Scientists bring baskets of corals ashore in race to rescue them from record heat
Scientists from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science brought in basket after basket of corals ashore on Miami’s Virginia Key Tuesday, as extreme water temperatures threaten South Florida’s reefs.
EXCLUSIVE: Pacific Northwest natural sea pen remains a possibility for Tokitae
Efforts to move Tokitae, the orca known as “Lolita” and “Toki,” out of the Miami Seaquarium to a seaside sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest continue, but that process is mired in legal red tape that could take months to iron out.
‘PR stunt’, ‘Death sentence’: Ex-trainers pan proposal to move Lolita from Miami Seaquarium
Three women who worked with famed orca Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium panned Thursday’s announcement that the attraction’s owners plan to return the captive whale to her “home waters” in the Pacific Northwest.
Local Black leaders feel ‘disrespected’ after Miami commission removes every member of Virginia Key Beach Park Trust
With questions rising about the future of historic Virginia Key after Miami Mayor Francis Suarez refused to veto the city’s takeover of the board of trustees, many Black local leaders are now angered by the decision.
Miami-Dade mayor demands more oversight of Miami Seaquarium after fallout of USDA inspection report
A July 6 report that the U.S. Department of Agriculture made public on Friday details how inspectors said the Miami Seaquarium drastically cut the diets of nine dolphins to get them to perform better — but instead this resulted in angry dolphins fighting back.
Dolphins at Miami Seaquarium became more aggressive after ‘abrupt’ diet cuts, federal inspectors find
A July 6 report that the U.S. Department of Agriculture made public on Friday details how inspectors said the Miami Seaquarium drastically cut the diets of nine dolphins to get them to perform better — but instead this resulted in angry dolphins fighting back.
After surviving shark attack in Miami Beach, boy gets to play with dolphins
VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – Nine-year-old Jay Weiskopf has about 120 stitches after surviving a shark attack on Sunday in South Beach. The dental battery of the shark also left trails of cuts on his right arm and side. Right after arriving from Minnesota, Jay and his parents walked to the beach, east of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Ocean Beach Park’s playground, and north of the South Pointe Park Pier. “All I was focused on was getting him help.”A 9-year-old boy from Minnesota was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital after a shark attack on Sunday in South Beach. Ad“A shark tried to eat me at the ocean,” Jay said after his release.
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Lucky dog: Owner grateful after saving rescue pup from shark attack off Virginia Key
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – A typical day playing on the beach took a turn for the worst for a South Florida pet owner and her rescue dog. Miami Veterinary Services told Local 10 News the dog’s owner was playing with her at Darwin Beach on Virginia Key, a recurring activity at a regular spot for the two. The dog’s owner ran to the beach and was able to pull Boobie out of the sharks mouth. Boobie the rescue dog is recovering after being attacked by a shark off Key Biscayne. (WPLG)Boobie was rushed to a veterinarians office on Key Biscayne, where doctors were able to stitch up the dogs wound.
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School officials plead for students, families to be more responsible after COVID-19 outbreak at MAST Academy
The newspaper reported that McKoy called families who had students in the school telling them that MAST was the No. 1 Miami-Dade County School in the central region for the most COVID-19 positive cases, and blamed the cases on students having parties, get-togethers and sleepovers without masks. According to the school’s dashboard, MAST Academy has a total of 46 cases, which is the tenth most of schools in Miami-Dade County. Email from MAST Academy Principal Derick McKoy:This is Dr. McKoy, principal of MAST Academy calling with a very important message. MAST Academy is the number one school in Central Region with the most number of COVID positive cases.
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Coast Guard ends search for man who vanished after boat crash off Key Biscayne
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday evening that the search for a 33-year-old man who vanished after a Jan. 4 boat crash off Key Biscayne has ended. Florida Fish and Wildlife reported divers found human remains belonging to the man identified as Spencer Sheridan, according to the Coast Guard. It was near the Bear Cut Bridge, which connects Virginia Key with Key Biscayne. Man, 33, vanishes at sea after boats crash off Key BiscayneFour were injured and Sheridan vanished at sea prompting a massive search involving three police departments, a state agency, and a federal agency. FWC investigators found Sheridan and the other six people were in an unlicensed charter boat.
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Search for man continues in Mashta Flats area after boaters crash off Key Biscayne
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – The search for a 33-year-old man continued on Tuesday in Biscayne Bay. He vanished after two Open Fisherman, a 19-foot boat and a 21-foot boat, collided on Monday evening off Key Biscayne. The man who vanished was in the Open Fisherman that was carrying seven people when it capsized after the collision near the Bear Cut Bridge, which connects Virginia Key with Key Biscayne. Two Open Fisherman boats collided on Monday evening off Key Biscayne. This is a photo of the man who was involved in a Monday night boat collision off Key Biscayne.
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Protesters gather in front of Seaquarium in continued quest to free whale
VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – A protest is underway at Miami Seaquarium in the latest call to free Lolita, the 20-foot-long, 7,000-pound orca who has lived at the Miami tourist attraction for 50 years. Activists say the tank in which the whale lives is not fit for her size. “She needs us to speak for her,” said Patty Leon, a protester with the group the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest said that under their inherent rights, the whale belongs to them. In October 2018, a federal appeals court rejected a petition to reopen a lawsuit over the Seaquarium’s treatment of the killer whale.
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Several positive COVID-19 cases confirmed in Broward County as second wave of students begin in-person learning
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – As Broward County continues to move forward with beginning in-person learning for district students, Local 10 has confirmed several positive COVID-19 cases in both public and charter schools. “They must wear a face covering including the weight room and physical education classes,” said Broward School Board General Counsel Barbara J. Myrick. The school district made the decision to temporarily shut down the campus after two students tested positive for COVID-19. MAST is one of several Miami-Dade County public schools to have new COVID-19 cases after reopening in early October. The superintendent said as of Monday afternoon, 10 students and one employee in the school district tested positive for the virus since physical schooling resumed.
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Officer to boaters: ’Do the right thing to ensure you can get home safely’
MIAMI – Authorities are asking boaters and people with personal watercraft to take safety precautions such as wearing life jackets and staying sober while having fun in the water during this Labor Day weekend. Officer Ronald Washington, a spokesman for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, said doing so is a matter of life or death. “Do the right thing to ensure you can get home safely,” Washington said. Miami Fire Rescue personnel took Ndiokwelu to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center where a doctor pronounced him dead. For more information about boating safety, call the FWC’s Boating Safety Section at 850-488-5600.
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1 person dead after watercraft accident near Marine Stadium
VIRGINIA KEY, MIAMI, Fla. – A watercraft accident near Miami Marine Stadium has left 1 person dead, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials who are conducting the investigation. The crash happened around 5 p.m. Saturday when the unidentified victim was riding a personal watercraft near Miami Marine Stadium on Rickenbacker Causeway and lost control, colliding with a concrete structure, according to investigators. Miami Fire Rescue transported the victim to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial where he died from his injuries. Local 10 is working to obtain more detailed information.) Assignment desk editor Wilson Louis contributed to this story.
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Watercraft accident near Virginia Key under investigation
VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – Police are investigating an accident by the Rickerbacker Causeway near Virginia Key. A man enjoying a day out on the water on his personal watercraft was injured around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. When Miami Fire Rescue arrived, the injured man was behind Miami Marine Stadium with facial injuries. He was taken to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center. The man was in stable condition at Ryder Trauma Center.
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Bicyclist dies after collision with Miami-Dade police vehicle
VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – A cyclist has died, and another is injured after they were involved in a crash with a Miami-Dade Police Department marked vehicle. According to police, the crash happened at approximately 7:17 a.m. Sunday on Arthur Lamb Jr. Road near Virginia Key Beach. “The officer involved in this incident is assigned here and regularly patrols the causeway and the surrounding areas,” said Det. The entrance to the park was closed for hours as the traffic homicide investigation unfolded. Miami-Dade traffic homicide detectives are investigating the incident.
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Miami’s Virginia Key to become world capital of maritime luxury industry this weekend
The director of the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show and Miami Yacht Show has turned a large area of Virginia Key into a boaters’ paradise. On Wednesday morning, workers flooded nine piers at the Miami Marine Stadium Park in an effort to turn the area into the world capital of the maritime luxury industry this weekend. An area of Virginia Key is being turned into a boaters' paradise this weekend. The Miami International Boat Show will be held Thursday to Monday in Virginia Key's Miami Marine Stadium Park area. The Miami International Boat Show opens Thursday in Virginia Key.
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Boat show provides free Miami water taxi, shuttle services to Virginia Key
MIAMI – To help reduce traffic on the Rickenbacker Causeway this weekend, the Miami International Boat Show organizers are offering ticket holders free transportation from downtown Miami to Virginia Key. From Thursday to Monday, ticket holders will be able to board water taxis and shuttles at five stops in downtown Miami that are near to public parking lots or public transportation. The water taxis will be stopping at Bayfront Park and the AmericanAirlines Arena, where there will also be a free shuttle bus service stop. Although event organizers are discouraging attendees from driving to Virginia Key, they are providing valet parking at the Marine Stadium and parking at the event’s Lot B in the Virginia Key Beach Park area. Attendees who decide to use ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft will be using Lot C outside of the Miami Seaquarium where there will also be a free shuttle service.

