making his play - Andrew Ba Tran

Transcription

SB 07-11-2008
A-1
CMYK
SB
Broward County Edition
WWW.SUN-SENTINEL.COM
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2008
MAKING HIS PLAY
College dropout’s last-ditch attempt to hit video game big time
50¢
We’re sorry
for racism,
AMA says
Black doctors call apology
from medical group progress
BY LINDSEY TANNER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIDEO TIME: Felix Marrufo warms up before competing in a CoD4 tournament at
Flipper’s Hollywood Cinema 10 movie theater. He makes about $500 a month at
tournaments and dreams of winning much more. Staff photo/Carey Wagner
BY ANDREW BA TRAN
STAFF WRITER
He’s 24. Sleeps on mom’s couch.
Walks to his part-time restaurant job
because his 1989 compact needs repair.
But Felix Marrufo dreams of making it big as a professional video
gamer, and he’s got lightning-quick
fingers, eagle-sharp vision and a
game controller with custom rubber
thumb grips to help him get there. He
says he wins about $500 a month at
tournaments. As a pro, he could make
tens of thousands.
What the Plantation college dropout doesn’t have is time.
Marrufo feels he’s ancient compared with the energy drink-chugging teens who make up most of the
pro video gaming ranks. That’s why
he’s given himself a year to make it to
the top.
“I have to give it one last-ditch effort,” said Marrufo. “If it doesn’t work
out, I’ve got to buck up and be a man
and go back to school and start doing
something with my life.”
In the subculture of competitive
video gaming, pros as old as Marrufo
are a rarity, says Mike Sepso, president of Major League Gaming, which
hosts tournaments online and pro circuit games in cities across the country
with cash prizes.
The average age for a MLG pro
gamer is 18, with the youngest 15,
Sepso said.
The organization has about 250
professionals who have placed in the
top 16 at pro tournaments. It also represents 20,000 amateur competitors.
Part of the reason behind competitive video gaming’s growing popularity is any casual gamer, with enough
practice, can turn pro, Sepso said. Online global video gaming sales are expected to grow from $6.6 billion in
2007 to $14.4 billion in 2012, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“People would argue 20 years ago
if NASCAR was a sport or not,” Sepso
� VIDEO GAMER CONTINUES ON 6A
HOW TO BE A GAMING PRO
Can you make money playing video games?
Computer and video game tournaments offer
thousands of dollars in prize money for top players.
Tournaments are sponsored by companies that
want to target young males. As with professional
athletes, the big money is made from
endorsements, advertising and sponsors. NBA
players get sneakers named after them; top cyber
athletes can get their own brand of keyboard.
How do you get sponsored?
Local video game centers tend to sponsor teams or
players. Some top pro gamers find agents. Others
pitch themselves to companies by sending videos
of how well they play games. Sponsors provide
stipends for travel and competition registration in
exchange for promoting their products.
Any other perks?
Matches have been broadcast on cable television
and are now streamed on ESPN.com.
What does it take?
Hard work, dedication and desire. Players need to
build up victories and a solid reputation at local
tournaments and online. At national tournaments,
gamers could gain the attention of players looking
for a teammate.
SOURCE: MLG AND ASSORTED PROFESSIONAL GAMERS
Watch Felix Marrufo in action and learn more about professional video gaming. Sun-Sentinel.com/videogamers
DAILY DIGEST
INDEX
Lottery: 2A
SUN-SENTINEL WEATHER
Nation & World: 3A
People: 4A
Editorials: 18A
ORANGE BOWL MEMORIES
Today, 89
Obituaries: 12B
of American
Medical
Association
members are black.
Less than
3 percent
of the nation’s
1 million medical
students and
physicians are
black.
About
13 percent
of the U.S.
population is black.
— THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS
Lauderdale chief’s wife
got special treatment
after arrest, critics say
BY BRIAN HAAS
STAFF WRITER
The wife of Fort Lauderdale’s police chief waited only 12 hours after
being booked on charges of shooting
at her husband to see a judge and get
permission to go home.
While she went home, at least four
people booked about the same time
on lesser charges had to spend the
night in a jail cell.
A special hearing for Eleanor
Adderley that allowed her to leave the
Broward County Jail on $25,000 bond
sparked complaints Thursday that
she was given preferential treatment.
Broward’s public defender said the
Tomorrow, 88
Business: 1D
Less than
2 percent
� AMA CONTINUES ON 2A
Eleanor Adderley
Frank Adderley
� ADDERLEY CONTINUES ON 2A
Tonight, 78
Sports: 1C
The American Medical Association
formally apologized Thursday for
more than a century of policies that
excluded blacks from a group long
considered the voice of American doctors.
The nation’s largest physicians
group also apologized for its “dishonorable” silence during the civil rights
struggles of the 1960s.
“The medical profession, which is
based on a boundless respect for human life, had an obligation to lead society away from disrespect of so many
lives,” the medical association’s immediate past president, Ronald M.
Davis, said in a commentary to be
published next week in its journal.
“ The AMA failed to do so and has
apologized for that failure.”
Fair treatment of black doctors is a
necessary step toward reconciliation
that will help eliminate racial disparities in health status, the group said.
The AMA, representing about onethird of more than 900,000 U.S. physicians, has increased efforts to recruit
Complete weather on back page of BUSINESS
Advice: Showtime
TV: Showtime
Classified: 1E
LOCAL
ONLINE
Secondhand smoke waning
Ex-senator ends election bid
Livin’ for the weekend
The percentage of nonsmoking
Former state Sen. Skip Campbell has
Get complete event and movie
NATION
6A • SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Friday, July 11, 2008 • SB
Player on home system
up to six hours a day
� VIDEO GAMER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
said. “You don’t hear that argument anymore.”
M a r r u f o, w h o ’ s b e e n
playing since he was a teen,
has bills, insurance payments
and work responsibilities.
“I know it’s ridiculous for
some people to get, but this is
what I do, what I’m good at,”
he said.
He rolls off his couch after
noon most days, and clocks in
at his online-equipped television to play for up to six hours
a day.
Most weeks, Marrufo hops
from match to match at the few
video game centers in South
Florida. Behind the storefronts: rows of networked
game systems, meant to attract
hardcore video gamers out of
their parents’ garages.
“He can play, he’s no joker,”
said Manny Julve, the owner of
Video Game Stadium in Davie,
where Marrufo plays.
Playing a lot and often can
be the key to hitting it big.
“It’s hard to find consistently good players online,
since its saturated with people
fooling around,” said Andrew
Harris, the 24-year-old partowner of SubZero Video Gaming Center in Royal Palm
Beach. “If they want to take it
seriously, sometimes they
need to come to a place to play
face to face with people who
can raise their level of
playing.”
Not so long ago, Marrufo
used to prefer outdoor activities to gaming indoors. That
changed when he was 13.
He was skating fast across a
parking lot at the Fashion Mall
in Plantation when he tripped
over a rock, landed on his right
wrist and shattered several
bones.
The doctor almost had to
amputate his hand, Marrufo
recalls. For two months in the
hospital, he played Sonic the
Hedgehog, holding the controller above his head to keep
the swelling in his wrist down.
“I think playing video games
while my hand was healing actually helped, because they
told me I was going to have
nerve damage and limited use
of my hand,” he said.
Marrufo spent the summer
confined at home with a doting
mother. She threw out his inline skates. She replaced them
with a new video game system
every few years so he would
stay inside and away from
riskier outdoor pursuits.
Today, his hand is fully functional, although he carries an
8-inch scar along his arm. His
thumb sometimes goes numb
at the height of competition.
At a recent Call of Duty 4
tournament at Video Game
Stadium one Saturday night,
he wipes his thumb on his
pants to help regain feeling as
he plays the final bracket. He’s
stressed and sweaty. He’s failing to the teenage competition.
Marrufo’s team loses by seven kills and takes second
place. He shrugs. He fingers
through his share of the prize
money, $40. Not winning first
place means extra shifts at
work at Boston Market the
next week.
Before he leaves, Julve calls
Marrufo over to exchange
phone numbers.
The 36-year-old video game
entrepreneur asks Marrufo
and his teammate, Marcel
Martorana, if they want to join
the first place winners and
play as a team representing the
store. Marrufo agrees.
Sponsorship is a significant
step toward going pro, but as
he leaves with his girlfriend,
Felice Spataro, Marrufo can
only dwell on his team’s recent
loss.
Spataro, 22, hugs him before getting in the car. They
have a unique journey ahead
of them.
“Sometimes people don’t
GETTING
ENERGY:
Felix Marrufo
eats a late
lunch with his
girlfriend,
Felice Spataro, before
going to
practice video
games in
Davie.
get it. He’s so smart and has so
many other talents, but he
chooses this path,” Spataro
says. “He wants to see how far
he can take it.”
Staff photo/
Carey Wagner
Andrew Ba Tran can be
reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4543.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009
BROWARD COUNTY EDITION » 50¢
*
OBAMA WARNS BIG BANKS
The government is ready to take greater control of them if necessary, says the president.
YOUR MONEY, PAGE 1
friendor faux?
Hit-run
car owner
jailed over
probation
Chicago judge finds
he violated terms
of earlier plea deal
By Stacy St. Clair
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
and Jon Burstein
STAFF WRITER
To his evident surprise, the owner
of a Porsche linked to the hit-andrun deaths of two pedestrians in
Fort Lauderdale was ordered
jailed Monday in Illinois for violating his terms of probation for a
high-speed car chase in Chicago.
Ryan LeVin, 34, was taken into
custody at a court hearing in suburban Chicago after a judge
found he had failed to complete a
drug treatment program.
LeVin had agreed to attend
drug counseling as part of a plea
deal for a July 2006 chase that injured one Chicago police officer
and two motorists.
LeVin, who comes from a wellto-do Chicago-area family, was
ordered held at the Cook County
Jail without bail. He has another
court hearing scheduled Thursday to see whether he meets the
eligibility requirements to get
into the jail’s drug treatment program.
Fort Lauderdale police have
not named LeVin or anyone else
as a suspect in the Feb. 13 accident that killed British business-
Facebook’s power and reach
force users to think about
who their real friends are
By Andrew Ba Tran
STAFF WRITER
Shannon Bowman, a 27-year-old culinary student from Dania Beach,
has 124 friends listed on Facebook,
and she says that’s plenty.
Chloe Dolandis, a 23-year-old musician from Boca Raton, has more
than 1,500 friends listed and says
she’s ready for many more.
How many friends are enough,
and who among them should get access to all one’s personal information and pictures? That’s the debate
raging among users of Facebook, the
online social network that started
five years ago for college students
and has since expanded to parents
and grandparents.
For Bowman, the answer is simple: “It has to be someone I know in
real life or know so well from
Let’s be
friends
On Facebook?
Head over to
SunSentinel.
com/facebook
and add us as a
friend. (The
people you see
pictured above
and on Page 12
are our friends
already.)
somewhere else.”
That’s what Facebook administrators say they had in mind when
they imposed a cap of 5,000 friends.
But thousands of others say 5,000
is not enough. They formed online
groups to protest a limit they say is
unfair because they use the site to
market themselves as well as for social connections.
In the online world, friends are
anyone allowed access to your social network profile, which can
include personal photos, videos
and status updates on what you
had for lunch. With 175 million
members around the world, it can
be easy to amass large numbers
of people asking to be your
friends, even if they have never
met you.
» FACEBOOK PAGE 12
Status updates Photos Links
Live feed
» PROBATION PAGE 12
What is Facebook?
Closer look
» A free social networking Web site.
» It started at Harvard and spread to other colleges in 2004.
For the latest developments in this
case, or to make a comment, go to
SunSentinel.com/hitandrun
» Users join networks based on location, work and school.
» There are more than 175 million members.
» Members share status updates, pictures, files and links.
» Users can set privacy levels to limit what’s visible on profiles.
12A » SUN SENTINEL » SUNSENTINEL.COM » TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009 » PN
» VERDICT PAGE 1
Priest guilty of grand theft
» FACEBOOK PAGE 1
5 friends or 5,000?
Site users differ
Those who want huge
numbers of such friends
are collecting people as a
game, said Bernie Hogan,
a social networking researcher at the University
of Oxford in England. In
general, people cannot
have more than 100 to
150 active relationships,
he said.
“There’s only so much
time in the day to sustain
emotionally rewarding
relationships,”
Hogan
said. Overdo it, and that
leads to individuals suffering to what he described as “social information overload.”
“They get on a site and
aggregate a number of
friends, collect a bunch
and realize there’s too
much information on a
day-to-day basis to adequately keep up with
them,” Hogan said.
That leads to a tipping
point.
“Most of the time, instead of being careful and
whittling
down
the
friends, a lot of people
will simply get rid of their
network on their site,
start fresh or move on to
another social networking site,” Hogan said.
Who exactly is a
friend? The standards are
different for online and.
offline relationships.
Dean Bairaktaris, 36, a
Web designer in Fort Lauderdale, has more than
300 friends on Facebook,
several of whom he has
never met.
He says he accepts anyone who wants to connect
as long as they are not
spammers.
“I don’t want to be elitist or snooty,” he said. “If
you’re on Facebook or
Twitter, you’re there to be
social. It doesn’t make
sense not to be.”
Dolandis signed up for
Facebook in 2006 after
she got fed up with too
many strangers trying to
meet her on MySpace, an
alternate social networking site that started out
for band promotion and
young adults. She wanted
to start over and liked Facebook’s stricter sense of
privacy.
Still, she said, most of
the friends listed on her
Facebook page are acquaintances, not friends.
Want more friends? Go for it
The Sun Sentinel guide to getting 5,000 “friends”
on Facebook
Create 4,999 fake identities on Facebook and
friend yourself.
Put your Facebook profile Web address on your
business cards.
Create a Facebook group announcing that if you
reach 5,000 friends you promise to commit some
sort of humiliating act in public, like shave your
head or make out with a manatee.
Be a celebrity or self-proclaimed social media
expert.
Impersonate a celebrity.
Lower your standards on what you consider a
friend. A good majority of the 5,000 friends will not
invite you to their weekend barbecue.
Learn more
Need to learn more
about Facebook? Video
tutorials show you
everything you need to
know, including how to
set up limited profiles.
SunSentinel.com/
facebook
“I’m a musician, so
adding more people is going to be great marketing
for me,” she said.
Even so, she has 24
friend requests pending
that she hasn’t made up
her mind about. She’s
had privacy issues in the
past and had friend requests from strangers
along with messages hitting on her.
“People can be so
creepy! Leave me alone,”
she said.
She doesn’t list her personal phone number, address or e-mail on her
page.
Dolandis said her next
step is to figure out the
privacy settings on Facebook. Users can customize which friends are allowed to see which information in their profile,
sort of mirroring offline
relationships.
At a bar, we behave differently than we do at the
workplace, Hogan said.
Online, people have multiple identities that reflect
their multiple identities
offline.
