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Alligator bites girl in shallow lake waters at Florida park

alligators

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say an alligator bit a 10-year-old girl on the leg as she sat in shallow water in a lake at a park.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Chad Weber said the girl was with her family at Moss Park in Orange County when she was bitten Saturday.

Weber told the Orlando Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2pnpBUX ) the girl was sitting in water roughly 2 feet deep when the 8-foot-9-inch gator bit her on her knee and calf.

Weber said the girl suffered puncture wounds that didn’t appear to be life-threatening. Her family took her to a hospital for treatment. Authorities trapped the alligator.

Orange County Parks and Recreation manager Matt Suedmeyer said the park’s waterfront areas were closed to swimmers for safety until further notice.


Police: Gun, drug arrests down for spring break in Panhandle

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida Panhandle authorities say gun and drug arrests during spring break dropped significantly compared with the years before drinking on the beach was banned.

Panama City Beach Mayor Mike Thomas told The News Herald (http://bit.ly/2pjz2Ek ) that spring break visitors weren’t involved in five shootings investigated in March and April.

According to police and Bay County Sheriff’s Office data, the number of drug arrests and guns confiscated this year was about half what it was in 2015. Authorities made 176 beach alcohol arrests under an ordinance first enforced in 2016.

Police Chief Drew Whitman told the newspaper (http://bit.ly/2qP3x6L ) that smaller crowds allowed officers to respond to more investigations, traffic stops and other calls for service.

Some business owners have complained the beach drinking ban has chased away customers and resulted in lower hotel room rates.


Police: 1 fatally shot by Florida officer at car show

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a man was fatally shot by a Florida police officer working off-duty at a car show.

Tarpon Springs Police Maj. Jeffrey Young said visitors attending the show Saturday, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Tampa, alerted the officer to a suspicious man riding his bicycle nearby.

Young said the officer stopped the man and he initially gave the officer a fake name before providing another name, which the officer repeated over the radio.

Young said the officer’s radio then went silent until he said, “Shots fired,” three times.

According to Young, the officer then said over the radio that the suspect “came at me with a knife.”

The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. The officer was not injured.

Neither the officer nor the suspect was identified. Young said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate

James Williams: Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.
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