Florida gaming regulators seized over $14 million from illegal gambling businesses in 2025
The state also confiscated 6,725 unregulated gambling machines last year
The countless illegal gambling rooms across Florida have been put on notice that their illicit businesses are being targeted by law enforcement.
The Triple Cherry Arcade in Ft. Myers is an illegal gambling outfit disguised as an arcade. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is calling on state lawmakers to increase penalties for running an illegal gambling operation from misdemeanors to felonies. (Image: Google Maps)
The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) is the chief gaming regulator of all forms of lawful casino gambling, parimutuel wagering, and sports betting in the Sunshine State. The agency’s mission is to “preserve and protect” the integrity of gaming activities, including criminal investigation and enforcement.
The gaming regulator says its raids last year of unregulated gambling parlors, often masquerading as arcades, resulted in the seizure of $14,474,336. The regulator doubled the roughly $7.1 million it seized from illegal casinos in 2024.
“I thank Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for their ongoing support of the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Their actions strengthen Florida’s gambling laws and help protect our communities,” said FGCC Executive Director Alana Zimmer.
“The FGCC has been working diligently to halt illegal gambling through enforcement actions across the state, demonstrating the dedication of FGCC’s law enforcement officers,” Zimmer added.
Record Crackdown
Along with the more than $14.4 million in seized money, the FGCC says it captured a record 6,725 illegal slot machines during the enforcement actions last year. The department seized only 1,287 illegal gaming terminals in the prior year.
Such gaming machines are not tested or regulated by the state for fair play and consumer safeguards. Players have no assurances that the machines pay, with some machines found programmed to pay out far below slot machines found inside Seminole and Hard Rock casinos.
The FGCC and state Attorney General James Uthmeier are hopeful that 2026 is the year when state lawmakers elevate penalties for running an illegal gambling business. Currently, violators are subjected to only misdemeanor charges.
It’s not enough of a deterrent. I encourage the Florida Legislature to pursue heightened criminal penalties and increase the current misdemeanor charge to a felony,” Uthmeier said in November.
“Not only does it violate our state’s rule of law and put our consumers at risk, but it often breeds other illicit acts, like human and drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering,” the AG continued.
Retirees Targeted
With Florida home to one of the largest retiree populations in the country, many schemers have preyed on the older people with illegal gambling arcades where the machines rarely hit big. In September, Casino.org reported on one such arcade near The Villages that reportedly won over $24 million from players in just a few years.
Right now, people can stand to make millions off unlawful gambling operations and just end up with a slap on the wrist,” Uthmeier said.
Slot machines are limited to eight licensed pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, along with casinos owned by the Seminole Tribe. For a list of legal, regulated slot machine locations, click here.
Security camera footage shows a man forcing a woman into a Ford F-150 pickup truck Wednesday morning, Dec. 31, 2025. Police say both people have been found safe, and the man has been arrested.
Hialeah Police Department
Hialeah police say they found a man and woman officers were looking for after receiving a frantic report of a possible abduction on New Year’s Eve.
Police on Sunday announced that both have been found safe, and the man, Jose Manuel Gonzalez, 49, has been arrested on kidnapping and domestic battery charges.
Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said in a statement that the woman, who has not been named, went to an area near West 27th Avenue and 52nd Street around 6:45 a.m. “visiting acquaintances,” when Gonzalez, who is her “longtime boyfriend,” showed up and forced her into his pickup truck.
A witness saw the confrontation and called 911. Detectives watched footage from nearby security cameras, which corroborated the witness’ statement, Rodriguez said.
Police then put out an urgent plea to the public asking for help locating the couple that included a description of Gonzalez’s Ford F-150 pickup truck. It was not immediately known how police located Gonzalez and the woman, who Rodriguez said was “safe and uninjured.”
“While the victim is safe, the actions observed warrant serious legal consequences,” Rodriguez said.
Hialeah police Chief George Fuente issued a statement, saying the department “extends its sincere gratitude to the community for their vigilance and assistance during this investigation. Your partnership remains vital in ensuring the safety of our city.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
Lt. Erik Martin was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of both the criminal and internal investigations, Hialeah Police Department Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said.
Miami Herald File
A Hialeah police lieutenant was arrested Tuesday morning, accused of driving under the influence while off-duty, authorities said.
Lt. Erik Martin was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of both criminal and internal investigations, Hialeah Police Department Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said.