“The idea that online
life should be separate
from offline life kind of
assumes we have one
way we behave offline,
which isn’t true,” Hogan
said.
A person’s personality
is flexible and plastic, he
said.
“It is contextual. Your
identity is tied to the room
or environment you find
yourself in. The challenge
with online is there’s no
definite sense of context.”
Have a friend who
barely touches or updates Facebook? Take a
look at the person’s
friend feed and you
might see a dearth of activity, he said.
Know someone on Facebook who over-shares?
Take a glimpse at that
person’s friend feed and
you might see the majority of his or her friends
have created list after list
of 25 random facts.
“What’s funny is that
people used to think the
big part of the Internet
was isolation,” Hogan
said. “Now the problem is
the opposite. We’re overloaded with social information. Too much to do
with it.”
money. Clergy said in
court that slush funds to
hide money are common
in the Catholic Church.
And St. Vincent Ferrer’s
bookkeepers were told to
shred accurate bookkeeping records, hand
over wads of cash from
the offertory and cook the
books that were sent back
to the diocese — as they
testified was church policy for years.
Guinan’s defense attorney and the prosecutor
said it wasn’t a full victory
or a full defeat.
“They were certainly
not happy with the expenditures of Father Guinan, but they recognized
that the state could not
prove certain elements,”
defense attorney Richard
Barlow
said.
“They
reached a compromise
somewhere between not
guilty and the maximum
sentence.”
Prosecutor
Preston
Mighdoll accepted the
jury’s decision but had no
comment on the lesser
charge.
“We’re glad that they
found the defendant accountable for his actions,” he said.
Efforts to reach officials at St. Vincent Ferrer
for comment were unsuccessful.
Instead of going to trial, Guinan’s predecessor,
the Rev. John Skehan,
last month pleaded guilty
to the harsher charge of
grand theft of more than
$100,000 on similar allegations. A judge will
make the decision on his
punishment; sentencing
guidelines indicate a term
of 22 months to 30 years
in prison.
Skehan’s
attorney,
Scott Richardson, didn’t
regret the plea.
“We felt that we made
the right decision and we
are going to present all of
Father Skehan’s good
works to the court at the
appropriate
time,”
Richardson said.
Guinan admitted he
used church funds to repay personal credit card
bills, allowed bookkeeping records to be faked
while the real ones were
shredded and took 12
trips in the 15 months he
was pastor at the church
ending in 2005, including
six visits to Las Vegas and
three to his native Ireland.
But Guinan, supported
by some other priests, asserted that the diocese
gave priests free rein to
spend
sums
under
$50,000. This “right of
discretion,” Barlow said,
meant Guinan could
spend those sums as he
wanted, no matter how
reprehensible it looked.
“No one here will disagree ... that it shouldn’t
have been done, it wasn’t
right, it was for personal
use, you can’t do it,” Barlow told jurors in his closing arguments. “But legally? Yes he could.”
The trial also exposed
the diocese’s past short-
Ralph
De La Cruz
Catholic Church looked
the other way when priest
went on gambling trips.
Local, Page 1
comings in keeping reins
on its local parishes. Ambiguous rules, lax auditing and widely accepted
hiding of cash were the
rule before 2005, according to trial testimony.
Michael
Brough,
spokesman for the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, an organization devoted to improving the
church’s business practices, said parishioners
must be assured that their
donations are going to a
church’s mission.
“Parishes depend on
the generosity of parishioners to support their
work,” he wrote in an email. “Parishes need to be
truthful in solicitation of
donations and then use
the funds for their intended use.”
Officials from the Diocese of Palm Beach released a statement Monday saying they now require parish audits every
two years and have new
systems for handling
church money.
The statement also said
the diocese plans to seek
restitution of the stolen
money, calling Guinan’s
and Skehan’s actions a
“grave aberration from
the upright conduct of the
majority of the good
priests of our diocese.”
Brian Haas can be reached at
[email protected] or
561-243-6633.
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MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2008
50¢
College
BERRY
INTERESTING tuition
Demand is rising for ‘miracle fruit’ that makes sour taste sweet
going up
State’s universities to charge
6% - 15% more than last year
BY SCOTT TRAVIS
STAFF WRITER
The days of rock-bottom tuition may be ending for
some of Florida’s universities.
When school starts this fall, students will pay from 6
percent to 15 percent more in tuition than they did last
year.
The University of Florida, Florida State University and
the University of South Florida plan to charge 15 percent
more than last year. Florida International University
hopes to join that group; its board of trustees will consider
a 15 percent increase at a July 7 meeting.
The University of Central Florida plans to raise its tuition 9 percent this fall. All other state universities, including Florida Atlantic University, plan to go up 6 percent as
approved by the state Legislature.
This tuition mixed bag is the result of “differential tuition” created by a new state law that allows universities
� TUITION CONTINUES ON 2A
COMPARE SCHOOL COSTS
See how much tuition will go up for selected schools, 2A
FRUITS OF HIS LABOR: Starting with a single tree in his backyard more than 12
years ago, Curtis Mozie, 64, now has an orchard of more than a thousand miracle
fruit trees. He sells the red berries, above, for $3 each. Staff photos/Mike Stocker
BY ANDREW BA TRAN
STAFF WRITER
FORT LAUDERDALE
It was
counterintuitive — a lime with no
pucker.
“Tastes like candy, doesn’t it?” says
Curtis Mozie, his eyes wide as a mad
scientist’s.
Wowzers.
Suck a while on one of Mozie’s
homegrown red berries, which are
nicknamed “miracle fruit,” and everything sour that follows turns sweet.
“Wait, you’ve got to try one more
thing,” the 64-year-old says as he gets
a jug of vinegar.
Mozie pours the pungent liquid
into two small cups. He hands them
out like shots at a bar.
“Cheers,” he says. Like Tang with a
kick.
It’s the sweet taste of success.
Starting with one tree in his backyard more than 12 years ago, Mozie
today has an orchard of more than a
thousand that has let him carve out a
DAILY DIGEST
INDEX
Lottery: 2A
Pop a red berry but don’t swallow. Peel off the
skin and roll the pulp back and forth on the
tongue for as long as possible, or a few minutes,
until the seed remains.
GET A TASTE
.
ABOUT THE MIRACLE FRUIT
Watch a video of Andrew Tran putting
the miracle fruit to the test at
Sun-Sentinel.com/miraclefruit
successful niche market catering
mainly to people intrigued by the
berry’s taste magic. The red berry is
mostly seed, but the scant amount of
slightly sweet pulp changes taste for
up to two hours.
He says he ships 3,000 berries a
week, mostly to distributors and
other customers in New York but also
to Finland, France and Montreal.
Cancer treatment centers have
contacted him, wondering if the fruit
might help induce appetite in chemotherapy patients, Mozie says. Picky
eaters and diabetics are also possible
beneficiaries, he adds.
Last month, The New York Times
mentioned Mozie’s business in an ar-
Now, chomp a lime. Tastes like candy. Swig a
beer. Yup, almost like cream soda. The effects
linger for up to two hours.
How does miracle fruit, or a magical berry, work?
Scientists say the berries have a glycoprotein,
called miraculin, that twists the taste.
While scientists in Japan have published studies
on the fruit and managed to replicate the
protein in tomatoes, there is little research found
in the United States. Some companies in the
1970s tried to isolate miraculin for use as a
natural sweetener, but the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration refused to approve the
substance, said agriculturalist Billy Hopkins.
“They were afraid kids wouldn’t be able to taste
poison or battery acid or something ridiculous
like that,” Hopkins said.
� BERRIES CONTINUES ON 2A
Nation & World: 3A
People: 4A
BY MARK MAZZETTI AND DAVID ROHDE
THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON . Late last year, top Bush administration
officials decided to take a step they had long resisted.
They drafted a secret plan to authorize the Pentagon’s
Special Operations forces to launch missions into the
snow-capped mountains of Pakistan to capture or kill top
leaders of al-Qaida.
Intelligence reports for more than a year had been
streaming in about Osama bin Laden’s terror network rebuilding in the Pakistani tribal areas, a problem that had
been exacerbated by years of missteps in Washington and
the Pakistani capital, Islamabad; sharp policy disagreements; and turf battles between U.S. counterterrorism
agencies.
� BIN LADEN CONTINUES ON 2A
Today, 88
Editorials: 18A
Tonight, 76
Obituaries: 9B
WORLD
SPORTS
Prisoner deal roils Israel
S. Florida
runner
is bound
The Israeli Cabinet’s deal with Hezbollah
to exchange prisoners for the bodies of
two soldiers whose capture sparked a
Infighting hinders
secret plan by U.S.
to hunt bin Laden
Tomorrow, 87
Sports: 1C
Your Business: 1D
Complete weather on back page of BUSINESS
Advice: 2E
SPORTS
On TV: 3E
Classified: 1F
THE HELP TEAM
After 44 years, Viva España
Repair or disrepair?
A rampant Spain claimed its first trophy
since 1964, putting the mighty Germany
to the sword 1-0 in the Euro 2008 soccer
Tempted to hire that roving worker
to fix a car dent or make a home
repair at a steep discount? Buyer
A SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Monday, June 30, 2008 • SB
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fore 10
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such as
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or 7:30
SROOM
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Universities hope to offset cuts
� TUITION
with at least $100 million in research money to charge more
than others in the state.
If FIU’s trustees approve the
request, freshmen and sophomores taking 15 hours a semester will pay $3,861 for tuition and required fees, up
from $3,460 this past year.
The FIU increase would
come a month after the university made $32 million in statemandated budget reductions.
FIU cut degree programs,
closed academic centers and
announced about 200 layoffs.
“ With all the budget cuts
we’ve received, this at least
adds a little bit of funding in areas we badly need it,” said Sandra Gonzalez-Levy, an FIU vice
president.
Under state law, universities
that charge the higher rate
must use the extra money to
enhance academics. FIU plans
to hire more faculty and counselors, Gonzalez-Levy said.
Historically, public universities in Florida have had among
COMPARING THE SCHOOLS
The following is a comparison of tuition at selected public universities in
Florida for 2007-08 and projected for 2008-09 based on a 30-hour
schedule per year*
University
2007-08 2008-09
University of Florida (freshmen/sophomores)
$3,372
$3,788
University of Florida (juniors/seniors)
$3,372
$3,568
Florida International University (freshmen and sophomores)
$3,460
$3,861
Florida International University (juniors and seniors)
$3,460
$3,653
Florida State University (freshmen/sophomores)
$3,470
$3,987
Florida State University (juniors/seniors)
$3,470
$3,778
Florida Atlantic University (all students)
$3,600
$3,721
University of Central Florida (freshmen/sophomores)
$3,677
$3,947
University of Central Florida (juniors/seniors)
$3,677
$3,877
*Some universities charge additional fees that may not be included in
this table.
SOURCES: FLORIDA BOARD OF GOVERNORS; UNIVERSITIES
the lowest tuition in the nation.
In 2007-08, Florida universities
charged about $3,500 a year,
the third-lowest in the nation,
according to a report compiled
by the higher education governing board for the state of
Washington. The national average was $5,526.
But legislators changed the
law this year to allow high-re-
search universities to charge
more than other universities.
Those schools, UF, FSU, USF,
UCF and FIU, can charge up to
15 percent more each year. The
increases must be phased in
and be no more than 40 percent above schools without the
differential.
Only students who enrolled
after July 1, 2007 — mostly
freshmen, sophomores and
some transfer students — have
to pay the extra amount. Anyone who bought a prepaid tuition plan before July 1, 2007, is
also exempt. Bright Futures
scholarship recipients will
have their basic tuition covered, but not the differential.
A.J. Meyer, 22, student government president at FIU, said
he supports the extra charge,
especially because most current students are exempt.
“When you look at the economy, we could use as much
funds as possible,” he said.
“We’re looking at cuts for the
next two or three years, maybe
longer. This will help divert
some of them.”
Florida Atlantic University,
which has about $70 million in
research funds, can’t charge
differential tuition yet. Ken Jessell, vice president for financial
affairs for FAU, said the university would probably reach the
required $100 million mark in
two or three years. The board
may consider charging the
higher tuition then.
“It doesn’t mean our board
would approve it, but certainly
we’d want to look at how much
money could be raised and
how it could be used,” he said.
UF has also been discussing
another possible change in tuition. Some administrators
have discussed charging
“block tuition” for full-time students. Under this plan, fulltime students would pay for 15
hours a semester, regardless if
they took 12, 15, 18 or more
hours.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said most students take
less than 15 hours a semester,
so the university could make
some money under such a
change. The move would require state approval.
“But the real benefit for us
would be getting students to
take more classes and graduate on time, so we could keep
room open for other students,”
he said. “It’s an option we’re
considering.”
Scott Travis can be reached at
561-243-6637.
Demand for miracle fruit skyrockets
� BERRIES
ticle on taste-tripping parties
where attendants munch berries and then see how different
foods taste. Two days after the
article’s publication, the former postal and Broward elections worker says he received
$60,000 worth of orders — four
times his profit from last year.
It’s a lot of attention for what
was once considered an obscure novelty fruit.
The berry, whose scientific
name is Synsepalum dulcificum, has a glycoprotein called
miraculin that changes taste,
scientists say. The bush or tree
grows up to 5 feet tall and is native to West Africa.
Billy Hopkins, whose Tropical Fruit Nursery in Davie sold
Mozie his first miracle fruit
tree more than a decade ago,
said he has seen no negative
“We’ve probably
sold 10 times more
miracle fruit
plants this year
than in years
past.”
Billy Hopkins
Tropical Fruit Nursery in Davie
health effects from eating the
berries, except for a few people
who experienced slight nausea
or an allergic reaction. Chugging a gallon of vinegar is not a
good idea, no matter how
sweet. “Demand is rising for
the trees. We’ve probably sold
10 times more miracle fruit
plants this year than in years
past,” Hopkins said.
Business has been so good
for Mozie that he had to sus-
pend orders after demand
grew too quickly. He’s contacted a grower in Ghana to
ship him 50,000 frozen berries.
Mozie sells his berries for $3
each. More than a year ago, he
charged only a dollar. Today,
prices can reach $5 on eBay.
Locally, unless you have
your own tree or know someone who does, there’s only one
way to get the fruit: Mozie’s
Web site, www.miraclefruit
man.com.
Hopkins, 44, said the fruit
has been available in the country for more than three decades
but bounded into the spotlight
last February when Martha
Stewart featured it on one of
her shows.
A m o n t h l a t e r, T h e Wa l l
Street Journal highlighted Mozie in a front-page article.
Hopkins and other nurseries
across the country now face a
shortage of miracle fruit plants,
which sell for $40 to $75.
“There’s been a run on them,
and it takes a good while for
them to grow, four-five years,”
said Adam Shafran, a miracle
fruit seller in Orlando.
