Keon Hardemon: “Corrections Department has a lot of issues with cost. They have a lot of issues.”

That was Commissioner Keon Hardemon calling out the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department in October.

His criticism of the eighth largest jail system in the country continued.

Keon Hardemon: “I’ve been on the floor and seen Corrections officers asleep. I know what it means to support law enforcement. But I also know what it means when people hide behind the badge. And so I’ve seen behavior in the department that is unbecoming.”

Now 7Investigates has learned of more disturbing behavior. Miami-Dade Corrections has paid millions of dollars in overtime to Corrections officers and staff who never earned it.

We obtained these documents listing 587 employees’ names — some appearing more than once — along with the amount of money they were overpaid.

Sources say for the last few years, these employees put in for overtime and were paid for hours they never actually worked.

The dollar amounts vary, from a $63 overpayment to a Corrections technician all the way up to more than $31,000 to a Corrections corporal.

Commissioner Hardemon alluded to the issue during the October commission meeting.

Keon Hardemon: “I think the Corrections Department knows that they have an issue with time — what many would describe as theft of time that goes to the tens of millions of dollars. And that’s our biggest cost — when you start talking about overtime and Corrections.”

The documents 7News obtained show a total of more than $4 million in overpayments — with $2.8 million already recouped.

Records reveal the department is allowing employees to pay back what they owe through deductions in their paychecks.

When we asked Corrections about the overpayments, the department sent 7Investigates a statement saying they’re “aware of this matter and a full internal affairs investigation is underway,” adding “the department is committed to full transparency, accountability” and “any misconduct will face appropriate disciplinary action.”

Exactly how these county employees will be disciplined, and what is being done to prevent this from happening again, remains to be seen.

Because for taxpayers, fake hours add up to real costs.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

The punches were flying on a Thursday evening inside Flaco’s Community Gym in Hollywood.

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “I used to be skinny and ‘flaco’ means skinny in Spanish. So coach gave me the nickname Flaco and it just stuck.”

Owner Jose “Flaco” Perez opened the gritty, graffiti-filled gym in 2014.

It’s where the Brooklyn-born, former boxer has guided the next generation of fighters for the past decade.

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “The type of kids you’ll see in the program come from all different walks, all different financial demographics, all different cultural backgrounds.”

Despite their differences, Flaco preaches the same things: Hard work, discipline and accountability.

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “I create a safe environment for you to grow and mature and learn.”

Now — Flaco, his students and the small Hollywood gym are getting a little movie star treatment. They’re the focus of a new documentary.

Paolo Mugnaini: “The moment I walked in, I knew this gym was something different from the other gyms.”

Paolo Mugnaini is the filmmaker behind “Fighting Spirit: The Battle Within.”

Last weekend, it won best short documentary at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Paolo Mugnaini: “There’s always been this thing about how boxing is a metaphor for life.”

The film weaves together themes of perseverance and self-esteem.

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “He showed me the final product and I thought it was amazing, but I’m pretty biased being that I’m the main guy on screen.”

And the main guy is tough.

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “In this world where sensitivity has become a culture, I think you come here and it’s a little bit of a throwback.”

Paolo Mugnaini: “What I see is that underneath, not sugar-coating things, there’s a lot of love, there is a lot of passion for really building better people.”

People, like 12-year-old Maj, who has been coming to Flaco’s gym since he was 8.

Maj: “In school, sometimes I used to get bullied. So then me learning boxing, it improved my confidence and it made me more happier overall.”

He’s not bullied anymore.

Maj: “Once you find respect, that’s all you seek and you give it out. So it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I love to respect people and I love being respected.'”

Thirteen-year-olds Rami and Pacman — nicknamed after the legendary fighter Manny Pacquiao — also grew up in this gym.

Pacman: “my coach Flaco, he’s really a father figure to me. So I know I could trust him, you know, I could call him when I need something.”

Both teens won national titles in their weight divisions this summer.

Rami: “This is something I want to do professionally for sure, ’cause this is what I love to do.”

And whether Flaco’s students go on to be professionals in the sport or not…

Jose “Flaco” Perez: “I pride myself not only in creating great boxers, but creating amazing individuals.”

And that is something worth fighting for.

Mugnaini has already entered “Fighting Spirit – The Battle Within” in other well-known film festivals.

Courtney Allen, 7News.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Flaco’s Community Gym
Fighting Spirit – The Battle Within

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Bob Carr: “This beach park has a special story.”

It can be easy to overlook the small plaque on a monument near the pedestrian bridge on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Tucker Howell: “I’ve walked by it probably 50 times this year, I’ve never read it once.”

The tablet marks the site of a fort built in 1839 during the Seminole Wars that the US waged against Native Americans.

