Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS MONDAY IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Miami-Dade County voters will be able to cast their ballots at 25 early voting sites. The early voting continues through Nov. 2. Voters can cast a ballot at any early voting site during the early voting period. Wait times for all 25 early voting sites will be posted on the elections department website throughout the day.
MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING FOUR, LEAVING THEIR BODIES IN A FIELD WILL BE ARRAIGNED
Adam Matos is expected to appear in court Monday morning in Pasco County. He is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, her parents and her new boyfriend and leaving their bodies in late August. An arrest report says Matos took his 4-year-old son from the home after the killings. He and the unharmed boy were found at a Tampa hotel Sept. 4 after a manhunt.
BROKER IS THE LATEST TO PLEAD GUILTY IN $1.2 BILLION PONZI SCHEME OPERATED BY SCOTT ROTHSTEIN
Richard Pearson of Miami pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud conspiracy. Pearson faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 9. Court documents show Pearson acted as a broker for investments in some phony legal settlements peddled by Rothstein, a former lawyer. In return, investors paid Pearson a sales commission. One such group of investors agreed in 2009 to put their money in five of Rothstein’s purported legal settlements. That group wound up losing about $2.4 million. Rothstein is serving a 50-year prison sentence for running the scheme.
MEMORIAL PLANNED THIS WEEK FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA WOMAN AND HER TWO CHILDREN, WHO WERE REPORTED MISSING A YEAR AGO
Yessenia Suarez and her children Thalia and Michael were reported missing Oct. 23, 2013. Authorities say they are presumed dead, and their bodies have not been recovered. A candlelight memorial will be held Wednesday evening at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Deltona. Luis Toledo, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Suarez, his wife. He’s also charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the children.
TOURISM BOOMING IN TAMPA BAY AREA, ACROSS FLORIDA
Tourism is booming in the Tampa Bay area and across the entire Sunshine State. For the third straight year, tourists have been arriving in droves on both sides of Tampa Bay. Officials say that with a month left in the accounting year, Pinellas County has already surpassed last year’s $31 million record for the 5 percent tax collected on hotel stays. And Hillsborough County has broken a pre-recession high-water mark, with an annual record of $23.7 million. Florida is enjoying an uptick in tourism across the state. The state’s tourism arm Visit Florida is using its $74 million budget to broaden its marketing.