A single full-grown tree can
yield 1,000 berries each time it
blooms, which occurs twice a
year in Africa but three times a
year in Florida.
Federal and state agriculture
officials don’t keep statistics on
how many miracle fruit growers there are. The Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services says there
are no restrictions on the growing and selling of the fruit.
Mozie grows his berries at a
farm at an undisclosed location
west of Fort Lauderdale.
“He’s been at this for so
long, he saw this coming,” said
Shafran, 27. “He’s got the
world; he is the biggest supplier out there.”
Mozie’s success has bewildered his wife, Pearl.
Pearl Mozie said she shook
her head when she saw her
husband come home with another tree more than a decade
ago.
“Just another tree he was going to obsess over,” she recalled.
But one miracle fruit tree
turned into hundreds, and the
plants took over the Mozie
backyard.
One day, worried about expenses, she asked her husband
why he didn’t sell a few of the
trees.
He told her it would be like a
dairy farmer selling his calves.
“I’m glad he stuck with it,”
she said.
Secret plan would send missions into Pakistan
� BIN LADEN
The new plan, outlined in a
highly classified Pentagon order, was designed to eliminate
some of those battles. And it
was meant to pave an easier
path into the tribal areas for
U.S. commandos, who for years
have bristled at what they see as
Washington’s risk-averse atti-
also argue that catching bin
Laden will come only by capturing some of his senior lieutenants alive.
But more than six months
later, the Special Operations
forces are still waiting for the
green light. The plan has been
held up in Washington by the
very disagreements it was
meant to eliminate.
After the Sept. 11 attacks,
smaller than the ones the group
used prior to 2001. However,
despite dozens of U.S. missile
strikes in Pakistan since 2002,
one retired CIA officer estimated that the makeshift training compounds have as many
as 2,000 Arab and Pakistani
militants, up from several hundred three years ago.
Publicly, senior U.S. and Pakistani officials have said that
Just as it had on
Sept. 10, 2001, alQaida now has a
band of terror
camps from which
to plan and train
Intragovernmental battles
raged over the plan in early
2005 for a Special Operations
mission intended to capture Ayman al-Zawahri, bin Laden’s
top deputy, in what would have
been the most aggressive use of
U.S. ground troops inside Pakistan. The New York Times disclosed the aborted operation in
a 2007 article, but interviews
since then have produced new
SB • Thursday, April 17, 2008 • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • SOUTH FLORIDA • 3B
TRAIN FATALLY STRIKES TEEN
Father, son were
walking along
CSX tracks in
Fort Lauderdale
BY ANDREW BA TRAN
STAFF WRITER
FORT LAUDERDALE John Davis says he saw the Amtrak train
strike his 16-year-old son while
they were walking near the tracks
Wednesday afternoon, but did not
see where the boy landed.
For the next five minutes, Davis,
43, said he frantically searched the
weeds by the CSX tracks west of
Interstate 95 near Northwest Seventh Street, calling his son’s name,
“Connor ... Connor!”
He found him just west of the
tracks.
“I tried, I tried to give him mouth
to mouth, but he wasn’t responding
at all,” Davis said outside his home
in Fort Lauderdale. “He wasn’t
breathing.”
Officials arrived minutes after
the 11 a.m. accident and pronounced Connor Davis dead at the
scene.
Police spokeswoman Detective
Kathy Collins said the pair were
trespassing in the area. No charges
have been filed.
“Although the investigation is
continuing, this incident appears to
be nothing more than a terrible accident,” said Collins.
Silver Star Train 92 was bound
for New York from Miami at the
time, said Amtrak spokeswoman
Karina Romero. The accident occurred on a level stretch of rail bordered by a chain-link fence.
The train, which stopped after
the accident, had been running on
time and had just left the Fort Lauderdale station.
None of the 89 passengers
onboard were injured, Romero
said.
The track speed for the area was
45 mph. Investigators will determine how fast the train was going
and if the conductor tried to warn
the victim, Romero said.
John Davis said he and his son
were walking home along the
tracks to save the $5 they would
have had to spend taking a bus. Davis said he just made $20 from the
Continental Blood Bank on
Broward Boulevard, and his son
wanted to tag along. Connor Davis
did not donate blood, according to
his father and the blood bank.
FATAL SCENE: Two conductors and police officers confer after Connor Davis was killed Wednesday afternoon by a northbound Amtrak train in Fort Lauderdale. The train, which stopped after the crash, had been running on time and had just left the Fort Lauderdale station. Staff photos/Lou Toman
“He just wanted
to go with me.
He’s my best
friend, I don’t
know. I still got
his blood on my
hands.”
John Davis
Father of Connor Davis, 16
ONLINE
Fort Lauderdale Police Department Detective Kathy Collins
talks about what happened in
a video report at Sun-Sentinel.com/traindeath
The father said he was walking
about 50 feet ahead of the teen
when the train struck. Davis said he
didn’t hear any horns, and said neither he nor his son was wearing
headphones.
Connor Davis loved video
games, and his father described
him as a “good kid who didn’t get in
any trouble.”
His mother, Carol New, 43, had
trouble accepting what happened.
“He’s coming home,” she wailed
from behind her front door. “He’s
j u s t l a t e c o m i n g h o m e , I d o n’ t
know, just late coming, he’s just
late.”
Connor Davis was set to enroll in
GED classes so he could join the
Army. Money was tight, his father
said.
“He just wanted to go with me.
He’s my best friend, I don’t know,”
the father said, starting to sob. “I
still got his blood on my hands.”
Andrew Ba Tran can be reached
at [email protected] or
954-356-4543.
INTERVIEW: John Davis talks to police investigators after his son, Connor,
was hit by a train as the pair were walking along the CSX tracks. Police
spokeswoman Detective Kathy Collins said they were trespassing in the area.
$1 million worth of marijuana found on disabled boat
BY MACOLLVIE JEAN-FRANÇOIS
STAFF WRITER
James Edward White, left, is
charged with drug trafficking. Marvin Rohan Mogg,
center, and Leonardo Davenci Kelley are charged
with re-entry of a deported
alien.
.
Fe d e r a l
agents arrested two deportees trying
to get back into the country and a
third man suspected of trafficking
about 300 pounds of marijuana after
the trio’s boat broke down, authorities said Wednesday.
Marvin Rohan Mogg, 32, a Jamaican, and Leonardo Davenci Kelley,
27, a Bahamian, were both convicted
of aggravated felonies and removed
from the United States years ago, acFORT LAUDERDALE
The boat was about six miles east
of Port Everglades, DEA Special
Agent Sandra M. Speck wrote in a
complaint. When four people seen at
searched the boat further and found a
fifth man.
They also found 322 pounds of
marijuana, Speck said. Drug Enforce-
Speck said.
Mogg at first gave agents a different name, but a check of his fingerprints in FBI and Department of
Homeland Security databases revealed his identity and history, Speck
said.
Florida records show Kelley had a
conviction in 1998 for armed carjacking. Speck said he was deported in
2000.
“Although what he did wasn’t completely on the up-and-up, he wasn’t
coming here with any improper moti-
second may have been turned over to
immigration officials.
Ke l l e y a n d M o g g e a c h f a c e a
charge of re-entry of a deported alien.
White is being held on conspiracy to
possess, with intent to distribute,
more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. All were being held at the
Broward County Jail. Hearings are
set for April 21 and April 29.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek
contributed to this report.
NB
06-20-2007
A-1
CMYK
NB
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007
35¢
Is hospital’s
expansion
necessary?
Medical center,
neighbors at
odds over growth
BY IHOSVANI RODRIGUEZ
S TA F F W R I T E R
PRECAUTION: Steven Lazatte, left, and John Tymms apply mosquito repellent as they work in a swamp area
between Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Port Everglades. Staff photo/Joe Cavaretta
HOLLYWOOD . A decades-long
turf battle between Memorial Regional Hospital and its neighbors
in Hollywood Hills will resurface
tonight as the hospital seeks permission for a major expansion.Administrators at the public hospital
want city officials to let them turn a
five-acre area currently zoned for
offices and residences into a hospital district without displacing people or property.
They say the new zone would allow them to build two medical facilities that are crucial to the re-
OUR WAR ON BUGS
Rain makes S. Florida a mosquito breeding ground
How typical mosquitoes are born
ANDREW TRAN
DANIA BEACH . Their generator
is broken, so the men wait, sticky
with sweat and insect repellent, by
a ditch teeming with the spawn of
their tiny enemies.
“They’re killing me,” says Steven
Lazette, scratching his neck as the
crew awaits a supervisor. “About 80
bites a day, that’s my limit.”
Slap.
“But I can get that in five minutes
here,” he says, laughing. “Welcome
to Mosquito Control.”
Slap.
With Florida’s record drought finally easing and the rainy season
under way, counties in South Florida and statewide have mobilized
workers like Lazette to check vacant fields, roadside ditches and
other typical mosquito breeding
sites.
It can be a frustrating battle, but
it will be an important one this year.
Mosquitoes hatch in puddles, birdbaths and other sources of stagnant water
which are ideal places for eggs. An adult female’s life span lasts from three weeks
Vatican ‘Commandments’
won’t tame our road rage
Breathing
tube
1 Eggs are
laid on standing
water in rafts of
200 or more.
The eggs
usually hatch
within 48 hours.
2 A larva can
live in the water
for up to two
weeks as it grows.
It breathes
through a tube at
the water’s surface.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State Agriculture Commissioner
Charles Bronson warned recently
to expect a “mosquito population
explosion” as the rains return after
months of drought.
3 The pupa
takes several days
to develop into an
adult. It does not
eat during this time
and continues
breathing through
tubes.
4 The adult
emerges from
the pupal shell
and rests to
allow its body
parts to harden.
We’ve always known: The outrage you see day-today on South Florida roads should be a sin.
Now it just might be.
On Tuesday, the Vatican’s Council for the Pastoral
Care of Migrants and Itinerant People issued an amazing document called “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care
of the Road.” It addresses how folks should behave
while driving.
Talk about taking on a challenge. I mean, Pope John
Paul II’s historic apologies and outreach to other religions were impressive. But this truly takes Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy to a whole new level.
So much for all the complaints that the guys with the
pointy hats were out of touch with real Americans. OK.
So they might be a tiny bit out of step on stuff such as
the pedophilia scandal and priests marrying. But this
shows they truly have their finger on the American
pulse, which everyone knows runs on
Staff graphic/
Jonathan Boho,
Hiram Henriquez
Some species of mosquitoes —
there are may be 40 varieties in
Broward and Palm Beach counties
� MOSQUITOES CONTINUES ON 16A
Ways to avoid mosquito-borne disease
Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants to
cover skin and reduce the chance of
being bitten.
Eliminate standing water in yards,
such as in birdbaths, kiddie pools and
old tires. Stagnant water is an excellent
breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Use insect repellent that contains
DEET.
DAILY DIGEST
INDEX
Lottery: 2A
� HOSPITAL CONTINUES ON 8A
to several months. In that time, she’ll lay as many as 500 eggs.
ONLINE: WATCH A MOSQUITO PATROL IN ACTION AT SUN-SENTINEL.COM/BROWARD
Limit time outside during dusk and
dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
gion’s growing needs.
The rezoning would allow two
new buildings now and pave the
way for future expansion:
A new, four-story Joe DiMaggio
Children’s Hospital.
A new, four-story cancer treatment facility with its own parking
garage.
Flexibility to plan for longterm growth, for example, by adding onto the children’s hospital.
At a public hearing set for 7 p.m.
today in City Hall, residents are expected to argue their quality-of-life
issues against the hospital’s need
to serve a larger population.
“If you want to go to the grocery
store in the afternoon after work,
forget it,” said Nicholas Segal, who
lives on Arthur Street, a few blocks
from where the hospital plans to
Nation: 3A
People: 4A
World: 10A
Ten Commandments for drivers
No. 5
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Editorials: 14A
COLUMNIST
� COMMANDMENTS CONTINUES ON 16A
Horse owners should check with veterinarians to make sure their animals have
current vaccinations.
Today, 87
Tonight, 75
Obituaries: 10B
Ralph
De La
Cruz
Tomorrow, 87
Sports: 1C
Business: 1D
Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. See
other Commandments, 16A
Complete weather on back page of LOCAL
Advice: 2E
TV Tonight: 3E
Classified: 1F
COMMUNITY NEWS ROUNDUP, 4B-5B Art of Asia exhibit opens in Coral Springs . Security, safety expo today in Deerfield Beach . Learn the history of gay rights at the Main Library
NATION
LOCAL
WATER RESTRICTIONS
SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Wednesday, June 20, 2007 • NB
will pave way
mpics’ torch
D
S
lans to
e side of
ase the
ey to the
tallest
008 Beiedia re-
e road,
million,
e rough
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amp at
acktop
dulating
a News
uction,
t week,
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uld betourists
id.
Secregovernproject
used to
and Nemmonly
ntain.
s for the
pics anans for
elay in
— an
y route
that would cross five continents and reach the
29,035-foot summit of Everest.
Taking the Olympic torch to
the top of the mountain, seen
by some as a way for Beijing to
underscore its claims to Tibet,
is expected to be one of the relay’s highlights.
China says it has ruled Tibet
for centuries, although many
Tibetans say their homeland
was essentially an independent state for most of that time.
Chinese communist troops occupied Tibet in 1951, and Beijing continues to rule the region with a heavy hand.
The day before the route of
the torch relay was announced
by the Beijing organizers of the
Olympics, five Americans unfurled banners at a base camp
calling for an independent Tibet.
The five, from the Students
for a Free Tibet group, were
briefly held and then expelled
from China.
Ed Viesturs, one of the most
accomplished American
climbers, said he thought a
paved road, as opposed to the
current dirt one, might make
access to base camp easier for
tour groups, but he did not
think it would affect climbers
significantly.
Teams in full force against pests
� MOSQUITOES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
— lay eggs that can wait several years to hatch, depending
on how much rain falls, said
Joe Marhefka, manager for the
Broward County Mosquito
Control.
Teams monitor population,
check larva sightings, and then
destroy the progeny with a
mixture of pesticide and
growth inhibitors. Although
some spraying was done during the drought in areas of
standing water, heavy rains
mean crews will have to work
longer and cover more ground.
“It’s just frustrating for us
just trying to keep up with the
rain we have,” Marhefka said.
“At some point, the saturation
gets overwhelming.”
Broward’s three mosquito
control teams have seven days
after it rains to prevent the larvae from turning into adults,
he said. But South Florida’s
humidity and ultraviolet rays
can shrink the hatching time to
four days.
Mosquito activity is sporadic so far in Palm Beach
County, said Ed Bradford, director of the county’s mosquito
control.
“We’re just now starting to
see standing water in some of
the developments,” he said.
“People with containers, buck-
“It’s just frustrating for us just
trying to keep up
with the rain we
have.”
Joe Marhefka
Manager for the Broward County
Mosquito Control
ets, tires — they don’t know
they’ve been breeding their
own mosquitoes.”
