Latest news with #Floridians
Motor 1
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
‘That's Exactly Why:' Florida Driver Gets Stuck Behind Toyota That Won't Turn on Green Light. She Says It's an Insurance Scam
A Florida driver believes she captured footage of a commuter attempting to embroil her in a car accident scam. Snooks ( @babysnooks ) posted a TikTok showing footage of the purported hoax. Numerous commenters agreed with her evaluation of the incident. They believe the driver was, in fact, trying to ensnare her into a staged collision. Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Snooks's video begins with her at a stop behind a metallic brown Toyota RAV4. The rear of the vehicle has sustained some visible impact, as its hatch is crumpled inward. Although the light is green, the RAV4 remains motionless, its right turn signal blinking intermittently. She writes in a text overlay of her video, 'In case you wonder what it's like driving in Tampa.' She isn't just calling out poor driving habits. Snooks believes she caught the RAV4 driver attempting to frame her for an accident. 'Here's another insurance scam,' she pens. She honks at the car, but it remains motionless. After sounding her horn several times, she leans on the steering wheel, emitting a constant stream of noise at the RAV4. She can be heard laughing as she continues to record. 'I don't care,' Snooks says as her video comes to a close. Her TikTok has accrued over 708,000 views as of this writing. Florida: Scam Central Gulf Live reported in October 2024 that the Sunshine State is a hotbed for con jobs. The outlet cited statistics gathered by Investor Loss Center , which placed the state as 'the country's ultimate frontier of fraud.' Trending Now 'Her Insurance Card Is on Her Phone:' Range Rover Driver Gets Rear-Ended. Then the Person Tries to 'Gaslight' Her Over Damage Texas Woman Gets Scammed Out of $30,000 During Facebook Marketplace Truck Purchase. Here's What She Overlooked According to data, there were 1,020 reports of scams for every 100,000 residents. The most common cases of fraudulent activity were rooted in what the website referred to as 'impostor' scams. There are other types of dubious claims made by Floridians as well. Florida Daily writes that the area has only seen a rise in 'staged accidents' throughout 2024, too. Mike Friedlander, a rep for the Insurance Information Institute, told the outlet that 'unscrupulous actors are increasingly capitalizing on busy roadways.' He added that they're staging 'collisions and cash in on insurance payouts, particularly in high-traffic states.' These false reports aren't just affecting insurance companies. They're impacting drivers as well. Friedlander purportedly said consumers are paying between $100 and $300 extra in annual premiums due to such scams. The same article said that Florida's increase in auto insurance fraud and subsequent premium upticks are second only to New York and California. Florida Daily quoted Friedlander as saying that multiple entities often work together in order to extricate money from insurance companies and the drivers they cover. 'These criminals are also working in collaboration with unscrupulous medical professionals,' Friedlander remarked. He said injury clinics and attorneys are often in on the con. He said these fraudulent reports amount to expenditures of around $20 billion every year. Common Collision Scams The Department of Motor Vehicles posted a list of staged accidents that con artists routinely try to lure unsuspecting drivers into. One known as the 'swoop and stop' involves multiple vehicles. 'A car will suddenly pull in front of yours and stop,' the DMV writes. 'Another vehicle will simultaneously pull up alongside your car, preventing you from swerving to avoid an accident.' The DMV also says people will brake-check drivers behind them in an attempt to get rear-ended. Scammers may also try to T-Bone your car at an intersection while phony witnesses known as "shady helpers" are in the area, the DMV reports. These witnesses will pretend to be helpers and report to officers that you were the one at fault for the accident. The DMV additionally writes that sometimes drivers will wait in front of you and then wave you around. Then, when you attempt to pass them in the same lane, they accelerate. When the cops show up, the driver will deny ever waving you ahead and try to pin the accident on you, the DMV warns. The DMV suggests immediately notifying the police in the event of an accident and gathering as much information about the other driver, damage, and conditions. Get their driver's license number, vehicle registration info, car insurance provider, and name, address, and phone number. It may be a good idea to get their general height, weight, and ethnicity. And take pictures of the damage on both vehicles along with multiple angles of the scene. The DMV further recommends never settling accidents outside of insurance. 