inside the bag was a black revolver, with a rock secured to it by red and white twine.“You’ve got be kidding me,” Sacco said to his friend....…/Christopher Sacco, 35, took the weapon to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.Christopher Sacco was fighting a large fish. Or so he thought. He’d already lost it once and he wasn’t going to lose it again. When he finally reeled in the line, he realized he had the catch of the day.But it wasn’t a fish. Instead, it was an abandoned gun.Sacco, 35, was fishing off the shore of Fort De Soto Park before noon Saturday when he reeled in a Publix plastic bag. Inside the bag was a black revolver, with a rock secured to it by red and white twine.“You’ve got be kidding me,” Sacco said to his friend....WW…

/Under a bill headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida would be the first state to require people to report missing spacecraft parts to police, a lawmaker said.TALLAHASSEE — A warning to Floridians: If a piece of the latest SpaceX rocket falls into your yard, call the police — or else.Under a bill passed by lawmakers Monday, Floridians would face charges for not turning over parts of rockets or other manmade space debris that fall onto their property or wash up on their beach.If you find an object that “reasonably” looks like a space part on your lawn and don’t report it to police, you could be...…/Under a bill headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida would be the first state to require people to report missing spacecraft parts to police, a lawmaker said.TALLAHASSEE — A warning to Floridians: If a piece of the latest SpaceX rocket falls into your yard, call the police — or else.Under a bill passed by lawmakers Monday, Floridians would face charges for not turning over parts of rockets or other manmade space debris that fall onto their property or wash up on their beach.If you find an object that “reasonably” looks like a space part on your lawn and don’t report it to police, you could be...WW…

/A 2003 traffic stop on Alligator Alley sent Dwight Gordon to prison. He challenged the deputies who pulled him over, and won.Dwight Gordon headed west on Alligator Alley to make the weekly drive from his family home in Miami to his kids in Sarasota.It was mid-day, sunny, light traffic, Gordon recalled. His 1988 Cadillac de Ville smelled like cherries from the two red tree-shaped air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.Just before the turn north toward Naples, he passed two Collier County deputies. He made sure he wasn’t speeding. Minutes later, emergency lights flashed behind him.A...…/A 2003 traffic stop on Alligator Alley sent Dwight Gordon to prison. He challenged the deputies who pulled him over, and won.Dwight Gordon headed west on Alligator Alley to make the weekly drive from his family home in Miami to his kids in Sarasota.It was mid-day, sunny, light traffic, Gordon recalled. His 1988 Cadillac de Ville smelled like cherries from the two red tree-shaped air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.Just before the turn north toward Naples, he passed two Collier County deputies. He made sure he wasn’t speeding. Minutes later, emergency lights flashed behind him.A...WW…

/One woman learned she was about to lose her license over six unpaid traffic tickets she received on the same day — but she says she was never pulled over.HIALEAH — Two Hialeah police motorcycle officers surrendered on Wednesday to face allegations they issued dozens of bogus traffic tickets to motorists.Prosecutors charged Ernesto Arias-Martinez, 23, and Armando Perez, 40, with multiple felony counts of official misconduct and falsifying public records. They were being jailed early Wednesday and are expected to post bond later in the day.Perez had been with Hialeah for five years;...…/One woman learned she was about to lose her license over six unpaid traffic tickets she received on the same day — but she says she was never pulled over.HIALEAH — Two Hialeah police motorcycle officers surrendered on Wednesday to face allegations they issued dozens of bogus traffic tickets to motorists.Prosecutors charged Ernesto Arias-Martinez, 23, and Armando Perez, 40, with multiple felony counts of official misconduct and falsifying public records. They were being jailed early Wednesday and are expected to post bond later in the day.Perez had been with Hialeah for five years;...WW…

/What is a shadowy company located atop a bank in Plantation, Florida doing for the Department of Defense?BOSTON — A very strange thing happened on the internet the day President Joe Biden was sworn in. A shadowy company residing at a shared workspace above a Florida bank announced to the world’s computer networks that it was now managing a colossal, previously idle chunk of the internet owned by the U.S. Department of Defense.That real estate has since more than quadrupled to 175 million addresses — about 1/25th the size of the current internet.“It is massive. That is the biggest thing in...…/What is a shadowy company located atop a bank in Plantation, Florida doing for the Department of Defense?BOSTON — A very strange thing happened on the internet the day President Joe Biden was sworn in. A shadowy company residing at a shared workspace above a Florida bank announced to the world’s computer networks that it was now managing a colossal, previously idle chunk of the internet owned by the U.S. Department of Defense.That real estate has since more than quadrupled to 175 million addresses — about 1/25th the size of the current internet.“It is massive. That is the biggest thing in...WW…