Teams drive three trucks
around Broward starting at 4
a.m. on weekdays to combat
adult mosquitoes, spraying a
fine mist of chemicals as they
pass.
Four trucks travel across
Palm Beach County on weekday evenings.
The teams also respond to
requests from neighborhoods
for help.
When truck-spraying isn’t
enough, Broward, Palm Beach
and other counties bring out
aircraft to bomb the mosquitoes with pesticide. A plane or
a helicopter can drop about
half an ounce of chemicals per
acre, which doesn’t affect humans, but devastates mosquitoes, officials say. If Florida
isn’t burning, it’s getting bitten,
said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Depart-
FIGHTING PESTS: John Tymms, of Broward County Mosquito
Control, sprays pesticide in a swamp area in Dania Beach between the Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport
and Port Everglades. Recent rains have left standing water
throughout South Florida. Staff photo/Joe Cavaretta
ment of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
“If we have a dry spring, we
have a terrible wildfire problem,” he said. “If it’s a wet
spring, we have to deal with
mosquito infestation.”
Though there are 56 mosquito control agencies in Florida, the state will hire contractors to assist during a bad season, like after a hurricane, McElroy said.
Mosquitoes are more than a
nuisance because they pose a
health danger. Some species
could carry diseases such as
West Nile or Malaria, he said.
“I use insect repellent cause
otherwise they’re gonna come
get you. I don’t care how fast
you are,” said Lazette, a mosquito control inspector for
Broward. He looks like he is
hugging himself as he slaps
one arm and scratches the
other.
“It used to be an annoyance,
but now I take it personally.”
Andrew Tran can be reached
at [email protected] or
954-356-4543
rivers need
ntervention
TS
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enerally
ver the
nes
en Comke: You
eople,
nd
dn’t be
lp peo-
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ve preperately
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THE VATICAN’S TEN
COMMANDMENTS
FOR DRIVERS
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you
a means of communion
between people and not of
mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness
and prudence will help you
deal with unforeseen
events.
4. Be charitable and help
your neighbor in need,
especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you
an expression of power and
domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the
young and not so young
not to drive when they are
not in a fitting condition to
do so.
7. Support the families of
accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists
and their victims together,
at the appropriate time, so
that they can undergo the
Knowing
what time the
bank closes.
Not caring
what time the
bank closes.
SB 07-19-2007
B-3
SB • Thursday, July 19, 2007 • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • SOUTH FLORIDA • 3B
Woman found dead in motel
Hollywood police call death suspicious
after also finding an unconscious man
BY ANDREW TRAN
.
Two weeks ago, the
yelling stopped and the room began
to reek.
Neighbors wondered if it was because the woman in apartment 7 had
left and was no longer cleaning up after the older man.
The question was answered
HOLLYWOOD
Cooper
City OKs
disaster
measure
Wednesday when officers responded
to a call about an unconscious man in
the room at the Wilkirk motel at 1718
Fillmore St.
The odor came from a woman’s decomposing body.
Police say the woman was in her
early 30s. The man, in his 50s, was
taken to Memorial Regional Hospital
in Hollywood, said Capt. Tony Rode,
a police spokesman. The man did not
respond to police and was clearly incoherent, Rode said. Police consider
the man a person of interest. The
names are being withheld pending
family notification.
Police did not find any signs of
forced entry or any initial indication
of homicide, but investigators still
called the death suspicious.
Police had twice visited the motel
during the past two weeks, responding to complaints about the smell in
the apartment from neighbors and
management.
On Tuesday, the man living in the
apartment told officers the smell was
from rotting fruit, Rode said. The man
also told police he had just vomited.
Police did not have enough probable
cause to search the entire apartment,
Rode said.
After police left Tuesday, Richard
Hill, the motel manager, said he told
the man he had an hour to pack his
things and leave. The man begged to
be able to stay 24 hours more, Hill
said.
Early Wednesday, Hill went inside
the apartment and found the man
Firefighters honor fallen hero
Archdiocese
settles sexual
abuse lawsuit
BY MADELINE BARÓ DIAZ
MIAMI BUREAU
BY GEORGIA EAST
Georgia East can be reached at
954-385-7921.
at [email protected]
or 954-356-4543.
2 new allegations filed
in Miami-Dade court
Wording tweaked
on taking property
COOPER CITY . The third time was
the charm.
After trying twice to soften a controversial law that allows the city to take
personal property in an emergency,
commissioners voted 3-2 to replace the
word “seized” with “acquired” on Tuesday night. And they pointed out that
property could only be taken after an order by the governor.
However, some say the changes don’t
go far enough to restore property owner
rights.
Commissioner John Sims voted
against the change, saying no matter
what the wording, the law was “a miscarriage of justice.”
Last year, in anticipation of hurricane
season, the city passed a measure giving
it the right during a disaster to seize vehicles and equipment belonging to residents, so it could quickly assist others in
need.
City officials said that it piggy-backed
off a state ordinance and that the city’s
intent was to ensure the health and safety of all residents.
With the law, the city can declare private roads public in an emergency, a
necessary step to aid people who live in
homeowners associations, commissioners said.
Commissioners didn’t begin discussing the issue until after 11 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, about a dozen parents
came out to protest a proposal by City
Manager Christopher Farrell to cut a
school resource deputy as a budgettrimming measure.
Although some city leaders said they
would not support such a cut, they said
it would be discussed more thoroughly
during the city’s first budget hearing
Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.
In a separate matter, longtime residents said they were concerned about a
plan to develop Cooper Colony Golf
Course into single-family homes. City
leaders assured the residents the land is
deeded to remain open space and they
had informed the developer.
sprawled on the floor. He called 911.
Police came to the apartment for a
third time and found the decomposing body, Rode said. He wouldn’t say
where in the apartment the body was
found.
“It could be domestic related, could
be a drug overdose, could be a murder, attempted suicide — we don’t
know. It’s too soon to tell,” Rode said.
SOLEMN PROCESSION: Pallbearers carry the casket of veteran Broward
Sheriff’s Office firefighter Michael Douthitt out of the First Baptist Church of
Fort Lauderdale at the end of the funeral for him Wednesday. Douthitt, 48, of
Wellington, died Friday, just days after he underwent emergency heart surgery
to clear a blocked artery. Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire-Rescue Chief Joseph
Lello presented Douthitt’s helmet, below, to Douthitt’s son, Andy.
Staff photo/Colleen K. Cummins
The Archdiocese of Miami reached a settlement with a
man who filed a sexual abuse lawsuit involving the priest
accused of fondling former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, the
man’s attorney said Wednesday.
The details of the settlement reached last week are
confidential, attorney Jeffrey Herman said.
The man, who was not identified, sued the archdiocese
in October, saying the Rev. Anthony Mercieca fondled
and performed oral sex on him when he was 12 or 13
years old, about 30 years ago. At the time, Mercieca was
assigned to St. James Church in North Miami, where the
alleged victim was an altar boy.
Foley, who resigned from Congress last year over the
discovery of sexually explicit Internet exchanges with
young male pages, also accused Mercieca of sexually
abusing him when he was a 13-year-old altar boy at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth.
Mercieca told reporters he fondled, skinny-dipped and
sat naked with the young Foley, but denied they had sex.
Herman on Wednesday also announced the filing of
two new sexual abuse lawsuits against the archdiocese in
Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, including one involving allegations against retired Broward County priest
Neil Doherty.
The accuser in that case, identified as John Doe No. 39,
said in the lawsuit the abuse happened when he was
about 12 years old.
The man met Doherty in 1974 at St. Anthony’s Catholic
Church in Fort Lauderdale, where the man and his family
worshiped.
According to the lawsuit, Doherty gained his family’s
trust before abusing him.
The lawsuit claims the archdiocese knew Doherty was
abusing boys, but covered up allegations and did not report them to the police.
Doherty, 64, who also served at St. Vincent’s Catholic
Church, in Margate, is awaiting trial in Broward on multiple counts of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious acts and
molestation in a separate case.
At least 10 lawsuits have been filed involving Doherty.
Two of Herman’s clients, including one at the center of
the criminal case, have settled in the past few weeks.
Doherty pleaded not guilty and is free on $70,000 bond.
Doherty retired in 2002 and is not assigned to a church or
allowed to wear clerical garb or celebrate the sacraments,
according to the archdiocese.
The other lawsuit was brought by a man identified as
John Doe No. 38, who said the Rev. Joseph Calamari
sexually abused him from the time he was about 2 or 3
years old until he was 4.
The archdiocese released a statement saying it had not
seen the latest lawsuits.
The statement did not address the Mercieca settlement. “It is a sad day for the Catholic Church when we receive an allegation of sexual abuse by a member of the
clergy,” the statement read. “Every accusation is taken seriously by the Archdiocese of Miami.”
Madeline Baró Diaz can be reached at [email protected] or 305-810-5007.
NB • Saturday, July 21, 2007 • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • SOUTH FLORIDA • 3B
Woman’s life
DOCKED
AND
READY
a struggle with
TO
ROCK
S.
FLORIDA
mental issues
U.S. WARSHIPS AT PORT EVERGLADES
BY ROBERT NOLIN
She was found dead in Hollywood motel room
BY ANDREW TRAN
. “I love you.”
They were the last words Marilyn
Davis of Hollywood heard from her
daughter Deane. The aspiring writer
had moved out weeks before, but she
called home every night so her
mother wouldn’t worry.
But a month ago, the calls stopped.
The next time Davis heard about
her 37-year-old daughter was when
police called Wednesday to tell her
they found Deane Nandi Davis’ body
— badly decomposing in a motel
room in a rundown part of town,
along with an older man they described as “incoherent.”
How Davis died is under investigation, but police call her death suspicious. The man, in his 50s, was taken
to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Police have not identified him
but consider him a person of interest.
Marilyn Davis had gone to the police a week after Deane stopped calling. She had reasons to worry. Her
daughter had a history of psychiatric
problems, Davis said, and had been
drinking heavily.
She made posters. “Have you seen
her?” pleaded the handwriting underneath a laminated printout of her
daughter’s face.
Two weeks ago, she pounded on
the door of Apartment 7 of the Wilkirk
motel at 1718 Fillmore St., across
from where she found her daughter’s
abandoned car.
A man who neighbors said was
Deane’s roommate answered the
door. Davis showed him a year-old
picture of her smiling daughter.
The man said she was no longer
there and shook his head. “She
doesn’t look like that anymore.”
Police say they found Deane’s body
after the motel manager discovered a
man he said was her roommate unconscious on the floor and called
them. They refused to say where in
the apartment the body was found.
Officers had visited the man at the
motel twice within two weeks, responding to complaints from neighbors of a foul odor. But officers did not
think they had enough cause to
search his room because he told them
the smell was because of rotting fruit
and from his recent vomiting, police
said.
From what her mother and friends
say, the man appears to be the latest in
a string of unhelpful people in
Deane’s tumultuous life.
It wasn’t always like that.
HOLLYWOOD
Deane Nandi
Davis’ mother
moved her to
Florida last
year to take
care of her.
Deane grew up in Rock Hill, S.C.
She graduated with an English degree
f r o m Wi n t h r o p U n i v e r s i t y. S h e
wanted to become a writer.
“She could go into any room and be
able to captivate an audience,” said
friend Susie Richards, from Rock Hill.
But Deane was troubled.
She was sexually abused at a
young age and never seemed to recover, her mother said.
She found solace in alcohol from
her various mental health issues. She
suffered from an anxiety disorder that
made her afraid of experiencing embarrassing situations. She also was
obsessive-compulsive and classified
under Medicaid as bipolar, according
to Marilyn Davis.
On Friday morning, Davis found an
undated five-page letter from her
daughter. “I drank too much today.
I’m tired of it all. I’m tired of the
shame,” Deane wrote. “There are
ebbs and flows, ups and downs . . .
and for whatever time I have left on
this earth, this no doubt will be my
life’s patterns.”
Marilyn moved Deane from South
Carolina to Hollywood in July 2006 to
take care of her. The mother sought
out programs and counseling. The
family didn’t have medical insurance.
She called the police when Deane
started pulling knives from drawers
and threatened harm to herself in November. She said she filed legal paperwork to get Deane enrolled into programs at the Broward Addiction Recovery Centers.
But Deane wasn’t a child, so her
mother couldn’t force her to get help.
A counselor warned Marilyn Davis
that Deane’s self-destructive tendencies might get worse before things get
better.
“She’s going to have to bottom out
before she can get help,” the counselor said.
“What if that means she’ll die?”
Marilyn asked.
“That may be the case.”
Andrew Tran can be reached at
954-356-4543.
Thousands of sailors traded bellbottomed whites and flip-brim caps
for shorts and T-shirts Friday as
they disembarked from five warships visiting Port Everglades after
weeks of training at sea.
“They’re all over the port,” said
Ellen Kennedy, port spokeswoman.
“They’ve got on their beach clothes
and look like they’re ready to enjoy
South Florida.”
“For many of these
sailors, it’s their first
liberty call.”
Ellen Kennedy
Port Everglades spokeswoman
The sailors numbered more than
5,000, and are serving aboard an
aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S.
Truman; two destroyers, the USS
Oscar Austin and USS Winston S.
Churchill; a nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Montpelier; and a
British Royal Navy destroyer, the
HMS Manchester. The vessels left
Norfolk, Va., on July 2 and have
been on training maneuvers required before their certification for
deployment to a war zone.
The Truman, anchored about
two miles offshore, can be seen
from the south end of Fort Lauderdale’s beach. Because of security
concerns over the complement of
fighting aircraft it carries, the
1,092-foot-long behemoth isn’t allowed in port.
The British are well represented
on the visit: There’s the U.S. Navy’s
Churchill, named after the famous
World War II prime minister; the
Royal Navy officer who as a courtesy is always aboard the Churchill;
and the Manchester, one of Britain’s more powerful destroyers.
As sailors swarmed into town by
shuttle and taxi, many carried maps
distributed by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Some slung golf clubs over
shoulders. “For many of these sailors, it’s their first liberty call,” Kennedy said. “They’re real eager to
come landside.”
Parents too were eager. Tom
Cobble drove from Melbourne to
see his son, Daniel. “I’m down here
to take my son off the ship for a little
bit and get him away from the
Navy,” Cobble said. He plans to take
his son swimming, see the latest
Harry Potter movie “and just hang
out with the kid.”
Still on the water working, how-
LINING UP: Sailors man the rail on the USS Oscar Austin, one of five warships
visiting Port Everglades after completing training. Staff photo/Lou Toman
ever, were Coast Guardsmen patrolling the area to make sure local
boaters come no closer than 100
yards of the Navy ships and operate
at minimum speed when within 500
yards.
“ We h a v e s e c u r i t y b o a t s o u t
there,” said Coast Guard Petty Offi-
cer James Judge. “We’ll mark the
zones and guide people away.”