Martin, who has been an officer with the agency since 2006, is assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division, Rodriguez said.
He was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, which is outside of Hialeah’s jurisdiction, according to police.
Hialeah police Chief George Fuente called the allegations surrounding Martin’s arrest “deeply disappointing.”
“Such incidents tarnish the badge and distracts from the tireless work of the men and women who serve this community with integrity every day,” Fuente said in a statement. “We do not condone this behavior; however, we recognize that our officers are human.”
Florida’s Move Over Law requires drivers to change lanes or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. .
FLHSMV
If you’re a Florida driver and come across a traffic crash on the roadway, state law requires you to move over one lane—when it is safe to do so—for stopped law enforcement, emergency responders, tow trucks, sanitation, utility service vehicles, maintenance or construction vehicles displaying warning lights and even disabled vehicles on the roadside.
The Move Over Law was emphasized by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on Saturday after a deputy was struck by a vehicle while stopped on the Turnpike near Northwest 74th street to assist the Florida Highway Patrol which a traffic crash.
If drivers cannot safely change lanes, or if they are on a two-lane road, they are required to slow down to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit. When the posted speed limit is 20 mph or less, drivers must slow to 5 mph.
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle agency says the law is designed to give first responders, service workers and stranded motorists the space they need to work safely.
“The simple act of moving over gives law enforcement, emergency first responders and other service vehicles adequate space to do their jobs and can greatly increase safety on Florida’s roadways,” the agency states on its website.
The injured Miami-Dade deputy was air lifted to the HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where he underwent surgery and remains in critical but stable condition as of Saturday afternoon.
“Although we remain cautiously hopeful, this is very serious and we ask everyone for prayers,” Assistant Sheriff Eric Garcia told reporters outside the hospital.
Violations and risks
The state reports that in 2022 there were 170 crashes and more than 14,000 citations issued statewide for failing to move over.
Statistically, drivers between the ages of 20 and 40 are the most likely to violate the Move Over Act, according to the agency. The highway safety and motor vehicle agencu includes Move Over Law education in the Florida Driver Handbook and even tests new drivers on the law during the licensing exam.
Failing to comply can result in fines, court fees and points on a driver’s license under Section 316.126 of Florida Statutes.
“When a driver fails to move over for stopped or disabled vehicles on the roadside, they put the safety of law enforcement, first responders, service professionals AND the motorists they assist gravely at risk,” the agency said.
Milena Malaver covers crime and breaking news for the Miami Herald. She was born and raised in Miami-Dade and is a graduate of Florida International University. She joined the Herald shortly after graduating.
Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, is charged with second-degree murder. Police said he killed his girlfriend, 37-year-old Nerida Martel, who is also the mother of their two-year-old daughter.
Courtesy of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office
When his girlfriend went missing in early October, police said Saul Garcia Gonzalez initially wondered to a family friend if she had been apprehended by immigration agents. Investigators with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said they soon determined Gonzalez had fabricated the theory. The 40-year-old was arrested this week and charged with killing the woman.
Nerida Martel, 37, was found dead in a canal in Southwest Miami-Dade on Oct. 11. An autopsy later concluded she died of a gunshot. Two days earlier, Gonzalez had called police to report Martel missing from their home near the corner of Southwest 208th Avenue and 168th Street.
He told deputies he had last seen her on Oct. 6, when he left for daycare with their two-year-old daughter and Martel was planning to catch a ride to work, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Martel never made it to work that day, an absence that police said shocked her unidentified employer because she was diligent about her job. A friend of Martel was concerned too, and Gonzalez told the person that Martel “was possibly in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said. When her name didn’t show up in federal detention records, the friend urged Gonzalez to report her missing and he did.
Investigators said Gonzalez didn’t seem to have a consistent timeline on Martel’s disappearance, telling police he last saw her at home but telling others he had dropped her off at the bus stop before work. When detectives obtained cellphone records for both him and Martel, they said the digital footprints seemed to contradict Gonzalez’s story.
On Oct. 6, the day Martel went missing, her cellphone stayed at the couple’s home while the one belonging to Gonzalez traveled to the canal where her body was later found less than half a mile from her home, according to the police report. The Gonzalez phone then traveled back to their home, followed by both phones returning to the canal, the report said. Then the records showed Martel’s phone being turned off.