'Don't ever settle on site with cash; always report the accident to your car insurance company, and let them know if you suspect a scam,' it writes. Experts advise that one of the best tools for combatting insurance scams is a dashboard camera, particularly one that records multiple angles. If you have to go to court to dispute false claims made by a scammer, video and audio can provide potentially indisputable evidence to counter their lies. Capitalizing on Road Rage Numerous folks who responded to Snooks' video believed the driver in front of her was indeed attempting insurance fraud. 'That's exactly why their car looks like that,' one TikToker penned. Another wrote, 'Yall must not live in bigger cities here in Florida. This is 1000% someone trying to rage bait people behind them to then possibly get money from their insurance. Very common.' Someone else who said they also live in Tampa relayed that this type of behavior is par for the course for accident scammers. 'If you aren't from Tampa you don't get an opinion,' they said. 'That is an insurance scam and it's clear. No one knows how to [expletive] drive here.' This TikToker echoed the aforementioned sentiment, penning, 'If you live in Tampa and don't drive with a dash cam you're risking it.' Motor1 has reached out to Snooks via TikTok comment for further information. We'll update this article if she responds. More From Motor1 'Instead of Paying $300:' Woman Buys Toyota. Then She Buys Keyfob for $12 Off Amazon and Programs It Herself 'Quick Sue the Sun:' Toyota RAV4 Driver Parks Car in Front of House. Then It Starts Melting Insurers uncover 300 false claims every day as motor scams increase 'I've Never Heard of This:' Customer Rents Tesla in Florida. Then Hertz Worker Says Something Shocking About Electric Vehicles Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan, a polarizing wrestling star, always belonged to Tampa Bay
Like Bigfoot in a bandana, Hulk Hogan was the stuff of Tampa Bay legend. Locals traded stories of seeing the WWE hall of famer around town, locking eyes with him over the eggs at Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater or spotting his glistening blonde mustache as he zipped across a causeway in a convertible. Fans — of both wrestling and celebrity gossip — rushed to ogle Hogan slinging cans of his Real American Beer at Doc Ford's in St. Petersburg in 2024. When a teenager flipped her car on the Veteran's Expressway later in the year, two men pulled over, stabbed her airbags with a ballpoint pen and dragged her from the wreckage. One of them was Hogan. Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday morning in Clearwater, according to city officials. He was 71. To some, Hogan was a campy cartoon superhero come to life. He sprung off television screens to T-shirts and action figures and lunch boxes, so popular in the 1980s and '90s that Make-A-Wish sent him to visit 20 sick kids per week. To others, he was a polarizing figure known for his vaccine denialism and his racial slurs caught on tape. He dabbled in politics, hopping onstage at Madison Square Garden in October in a feather boa to cheer for Donald Trump with a throaty 'Let's win this, brother!' Through it all, Hogan always belonged to Tampa Bay. 'He made his home here for so many years. He was a local celebrity for so many years,' said Barry Rose, who archives professional wrestling history in Florida. 'He was always portrayed as a kind of Florida guy.' A very Tampa childhood Like many Floridians, Hogan was born somewhere else. He entered the world at a Georgia hospital in August 1953, weighing 10 pounds and 7 ounces. He moved to Tampa as a child, where he became a junior bowling champion and imposing Little League pitcher. According to a story from Knight-Ridder Newspapers in 1987, Hogan weighed 190 pounds by the time he was 12. Hogan told the Tampa Bay Times in 2014 that he grew up 'south of Gandy by like two blocks, right behind the ABC Liquors.' On many a Fourth of July, he lit sparklers and watched fireworks through the palm trees at Ballast Point Pier. When an elbow injury ended his sports career at age 14, Hogan swapped his bat for a guitar. 'He rocked, playing bass guitar in bands called Koco, Ruckus and Infinity's End,' the Knight-Ridder story said. 'One memorable evening his junior year, he streaked stark naked across the dimly lit football field where Robinson High seniors were receiving their diplomas.' After graduating from Robinson High School, Hogan studied music and business at the University of South Florida. It was his bass guitar that brought him back to sports. Wrestling brothers Jerry and Jack Brisco saw Hogan slapping the bass at a Tampa bar. They recognized the bronzed behemoth, who was a regular in the audience at local wrestling matches. 