Robert Nolin can be reached at
954-356-4525.
Sprinkler system helps suppress small fire at Swap Shop
BY ANDREW TRAN
.
The sprinkler system at the Swap Shop kept an early
morning fire Friday from spreading
through the building, a Lauderhill
Fire-Rescue spokesman said.
Firefighters had to contend with
limited visibility from heavy smoke
after responding to a 7:08 a.m. emerLAUDERHILL
Jeff Levy.
By the time the fire was extinguished 32 minutes later, 60 firefighters from Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale,
Oakland Park, Plantation and the
Broward Sheriff’s Office were on the
scene.
No one was injured. The cause of
the fire, which was confined to Sunshine Discounts on the second floor,
accidental, Levy said.
The Swap Shop estimated the cost
of damage from heat, smoke and water at about $500,000, he said.
“This fire call is a perfect example
that fire sprinkler systems help to
contain fires and save lives,” Levy
said in a statement.
“Because the fire sprinkler system
functioned properly, the fire was con-
ture and there were no injuries,” he
said.
Had the sprinkler system not
worked properly, the damage could
have been extensive because of the
Swap Shop’s aluminum and steel
construction, the wide-open spaces
and the merchandise, Levy said.
Westbound Sunrise Boulevard between Northwest 31st Avenue and
four hours because of the fire. The
Swap Shop was closed for the entire
day.
The fact the fire occurred when it
did might have prevented worse damage.
“Other than Thursdays, Saturdays
and Sundays, we open at 8,” said Bob
Druckman, a booth operator.
“So I guess it’s a good thing it’s Fri-
NB 07-28-2007
B-3
NB • Saturday, July 28, 2007 • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • SOUTH FLORIDA • 3B
Warrant issued in Springs killing Charges
Police seek Miami resident
in connection with fatal shooting
BY SALLIE JAMES
.
Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a
21-year-old Miami man on a murder charge in connection with the
July 22 shooting death of a Coral
Springs resident.
Adam Jacobs, 23, was fatally
shot in the head inside a house in
CORAL SPRINGS
the 2500 block of Northwest 121st
Drive after an argument broke out
among at least five men in the
home, police said.
Markinsey Metayer is being
sought on one count of murder,
two counts of attempted murder
and two counts of armed robbery,
according to police. The warrant
was issued Thursday.
Two other men were wounded:
Gregory Hunt, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, was shot in the chest; and Jason Operle, 24, of Coral Springs,
had a gunshot wound to his right
shoulder.
Police have declined to say exactly what led to the shooting.
None of the victims lived in the
house in the Westchester neighborhood north of Royal Palm Boulevard and east of Northwest 123rd
Avenue.
O n We d n e s d a y, P a t r i c k E .
Young, 28, was charged with mur-
der, attempted murder and two
counts of armed robbery in connection with the shootings. He is
being held without bail at the Miami-Dade County Jail.
Metayer is described as 5 feet 6
inches tall, 150 pounds, with gold
upper and lower teeth, and a tattoo
on the right side of his neck of
fancy, script writing.
Anyone with information is
asked to call Detective Ryan Gallagher at 954-346-1214 or Crime
Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
filed in
killing
Police say man, 51,
suffocated girlfriend
in Hollywood motel
BY ANDREW TRAN
HEADS UP: Fashion designer and volunteer Lawrence Capdeville, 16, of Davie, waits to walk down the runway in his scarecrow design at the Young At
Art Museum’s teen volunteer fashion show, “Got Trash?” Capdeville entered his creation in the country & western and freestyle categories. Organizers
said Friday’s event was designed to build awareness about protecting the environment. Photo/Rhonda Vanover
What’s old is the new you
Davie fashion show
features designs made
of recycled materials
BY GEORGIA EAST
DAVIE . One man’s trash is another man’s
trousers.
Just ask the 60 teens who spent weeks converting gum wrappers into garments and electrical tape into tube tops for Friday night’s
fashion show at the Young at Art Museum in
Davie.
“ We made a dress out of old blinds and
pinned inspirational words from newspapers
in the middle,’ said Rachel Cushanick, 14, of
Sunrise. “For accessories I’m using soda can
tabs.’’
About 50 fashions were modeled in front of
a crowd of about 150 people, with prizes
awarded for best design in four categories: hip
hop, punk rock, freestyle and country &
western.
DIGEST Staff reports
To make their outfits, teens rummaged
through barrels of donated recyclables and
used paper clips, safety pins, glue or tape to
hold the material together.
“At first, things kept coming undone,’’
Cushanick said.
Cassie Haley, 14, of Weston, sewed 600 dog
tags together to create a collar for one of the
dresses she entered in the show.
“I want people to know that you can make
beautiful things out of stuff that you wouldn’t
normally use,’’ she said.
One teen glued candy wrappers to a dress
from Goodwill. Another glued egg crates together and painted them rainbow colors for a
belt. Then there was the vest made entirely of
playing cards.
“These are the things that I usually put in
the garbage and forget they existed,’’ said
Shannon Leibowitz, 15, of Cooper City.
Sandra Trinidad, Young At Art’s marketing
coordinator, said the event’s main purpose is
to build awareness about protecting the environment. The museum is constantly seeking
donated recycled materials such as plastic bottles, fabrics, baskets, milk jugs and metals, to
use for various projects throughout the year.
For the fashion show, “We let [the teens] be
a little more free this year in choosing what
they wanted to do,’’ she said.
The models strutted down the runway to
music played by a live DJ, wearing their environmentally friendly designs.
“I think it’s nice for them to learn not to be
wasteful,’’ said parent Cindy O’Neil, of Plantation, who said her daughter worked hard
alongside her best friend to come up with their
creation made of garbage. Some parents sat
anxiously waiting to see designs because they
said their children wouldn’t let them sneak a
peek before the show.
“Their talent and creativity with recycling is
amazing,’’ said parent Robin Kessler, of Coral
Springs, during the intermission.
Nearby, Jewel Bent watched closely as her
daughter Amanda, 16, took to the runway
wearing an outfit with a belt she made out of
old compact discs tied together by a string.
“I’m so proud of her,’’ Bent said. “It’s excellent.’’
Georgia East can be reached at [email protected] or 954-385-7921.
HOLLYWOOD . He didn’t want her to go.
So to stop her, police say, Thomas Tuer
pinned his girlfriend down, suffocated her,
and then wrapped her in a blanket before
stuffing her in his motel room closet. Her decomposing body remained there for almost a
month before police found it.
Tuer, 51, was arrested Thursday night and
charged with the murder of Deane Nandi Davis, 37. He was being held at the Broward
County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bond Friday.
On July 18, a manager who was about to
evict Tuer from his Wilkirk Motel apartment
because of foul odors coming from the place
found Tuer unconscious and called police. Officers found Davis’ body in the closet.
Police took Tuer to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he
told investigators that Davis
died a month earlier as he
was trying to stop her from
leaving, said Capt. Tony
Rode, a police spokesman.
The couple had an argument on June 22 and Tuer
told detectives that he
wrapped his arms around
Davis’ body, pinning her to
Tuer
the floor, police said. Tuer
stopped her from screaming
by laying his body over her
face, authorities said. Tuer
told police he attempted to
resuscitate Davis minutes
after realizing she was not
breathing. It didn’t work.
Tuer admitted that he dug
a hole behind the motel
where he had intended to
Davis
bury Davis’ body hours before officers made the discovery, police said.
“He took the manager’s wheelbarrow and
went out back to the alley and started digging
a shallow grave,” Rode said. “He says that it
started to get daylight and he stopped because
he thought someone might see him.”
Tuer had been charged Monday with false
imprisonment of an adult and for failing to report a death.
Detectives had been waiting for results of
Davis’ toxicology report before filing additional charges, Rode said. Though the medical
examiner noted alcohol and barbiturates in
Davis’ system, the dosage wasn’t enough to
lead to her death, he said.
Tuer has a long criminal record, including
convictions for selling and possessing cocaine
in 1990, burglary and battery in 1993, trespassing in 2000 and cocaine possession again
in 2004.
While Davis’ body was in the closet, police
visited the apartment twice in two weeks to investigate reports of foul odors. Tuer told them
he had vomited and there was rotting fruit in
his room. Officers did not tell Tuer to let them
search the room because they felt there wasn’t
enough legal cause, Rode said.
Davis’ mother, Marilyn, also stopped by
Tuer’s apartment on July 5 after seeing her car
in a parking lot nearby.
Marilyn Davis had been searching for her
daughter since June.
“I think she had hope before she died —
that’s why she wanted to leave,” said Marilyn
Davis. “She thought she could start over
again.”
Deane Davis’ memorial is scheduled for 2
p.m. today at Fred Hunter’s Funeral Home at
6301 Taft St. in Hollywood.
Andrew Tran can be reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4543.
SB 02-12-2008
A-1
CMYK
SB
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008
DANGEROUS CURRENTS
Offshore winds create rough conditions at S. Florida beaches
50¢
U.S. Latino
population
could triple
by 2050
Iimmigration trends show
a future much like Florida
BY RUTH MORRIS
STAFF WRITER
CLOSE TO THE SHORE: Mike Mainella, 17, of Lake Worth, skimboards in the surf along Boynton Beach on Monday. Conditions were ripe for
rip currents along South Florida’s beaches on Monday, and the risk for today is forecast as moderate to high. Photo/Josh Ritchie
BY ANDREW BA TRAN
STAFF WRITER
Rip current safety
Robert Koehler stepped into
the ocean for the last time on
the morning of Jan. 3, 2007.
H i s b r o t h e r, R i c h a r d ,
glanced up from playing in the
sand at the unguarded beach
along Galt Ocean Mile and saw
Robert, 70, bobbing in the
ocean. When he looked up
again, Robert was gone.
Fifteen minutes later, Robert’s body washed onto the Fort
Lauderdale sand.
Authorities said Robert, who
was visiting South Florida
from Pennsylvania, had been
swept up by a rip current and
drowned after becoming exhausted from fighting the pull.
“He was a great swimmer,”
Richard said. “It just shows it
can happen to anyone.”
Rip currents can occur anyplace that has a shoreline, from
the Indian Ocean to the Great
Lakes. But in Florida, experts
Rip currents can occur anywhere there’s a shoreline, from the Indian Ocean to the Great Lakes.
In Florida, experts are at the forefront of current safety.
� RIP CURRENTS CONTINUES ON 12A
SOURCE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, South Florida Sun-Sentinel staff research
� IMMIGRATION CONTINUES ON 8A
BEACH WARNING FLAGS
HOW RIP CURRENTS FORM
1 After waves crash onto the
beach, water flows to a narrow
channel between sandbars.
Sa
Single red flag
means hazardous
waters, high surf
and/or strong rip
currents.
To escape a rip
current, swim
parallel to the shore.
nd
ba
r
2 A rip current
occurs when the
water rushes
through the
channel and out
to the ocean.
Rip
cu
rre
Sa
Look for a channel of
churning, choppy water
moving away from
shore. Watch for
seaweed or other debris
moving with the current.
Ch
an
Be
ne
Two flags means
water closed to
public.
nt
nd
ba
Stresses caution;
moderate surf
and/or rip
currrents.
r
ac
Dangerous
marine life such
as sea lice and
jellyfish present.
l
h
Signals calm
waters.
Staff graphic/Belinda Long-Ivey
See what rip currents look like in a video at Sun-Sentinel.com/ripcurrents
How to stay safe in water where there might be rip currents, 12A
DAILY DIGEST
INDEX
Lottery: 2A
Nation: 3A
People: 4A
If current trends continue, immigrants and their descendants will account for 82 percent of the U.S. population increase by mid-century, driving shifts that will make
the United States look a bit like, well, South Florida.
Released Monday, a Pew Research Center study projected the nation’s Latino population would triple in size
by 2050, to 29 percent of the U.S. population. Broward
County is already well on its way to that marker, with a
Hispanic population of 22.8 percent. In Palm Beach
County, the percentage of Latinos stands at 16.7 percent,
according to census data, and is rising. Miami-Dade surpasses both, with a Hispanic population of 61.3 percent of
the county’s residents.
“It’s not like this is new for us. We’ve been living this reality for many years now,” said Richard Ogburn, of the
South Florida Regional Planning Council. He pointed out
that he’s married to a Brazilian and works in an office
where many of his colleagues come from the Caribbean.
“I’m in it, for whatever comes,” he said.
The study’s authors stressed their projections depend
on several factors holding steady, including market forces
World: 16A
Today, 79
Editorials: 22A
ANALYSIS
Charging detainees
in line with Bush’s
unbending stance
BY STEVEN LEE MYERS
THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON . Harsh interrogations and Guantanamo
Bay, secret prisons and warrantless eavesdropping, the
war against al-Qaida and the one in Iraq. On issue after issue, President Bush has showed little indication that he
will shrink from the most controversial decisions of his
tenure.
With the decision to charge six Guantanamo detainees
with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and to seek the death
penalty for the crimes, many of those issues will now be
back in the spotlight. In an election year, that appears to be
exactly where Bush wants the focus to be.
The White House said Monday that Bush had no role in
the decision to file charges now against the six detainees,
leaving the strategy for prosecuting them to the military.
� POLICIES CONTINUES ON 9A
Tonight, 72
Obituaries: 8B
Tomorrow, 82
Sports: 1C
Business: 1D
Complete weather on back page of LOCAL
Advice: 2E
On TV: 3E
Classified: 1F
COMMUNITY NEWS ROUNDUP, 5B Ocean-themed art show in Lauderdale • Parkland animal-tethering law moves closer • Plantation Midtown Trolley expands
NATION
LOCAL
SB
02-12-2008
A-12
CMYK
12A • SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Tuesday, February 12, 2008 • SB
Key to survival: Don’t panic
� RIP CURRENTS
have been at the forefront of rip
current safety, including creation of a rip current forecast
system and a unified state
beach flag program.
Conditions were ripe for rip
currents along South Florida
beaches Monday, and the risk
for Tuesday was forecast as
moderate to high, said National
Weather Service meteorologist
Andy Tingler.
The currents tend to form
when the winds are coming in
from the east: the more perpendicular to the shore, the greater
the risk of formation. A break in
a sandbar under the water creates a channel where the water
moves out to sea more rapidly
and forcefully.
Surfers and lifeguards use
rip currents to get to deeper water more quickly, but to an unsuspecting swimmer the sudden pull away from shore and
apparent loss of control can be
deadly.
The key to survival is not to
panic, said Eric Feld, a Delray
Beach Ocean Rescue supervisor. He advises those who get
caught up to swim parallel to
the shore until they are outside
the current, then swim back or
yell for help.
Deaths related to rip currents
are rare in South Florida.
Officials linked two Broward
County drownings in 2007 to
rip currents, three in Palm
Beach County and one in Miami-Dade County, according to
the National Weather Service.