Police said that in May, deputies went to the couple’s home after a woman in distress had called 911 and was screaming for help while a man could be heard yelling in the background. A child’s voice was also audible. But deputies on the scene were unable to find the woman who placed the call, according to the report.
In his final interview with investigators, Gonzalez denied killing Martel, according to the police report. He’s being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center, accused of second degree murder.
One woman was stabbed and one was detained following an argument at Fritanga Pinolandia, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
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Panhandling outside a North Miami-Dade restaurant turned into a stabbing inside the restaurant, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
The woman stabbed in Fritanga Pinolandia, 1100 NW 119th St., is in stable condition, MDSO said.
Damaris Rodriguez, 22, was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon Wednesday afternoon. The arrest returned Rodriguez to Miami-Dade Corrections custody 13 days after she was released on her own recognizance following an October arrest for cocaine possession.
That October arrest occurred at 1085 NW 117th St., a house two blocks from Pinolandia, but Rodriguez’s address on that arrest form is “homeless.” Wednesday, MDSO said, she was in front of Pinolandia asking for money just before 2:30 p.m.
When a woman rejected her, MDSO said, Rodriguez followed her inside the restaurant and started a fight.
“She stabbed the victim in the upper extremities,” MDSO said.
Rodriguez was arrested while Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took the stabbed woman to a hospital.
Video from inside the restaurant shows the confrontation that led to the stabbing. Aerial footage captured the scene shortly after the attack around 2:30 p.m.
Restaurant manager Bernardo Ruiz told Herald news partner CBS News Miami the women had been arguing outside for days before the fight moved inside, frightening staff and customers.
“One of the lady … she came with scissors in her hands, and she start to hurt the other lady four times on the head inside of my business. So all the customers and our staff was scared to see that, you know?” Ruiz said.
“They running out. They was scared to see the lady with the scissors and blood coming out,” he added.
A woman beaten and trafficked across nine U.S. cities and an undercover sting operation that took down a “pimp” and several prostitutes was at the core of a slew of human trafficking-related arrests announced Tuesday afternoon by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
“We are organized, and we are ready to pounce on anybody that is going to exploit our vulnerable folks,” Rundle said during a press conference. “We talk about human trafficking, what we call modern day slavery, and that it is a scourge on our and many other communities throughout the country.”
Saturday’s arrests Darrell Robertson’s and Eu’shunn Thomas were the first discussed. Around midnight Saturday, a woman frantically called 911 from Parkway Inn, a Miami Springs hotel, according to an arrest report and Rundle.
The list of charges for Darrell Robertson and Eu’Shunn Thomas shown during a press conference discussing charges in a human trafficking case on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office in Miami, Fla. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
A Miami Springs police officer quickly went to her and picked up on signs that she’d been a victim of human trafficking, owing in part his training with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force.
With her 2-year-old daughter lying on the motel bed, the unidentified 20-year-old woman told the officer she was beaten by her “pimp,” Robertson, and moved around eight other U.S. cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., with the aid of Thomas who worked in tandem handling finances and overseeing his prostitutes, authorities said.
The officer called the human trafficking task force, and an investigation quickly began. She was taken to a Human Trafficking Center, which the state attorney’s office operates and offers a safe place for victims to eat, shower and decompress from their experiences.
Authorities learned she and Robertson are from Texas, Thomas from Louisiana, and Miami was the latest place she was forced to prostitute after eight months of being moved around the country on “paid sex dates”. On this trip, the 20-year-old arrived to Miami about a week ago with 2-year-old daughter.
The little girl was watched by Robertson while her mother went through her clients. He set a $1,000 a night quota, which would mean an average of 8 to 10 male clients she had to have sex with. Some of the meets would be in cars and short-term motel rentals, and Robertson or Thomas would always be in the area watching her.
Jose Figueredo, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge, left, and Emiliano Tamayo, Chief of Investigations, look at a map depicting where in the country the victim was trafficked during a press conference discussing charges in a human trafficking case on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office in Miami, Fla. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
Robertson would often beat the woman when she said she didn’t want to prostitute anymore, forcing her to continue, which happened again on Saturday. The 20-year-old was also drugged with Adderall to keep her awake during these sexual encounters.
“This occurred throughout their entire relationship, especially when she would plead and object to continuing to go out on these dates,” Rundle said.
Robertson and Thomas were arrested and still remain in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Tuesday night, according to jail records. Thomas is charged with human trafficking, while Robertson is charged with human trafficking, transporting a person from out of state into the state for human trafficking, branding in relation to human trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, and battery.