'It looked really strange,' Jerry Brisco told Knight-Ridder Newspapers. 'Here was this huge guy, 6 foot 8, with what looked like a toothpick in his hands, playing bass guitar. He had blond hair, plenty of it and a headband.' Hogan started working out at the Tampa Sportatorium, a wrestling training facility. 'They exercised me till I was ready to faint,' Hogan told the Times in 2021. 'And then they got me in the ring, and Hiro Matsuda sat between my legs. He put his elbow in the middle of my shin, and he grabbed my toe, and he broke my leg. He just snapped my leg in half. So that was my introduction to wrestling.' By the mid-1980s, Vince McMahon brought wrestling, once a regional phenomenon, to the national level. Hogan was the perfect star to unite the country, with his matches airing on MTV and soundtracked by Cyndi Lauper. 'The other aspect was the merchandise,' Rose said. 'So you're bringing a lot of kids to professional wrestling. They've got a Hulk Hogan T-shirt, they've got the giant foam fingers, they're eating ice cream bars.' He was able to create a persona that people bought in right away, Rose said. 'I think if he had lived another 20 years or so, he would have still been 'Hulk Hogan.'' When he was wrestling, Hogan easily charmed crowds as the 'babyface,' or the good guy. He also could just as well play the 'heel,' wrestling's bad guy. The same could be said for his life outside the ring. A muddled legacy If Orlando has Mickey Mouse, Clearwater had the Hulkster. That's the thinking behind the wrestler's decision to open up Hogan's Beach, a restaurant on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. After the VH1 reality show 'Hogan Knows Best' showcased Hogan's life in 2005, swarms of fans started showing up to get a peek at his Clearwater house. 'My partner, Ben Mallah, has put his heart and soul into this place,' Hogan told the Times in 2014. 'He goes, 'You need a presence in Tampa. The tourists all come to Universal and Disney, and they're all looking for you.' And it's true.' Other local businesses followed. Hogan himself flexed his oily muscles at every 'brother!' that passed by. He posed for photographs and signed autographs (one viral photo, not necessarily taken in Clearwater, shows his signature in a copy of 'The Illead'). Hogan told the Times that he didn't want people to come all the way to his restaurant and not get a photo with him. 'This whole Hulkamania thing is international,' Hogan said in 2014. 'Sometimes that doesn't sink in with me. I think, 'American icon? Oh, okay.' To me, I'm still Terry from Tampa.' Then came the scandals. Among them: a leaked 2006 sex tape with the wife of Todd Clem, aka radio host Bubba the Love Sponge, that Gawker posted in 2012. Then another bombshell tape was posted in 2015. The second video, according to former Times columnist Daniel Ruth, showed Hogan 'engaging in a profanity F-bomb (laden) rant in which he repeatedly dropped more racist N-bombs than an Aryan Nation convention.' When online news outlets posted the clip, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. severed ties with Hogan. But the local sightings — and signings — continued. Hogan ventured to Sunset Music Festival (he liked to work out to dubstep music). He apologized profusely and publicly, with a special nod to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tampa Bay, who he often worked with locally. Not everyone accepted his words, but within a few years, Hogan had patched up his public image enough to rejoin wrestling royalty. He once again became the face of WWE and Wrestlemania. 'This is special to me because I've lived here my whole life. I've traveled the whole world, lived in California, lived in Japan. This place, the quality of life, the people that live here, this is the greatest-kept secret,' Hogan told the Times in 2021, after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and before hosting WrestleMania 37 with Titus O'Neil. In fall 2023, Hogan wed yoga instructor Sky Daily at Indian Rocks Baptist Church. His engagement announcement at downtown St. Petersburg's Birchwood Inn two months prior had gone viral. 'The 70–year–old wore a black tuxedo with a black headband as he greeted his bride, 45, who was clad in a strapless lace gown," wrote the Times. 'My new life starts now,' Hogan posted on social media. In the hours following reports of Hogan's death, reporters, tourists and locals flooded Clearwater Beach. At Hogan's Beach Shop, supporters laid bouquets as tribute. Some passersby stopped to take pictures of the shop and its large Hogan mannequin inside. A woman held the hand of a young child, and stopped in front of the doors. 'Say goodbye?' the woman asked. The toddler looked up at the Hogan mannequin. 'Goodbye,' the toddler said. Times staff writers Lizzy Alspach, Alexa Coultoff and Christopher Spata contributed to this report. Information from the Tampa Bay Times archive was used. Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