There were 22 such deaths in
the region in 1988. But starting
the next year, the figures began
to drop. That was when two
swimmers drowned at Miami
Beach, catching the attention of
Weather Service meteorologist
Jim Lushine.
“I wondered what the heck
happened to them,” said Lushine, now retired.
Lushine pored over weather
data and noticed patterns.
There were strong winds coming in from the east on the days
people had drowned, as well as
high tides and large swells.
Prior to Lushine, rip currents
and how they formed had been
studied by geologists investigating how sand moved on and off
beaches, but not by forecasters.
“He’s the one who started
looking at basically the weather
conditions that create rip currents, not just recognizing they
exist,” said Robert Molleda, the
warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather
Service.
Lushine created a scale that
is in use today in Florida and
across the country, according to
the Weather Service.
Based on wind direction,
speed, swell, tide and recurrence, rip current danger is
rated between 1 and 5, with five
being the most dangerous.
Forecasters calculate the rating before 6 a.m. every day,
which helps lifeguards determine what color flag to post at
their stations: green for clear,
yellow for moderate danger
and red for high risk.
Hollywood lifeguards created their own flag scheme in the
mid-1980s, said Capt. Pat Hendrick of the Hollywood Fire
Rescue Beach Safety Division.
“We started with colors associated with a traffic light to indicate the level of water danger,”
he said.
But the flag scheme differed
from those used on other
beaches around the state.
In 2002, Florida became the
first state to pass a law creating
a uniform flag warning program that could be used on its
state-run beaches, according to
the Florida Coastal Management Program, a part of the
state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The law was
updated in 2005 to cover all
public beaches, including those
overseen by cities and towns.
As of last February, 69 communities in Florida were using
state-issued signs and flags. A
new total will be tallied at the
end of this month.
Researchers aren’t stopping
at warning systems. The
Weather Service developed a
radar prototype for the Army at
a base in North Carolina, said
Chung-hseng Wu, a coastal
wave scientist for the National
Weather Service.
The radar could analyze the
weather, waves and the ocean
floor to predict where and when
a rip current would form. It
could also measure the force of
the current.
The technology was advanced but not practical for
public use, Wu said.
GOING
AWAY?
Read up.
Speak out.
MERRYFIELD
MOTEL FOR PETS
954-771-4030
RIP CURRENT SAFETY TIPS
FREE DAY - NEW CLIENTS
Advice from the National Weather
Service and South Florida lifeguards:
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If you are caught in a rip
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Don’t fight the pull. Swim out of
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The current will eventually expire. Swim to shore then.
Wave your arms, yell for help,
but conserve energy.
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If you see someone swept up
in a rip current:
Throw the victim something that
floats.
Yell instructions on how to escape.
Be careful attempting to save the
victim. People have drowned
while trying to save someone else
from a rip current.
Call for an appt. today! Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM
Plantation
Hollywood
Boynton
Miramar
Naples
(954) 727-8257
(954) 961-2177
(561) 536-0505
(954) 874-2902
(239) 352-1004
Bonita Springs (239) 992-1320
Miami+
(305) 718-3450
General advice:
Never swim alone.
Be cautious, especially when
swimming at unguarded beaches.
Listen to orders from lifeguards.
SE HABLA ESPANOL
+
Offices throughout Florida!
The radar cost $25,000 and
could only cover three miles of
a stretch of beach.
But tools and toys can’t beat a
diligent lifeguard, Wu said.
Staff Writer Joel Marino contributed to this report.
Annual Percentage Yield (APY):
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availability. Penalty for early
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$50,000 may be eligible for yield
other than advertised. FDIC-insured
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*Promotional incentive may be
included to obtain yield. **Annuities
are products of the insurance
industry and are not guaranteed by
any bank, federal agency or insured
by the FDIC. Annuities contain
limitations, ask your advisor for
details. A CD AND INSURANCE
LOCATOR SERVICE.
FATAL SWIM: John Koehler watches as his uncle Robert enters the
water at Galt Ocean Mile on Jan. 3, 2007. Robert Koehler got caught
in a rip current and drowned. Photo courtesy of Richard Koehler
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-edge-n-ripcurrents,0,287974.flash
• Tuesday, May 20, 2008 • SB
www.sun-sentinel.com/features
E
LIFESTYLE MOVIEMAGIC
WHERE‘SONOFRAMBOW’GOTITSSENSEOFWONDER.3E
PL@Y
ADVICE 2 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 3 • TV 3 • MOVIES 4 • COMICS & PUZZLES 5-6
SECTION EDITOR GRETCHEN DAY BRYANT, 954-356-4718, [email protected]
YOUR GUIDE TO NEW MUSIC, DVDs, GAMES, SITES, DOWNLOADS . . .
This year’s Florida SuperCon features an intergalactic
smackdown as Batman, Trekkies and anime warriors
go up against the stars of the Harry Potter films. Game on!
BEST.CONVENTION. EVER.
BY ANDREW BA TRAN
STAFF WRITER
H
arry Potter, “the Boy Who Lived,” vs. Lion-O, the leader of the ThunderCats.
“Two words and he’s dead: Avada Kedavra,” says Daniel Lewis, 24,
referring to the killing curse that could take down the Sword of Omens-wielding feline.
“Yeah, but Harry Potter never says that,” argues Nakia Mann, 32, noting the
boy wizard would be morally against such curses, leaving him open to an attack. “He’ll tie Harry Potter up and punch him in his face. The owl’s going to
come in and try to stop him, but Lion-O’s a cat, and he eats birds, so the owl is
dead.”
The pair argued loudly in War & Pieces, a comics and gaming store in Davie. Put enough fanboys (or girls) in one location and such fantastical arguments emerge — the kind that might be heard at the Florida SuperCon this
Memorial Day weekend.
The multi-genre convention is set in Weston, where so many different
fans — anime, fantasy, comic books and cartoons — can show off their
� SUPERCON CONTINUES ON 4E
NEW
THIS
WEEK
DVDs
National
Treasure 2:
Book of
Secrets
Cranford
The Muppet
Show
(season 3)
JAG (season 6)
Company
WWE WrestleMania 24
Square Pegs
(complete
series)
CDs
“Harry Potter, please.
It’s Batman. Dude took
out Superman.
Superman could break
Harry Potter in half.”
Warner Bros. photos
3 Doors
Down, 3 Doors
Down
IF YOU GO
What: Florida SuperCon
Where: Hyatt Regency Bonaventure,
250 Racquet Club Road, Weston
When: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday;
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
Ticket: Three-day pass, $30; single-day pass, $20
Information: floridasupercon.com
Guests include: Brian O’Halloran (Dante Hicks from the
Clerks movies); Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks), Devon
Murray (Seamus Finnegan) and Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor
Krum) from the Harry Potter films; Larry Kenney, Lion-O
from the ThunderCats cartoon; Dana Snyder, Master Shake
from Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon; Georges Jeanty,
artist for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 comic; Dan
Slott, writer for Amazing Spider-Man and She-Hulk
The great debate: In Batman vs. Ironman who would win? Find out which superheros
would triumph in the great comic-book geek debate. Sun-Sentinel.com/supercon
TUNES
SITE
Birds do it, bees do it, slugs do it . . .
bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/
lifeintheundergrowth
s u n d a n c ec h a n n e l. c o m /g r e e n
porno
BY JAKE COYLE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Online video might still be relegated to relatively small screens, but the
size is just right for bugs.
No, we’re not talking about software bugs (though those viruses can
indeed still rear their heads), but
good ol’ insects. There are, naturally,
numerous scientifically minded sites
like bugbios.com throughout the
Web, but insects are also finding star-
watched a YouTube video documenting the mating rituals of leopard slugs in which two entwined
slugs suspend themselves from a
branch and fertilize each other in
midair.
Titled Slug Sex, the video was
lifted from the thoroughly impressive BBC documentary series Life in
the Undergrowth, hosted by David
Attenborough.
On YouTube, where so often the
most popular videos tease sex or
skin, the success of these slugs in
love is both odd and perfectly fitting.
Commenters have variously called it
the “No. 1 love scene” and sarcastically wondered why YouTube would
Donna
Summer,
Crayons
Julianne
Hough,
Julianne Hough
The Foxboro
Hot Tubs, Stop
Drop and Roll
Flobots, Fight
With Tools
King’s X, XV
Sonny
Landreth,
From the Reach
Jesse
McCartney,
Departure
GAMES
Scarlett, baby, keep your day job
Scarlett Johansson, Anywhere I Lay My Head (Atco)
BY ANN POWERS
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Movie and TV stars have always made music —
whether as a legitimate career stream (Rick Springfield), a relaxing side project (Kevin Bacon) or a presumably self-aware joke (William Shatner). But only rarely
do thespian efforts in the recording studio make an impact on the shape of pop on a more grass-roots level.
Right now, though, musically savvy ingenues are
becoming a real force in the micro-universe of supergroovy music. The young actresses proving that they can
define trends as skillfully as any blogging boy — Scarlett
Johansson is the latest — embody new values for an
unstable time.
Ingenues such as Johansson rely more heavily on
Age of Conan:
Hyborian
Adventures
(Windows)
Haze (Ubisoft)
Top Spin 3
(Nintendo Wii,
Nintendo DS,
Xbox 360)
SingStar
(PlayStation 3)
UEFA Euro
2008
(PlayStation 3,
PlayStation 2,
Xbox 360,
Windows,
Sony PSP)
Theatre of War
SB
05-20-2008
E-4
ORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Tuesday, May 20, 2008 • SB
VIETIMES
Times in bold
e shows. Please
e to confirm
ules subject to
dale
E 10, 3401 NE
auderdale
ONLINE
Read the latest movie reviews
at Sun-Sentinel.com/
moviereviews, and go to
Sun-Sentinel.com/
myreview to post your own.
arnia: Prince
3:15, 4:20, 6:30,
40, 3:30, 4:40,
gas (PG-13) 2:50,
0, 3, 4, 6:15, 7,
13) 3:10, 5:40,
2:35, 5, 7:20, 9:45
rshall (R) 4:50,
X, 401 SW
Lauderdale
D: Safari in the
5 a.m., 2:45, 4:45
nture: River at
, 1:45, 3:45, 5:45
AX Experience
Prehistoric
45
O, 503 SE Sixth
dale
S GATEWAY,
Blvd., Fort
-763-7994)
13) 1:40, 3:40,
30, 3:20, 5:10, 7
U) 2, 5, 8
:50, 4:50, 7:20
M 15 AT LAS
NT, 300 SW
auderdale
arnia: Prince
, 2:15, 4:30, 5:15,
gas (PG-13) 1:50,
5:50, 7:20, 8,
30, 2:10, 2:50,
45, 7:30, 8:20,
8
40, 2:20, 4:30,
13) 2:15, 4:45,
2:10, 4:20, 6:45
rshall (R) 1:45,
0, 7:40
dom (PG-13) 2:30,
ape From Guan30
E-IN, 3291 W.
ort Lauderdale
30, 9, 10:30
rshall (R) 8:30,
ape From Guan30
13) 10:30
8:30, 10:20
gas (PG-13) 8:30,
arnia: Prince
9, 11:05, 11:35
0, 9, 10:50, 11:20
10:45
dom (PG-13) 8:30,
ears a Who! (G)
ard
O 18, 2315 N.
y, Pompano
6008)
arnia: Prince
0, 1:10, 2, 2:50,
6:50, 7:30, 8:20,
35
:40, 1:45, 2:30,
55, 7:45, 8:50,
9:35
REGAL MAGNOLIA STADIUM 16,
9645 Westview Drive, Coral
Springs (954-345-4114)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian (PG) noon, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2,
3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15, 6:30, 7,
7:30, 8, 8:30, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 11:45
a.m., 12:15, 2:15, 2:45, 4:35, 5:10,
7:10, 7:40, 9:40, 10:10
Speed Racer (PG) 12:20, 12:45, 3:15,
3:50, 7:15, 7:45, 10:25, 10:50
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:55, 1:25, 1:55, 4,
4:30, 5, 7:20, 7:50, 8:20, 10:20,
10:50
Made of Honor (PG-13) 11:30 a.m.,
2:05, 4:40, 7:05, 9:50
Baby Mama (PG-13) 11:35 a.m., 2:30,
5:05, 7:55, 10:30
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (R) 11:50 a.m., 2:20,
4:55, 8:05, 10:40
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R) 12:50,
4:10, 7:25, 10:10
SUNRISE CINEMAS AT DEERFIELD
MALL, 3984 W. Hillsboro Blvd.,
Deerfield Beach (954-571-2445)
Paranoid Park (R) 1:50, 3:50, 5:50,
7:50
Young@Heart (PG) 1:15, 4:15, 7:15
Jellyfish (U) 1:10, 3:10, 7:10
Speed Racer (PG) 1, 4, 7
Then She Found Me (R) 1:20, 4:20,
7:20
Iron Man (PG-13) 1:30, 2:10, 4:30,
5:10, 7:30, 8:10
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:40, 4:40,
7:40
Redbelt (R) 5:10
DEERFIELD CINEMAS 5, 2205 W.
Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach
(954-725-4402)
Caspian (PG) 1, 4, 7
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 1, 4, 7
88 Minutes (R) 1, 4, 7
Married Life (PG-13) 1, 4, 7
Deception (R) 1, 4, 7
West-Central Broward
DAVIE, PLANTATION, SUNRISE,
TAMARAC
SUNRISE CINEMAS AT SUNRISE
11, 4321 Pine Island Road,
Sunrise (954-748-0333)
Caspian (PG) 1:15, 2, 4:15, 5, 7:15,
8
Fugitive Pieces (R) 1:20, 4:20, 7:20
Speed Racer (PG) 12:55, 3:55, 7:05
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 1:10,
3:20, 5:30, 7:40
5:15, 7:20
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:35, 4:35,
7:35
Iron Man (PG-13) 1, 1:30, 4, 4:30, 7,
7:30
Baby Mama (PG-13) 1:50, 4:50, 7:50
The Visitor (PG-13) 1:45, 4:45, 7:10
SUNRISE CINEMAS PLANTATION
CROSS ROADS, 1870 N. University Drive, Plantation
(954-473-6700)
Caspian (PG) 4:30, 7:30
Speed Racer (PG) 4:20, 7:15
7
Iron Man (PG-13) 4:40, 7:45
AMC RIDGE PLAZA 8, 9200 State
Road 84, Davie (954-475-8407)
Caspian (PG) 1:40, 2:10, 4:50, 5:15,
8, 8:20
Speed Racer (PG) 1:30, 2, 5:05, 8:10
4:20, 6:50
Iron Man (PG-13) 2:20, 4:30, 5:10,
7:20, 8:05
Made of Honor (PG-13) 2:30, 5, 7:30
Baby Mama (PG-13) 2:40, 5:15, 7:40
South Broward
HOLLYWOOD, PEMBROKE PINES
MUVICO PARADISE 24, 15601
Sheridan St., Davie
(954-680-0171)
How the Garcia Girls Spent Their
Summer (R) 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30
Caspian (PG) 11:05 a.m., 11:50
a.m., 12:40, 1:10, 1:50, 2:30, 3:15,
4, 4:35, 5:15, 5:55, 6:40, 7:20, 8,
8:40, 9:20, 10:05, 10:35
Redbelt (R) 8:10, 10:35
Speed Racer (PG) noon, 12:35, 1:15,
1:50, 3:05, 3:50, 4:25, 5, 6:25, 7,
7:35, 9:35, 10:15, 10:35
Then She Found Me (R) 11 a.m., 1:20,
3:40, 6, 8:15, 10:30
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 11:15
a.m., 12:10, 1:05, 1:55, 2:45, 3:30,
4:30, 5:25, 6:15, 7:05, 7:55, 8:50,
9:40, 10:35
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1, 3:35, 6:10,
8:45
Iron Man (PG-13) 11:20 a.m., 11:55
a.m., 12:45, 1:10, 1:45, 2:20, 2:55,
3:35, 4:10, 4:45, 5:20, 5:50, 6:25,
7:10, 7:45, 8:20, 8:55, 9:15, 10:10,
10:35
Baby Mama (PG-13) 11:40 a.m., 2:15,
4:50, 7:25, 10
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (R) 12:05, 2:40, 5:10,
7:50, 10:25
3:10, 6:05, 8:40
The Forbidden Kingdom (PG-13)
11:45 a.m., 2:30, 5:20, 8, 10:30
REGAL OAKWOOD STADIUM 18,
2800 Oakwood Blvd., Hollywood (954-923-7777)
Caspian (PG) noon, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2,
3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15, 6:30, 7,
7:30, 8, 8:30, 9:45, 10:15
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13)
12:10, 12:45, 2:45, 3:20, 5:20, 7,
7:45, 9:40, 10:10
Speed Racer (PG) 11:55 a.m., 12:25,
3:25, 3:55, 6:55, 7:20, 10:15, 10:35
Iron Man (PG-13) 5
Redbelt (R) 12:15, 5:10, 10:10
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:05, 12:55, 1:25,
1:55, 3:05, 4, 4:30, 6:10, 7:05, 7:35,
8:05, 9:10, 10, 10:30
Made of Honor (PG-13) 12:35, 3:10,
7:10, 9:35
Baby Mama (PG-13) 11:55 a.m., 2:30,
5:15, 7:40, 10:05
The Forbidden Kingdom (PG-13) 2:35,
7:35
88 Minutes (R) 1:05, 4:05, 6:50, 9:25
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R) 1:20, 4,
6:55, 9:30
FLIPPER’S HOLLYWOOD CINEMA
10, 7001 Taft St., Hollywood
(954-981-5443)
12:25, 2:45, 4:55, 7:10, 9:20,
11:30
Baby Mama (PG-13) 1:15, 3:15, 5:15,
7:15, 9:15, 11:15
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:40, 1:45, 3:05,
4:05, 5:30, 6:45, 8, 9:30, 10:30,
11:55
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:25, 3:25,
5:25, 7:25, 9:35, 11:45
Speed Racer (PG) 1:05, 2, 3:45, 4:45,
6:25, 7:30, 9:05, 10:05, 11:40
3:20, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20, 11:20
Caspian (PG) 12:05, 1:35, 2:50,
4:20, 5:45, 7:05, 8:30, 9:50, 11:15
REGAL WESTFORK STADIUM 13,
15977 W. Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines (954-430-5505)
Caspian (PG) noon, 12:30, 1, 1:30,
3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 4:45, 6:30, 7, 7:30,
8, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45
12:50, 2:15, 3:25, 4:50, 6, 7:25,
8:35, 10
Speed Racer (PG) 11:45 a.m., 1:15,
2:55, 4:30, 6:10, 7:45, 9:25
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:05, 1:05, 2:05,
3:10, 4:10, 5:10, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15,
9:20, 10:20
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:25, 4:05,
6:45, 9:30
Baby Mama (PG-13) 1:10, 3:40, 6:20,
8:55
North
Dade
AMC AVENTURA 24, 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:40, 1:20, 2, 2:55,
3:35, 4:20, 5, 5:55, 6:25, 7:20, 8, 9,
9:15
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1, 4, 7, 9:25
Baby Mama (PG-13) 3:10, 5:35, 7:55
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (R) 4:40
12:35, 3:25, 6:55, 9:30
Prom Night (PG-13) 1:25, 4:45, 7:45
Street Kings (R) 1:35, 7:15
Meet the Browns (PG-13) 1:10, 4:35,
7:10
SUNRISE CINEMAS INTRACOASTAL MALL, 3701 NE 163rd St,
North Miami Beach
(305-949-0064)
Caspian (PG) 1:20, 4:20, 7:20
3:15, 5:25, 7:40
5:20, 7:30
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:50, 4:40, 7
Iron Man (PG-13) 1:30, 4:30, 7:30
Fugitive Pieces (R) 12:55, 3, 5:15,
7:25
The Visitor (PG-13) 1:10, 3:10, 5:10,
7:20
South Palm
BOCA RATON, DELRAY BEACH
SUNRISE CINEMAS MIZNER
PARK, 301 Plaza Real, Boca
Raton (561-368-7744)
Caspian (PG) 1:20, 4:20, 7:20
Son of Rambow (PG-13) 1:40, 3:40,
5:40, 7:40
3:20, 5:30, 7:40
Then She Found Me (R) 1, 3:10, 5:20,
7:30
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1:15, 3:30,
5:35, 7:50
Iron Man (PG-13) 1:30, 4:30, 7:20
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R) 2, 5, 8
MOVIES OF DELRAY, 7421 W.
Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
(561-638-0020)
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 1, 4,
7, 9:05
The Counterfeiters (R) 1, 4, 7, 9:05
Iron Man (PG-13) 1, 4, 7, 9:10
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1, 4, 7, 9:05
Married Life (PG-13) 1, 4, 7, 9:05
MUVICO PALACE 20, 3200 Airport
Road, Boca Raton
(561-395-9009)
Hats Off (U) 12:05, 2:10, 4:15, 6:20,
8:20, 10:30
Caspian (PG) 12:20, 1:10, 2, 2:45,
3:40, 4:30, 5:20, 6, 7, 7:50, 8:40,
9:15, 10:20
Redbelt (R) 6, 8:20, 10:35
Speed Racer (PG) noon, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7,
8, 10
5:45, 7:55, 10:15
12:10, 1:15, 1:55, 2:45, 3:45, 4:20,
5:10, 6:15, 7:15, 7:40, 8:45, 9:45,
10:30
Made of Honor (PG-13) noon, 2:25,
3:10, 4:50, 7:30, 8:05, 10:05
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:30, 1:05, 2:05,
2:50, 3:25, 4:15, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7:20,
8, 8:45, 9:30, 10:15
Baby Mama (PG-13) 12:30, 3, 5:30,
7:55, 10:25
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (R) 12:45, 5:35, 10:35
4:25, 7:10, 9:55
PREMIER AT MUVICO PALACE 20,
3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton
(561-395-6516)
Caspian (PG) 12:20, 1:10, 2, 2:45,
3:40, 4:30, 5:20, 6, 7, 7:50, 8:40,
9:15, 10:20
4:20, 7:15, 9:45
Iron Man (PG-13) 12:30, 3:25, 6:30,
9:30
DELRAY SQUARE CINEMAS, 4809
W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
(561-499-9022)
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) 1, 4, 7
The Counterfeiters (R) 1, 4, 7
Jellyfish (U) 1, 4, 7
Made of Honor (PG-13) 1, 4, 7
Deception (R) 1, 4, 7
REGAL DELRAY BEACH 18, 1660
Such matchups are
not unprecedented
� SUPERCON
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1E
costumes, buy replica memorabilia, or meet actors from
assorted cartoons or movies.
The voice actor behind Lion-O, a character in a cartoon from the ’80s, and several actors from the Harry
Potter film series are scheduled to appear — which
prompted the discussion on
what would happen if the
characters ever met.
Such matchups are not
unprecedented:
A d a m We s t ’ s B a t m a n
once teamed with ScoobyDoo to take down a pack of
thieves.
Mork without Mindy perplexed Richie in Happy
Days, and arcade game
p l a y e r s p i t S p i d e r- M a n
against Street Fighter’s Ryu.
An X-Men character once
rammed the Starship Enterprise. “Did he just . . . punch
my ship?” asked a confused
Captain James T. Kirk in a
one-issue comic book.
Batman once beat Predator and Alien, but could he
wallop Harry Potter?
“Batman would win because he is the knight,” said
JoAnn Minieri, a 25-year-old
employee at Tate’s Comics
store in Lauderhill.
“Harry Potter!” called out
customer Ben Cherniachovsky, 24, of Sunrise.
“Harry Potter, please. It’s
Batman. Dude took out
Superman. Superman could
break Harry Potter in half.”
“Harry Potter wouldn’t
give him the chance to get
near him.”
“Dude, Harry Potter
would see him and pee his
pants. Harry Potter ’s like
half his size.”
“So what? He beat Voldemort. And Voldemort, you
know, would take down Batman in two seconds.”
“Are you serious? Are you
seriously having this conversation?”
SuperCon organizer Mike
Broder said maybe as many
as 4,500 visitors will attend
the third annual gathering.
This is the first year the convention has branched out to
Harry Potter fans.
“ When I asked the kids
Brian O’Halloran,
(Dante Hicks) of the
Clerks films, and Natalia
Tena (Nymphadora
Tonks), of the Harry
Potter movies, are set
to attend.
who they wanted to see, they
were always asking me to
bring in Harry Potter-esque
attractions,” he said. “It’s the
most recent mythology and
everyone’s read those books
and seen those movies.”
Visitors will get to watch
The Wizard Rockumentary:
A Movie About Rocking and
Rowling, a documentary
featuring Harry Potter fandom and the rise of Wizard
rock. Live bands such as the
Gryffindor Common Room
Rejects also are slated to
play.
Broder said fans can still
look forward to typical
events: the costume contests, the comic book artists
and writers, the anime discussion panels.
Superheroes aside, who
has the hardest core following? Anime, Trekkie, Comic
or Harry Potter.
“Comic book fan,” said
Lewis, with a few people in
the War & Pieces store nodding in agreement.
“A r e y o u g u y s c r a z y ?
Trekkies are insane. He’ll be
in real Klingon garb with a
real weapon. He will kill
someone,” said Mann.
“The typical comic book
fan, he’s 250 pounds, he can
absorb blows, but he can’t
absorb a killing blow,” he
said. “He’ll be cut in the
stomach, gravy’s gonna
come out, he’s gonna be
‘Awwww, worst fight ever.’ ”
reached at [email protected] or
954-356-4543.
Tom Waits reimagined
with very mixed results
� SCARLETT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1E
avant-garde and the commercial sphere where redcarpet shots define one’s
value.
SB » WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009 » SUNSENTINEL.COM » SUN SENTINEL » 3B
South Florida
For continuous updates and more local
news, go online to SunSentinel.com
AIRPORT RUNWAY BATTLE ROLLS ON
Dania to challenge expansion
By Andrew Ba Tran
STAFF WRITER
DANIA BEACH » The City Commis-
sion voted unanimously Tuesday
night to legally challenge the expansion of the Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport.
The vote was in response to
the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision last month
supporting a $810 million plan
backed by Broward County
commissioners. The project, set
for completion in 2014, would
expand the southern runway
above Federal Highway into the
wetlands next to Port Everglades.
City officials have opposed the
expansion for almost two decades,
arguing that noise and pollution
would adversely affect 2,500 residents of the city’s north side. They
also say it would have a negative
impact on the environment.
"We’ll ask a federal court to remove the FAA decision, which we
believe is profoundly flawed," said
special legal counsel Neil McAliley.
A rejected north runway option
was admittedly "the environmentally preferred option," according
to the FAA decision, but the ex-
Dania
is the last
city
standing
after
Davie,
Hollywood
bow out
tended south runway best met its
goal to "provide a safe, efficient
and integrated system of publicuse airports."
Dania Beach is the last city
challenging the runway expansion after Davie and Hollywood
recently announced they would
not consider legal options.
Several people at the commission meeting voiced their approval for the legal action and applauded after the unanimous
vote.
"We feel good, we feel confident," said Rae Sandler, president
of the Melaleuca Gardens Home-
owner’s Association.
One resident who declined to
clap was Vic Lohman, 45, a home
builder who asked the commission what the legal cost versus
benefit was for the city.
"I’m just trying to be practical,"
he said after the meeting. "I’m not
saying I don’t support the lawsuit.
But I just want to have a discussion on how much this could cost
us down the line and whether it’s
worth it."
Andrew Ba Tran can be reached at
954-385-7912.
DISTANT STRUGGLE DIVIDES US AT HOME Budget
cuts kill
housing
project
Hollywood senior
complex has
longshot last hope
By Josh Hafenbrack
TALLAHASSEE BUREAU
Mike Stocker, Sun Sentinel
Hundreds of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered Tuesday at the corner of Broward Boulevard and Third Avenue to scream and threaten each other from behind police barricades. In the Gaza Strip, fighting between Israeli troops and
Hamas fighters continued for a 19th day.
TALLAHASSEE » A 120-unit senior
rental complex in Hollywood will
be canceled as a result of state budget cuts being finalized in the state
capital today, the project developer
said.
Crews were scheduled to begin
construction in May on The Gardens at Driftwood, a 55-and-older
rental complex with one- and twobedroom units ranging from $346
to $898 a month, developer Marc
Plonskier said.
But without $8 million in state
funding from an affordable-housing trust fund legislators are expected to eliminate today, the project can’t go forward, Plonskier
said.
The project’s longshot last hope
is Gov. Charlie Crist, who could use
his line-item veto power to restore
funding to this development and
others contained in the $190 million trust fund set aside to build
moderately priced apartments and
houses.
Product: FLSUN PubDate: 07-11-2007
SB 07-11-2007
Zone: SB Edition: 1 Page: LOCALF@1 User: twheatley
Time: 07-10-2007
23:59
Color: C
K
Y
M
B-1
CMYK
• Wednesday, July 11, 2007 • SB
LOCAL
www.sun-sentinel.com/broward
BE
COMMUNITYNEWSROUNDUP
INSIDE,4-5B
BULLETIN BOARD 2 • COMMUNITY NEWS 4-5 • OBITUARIES 8-9 • WEATHER 10
SECTION EDITOR DANA BANKER, 954-356-4681, [email protected]
Woman charged in newborn death
Deputies find body in trash outside Oakland Park home
BY SOFIA SANTANA
AND MACOLLVIE JEAN-FRANCOIS
S TA F F W R I T E R S
OAKLAND PARK . A young woman
who apparently hid her pregnancy
was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the suffocation death
of her newborn, found Saturday in a
trash can outside the mother’s North
Andrews Gardens home.