“Here in Miami Springs, we have 22 hotels and a lot of our calls for service are at these hotels,” said Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo, noting his officers are trained to look for details that could potentially lead to a human trafficking case.
“These people are really evil. They’re trafficking people. They’re treating them less than animals. They’re branding them,” he said. “Whenever you have a tip, please reach out to the Human Trafficking Task Force and we will investigate it.”
Operation Sanctuary Shield
The City of Coral Gables was a pseudo-testing ground Thursday for a new type of undercover operation aimed at rescuing victims of human trafficking while also combating the issue. Several law enforcement agencies partnered to arrest six people involved in prostitution.
“You can’t always say, ‘We’re just going to go after the pimps, the demands, ‘Johns’ and prostitution,’” Rundle said. “It has to be the whole facet of all of that creates this multi-billion dollar industry where they exploit our victims.”
Authorities identified two websites, one of which is still active online, that is used for escort services and are “well known as fronts for prostitution and victims of human trafficking,” an arrest report read.
Five woman — Yoaris Delgado, Karen Guerra Ramos, Leyerlyn Perales Lombano, Odette Adul Martinez and Franyelin Toledo — were reached out to and agreed to meet with an undercover officer. Once they arrived at an undisclosed hotel and exchanged cash for sex or a “full body massage,” officers swarmed their rooms and arrested them.
One man, Jean Frank Canizales, brought one of the woman to the hotel and waited outside the room during the money exchange. Their arrest reports also allege they left a child unaccompanied, but it is unclear if the minor was in the area of the hotel or somewhere else.
Four of the women were charged with engaging in prostitution, one of whom was additionally charged with child neglect with no great bodily harm. The fifth woman was charged with practicing without a massage license. Canizales was charged with direct another person to a place for prostitution, derive support from proceeds of prostitution and child neglect with no great bodily harm.
“Traffickers, be aware…We will catch the people that are profiting the most from the souls of these people that they are exploiting,” said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudack.
Authorities urge anyone who is or knows someone being trafficked, to text or call 305-349-7867, a human trafficking hotline open 24 hours 7 days a week.
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.
Florida AG Uthmeier wants the state to increase penalties for running an illegal gambling business
Florida currently only levies misdemeanor charges against unlicensed gambling enterprises
The attorney general of Florida enforces the law but cannot make it. He’s pleading with state lawmakers in Tallahassee to update penalties related to illegal gambling convictions.
The Triple Cherry Arcade in Fort Myers is an illegal gambling outfit disguised as an arcade. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is calling on state lawmakers to increase penalties for running an illegal gambling operation from misdemeanors to felonies. (Image: Google Maps)
On Monday, following yet another high-profile case involving an illegal gambling business, this one involving a county sheriff and his wife who were allegedly involved in the criminal enterprise, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier “encouraged” the legislature to elevate penalties against those convicted of operating unlicensed gambling houses from misdemeanors to felonies.
Not only does it violate our state’s rule of law and put our consumers at risk, but it often breeds other illicit acts, like human and drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering. Right now, people can stand to make millions off unlawful gambling operations and just end up with a slap on the wrist,” Uthmeier said.
“This is not sending the right message,” Uthmeier continued. “It is not enough of a deterrent. I encourage the Florida Legislature to pursue heightened criminal penalties and increase the current misdemeanor charge to a felony.”
Sun Setting on Illegal Gambling?
Florida has the highest concentration of retirees in the country. About 21% of the Sunshine State’s population is aged 65 and older.
Many older adults enjoy playing slot machines. But with Las Vegas-like slots limited in Florida to the Seminole Tribe’s six land-based casinos and slot machines within Miami-Dade and Broward counties, many illegal gambling “arcades” have popped up from the Everglades to the Panhandle.
The unregulated businesses commonly offer newer slot terminals found in casinos across the nation. But unlike legal gambling enterprises, the games are not monitored for fair play.
In Florida, slot machines are required to have a minimum payout rate of 85%. At unregulated gambling arcades, some machines have been set to as low as 18%.
Unregulated gambling businesses often lack responsible gaming safeguards, and the venues typically have lax security protocols.
The possible financial gain, with many of the illegal businesses reportedly raking in millions of dollars a year, outweighs the possible misdemeanor penalties, says Uthmeier.
