Latest news with #WFTV
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Orange County elections supervisor plans more voting sites, new office
The sign at the entrance to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office is still partially made of construction paper. Inside, Karen Castor Dentel's staff closed her door for the first time as she prepared for her interview – and promptly got everyone in the office stuck when it refused to open again. Such is the way at the office as it recovers from the chaotic regime of her predecessor and a scandal that consumed the oxygen in the county for weeks last fall. At times, payroll was uncertain as leaders worked to recover $5 million that Glen Gilzean was accused of spending on pet projects instead of the core needs. When WFTV sat down with Castor Dentel last Tuesday, she was proudly able to announce that her office had finished paying off the last of the overdue bills and paid its poll workers on the day of the election. She quickly got about to discussing the priorities and improvement she promised voters but had to delay while getting her office organized. 'We've got to find new ways to connect with people,' she said. One of Castor Dentel's biggest priorities for the upcoming year include opening six new early voting sites to avoid the long lines the county saw in the 2024 election. She said the locations have not been chosen, but they're scouting places that are both ADA accessible and have ample parking. 'I saw so many people slowing down, looking like they were going to come vote, but then seeing the line, just kept driving,' she said. 'We don't want to turn away any voters.' She's also focused on getting voters registered. Her plans include opening a satellite office inside the Tax Collector's office at the West Oaks Mall in Ocoee where people can register to vote and get information about upcoming elections. She also spoke about a proposal to create a 'Vote-Mobile,' a truck that serves as a rolling billboard for the office with QR codes on the sides they can take to events and parades. 'You can imagine, if you're the Vote Mobile is in a parade going down the street, and people are sitting there. They can get the QR code while they're sitting there and update their voter registration right there -- right there -- while they're sitting on the sidewalk,' she said. That, she said, would address the challenge created by the new state law that resets mail-in voting requests every two years. Currently, just 10% of the 300,000 voters who received mail-in ballots in November have renewed those requests. One of her ideas to connect with voters has already been implemented. She partnered with OCPS and the League of Women Voters this past spring to attend each school's senior check out day, which gave her office a chance to capture the county's youngest civic participants. Her agenda also contains more far-out items. One is to upgrade security measures and take over responsibilities as the Department of Homeland Security continues to cut back under President Trump. Another is to find a new office space. She said her workers need about three times more square footage and their current majority-warehouse setup does not work. Their buildings are also old and for sale. Finally, she reminded voters that there were elections in progress for senate and house seats in Tallahassee. 'It's not too late to ask for your vote by mail ballot,' she said, mentioning an August 21 deadline and four early voting sites. 'Election Day is September 2, which falls the day after Labor Day weekend. We would love it if people didn't skip out on this election.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
07-07-2025
- USA Today
Shark attacks surfer in Florida, victim taken to hospital
A shark attacked a surfer in Florida on Sunday, July 6, officials said, marking the second reported shark-related incident with a person in the Sunshine State so far this year. The attack took place in water off New Smyrna Beach, a city south of Daytona Beach in northwest Florida, a Volusia County spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday. According to information from WFTV and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, about 3 p.m. local time, a 40-year-old man surfing in the water suffered a bite to his right forearm, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue reported. The victim, who both outlets reported is from Winter Park, was transported to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Great White spotted: Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast What kind of shark attacked surfer in Florida? It was not immediately known what type of shark attacked the victim. USA TODAY has reached out to a beach safety spokesperson for more information. Rumors the man lost a limb are incorrect, friends of the victim with Raw Surf posted on the business' Facebook page. "Our good friend and fellow waterman @Matt_Bender was bit by a shark today while surfing in New Smyrna," the Facebook post reads. "His hand was NOT bitten off − he's doing good considering, but he was injured and needs our support and prayers right now." Swimmer bit: Beachgoer airlifted after South Carolina suspected shark attack Shark bite marks state's known second encounter of 2025 The attack marks the second reported shark encounter with a human so far in 2025, according to information gathered by USA TODAY. The reported attack took place on June 11 in Boca Grande, a small community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida and involved a 9-year-old girl. The girl, who survived, nearly lost her hand as a result of the attack. According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks last year. Four people died, including one person in the U.S. Each year, according to ISAF, the world averages about 65 documented shark attacks. On average, six fatal attacks are reported each year. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Florida Man Gets Headbutted by Shark While Surfing in Dramatic Footage: ‘Felt Like Getting Hit by a Car'
A Florida man was captured being hit by an airborne shark at New Smyrna Beach in Florida Darren Kaye was surfing when a spinner shark jumped out of the water and knocked him off his surfboard "It felt like getting hit by a car," Kaye told WFTV 9A surfer from Florida had an unexpected encounter with an airborne shark. In a video shared on social media, Darren Kaye was captured surfing in the waters of New Smyrna Beach in Florida when he was headbutted by the large fish. 'A spinner shark jumps out of the water and hits Florida Man sitting on his surfboard! #nsbinlet video: @dj_kaye_,' the caption read on a joint Instagram post between Kaye and NSB Inlet. Spinner sharks are known for "spinning in the air" while trying to find food and can reach 20 feet above the water's surface, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. 'I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open cause that's how they fish,' Kaye, who was knocked off his surfboard after the impact, told local media outlet WFTV 9. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to the outlet, the surfer had previously seen sharks at the beach and had even witnessed other people sustain shark bites. However, he never expected to be hit by a shark jumping out of the water. 'I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats per minute in a second and I paddled as fast as I could like out of the way,' he said. Kaye went on to compare the moment to when he was previously hit by a car. 'I have a scar and that's like what it felt like. It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They're all muscle, you know,' he said. Despite the unexpected encounter, Kaye hasn't been put off from surfing at New Smyrna Beach. The surfer revealed that he continued to surf there throughout the weekend and beyond. 'We always have waves, so we're lucky,' he told the outlet. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