Bob Carr: “This was the American government’s attempt to move all of the indigenous Seminoles and Miccosukees out of Florida. And this fort was constructed with the idea of facilitating that. One of the sad chapters in American history.”

Longtime archaeologist Bob Carr led a team that uncovered incredible historical finds back in 2011.

They found military buttons, musket balls and even a pine post believed to be part of the fort.

The artifacts are now on display at the History Fort Lauderdale Museum.

Some of the findings went even further back in time.

Bob Carr: “This has been a place where people have been probably coming and going for thousands of years.”

Now, this year, for the first time, there’s an effort underway to formally designate a portion of Fort Lauderdale Beach as a historically significant archaeological site.

Michaela Conca: “This is an important heritage site, archeological site to the history of Fort Lauderdale and should be preserved for future generations.”

Michaela Conca is the president of the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation.

The nonprofit has applied for the special designation with the city.

Michaela Conca: “It’s a way of helping people understand that the world in which they live in is more than what they just see in the moment. That it runs deeper.”

Somewhere below the beach, beneath the picnic tables and palm trees, Michaela and Bob believe there are more hidden relics of the past yet to be discovered.

Michaela Conca: “There is going to be more material that comes up, I have no doubt.”

More archaeological testing at the site is set to happen in the next month.

That’s because the city’s Historic Preservation Board has asked Michaela’s group to narrow the boundaries of where they believe the fort once stood nearly 200 years ago.

Commissioner Steve Glassman: “I think the exact location is not known. So I’m very curious to see what they come up with in terms of the actual location that they want to narrow that focus down for the archeological significant site.”

Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Steve Glassman’s district includes this part of the beach.

Commissioner Steve Glassman: “Historic preservation is of paramount importance to me.”

Still, he believes the area’s archaeological significance is already recognized under current code.

The difference is — with an official historic designation, any new development would have to go before the Historic Preservation Board.

Bob Carr: “What’s important to say is, this doesn’t exclude the use of the park. This doesn’t exclude all the amenities and improvements. It’s the hidden history of Fort Lauderdale, it’s invisible and now it’s time to make that change.”

And by revealing the past, they hope to educate well into the future.

The organization’s proposal is set to go back before the city board on Dec. 1. Ultimately — the city commission has the final say on the matter.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

These two men were on a mission to steal.

Surveillance video obtained by 7Investigates shows the pair arriving at Extra Space Storage off Miami Gardens drive on June 29th.

They enter the access code — which opens the gate — and drive in.

The truck backs into the loading zone.

The men get out and keep their heads down to avoid cameras.

An access code is entered again, which gets them inside the building.

They take two carts into the elevator and up to the second floor.

And this is where one of them makes a mistake — he looks straight at a camera.

You also see part of his accomplice’s face.

They walk down a hallway — away from the camera.

You see sparks as it appears the lock to a storage unit is being cut.

Gabriela Ramon had her things inside that unit.

Gabriela Ramon: “They knew what they were doing.”

Heather Walker: “Gabriela does not think this was random. She believes her unit was targeted because of the valuable items she had inside, and that the men knew what they were after.”

According to an inventory list submitted to the insurance company — thousands of dollars worth of designer shoes and accessories, expensive sneakers and signed sports memorabilia were stolen.

Gabriela Ramon: “It’s very specific things — shoes, bags, footballs, jerseys. They pick and chose what they wanted to take. Total estimate I can give you from $20,000 to $30,000 of stuff that was in there.”

After breaking into the unit, the men head down the elevator, carts full of Gabriela’s belongings, and start loading them into the back of their truck.

The gate goes up and they’re gone.

The theft took less than an hour.

Gabriela Ramon: “I don’t think it was smart.”

Gabriela got behind on rent payments, legally allowing the storage company to cut her lock and take these pictures of the interior.

A notice of lien was placed on her unit, but Gabriela still had time before the contents were made public for auction.

Gabriela Ramon: “They’re supposed to give you 90 days, so I’m thinking in my mind as a consumer, ‘OK, I have 90 days to get this sorted out.'”

But she never got the chance — because she discovered someone had changed her account contact information and paid off her balance.

And that gave them access to her gate code.

Gabriela Ramon: “So if that person would have made a payment to my account and wouldn’t have changed my email and my phone number, I would have been notified, ‘Hey, your unit so and so was paid off.'”

A spokesperson for Extra Space Storage tells 7Investigates:

“This was an unusual, targeted break-in that impacted one unit at this facility…”

The company says the two men on video are not employees, adding:

“We have no evidence that would point to any employees being involved…” and the company has been “…Supporting the authorities in their investigation…”

Gabriela Ramon: “I just hope they find who it is and how they were able to change my information. I want to get to the bottom of it.”

That’s why finding these two burglars may be the key to unlocking the truth.

Heather Walker, 7News.