a day ago
- Health
- NBC News
After Cleveland Clinic expanded to Florida, patients say surprise fees followed
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When the Cleveland Clinic started acquiring hospitals and medical offices in this palm tree-lined region six years ago, many Floridians were excited. The Ohio nonprofit, ranked among the top hospitals in the world, pledged to bring expert care and an infusion of cash to the state's Treasure Coast, an area north of Boca Raton brimming with 55-and-up gated communities. But in the years after the Cleveland Clinic's blue and green signs popped up outside dozens of medical offices, patients began receiving unexpected bills: an additional $95 for a consultation with a neurosurgeon. An extra $112 to see a family medicine physician. And $174 more for a neurologist appointment that previously cost only a $50 co-pay. Baffled, the patients contacted their doctors' offices and insurers and learned that the new costs were 'facility fees' — charges that hospitals have traditionally billed for inpatient stays and emergency room visits but are now increasingly charging for routine appointments in their outpatient clinics. The fees, which are often not fully covered by insurance, are meant to support the higher level of care that these doctors' offices provide, according to hospitals. For blindsided patients, that can mean paying a hospital fee — even if they never set foot in a hospital. 'My heart dropped,' said Brandy Macaluso-Owens, 43, a social worker who lives in Port St. Lucie. She received a $174 facility fee after a visit in March with a Cleveland Clinic gastroenterologist. 'I probably met with the doctor maybe as little as 15 minutes.' The Cleveland Clinic defended facility fees in an email, saying they are an 'appropriate practice' that align 'with government regulations and industry guidelines.' 'These fees help support just some of the costs of maintaining outpatient facilities so that we can continue providing high-quality, compassionate care to all patients,' the Cleveland Clinic said. The Cleveland Clinic is far from the only hospital charging facility fees, which amount to billions of dollars annually for patients across the country. The fees have become pervasive in recent years as major health systems have snapped up doctors' offices, making it harder for patients to find independent practices: More than half of all physicians nationally are now employed by hospitals or health systems, up from just a quarter in 2012. For more on facility fees, watch NBC's 'Nightly News with Tom Llamas' at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT and 'Top Story' on NBC News NOW at 7 p.m. ET. At the same time, facility fees have become more noticeable because of a rise in high-deductible health insurance plans, which leave patients paying a larger share of their medical bills before their insurance kicks in. A study last year found that the average deductible for employer-sponsored coverage had risen about 47% in a decade. These factors are affecting many patients who are already teetering financially. About half of adults in the U.S. say they would be unable to pay an unexpected $500 medical bill or would have to go into debt to pay it, according to the health policy group KFF. Facility fees can run into the hundreds of dollars, and even small amounts can quickly add up. 'People are getting really high bills for simple, routine care,' said Christine Monahan, an assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University who has studied the issue. 'They don't expect to be paying high bills for this. And it's not realistic to expect people to be able to afford this.' Opposition to outpatient facility fees is a rare area of agreement between patient advocates and insurance companies, which argue that hospitals are unnecessarily inflating the cost of care. While efforts to restrict facility fees have drawn bipartisan support at the state and federal levels, the hospital industry has pushed back, arguing that the fees are necessary to help fund core services like 24/7 emergency departments, and that insurers should cover them. These national forces are all colliding in southeast Florida, where 11 patients told NBC News that the Cleveland Clinic had charged them unexpected facility fees in the past several years. For some, the fees were a mere annoyance, a sign of the escalating cost of health care. For others, the bills were a financial burden too big to shoulder. And some are refusing to pay them. Billie Paukune Boorman, a waitress, was recently charged a $174 facility fee for her 13-year-old daughter's ear, nose and throat appointment, along with over $200 in other unanticipated charges. 