It’s time to ensure that the consequences for this illicit behavior correspond with the dangers it brings into our communities,” Uthmeier said.
The attorney general said law enforcement has taken down numerous large-scale illegal gambling operations that have spanned in the “tens of millions of dollars.” However, much law enforcement work regarding illegal gambling remains, as many of the bad actors open new illegal gambling arcades following their misdemeanor convictions.
Bill Introduced
Legislation to increase illegal gambling convictions in Florida to felonies died in the state House of Representatives earlier this year. When the legislature convenes for its 2026 session in January, the discussion will continue.
State Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R-Union) and Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-St. Lucie) have pre-filed gaming bills in their respective chambers to levy felony charges in the third degree against persons found to be running an illegal gambling business. A person found guilty of a third-degree felony in Florida faces “a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years.”
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man who was shot in Naranja Sunday night, Nov. 24, 2025.
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A man died in the hospital after he was shot in Naranja late Sunday night, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to the area of Southwest 265th Street and 138th Court shortly before 11:30 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired, the sheriff’s office said.
They found the man, who has not been identified, lying on the ground with at least one gunshot wound, the agency said. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics took the man to Jackson South Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting and there are no suspects in custody as of Monday morning.
David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
A Miami-Dade correctional officer was stabbed with a contraband shank by an inmate at Dade Correctional Institution; officers intervened and the wounded guard was flown to Jackson South Hospital.
A Miami-Dade corrections officer was stabbed in the chest Monday by an inmate wielding a “shank” who was being held for a murder charge, authorities say. The prison guard was hospitalized.
Jarvis Fortson, 44, is serving a life sentence at the Dade Correctional Institution in Homestead for first-degree murder. The attempted killing of Officer Raj Mitchell has Fortson now facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, resisting an officer with violence and possession of a contraband weapon, his arrest report read.
Around 12:30 a.m., Mitchell noticed Fortson out of his cell. He quickly went to Fortson to return him to his cell as Officer Danel Cottle watched from inside an officer station, the report read.
An argument broke out between Mitchell and Fortson in front of his cell that became violent when the prisoner attacked the officer with a “homemade weapon (shank).” While Mitchell tried to defend himself, Fortson stabbed him multiple times along the side of his torso.
Eventually, other correctional officers descended on them, breaking up the stabbing, the report read. Mitchell was treated by medical staff at the correctional institution before being airlifted to Jackson South Hospital.
He was treated for puncture wounds from the stabbing.
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.
Police on Monday morning have shut down northbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike Extension as they investigate a deadly crash.
The lanes are closed at the turnpike’s southern point, just before mile marker 1, in Florida City and out of the Keys.
A Miami-Dade medical examiner’s man was on the scene, and traffic reports indicated a body was on the highway.
The crash was reported before 5 a.m. Monday. Fatal crashes usually take several hours to clear.
Drivers should take U.S. 1 or Krome Avenue, and then head back onto the turnpike to continue north. Southbound lanes on the turnpike extension are open.
This breaking report will be updated.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 5:39 AM.
Questions about spending by the A3 Foundation, a charity behind the funding of the annual Miami-Dade rodeo at Tropical Park called CountryFest, is prompting Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to promise stricter rules on grant funding. This image from the 2025 CountryFest event, held on April 26 and April 27, was released to the Miami Herald through a records request for county photographs of the rodeo-themed festival.
Miami-Dade County photography staff
After her administration approved more than $1 million for a nonprofit that’s now facing questions on how it spent the money, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is ordering stricter scrutiny of county payments.
The mayor this week released an administrative order requiring written agreements with any organization receiving county funding. The new rules are part of Levine Cava’s promised changes after her administration processed payments for the nonprofit A3 Foundation upon the request of a county commissioner without demanding to see detailed invoices or receipts to show where the money went.
“As we continue to deliver services to nearly three million residents, it is critical that we maintain public trust through consistent accountability,” Levine Cava wrote in a memo to county commissioners announcing the new rules.
Backed by the County Commission’s most powerful member, Chair Anthony Rodriguez, the A3 Foundation served as a financial clearinghouse for CountryFest, the county rodeo Rodriguez hosts each year in his district at Tropical Park.
A series of Miami Herald articles this year showed how Rodriguez’s staff arranged for the two-year-old charity to receive CountryFest dollars in order to pay for the rodeo. But the check requests didn’t have the kind of receipts and invoices that would show how the money was spent. After the Herald published its first article in July, Rodriguez’s office returned a $200,000 county check, uncashed, that the county had issued to the A3 Foundation to cover CountryFest expenses from earlier in the year.