Advisory to avoid contact with water issued in Miami-Dade
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - A precautionary No Contact with Water Advisory is being issued to avoid recreational water activities including swimming, fishing and boating for all beaches within Virginia Key, Key Biscayne and Fisher Island. A temporary electrical power outage at the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD)'s Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant resulted in an overflow of fully treated, chlorinated effluent from the plant's pump station into the waterway immediately adjacent to the facility, otherwise known as shrimp lagoon. WASD staff switched the plant to generator power and within an hour had reset the pump station. However, approximately 100,000 gallons of the fully treated, chlorinated effluent entered surface water. The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County and the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources are testing the affected waters and the advisory remains in effect until two consecutive days of clear testing occur after repairs are completed.

Family heartbroken after teen dies days after saving child, mother from drowning
A 17-year-old boy died Wednesday, two days after he rescued a 9-year-old boy and the child's mother from drowning in the waters off Virginia Key, a spokesperson with Jackson Memorial Hospital... Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Teen hero dies 2 days after saving mother, child from drowning
A 17-year-old boy died Wednesday, two days after he rescued a 9-year-old boy and the child's mother from drowning in the waters off Virginia Key, a spokesperson with Jackson Memorial Hospital... Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Teen remains in critical condition after saving mother and child
Loved ones have identified a 17-year-old boy who nearly drowned while rescuing a woman and her 9-year-old son from the waters off Virginia Key as Cristian Burgos, a senior and soccer player at Booker... Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Cristian Burgos, 17, remains hospitalized after rescuing woman, son from water
Loved ones have identified a 17-year-old boy who nearly drowned while rescuing a woman and her 9-year-old son from the waters off Virginia Key as Cristian Burgos, a senior and soccer player at Booker... Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

University of Miami cancels Friday afternoon classes
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - University of Miami classes are canceled from Friday afternoon through Tuesday and will resume on Wednesday. The cancellation applies to classes held at the university campuses in Coral Gables, Virginia Key and Miami-Dade County's Allapattah neighborhood. The university has also canceled events scheduled for the Labor Day weekend. For more information, call the university's emergency hotline at 1-800-227-0354/"Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Rickenbacker Causeway shooter appears in court for cyclist's murder
Piedrahita was riding a motorcycle when he was following Alex Palencia, 48, who was cycling with a group on the William Powell Bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Detectives said Piedrahita, who was on Facebook Live as he followed the Don Pan cycling group, fatally shot Palencia on Wednesday morning in the stomach during a scuffle. "I lost my dad, the most important man in my life, without the chance to say goodbye," Palencia's daughter, Alice Palencia, wrote on Instagram. Piedrahita, whose son is a member of the Don Pan cycling group, made a threat in a video on Facebook. "I can genuinely say that this is the worst pain my heart has ever felt in my life," Alice Palencia wrote.

Bicyclist fatally shot on Rickenbacker Causeway identified as father of 2
MIAMI - Alex Palencia was riding with a large group of bicyclists when he got into an argument with a motorcyclist who fatally shot him Wednesday morning on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Brendaly Rodriguez said Palencia was a beloved father of two with relatives in Arkansas. Piedrahita's defense attorney, Sabino Jauregui, said his client shot Palencia in self-defense. Detectives have yet to confirm that, so it remains unclear if Piedrahita was following or harassing Palencia. The wounded bicyclist was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Bicyclist dies after being shot on Rickenbacker Causeway
MIAMI - A bicyclist has died after he was shot Wednesday morning on the Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami police said. The shooting happened about 6 a.m. on the bridge that connects Miami to the barrier islands of Virginia Key and Key Biscayne across Biscayne Bay. A view from Sky 10 showed paramedics treating the wounded man, who was lying in the middle of the causeway. According to fellow cyclist Lee Marks, the victim and the motorcyclist had been involved in an ongoing feud for about two weeks. People get heated and I don't know if that was the genesis of it," Marks said.

Bicyclist shot on Rickenbacker Causeway
MIAMI - A person was shot Wednesday morning on the Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami police said. The shooting happened on the bridge that connects Miami to the barrier islands of Virginia Key and Key Biscayne across Biscayne Bay. A view from Sky 10 showed paramedics treating the male victim, who was lying in the middle of the causeway. Local 10 News reporter Madeleine Wright spoke to a bicyclist who said he was riding in a pack of about 50 to 70 people when a motorcyclist started shooting at another bicyclist. Police diverted eastbound traffic into one westbound lane.

Ultra Music Festival to return to Miami's Bayfront Park
MIAMI - The annual Ultra Music Festival pulled its own plug after its move to Virginia Key in March, and it's officially moving back to Bayfront Park. But the former head of the Park Trust was not happy with having Bayfront Park as an option again for Ultra. The trust now has rules placing limits on private events held at Bayfront Park. Carollo and Russell, who represents downtown Miami residents, were the only two commissioners who voted against bringing Ultra back to Bayfront Park. Some were thrilled with the festival's return to Bayfront Park.

Will Ultra make its way back to Miami's Bayfront Park?
MIAMI - The annual Ultra Music Festival pulled its own plug after its move to Virginia Key in March, and attempts to get it back to Bayfront Park are hitting some sour notes at Thursday night's commission meeting. The money and panache of the iconic Miami-born global music festival is still a lure. But the former head of the Park Trust was not happy with having Bayfront Park as an option again for Ultra. The trust now has rules placing limits on private events held at Bayfront Park. The music festival has numerous partnerships and political connections, but it remains to be seen whether it will have enough votes to return to Bayfront Park.