Authorities ask that anyone with information regarding the two men shown or their vehicle call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. The truck is a black Chevy Avalanche with a Texas license plate and damage to the right rear panel.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

It has been 47 years since Jayne Kennedy was first introduced to football fans across the country.

Jayne Kennedy: “‘The NFL Today’ was guaranteed, hands down, the most impactful thing that I’ve done in my career.”

In 1978, Jayne became the first Black woman to co-host an NFL pregame show.

Jayne Kennedy: “That changed the way that the sports industry saw women in the broadcast booth and particularly women of color.”

But before breaking the gridiron glass ceiling, Jayne tells us she had to fight just to get an audition.

Jayne Kennedy: “I remember that I wanted that audition very much. And I kept asking my agent to submit me. And they kept saying, ‘They don’t want someone like you,’ and that ‘like you’ was, they didn’t want someone Black.”

She didn’t give up.

Jayne Kennedy: “I knew that I could do this show, and I wanted to do it with all my heart. So, I made sure that I did everything that I could do to not let them block my way.”

Jayne landed the job, but initially the network only gave her a six-week contract.

That is, until they were looking to score an interview with an iconic athlete in another sport.

A man who happened to be Jayne’s friend — Muhammad Ali.

Jayne Kennedy: “‘I can get you the interview,’ and they looked at me and they said, ‘Who are you?’ So I said, ‘I’m the woman who can get you the interview from Muhammad Ali,’ and I’m sitting there, and I’m scared to death. I’m going, ‘Oh, my God, please, please Muhammad, walk through the door, walk through door.’ All of a sudden, he walks through the door, and he walks straight to the camera, and he says, ‘I only do this for my friend, Jayne.'”

Muhammad Ali (during interview): “I just couldn’t resist Ms. Jayne Kennedy, and I’m granting you something special, because you are the greatest like I’m the greatest.”

Her contract was extended.

Jayne Kennedy: “I landed the big one, but I was not going to quit.”

And that no-quit attitude very much defines Jayne Kennedy’s journey. She’s now detailing her triumphs and setbacks in a newly released memoir, simply titled “Plain Jayne.”

Jayne Kennedy: “I see myself as plain Jayne. I know other people don’t, but I do.”

Last weekend, Jayne did a book signing in Coral Gables as part of a nationwide tour.

She was also recently a guest on “The Tamron Hall Show,” which airs on ABC Miami.

Jayne Kennedy: “A lot of people have been telling me, ‘You need to write a book.'”

Jayne hopes her story resonates.

Jayne Kennedy: “I know for a fact it is true — that you can always be better, as long as you are willing to open your eyes. I have been so blessed in my entire life.”

A life filled with adventure, and a career recognized with this picture of Jayne on the set of “The NFL Today.”

It’s in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture — next to other legends like The Supremes and Nat King Cole.

Jayne Kennedy: “I can’t even explain it because it was, like, it took my breath away — my heart, my heart cried, I cried, because it was such a struggle just to get there.”

She got there — and continues to write her next chapter.

Heather Walker, 7News.

To learn more about her memoir:
Jayne Kennedy 

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

For the first time, we are seeing video of a pregnant Daisy Link and her baby’s father Joan Depaz — behind bars.

Miami-Dade Corrections officer: “What happened, tell me exactly what happened?”

Joan Depaz: “Well…”

It was Christmas Eve, 2023. Police were called to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center to find out how Link became pregnant while she was an inmate.

Body camera video shows an officer was able to rule out rape after she asked Link if the pregnancy was planned.

Miami-Dade Police officer: “You wanted it to happen, what you did? If it’s OK with you, that’s fine. I just came here to make sure that you’re OK.”

Daisy Link: “Yeah, I’m fine.”

In a separate interview, Depaz was asked to explain how he got Link pregnant, even though they were never physically together.

Joan Depaz: “We was talking, you know, back and forth and[…]”

Officer: “How were you talking to her?”

Joan Depaz: “Nah, through the vent.”

Officer: “Through the vent?”

Joan Depaz: “Yeah.”

Officer: “OK.”

Joan Depaz: “Through the vents. Anybody would say I’m crazy, ‘Oh, you’re talking to the vent.’ Yeah.”

Then about a minute into the video, the audio on the bodycam is muted and a black box is put over Depaz’s face.

Based on his hand movements, Depaz appears to be showing the officer the strange way they conceived this baby girl.

Daisy Link: “She’s a miracle baby. She’s a blessing.”

In addition to new videos, 7Investigates also obtained jail phone calls — including one where Link and Depaz discuss their plan to get pregnant.

Joan Depaz in jail phone call: “You gonna have my baby?”

Daisy Link (in phone call): “Yeah.”

Joan Depaz (in phone call): “You wanna do it for real?”