The foundation was formed in late 2023, lists its headquarters as a West Miami townhouse and is run by Francisco Petrirena, whose full-time job is chief of staff to Miami City Manager Art Noriega. It has no public track record of philanthropy but secured nearly $1 million in charity grants in Florida’s 2026 budget for work on agricultural education. About half of the money came from dollars controlled by House Speaker Danny Perez, a Miami Republican and friend of both Petrirena and Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and the A3 Foundation have declined to answer questions about how the charity spent its county dollars beyond statements that said the money went to support CountryFest and that the A3 Foundation acted appropriately with its public funding.
Rodriguez’s office and an A3 lawyer did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
After the Herald began reporting on the A3 Foundation, Levine Cava called for an audit of the charity, and Miami-Dade commissioners voted to divert a yearly A3 Foundation allocation in a county contract to Miami-Dade’s Parks Foundation instead. The office of Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin announced it would conduct the audit Levine Cava wanted, but it has not yet been completed, a spokesperson said this week.
Accountants under the clerk had pushed back against at least one request for an A3 check, saying it lacked the appropriate back-up materials. Herald reporting showed Levine Cava’s budget director, David Clodfelter, OK’d the check issuance after multiple requests from Rodriguez’s office.
Levine Cava also said in her Nov. 5 memo that her administration would be reasserting the mayor’s role under the Miami-Dade charter as the only elected official authorized to give instructions to county staff. “These foundational principles of separation of powers ensure the professional and effective operation of our government,” she wrote.
A Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot during an altercation Friday afternoon near Kendall, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputy Devin Jaramillo, 27, responded to a traffic crash when he was “brutally attacked and murdered,” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said.
Sources told CBS News Miami that the deputy was responding to a traffic incident when a struggle began with at least one person and the deputy was shot. Sources said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A second person was being questioned in connection with the incident, sources said.
Authorities have not provided details on the exact circumstances that led up to the fatal shooting.
The name of the suspect has not been released. The sheriff’s office has not confirmed if the suspect was armed.
Cordero-Stutz said Good Samaritans called 911 and deputies responded to provide first aid until he was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital. Jaramillo succumbed to his injuries, she said.
“What happened to our deputy was not OK,” Cordero-Stutz said. She said she prays that they find a way for incidents like this one to never happen again.
Cordero-Stutz described Jaramillo as not only a deputy, but a son and a friend. Cordero-Stutz said Jaramillo graduated from the academy in May 2024.
She said he gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life.
“The next few days are going to be very difficult for us,” she said. “We will still continue to make this county safe.”
South Florida law enforcement, officials show support for fallen deputy
Hundreds of first responders from across South Florida waited outside HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in support, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifting up an American flag for the motorcade on Bird Road. Around 8 p.m., a motorcade escorted Jaramillo to the medical examiner’s office.
Hundreds of South Florida first responders lined Bird Road for the procession of fallen MDSO Deputy Devin Jaramillo.
“I am heartbroken to learn that Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Deputy Devin Jaramillo, who was shot in the line of duty this afternoon, has tragically passed away,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on social media. “My deepest condolences go out to his family, loved ones, and colleagues as our entire community mourns this devastating loss.”
Prior to joining MDSO, Jaramillo was a Coral Gables police officer, according to police chief Ed Hudak. He said Jaramillo honorably served CGPD for almost four years.
“His dedication, courage, and commitment to our community will never be forgotten,” Hudak said on social media.
Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones said the loss of Jaramillo is felt deeply across the South Florida community and beyond. Jones’ department recently lost one of their own officers in a motorcycle crash.
“Regardless of the color of our uniforms, there are no jurisdictional boundaries when one of our own is in need–or when one of our own has fallen,” he said on social media. “We all mourn together.”
Traffic is backed up on SW 117th Ave. in Miami-Dade County on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, after a MDSO deputy was shot.
DAVID GOODHUE
dgoodhue@flkeysnews.com
The shooting of a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy led to traffic chaos during the Friday afternoon rush hour.
The agency said in an X post: “One of our Kendall District Deputies was shot during an altercation. He was transported to a local hospital. We ask for your prayers.”