|Ruby WakePuerto Ricans voted for statehood; now they are waiting on Congress | ColumnIt’s a shame that politics keeps the will of Puerto Ricans from being realized.We can all agree that in a democratic society, elections should have consequences. Unfortunately, that general rule does not apply to Puerto Rico, whose citizens have voted in favor of statehood for the island three times over the past decade, to no avail. Thankfully, the congressional representative for Puerto Rico, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, took action to honor the voice and vote of the people of Puerto Rico by introducing...…|Ruby WakePuerto Ricans voted for statehood; now they are waiting on Congress | ColumnIt’s a shame that politics keeps the will of Puerto Ricans from being realized.We can all agree that in a democratic society, elections should have consequences. Unfortunately, that general rule does not apply to Puerto Rico, whose citizens have voted in favor of statehood for the island three times over the past decade, to no avail. Thankfully, the congressional representative for Puerto Rico, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, took action to honor the voice and vote of the people of Puerto Rico by introducing...WW…

/Justices found a Constitutional ballot initiative to be “misleading.” TALLAHASSEE — A high-profile effort to legalize marijuana was all but killed by the Florida Supreme Court Thursday.In a , justices ruled a Constitutional ballot initiative by the group Make it Legal Florida to be “misleading.” The ruling came after Attorney General Ashley Moody asked the justices to advise whether the potential Constitutional initiative would be suitable for a future ballot.Make It Legal’s proposal would have left it up to Florida voters to decide whether to allow Floridians older than 21 to possess and...…/Justices found a Constitutional ballot initiative to be “misleading.” TALLAHASSEE — A high-profile effort to legalize marijuana was all but killed by the Florida Supreme Court Thursday.In a , justices ruled a Constitutional ballot initiative by the group Make it Legal Florida to be “misleading.” The ruling came after Attorney General Ashley Moody asked the justices to advise whether the potential Constitutional initiative would be suitable for a future ballot.Make It Legal’s proposal would have left it up to Florida voters to decide whether to allow Floridians older than 21 to possess and...WW…

/Proponents of the bill say it’s a moral imperative to prohibit these abortions, which they liken to “eugenics.”TALLAHASSEE — Most abortion bills are controversial. A bill making its way through the Florida House that would ban “disability abortions” is no exception — particularly for the disability community.But it’s less the “abortion” part of the bill that’s an issue for some in that community. It’s more the “disability” part.The bill, , would ban a doctor from performing an abortion in an instance where they know, or “should know,” a woman is seeking the procedure ”solely on the basis...…/Proponents of the bill say it’s a moral imperative to prohibit these abortions, which they liken to “eugenics.”TALLAHASSEE — Most abortion bills are controversial. A bill making its way through the Florida House that would ban “disability abortions” is no exception — particularly for the disability community.But it’s less the “abortion” part of the bill that’s an issue for some in that community. It’s more the “disability” part.The bill, , would ban a doctor from performing an abortion in an instance where they know, or “should know,” a woman is seeking the procedure ”solely on the basis...WW…

/A state court says officers who injure or kill can keep their names secret if they’re victims of a crime. Agencies are retooling protocols.TAMPA — A Florida court ruling allowing officers to keep their names secret from the public is reverberating across state law enforcement agencies and sparking calls for the Legislature to act.The recent appellate court decision comes as a succession of deadly police encounters nationwide fuels calls for greater transparency. Critics of the ruling include some local law enforcement leaders, who say it takes Florida in the wrong direction and shields...…/A state court says officers who injure or kill can keep their names secret if they’re victims of a crime. Agencies are retooling protocols.TAMPA — A Florida court ruling allowing officers to keep their names secret from the public is reverberating across state law enforcement agencies and sparking calls for the Legislature to act.The recent appellate court decision comes as a succession of deadly police encounters nationwide fuels calls for greater transparency. Critics of the ruling include some local law enforcement leaders, who say it takes Florida in the wrong direction and shields...WW…

/St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and a dive team were called to the scene and found Tabatha Hunter, 33, dead inside the gray 2014 Volkswagen Passat.ST. PETERSBURG — A St. Petersburg woman died after she crashed her car through a fence into Bayou Grande on Tuesday morning, police said.Police received a call at 7:24 a.m. about a vehicle partially submerged in the bayou near 62nd Avenue Northeast and Bayou Grande Boulevard Northeast, east of Shore Acres Elementary School.St. Petersburg fire rescue and a dive team were called to the scene and found Tabatha Anne Hunter, 33, dead inside the gray 2014...…/St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and a dive team were called to the scene and found Tabatha Hunter, 33, dead inside the gray 2014 Volkswagen Passat.ST. PETERSBURG — A St. Petersburg woman died after she crashed her car through a fence into Bayou Grande on Tuesday morning, police said.Police received a call at 7:24 a.m. about a vehicle partially submerged in the bayou near 62nd Avenue Northeast and Bayou Grande Boulevard Northeast, east of Shore Acres Elementary School.St. Petersburg fire rescue and a dive team were called to the scene and found Tabatha Anne Hunter, 33, dead inside the gray 2014...WW…