'I don't have that kind of money laying around,' she said. The Cleveland Clinic declined an interview request from NBC News and declined to comment on individual cases but said in its email that patients are charged facility fees in doctors' offices that are classified as hospital outpatient departments, which must meet stricter quality and safety standards than nonaccredited physician practices. The facility fees reflect 'the significant added costs to hospitals of complying with these standards,' the Cleveland Clinic added. The Cleveland Clinic told NBC News that it has sent more than 250,000 letters to its Florida patients informing them of the fees ahead of their appointments, and said it posts signs at its offices saying that they are hospital outpatient departments. Medicare patients receive an additional notice at check-in. The letters that the Cleveland Clinic sent say patients may see 'a change from how you were billed in the past' but do not explicitly note that patients may be charged more out of pocket. Many of the patients who spoke to NBC News did not recall receiving the letters. The health system did not answer questions about how it determines the price of a facility fee but said the costs 'vary depending on the facility and the type of medical services provided.' Several patients said they did not notice any differences in their care after the fees were implemented. Last year, Irene Rauch, 66, a semiretired human resources executive, was charged a $95 facility fee for an appointment with a neurosurgeon she said she had seen for the same type of appointment three months earlier for just a $15 co-pay. The added charge was not something she had budgeted for.
Malaysian Reserve
a day ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Fla.'s Housing Market: Inventory Up, Prices Continue to Moderate in June
ORLANDO, Fla., July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In June, closed sales of single-family existing homes statewide rose 2.8% compared to a year ago, according to Florida Realtors®' latest housing data. Continuing trends seen over the past few months, Florida's housing market also reported higher inventory levels (active listings), and easing median sales prices in June and second quarter (2Q) 2025 year over year. 'As Florida's housing market continues to transition toward balance, opportunities are emerging on both sides of the transaction,' said 2025 Florida Realtors® President Tim Weisheyer, broker-owner, Dream Builders Realty and dbrCommercial Real Estate Services in Central Florida. 'Motivated sellers who understand today's market dynamics are attracting qualified buyers and enjoying the benefits of accumulated equity in their homes, and with June marking a positive year-over-year increase in single-family sales, the momentum is real. 'Whether buying or selling, there is no question Floridians benefit from having a Realtor® by their side – someone with true insight, real data and experience to guide them through the complexities of this evolving market.' Last month, closed sales of existing single-family homes statewide totaled 23,827, up 2.8% year-over-year, while existing condo-townhouse sales totaled 7,809, down 6.4% over June 2024, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. For 2Q 2025, statewide existing single-family home sales totaled 72,155, down 2.6% from 2Q 2024, while statewide existing condo-townhouse sales totaled 24,864, down 14.2% year-over-year. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written. Looking at the for-sales picture, Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O'Connor said June's 2.8% increase in closed sales of single-family homes year-over-year represented the first gain in that metric since January. He noted, 'This rebound helped to temper what would have been an otherwise very sluggish second quarter for closings. As a result, second quarter single-family sales were only down 2.6%. And, condo and townhouse sales were down by 20% relative to a year ago in May, so June's decline of only 6.4% was far less severe by comparison.' The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in June was $412,000, down 3.5% compared to June 2024, while the statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $300,000, down 7.7% from a year ago. For 2Q 2025, Florida's single-family median sales price was $414,900, down 3.1% compared to the same quarter a year ago; the condo-townhouse median for 2Q was $310,000, down 6.1% year-over-year. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. Turning to listings, O'Connor said, 'There were 2.7% fewer single-family homes listed for sale this June than in the same month last year. That's the second straight month with a decline after we saw a fair amount of growth in new listings over the first four months of the year. Single-family new listings for the second quarter overall were down by 0.7%, and this trend will likely continue through the summer months. 'New listings of condos and townhouses were down 7.5% year over year in June, and by 6.2% for the second quarter overall. This cooling of new listings has led to a slowdown in inventory growth in recent months, despite sales being well below where they were last year.' On the supply side of the market, single-family existing homes were at a 5.6-months' supply in June and 2Q 2025, while condo-townhouse properties were at a 10-months' supply for both timeframes. While inventory growth has slowed, the level of months' supply in both property categories favors buyers at the negotiating table, O'Connor said, particularly when it comes to the 10-months' supply level statewide for condos and townhouse units. To see the full statewide housing activity reports, go to the Florida Realtors Newsroom and look under Latest Releases or download the June 2025 and 2Q 2025 data report PDFs under Market Data. Florida Realtors® is The Voice for Real Estate® in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to 238,000 members in 50 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Newsroom website is available at
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Florida Democratic governor primary shaken up by abortion fight
Some Democrats have accused Hochkammer of engaging in a smear campaign against Jolly to build momentum around a possible gubernatorial run of her own or for someone else. Hochkammer shot down both charges. 'I am not in the race, I have never been in the race, I will not be in the race,' she said. Her goal, she said, was for anyone running as a Democrat to make the issue 'front and center' in their campaigns, given that the majority of Florida voters supported the abortion amendment — even as it narrowly fell short of the 60 percent backing needed for passage. But many counter that the issue — though important to Democrats — isn't voters' lead concern compared with high prices Floridians face on housing, groceries and insurance. For his part, Jolly has raised his abortion record in interviews and town halls. He said he was frustrated that the Miami Herald op-ed and fundraising emails didn't present his current views: that women should have the right to choose abortion until fetal viability, which is generally understood to start around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Abortion regulations such as waiting periods, forced ultrasounds or counseling are unnecessary, he said. 'Keep the politicians and the laws out of the doctor's office. That's the principle,' he added. When it comes to minors accessing abortion, Jolly said he was a proponent of parental involvement in most cases but supports exceptions, such as when a child is in an abusive family. The position marks a shift from when Jolly was a Republican in Congress more than 11 years ago. At the time, Jolly signed onto the Life at Conception Act that would have given full legal rights to a fertilized egg and voted in favor of limiting most abortions to 20 weeks. He also led a measure to redirect federal funding from Planned Parenthood. He bucked his party in 2015, as the lone Republican to vote against creating a fourth panel that would look into Planned Parenthood's handling of fetal tissue remains. Jolly said that his past positions stemmed from the Baptist faith he grew up with and having a father who was a minister. 'What I got wrong in Congress was applying faith to constitutional questions,' he said. Jolly first relinquished his GOP association by registering as a no-party affiliated voter in 2018. He has seen a torrent of support since Hochkammer's op-ed published. Eleven high-profile Democratic women, including former Rep. Gwen Graham and Barbara Zdravecky, the former CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, signed onto a Sunday Miami Herald op-ed saying they trusted Jolly on the issue. Political committee filings show he also received a $50,000 contribution after the Hochkammer op-ed ran from Barbara Stiefel, a Coral Gables philanthropist and pharmaceutical heiress who's donated to abortion rights causes and already gave $100,000 toward his political committee in May. 'I've personally checked the box with him,' said Alex Sink, a former Florida chief financial officer and the 2010 Democratic nominee for governor.