Investigators say Lindsey Christine
Scott, 22, placed the live, unwanted
baby in a plastic trash bag, tied it and
put it in the garbage can, where the
baby died.
Scott was arrested as she was discharged from Holy Cross Hospital in
Fort Lauderdale, where she was taken
Saturday after collapsing at her home
during a bout of vomiting and heavy
bleeding following the birth, the
Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
At the hospital, Scott said she had
given birth, prompting the staff to notify the Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies found the dead baby, officials said.
Only after investigators pulled the
tiny, bloodied body out of the trash did
neighbors realize someone at the
home in the 300 block of Northwest
46th Court had been pregnant.
A career of loving care
Longtime
groundskeeper
helps preserve
Stranahan House
with meticulous
cleaning.
CLEANING UP: John Della-Cerra, a
groundskeeper for the historic Stranahan
House in Fort Lauderdale, scrubs a railing
on the home’s porch. “Between the moisture and the dust blowing around, it gets
dirty quickly,” Della-Cerra said.
Photos/Rhonda Vanover
ONLINE
Go to Sun-Sentinel.com/Broward for a
video report on the groundskeeper’s labor of
love at the 106-year-old landmark building.
Scott’s parents, Charles and Kristin
Scott, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
“They’re very quiet people,” longtime neighbor Errol Silpat, 48, said
earlier this week of the Scott family,
echoing several other neighbors who
said they were saddened by the
� SCOTT CONTINUES ON 2B
A flip
decision?
Well, yes
and no
Davie officials say it’s
legal to toss a coin
to award a contract
BY SUSANNAH BRYAN
enough concrete around here.”
Della-Cerra seems to consider
his responsibilities beyond that of
a job, said Barbara Keith, executive director of the Stranahan
House Inc., which has run the
property since 1981.
“He loves this house and it
shows in the way it looks,” she
said. “It’s a labor of love for him.”
Keith said she has had to chide
Della-Cerra occasionally to make
sure he puts in for all the over-
DAVIE . The flip of a coin can swing the
fate of so many things. A childhood bet.
Who kicks off the game on Super Bowl
Sunday.
And in Davie, it can determine who wins
town business.
A selection committee of town staff resorted to a coin toss to break a 3-3 tie over
which vendor would win a one-year contract to run the town’s aquatics program.
The deadlock was between the Boca
Swim Academy, which had offered to pay
$18,000 a year for exclusive use of town
pools, and the Florida Swim Academy,
which had offered to pay $14,400. Contract
price was not driving the decision, but
rather which company was better qualified.
The Florida Swim Academy lost.
Company owner Karen King has vowed
to complain to council members before
they approve the contract on July 18. Her
Coral Springs company, whose contract
ends Sept. 30, has provided swim lessons
at Davie’s two pools for more than a decade.
“I’m so stunned,” King said. “Thirteen
years of work went to a coin toss.”
Gayle Frechette, vice president of the
Boca Swim Academy in Coconut Creek,
thought the whole thing quite fair. “It certainly could have gone either way,” she
said.
Leaders in other cities were both
amused and astounded over the coin toss
decision.
“That’s Davie,” quipped Deerfield Beach
Mayor Al Capellini.
Weston has never flipped a coin — or
had a tie, sniffed city spokeswoman Denise
Barrett.
“ You’re kidding,” Lauderhill Mayor
Richard Kaplan said between hee-haws.
“They did a coin toss?”
With the selection committee’s seventh
member absent on June 22, and no one to
break the tie after a second vote failed to
� STRANAHAN CONTINUES ON 2B
� TOSS CONTINUES ON 6B
JOB PRESSURE: Water restrictions now require Della-Cerra to use a high-pressure hose when washing Stranahan House, which he fears will damage
the paint. Frequent cleanings are necessary because of saltwater, mold and the oil from boats passing by on the New River in Fort Lauderdale.
BY ANDREW TRAN
Washing the Stranahan House
with a pressure cleaner might
seem like washing a tea cup with
a fire hose.
Water restrictions instituted
earlier this year require John
Della-Cerra to clean the historic
building with an electric-powered high-pressure hose, which
could damage the paint if he’s not
careful. For the past 17 years, the
soft-spoken groundskeeper had
used a regular hose when he
soaped and scrubbed the exterior
every three weeks or so.
“A filthy house is disgusting,”
Della-Cerra, 67, said Tuesday.
The house sits at a unique
location, soaking fuel fumes from
passing boats on the New River
and from cars driving through
the Federal Highway tunnel below. Plus, the 106-year-old building that serves as a museum is
surrounded by constant construction projects.
“Between the moisture and the
dust blowing around, it gets dirty
quickly,” Della-Cerra said.
Della-Cerra was a teenager
when he first visited the Stranahan House in 1957, when it was a
restaurant. Now, the Fort Lauderdale native is helping preserve
it and tell its stories.
“The Seminoles used to sleep
up here on the balcony when they
came to trade. They’d park their
canoes right over there,” he said,
pointing to the gravel lot of a
future high-rise condominium
building. “I don’t know why they
don’t make that a park. We’ve got
Law puts property rights at risk Suit filed over cockfights
You have lived in your waterfront
condo for 20 years. You paid compara-
ONLINE
Webcast company
because cockfights are an accepted and legal part of Puerto
cal or artistic value.”
David O. Markus, a Miami
SB
07-11-2007
B-2
CMYK
2B • SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Wednesday, July 11, 2007 • SB
Groundskeeper loves
keeping house clean
� STRANAHAN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
time he works.
“I’m very slow, no doubt
about it,” said the Army veteran with close-cropped
brown-gray hair. “But it’s a
fun job and I like to go my
own pace.”
The Stranahan House is a
sturdy building that was built
to last. “It’s made from Dade
County pine — impervious to
termites,” he says proudly,
giving a tour of the building in
his rubber cleaning gloves
and boots.
He shows the closets built
into the wall, which enabled
the residents to avoid having
to pay extra taxes. When the
house was built, people were
taxed per room.
Here are the steep stairs
that the late Ivy Stranahan
would climb to get to her
living space in the attic well
into her 80s, after her husband Frank died and she
rented out the other rooms in
the 1960s. The couple built
the house in 1901 and for a
while it was a trading post for
settlers and Seminoles.
There is the bed that somehow gets sat on in the middle
of the night even though the
building is locked, DellaCerra said.
“Some people say the place
is haunted,” he says, shrug-
HANDS-ON WORK: John Della-Cerra washes Stranahan House
by hand and with the use of a power-washer twice a month. “I’m
very slow, no doubt about it,” Della-Cerra said. “But it’s a fun job
and I like to go my own pace.” Photo/Rhonda Vanover
ging. “I try not to think about
it.”
Things that people do at
the Stranahan home that
bothers him: track in dirt, sit
on the furniture, smoke inside, or try to break in.
“I had to put in a trapdoor
to the balcony because homeless people would try to climb
up to the balcony and sleep.”
he said.
Della-Cerra understands
the temptation.
His favorite part of the
house is out on the balcony.
Sometimes, late at night, after
he’s cleaned up after some
get-together, he’ll climb up
and stare at the river. It’ll be
quiet, just him and the ghosts
of Fort Lauderdale. For a few
moments, he can imagine
what the city was like before it
was a city.
“It’s so peaceful,” he said. “I
think to myself what a little
jewel this is in this big town.”
at [email protected]
or 954-356-4543.
90 percent of unit owners
can force sale of building
� CONDO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
anything so drastic.
Lawmakers this year resurrected the measure but added
what sponsors call a safety net:
if 10 percent or more of owners
object, the building can’t be
sold. Still, one person could no
longer block the sale.
“People all over the state
might be out of their homes,”
said Gayle Wardner of Sarasota, who crusaded against passage of the law. “When the
market turns, we’ll all be sitting
ducks.”
Jan Bergemann, president of
Cyber Citizens for Justice, said
it is “amazing that the Legislature, after making such a fuss
[in opposition to] eminent
domain last year, now passes a
bill that allows a majority to
kick a minority out of their
homes for plain greed and
profit!”
But should one person have
the right to stand in the way?
It depends on your perspective, said Donna Berger, executive director of the Community
Advocacy Network.
“Some longtime residents
who don’t wish to be displaced
from their units may see this
bill solely as a benefit for developers, while other common
interest owners will applaud
the fact that they are now more
empowered to freely convey
their real property interests.”
Crist also signed into law
bills that, among other things,
let at least three condo and
co-op buildings join in selfinsurance pools to save on
insurance (HB 7031); let a
homeowner association whose
documents expired again become a homeowner association, even if residents bought
there during the lull specifically
because there was no association (CS/SB 902); and requires
homeowner association boards
to give owners 90 days to pay
any unpaid assessments before
foreclosing—but also, as in
condos, makes owners responsible for interest, late fees and
attorneys’ fees (CS/SB 1844).
Q&A
Q. Parking spaces are always an issue in associationrun communities, but here’s an
unusual one described by a
disabled reader in Pembroke
Pines. Her assigned spot is far
from her apartment. Two
neighbors who don’t drive
offered to let her park briefly
once or twice a week in their
spaces so she can unload groceries. The board, however,
says she can’t use their spots. Is
this legal, she asks.
A. David Harris, a Miami
attorney involved in condo
issues since 1997, said that
“unless specifically disallowed
in the documents, there is likely
no restriction on one unit
owner consenting to another
unit owner’s [very] temporary
use of a parking space, and it
would likely be an improper
use of the association’s resources to attempt to restrict
such activity.”
Owners should be aware,
however, he adds, that “spaceswapping,” “space-renting” or
use of guest spaces may violate
an association rule.
Staff Writer Joe Kollin discusses condo and homeowner
association issues in this space
every other Wednesday.
Please let us know those issues that concern you. E-mail
jkollin@
sun-sentinel.com or call
954-385-7913 in Broward or
561-243-6503 in Palm Beach
County. Kollin has been covering association issues in the
Sun-Sentinel since 1986.
Deputy arrived in nick of time, tapes say
BY BRIAN HAAS
By the time Deputy Gregory
Stanley arrived at the Tamarac
home, a knife-wielding man had
already stabbed two people.
Stanley had been praised by
his superiors at the Sheriff’s Office in mostly above-average
yearly reviews for his cool
u n d e r f i r e . O n S u n d a y, h e
needed it.
That morning, Stanley shot
and killed Mario Cruz, 27, after
authorities say Cruz attacked
his ex-girlfriend and her roommate before charging the deputy with knives. Stanley, 34, has a
clean record at the Sheriff’s Office, according to his personnel
file. He is on paid leave, as is
routine when deputies are involved in shootings.
The dispute began about 6
a.m. when Maria Borrero, 21,
called 911 to complain that
Cruz, her former boyfriend, was
outside her home in the 7100
block of Southgate Boulevard,
banging on windows and refus-
ing to leave. Borrero was calm
at first, the 911 recording shows.
“He’s not welcome to my
house and he knows that. He
was trying to get into my house
and he’s not letting me or my
roommates sleep,” Borrero told
a dispatcher. “He’s knocking on
my windows. I’ve been telling
him to leave for the past hour
and he hasn’t been listening.”
Borrero then calmly added,
“And I’m sure he might be violent.”
As the call went on, the noise
in the background intensified.
The dispatcher asked if it was
Cruz making the noise.
Then there was a huge crash.
“Oh my God, he just broke
my window!” Borrero yelled.
The recording becomes chaotic as Borrero can be heard
yelling at Cruz to leave. She
screamed.
“He has a knife, he has a
knife and he’s just stabbing
me!” Borrero yelled to the disp a t c h e r. “ M a ’ a m , h e j u s t
stabbed us.”
Her last words to the dispatcher were pleas for help: “Oh
my God, help, help ... please we
need help! Help!”
When Stanley arrived, authorities say Cruz was chasing
Borrero with two knives in his
hands. The Sheriff’s Office said
Stanley ordered Cruz to stop
and drop the weapons, but he
ignored the order and charged
at the deputy. Stanley fired, killing Cruz.
Borrero and her roommate,
Kavon Lee Nikfar, 29, were critically wounded. Borrero has
since been released from the
hospital. Officials at North
Broward Medical Center had no
information on Nikfar’s status.
The shooting of Cruz was the
fourth fatal police shooting in
Broward County this year, all of
which have involved the Sheriff’s Office.
Brian Haas can be reached at
954-356-4597.
BULLETIN BOARD
COMPILED BY ANNA BEACH
Today’s highlights
ENTERTAINMENT
No Reservations, sneak preview of
the movie starring Catherine ZetaJones, 6 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE
Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. $5; FLIFF
members free. Seating first-come,
first-served. Call 954-525-3456.
On the Broadwalk series, featuring
country music with Gone South, 7:30-9
p.m. at Hollywood Beach Theater,
Johnson Street and the Broadwalk. Free.
Call 954-921-3404.
SENIORS
Sing-a-long with Myra Wells and
Friends, 10-11:30 a.m. at Northeast
Focal Point Senior Center, 227 NW
Second St., Deerfield Beach. Call
954-480-4449.
KIDS/FAMILIES
Digital photography for teens,
workshop with photographer Steve
Vinik, 2-4 p.m. at the Main Library, 100
S. Andrews Ave., eighth floor/8C, Fort
Lauderdale. Ages 13 and older. Free.
Call 954-357-5589.
Craft Attack! 2-3:30 p.m. at Imperial
Point Branch Library, 5985 N. Federal
Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Ages 12-18.
Free. Call 954-492-1881.
Harry Potter movie, for ages 13 and
older, 6-8 p.m. at Northwest Regional
Library, 3151 University Drive, Coral
Springs. Call 954-341-3900.
LECTURES
“Women’s Back Basics: Achieving a
Healthier Spine,” in the Women’s
Health Summer Lecture Series, 7-8 p.m.
at Cleveland Clinic, Jagelman Conference Center, 2950 Cleveland Clinic
Blvd., Weston. Free. Register by calling
800-691-6555.
WATER RESTRICTIONS
Strict water rules are in effect.
YARD-WATERING ONE DAY A WEEK
Odd-numbered addresses: 4 to 8 a.m. Saturdays
Even-numbered addresses: 4 to 8 a.m. Sundays
Watering by hand with one hose and an automatic shut-off nozzle: 5 to 7 p.m. the same day.
WASHING CARS, BOATS: Allowed 4 to 8 a.m. and
5 to 7 p.m. on same day allowed for watering the
yard. Must use a hose with an automatic shut-off
nozzle and drain to a surface where the ground
can absorb the water.
Rinsing of boats after saltwater use limited to 15
minutes a day per boat.
Rinsing of salt spray from vehicles in coastal
areas limited to 2 minutes a day per vehicle.
For information, call the Water Management District’s water conservation hotline at 800-662-8876.
S O U R C E : S O U T H F L O R I D A WA T E R
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
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