Deputies announced Southwest 120th Street and the Florida Turnpike is closed near where the shooting occurred at Southwest 122nd Avenue and 120th Street. Southwest 122nd Avenue is also closed from Southwest 120th to 128th Streets. Southwest 128th Street is closed from Southwest 122nd to 125th Avenues.
Traffic is backed up near where an MDSO deputy was shot in southwest Miami-Dade County on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. CBS News Miami
Traffic was backed up on SW 117th Ave. and other roads.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 6:39 PM.
David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
Two people are dead and two were hospitalized with serious injuries after an overnight wrong-way crash on Florida’s Turnpike in Miami-Dade County caused another traffic accident early Sunday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
According to FHP, the crash happened on the northbound lanes of the Turnpike near Bird Road, where a blue Honda that was driving south in the northbound lanes collided head-on with a silver Toyota.
Both vehicles became disabled and were blocking the roadway, which led to a second crash when an oncoming white Toyota collided into the two disabled vehicles along with an FHP vehicle on scene, the agency said.
The Honda driver and the silver Toyota driver from the initial crash died at the scene, FHP said. Meanwhile, the two occupants in the other Toyota were airlifted to Kendall HCA with serious injuries. FHP said the trooper on scene was outside of their vehicle at the time of the crash and was not injured during the incident.
All northbound lanes were shut down and traffic was diverted onto Bird Road as the investigation continued.
At this time, FHP has not provided further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the crashes, as they are both currently under investigation.
In Miami-Dade, a road rage incident led to a shooting where Emilio Rodriguez allegedly shot a man in the face on Friday night.
Two men began arguing after a road rage incident in Miami-Dade on Friday, when one of them pulled out a gun and fired what he claimed was a “warning shot” — but which struck the other man in the face instead, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say that around 7:45 p.m., the two men got out of their cars and began to argue near Northwest 84th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard in Doral.
As one of the men walked back to his car, deputies say 54-year-old Emilio Rodriguez pulled out a gun and yelled at him. When the man turned around, Rodriguez fired, hitting him in the face, according to the arrest affidavit.
The sheriff’s office didn’t release the name of the man who was shot.
Rodriguez then got back into his car and fled the scene, deputies said.
The wounded man was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
Rodriguez was later detained and admitted to investigators that he fired a “warning shot near the victim’s head,” according to his arrest paperwork.
Deputies said that the entire incident was captured on nearby surveillance footage.
Rodriguez is charged with attempted murder and remains in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Saturday, with his bond still to be set, according to jail records.
Multi-vehicle crash on I-95 near Miami Gardens Drive involved five cars and sent three people to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital with serious injuries.
Getty Images | Royalty Free
A multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade sent three people to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
At around 5:10 a.m. five cars were involved in a crash in the southbound lanes near Miami Gardens Drive, said Lt. Alejandro Camacho of FHP. Two cars collided into the concrete center median barrier wall. Three lanes were blocked after the crash, but have since reopened.
Three people were taken to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital. FHP did not say what their condition is.
Patrons at the Miami-Dade County Main Library at downtown’s Cultural Center sit below a word mural in a wall arch by artist Edward Ruscha.
MATIAS J. OCNER
mocner@miamiherald.com
Days after a Florida appeals court legalized the open carry of firearms statewide, a library manager in Miami Beach realized that would probably mean having to welcome visibly armed visitors to libraries.
“Here is my understanding of the law as it currently stands in light of the ruling. Neither Miami-Dade County nor [its library system] may prohibit open or concealed carry of firearms on library property,” Bryant Capley wrote in a Sept. 15 email seeking confirmation that open-carry rights would also apply to public libraries.
That email triggered a response from county attorneys laying out the limited exceptions to Florida’s new open-carry rules as one of the state’s largest local governments rushed to figure out where visible guns would be allowed.
The email was one of several obtained by the Miami Herald through a records request that show how county administrators began gaming out how a visibly-armed civilian might soon be part of day-to-day life at government buildings.
The change started with a Sept. 10 ruling by the First District Court of Appeal striking down a statewide ban on the open carry of firearms and declaring that Floridians have a constitutional right to bear arms in public. Days later, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said it was settled law statewide.
Armed civilians aren’t newly allowed in county facilities. Florida law already allowed people to carry concealed weapons in most public places. But now, county administrators are contemplating the impact of civilian guns being visible.