He was called a hero during Pulse, but he wants to remember the music instead
Chris Hansen said he was ready to re-enter the Pulse Nightclub, nine long years after his life changed in a barrage of bullets. He saw it as a means to an end. 'I actually want to feel the letting go,' Hansen said when WFTV first met up with him Wednesday. 'I want to feel the if I feel anything at all when I walk in, see if I can feel eerie, or if I can still remember the dancing and then hear the music and hear the laughter of everything before the chaos.' Most of all, he said he wanted to find the wall where he hid from the gunman, and if possible, touch the bullet hole on the other side. After his visit on Friday, he had many things to say about the 30 minutes he had months to anticipate. 'Confused,' he described. 'Emotional.' Hansen said he walked through Pulse as he did on June 12, 2016. He pretended to pay a cover at the door. He went to the bar and bought his final drink. Memories began flooding in of victims and survivors dancing. 'The [dance] floor is gone. The bar is still there, but I thought the wall was missing' he said. 'I went to the wall, and I leaned up against it, and I'm like, 'Maybe this was the wall.' And I felt like, was I hiding from it all? The whole time? Was I in the corner?' Hansen said the building felt smaller than before, noting that time slows down in moments of chaos. He said he stuck his hand into the fountain where police busted through the wall, naming it a 'fountain of life.' He couldn't remember what happened after he escaped, when he jumped into action to carry other survivors to get help and triage some of the wounded. His actions had him branded a hero. 'I tried, but I couldn't, I couldn't get past the beauty behind my pain,' he said, tearing up. 'I still remember the dancing, the laughter, the joy, and I think that's where I want to leave it.' He quoted song lyrics several times during his interview, and pulled in the woman who he credited with saving him: Michelle Rampone, a counselor who drove to Orlando after hearing about the Pulse attack and allowed Hansen to stay in her hotel room because his car keys and credit cards were locked inside the club. The two have been friends ever since. Hansen asked her to accompany him and his father into the club. 'It was very emotional, especially the floor, you know?' she recalled. 'There were certain things that were very difficult to see and imagine what went on, and I've heard a lot of different stories from different people. I was just happy I could be here.' Hansen said he would turn his focus to the future and to his Rainbow Remembrance project that displays flags and messages of hope in honor of violence victims. He said he didn't think he'd return for the 10th anniversary next year but planned to come back for the 11th to see the finished permanent memorial. 'I'm ready to move forward,' he said. 'I'm not going to forget [Pulse], but… I'm going to put a period at the end of that chapter and move to the next chapter. It's time for a change. It's time for a transition. It's time to move forward from Orlando.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
9 years after Pulse massacre, survivors revisit nightclub before building is demolished
The Orlando, Florida, community on Thursday evening is set to honor the 49 victims who were gunned down at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, though it was surpassed by the Las Vegas attack the following year. The ninth anniversary of the attack comes as groups of victims and survivors this week visit Pulse -- once a popular gay nightclub -- for the last time before the building is razed so that the city can build a permanent memorial in its place. All of the furniture and the dance floor inside the building have been moved and the walls were painted black. City of Orlando Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Donna Wyche told ABC affiliate in Orlando, WFTV, that the families of victims and survivors expressed that they wanted to visit the building before it is demolished. "They've said very clearly we want to see it for one last time before it's gone. We want to be in that sacred place one more time where our loved ones take their last breath," Wyche said. "It's part of the journey of grief." 'If you're alive, raise your hand' desperate rescuer said in Pulse nightclub Pulse nightclub shooting survivor Joshua Hernandez told WFTV on Wednesday that he needs to go inside the nightclub so he can heal. "It's going to feel horrible because I was in the restroom for three hours. So when I go to the restroom, it's going to be very, very sad for me," Hernandez, who was held hostage in the bathroom during the shooting, said. "I'm not ready yet. It's hard. It's hurt me. I'm gonna be -- come out stronger. I'm gonna be stronger to do this, it's time to close the chapter of my life," he added. Police recount how they stopped the Pulse Nightclub shooter Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who has been in office since 2003, also did a walk through of the building on Wednesday and reflected on the 2016 massacre. "It took me back nine years and reflecting on being in the command center on Orange Avenue as all the things are transpiring then," Dyer told WFTV. "The realization of just how many people were impacted. I came out the second time and told everybody, it's not 20, it's 49 victims." Family and friends of the victims, as well as survivors and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, are set to gather at First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando at 5:30 p.m. local time for a remembrance ceremony. Rick Scott, who was Florida's governor in 2016, declared June 12 Pulse Remembrance Day in Florida in 2018. City remembers victims of Pulse nightclub shooting The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse nightclub site in October 2023 and committed to building a permanent memorial. Now, the city said plans are moving forward. In March, the city of Orlando issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit a design-build firm for the permanent PulseMemorial, following the advancement of a conceptual design in February. Proposals were submitted by May 29 -- the conceptual design includes a survivor's tribute wall, a reflection pool, a hearing garden and a private gathering space for reflection, according to the city. The memorial is slated to be complete by 2027, it noted. 9 years after Pulse massacre, survivors revisit nightclub before building is demolished originally appeared on