In a Sept. 12 email with an “Open Carry of Firearms” subject line, Sharif Masri, a lawyer and security administrator for Miami-Dade, noted to a superior that current security protocols call for police to stop someone from entering a county building with a visible firearm — but now those safeguards were in doubt. He attached an article about the ruling by the First District Court of Appeals.
“This will likely create anxiety and fear for our employees, contractors and visitors who may see openly carried firearms,” Masri wrote.
While owners of private buildings can bar the open-carry of firearms, state rules don’t give the same leeway to local governments. But there are some exceptions.
A mix of state and federal rules and court decrees still don’t allow firearms during legislative meetings or in courthouses, airports, restricted areas of seaports, jails or buildings being used as a voting site.
Federal laws also prohibit the carrying of firearms within school zones. Miami-Dade’s seat of government, the Stephen P. Clark Center, sits within 1,000 feet of a public school, which county administrators say is enough under federal law to restrict gun possession inside .
For county police, the new legal framework means accepting civilian firearms as a daily part of life and not a source of alarm.
“Individuals may now openly carry firearms in public,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a Sept. 30 memo to staff. “There is currently no distinction between handguns and long guns (rifles, shotguns, etc.) in the law, meaning that both may be openly carried.”
The memo stated that officer safety needs to remain the top priority and said it’s fine for deputies during an interaction with an armed person to tell them to keep their hands visible and away from a firearm.
To defuse someone with a gun from being combative or on edge, the memo suggested a deputy acknowledge that open-carry is now legal.
“It may be advisable to acknowledge the law change in Florida that allows an individual to openly carry a firearm,” the memo reads.
It also offered guidance on a few hypothetical scenarios.
One involved a restaurant manager asking a patron to not enter with a pistol strapped to a holster. That person could be arrested for trespassing for refusing to leave.
Another involved a traffic stop with a firearm in the passenger seat. Unless the officer discovers the driver is a felon, there is no legal issue with the firearm. But, the memo says, the officer is free to ask the driver to step outside until the traffic stop is complete.
“Be sure not to escalate the encounter solely because of the firearm,” the memo reads.
There was similar guidance for county paramedics and firefighters in a draft memo circulated to county lawyers in late September.
“Unless an individual presents an immediate threat to personnel, patients or the public,” the draft memo said, “the presence of an openly carried firearm, in and of itself, should not alter the provision of care or professional conduct.”
For county librarians, accepting the sight of a firearm will also be part of standard protocols in Miami-Dade. While a library close to a school or sharing building space with a courthouse could remain gun-free, the bulk of county libraries are now forced to welcome gun holders.
“We are not aware of any specific exemption from open carry in public libraries other than for libraries that may fall under statutory exception,” Ray Baker, director of the Miami-Dade’s library system, told the Herald.
A woman repeatedly stabbed a teenage girl inside a Cutler Bay home Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Matt Rourke
AP
A woman repeatedly stabbed a 15-year-old girl inside a Cutler Bay home Sunday afternoon after an argument over the teen’s cell phone, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
The girl was sleeping in the living room of the home at the 21000 block of Southwest 92nd Avenue around 3:20 p.m. when she awoke to see 26-year-old Lynn My Le looking through her phone, according to Le’s arrest report.
The girl, who was not named in the report, nor was her relationship with Le explained, confronted Le and asked her why she was going through her phone, detectives said.
The girl took the phone away, and Le responded by grabbing a “black knife,” the report states. The girl ran toward the front door, but detectives say Le caught up to her and stabbed her in the back about four times, causing her to collapse,
Le then stabbed the girl about six more times as the teen pleaded for her life, according to the report.
The girl survived, but the sheriff’s office said she was left with about 10 puncture wounds. Detective Samantha Choon told the Herald Monday that the teen is in “critical, but stable” condition.
The report noted that Le refused to speak with detectives. She was booked into Turner Guilford Correctional Center on one count of attempted murder. Her bond information was not immediately available, nor was information on her legal representation.
David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
.jpg "One woman was stabbed and one was detained following an argument at Fritanga Pinolandia, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.")
.jpg "Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man who was shot in Naranja Sunday night, Nov. 24, 2025.")
.jpg "The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said its deputies opened fire near Homestead Monday night, Nov. 3, 2025.")
.jpg "Multi-vehicle crash on I-95 near Miami Gardens Drive involved five cars and sent three people to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital with serious injuries.")
.jpg "A woman repeatedly stabbed a teenage girl inside a Cutler Bay home Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.")