Daisy Link (in phone call): “Yeah, send it to me.”

Depaz says he sent his semen through an A/C vent connecting their cells — using a makeshift line made out of mattress string.

Their conversation backs up what the pair told 7News in jailhouse interviews last year.

Joan Depaz: “I put the semen in Saran Wrap every day, like five times a day for, like, a month straight.”

Daisy Link: “I had placed it inside of the yeast infection applicators. From there, yeah, I administered it.”

More than a month after that first call — Link and Depaz spoke again.

Joan Depaz (in phone call): “You think that [expletive] worked?”

Daisy Link (in phone call): “I don’t know. It probably could, I’m telling you, I would have, I’m supposed to have my period.”

Then by December, Link called her mom to break the unbelievable news.

Daisy Link (in phone call): “I’m under 24-hour lockdown because I’m pregnant.”

Link’s mother (in phone call): “You’re full of [expletive.]”

Daisy Link (in phone call): “I swear to God.”

Link’s mother (in phone call): “You’re full of [expletive.] This is shocking.”

Shocking, because Link has been locked up with no bond since 2022 awaiting trial for murder.

On the call, Link told her mom she got pregnant to get out of jail.

Link’s mother (in phone call): “Daisy, how could you?”

Daisy Link (in phone call): “What do you mean? I’m gonna sue ’em and get out. Do you know how much I can sue them for? This was all planned. I can get out now.”

That never happened. Link is still at TGK.

Depaz was transferred to another jail and is now in state prison.

In July, Link told us she was punished for talking to 7Investigates.

Daisy Link: “Well right now, I’m in unit 2-2, it’s a psychiatric unit. I’m basically just sitting in a room with a mattress and a blanket 24 hours a day with the lights that don’t shut off.”

Link believes it was retaliation for saying this:

Daisy Link: “They should actually thank me. I found a huge breach in their security. I haven’t gotten a ‘thank you’ yet.”

Daisy Link: “They’re telling me that I basically made a mockery of corrections. And because of that, they’re mad. That this was inevitable to come.”

Heather: “Like a mockery in what way?”

Daisy Link: “That they didn’t know what they were doing. That they basically allowed all of this to happen.”

The director of Miami-Dade Corrections — Sherea Green — has refused several interview requests.

Her department’s investigation into Link’s pregnancy found “insufficient evidence to substantiate staff misconduct.”

But it left many questions — including about the flow of contraband in the eighth largest jail system in the country.

Heather Walker, 7News.

Last week, a judge denied Daisy Link’s motion to have her second-degree murder case dismissed based on a self-defense claim. Her trial could begin at the end of the month.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Five days a week, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., Julius Woods is the gatekeeper at the entrance of Belle Meade Island in Miami.

Julius has kept an eye on countless cars coming and going during his almost 30 years as a security guard here.

Valeria Santeusanio, resident: “I’m 25, so I was born and raised here, and he’s been here since day one. I always feel like he’s a part of our family.”

And last month, dozens of people from his extended family…

Family and neighbors (singing): “Happy birthday to you!”

…came out to celebrate Julius’ 99th birthday.

Commissioner Christine King presented him with a proclamation in his honor and a key to the city.

Julius Woods: “I love you all, and I hope that I can still serve.”

Luis Gonzalez, resident: “He was the first ambassador to the island. He has a big smile for everyone — an unbelievable person, human being.”

Miami Commissioner Christine King: “He’s fantastic. His life is a story. It’s inspirational.”

Julius told us he doesn’t quite know what to say to those who view him as an inspiration. But he still had plenty to say when we sat down to talk with him.

We start with the obvious question: Why does he keep working?

Julius Woods: “Well, I work because I feel good at meeting people, and I enjoy my job, and I enjoy talking to people. Sometimes they come and they sit down, and they tell me the problems they have. I’m a good listener.”

Julius still drives to and from work, and if you’re wondering what his secret to staying in such good shape is, Julius says it is not his diet.

Julius Woods: “I can’t say I eat properly because I eat everything under the sun. But I never drank, and I never smoked; I guess that helped a lot.”

Speaking of food, Julius has special treats for the four-legged residents of the island.

Julius Woods: “I love my pups. I don’t own a pup.”

Although Julius’ job is to keep residents safe, they are very protective of him.

Julius Woods: “I think everybody on the island just about looks like they have my phone number. If I’m not there, I get a call at least from four or five people, ‘Julius, what’s wrong? You all right? You need anything?'”

Ralph Humbertson has lived on the island for 50 years and has a special bond with Julius. Both are Navy veterans.

Ralph Humbertson, resident: “And I just turned 81, so, you know, he considers me the kid. He served in World War II. He’s a hero. He was involved in Iwo Jima, where so many people were killed.”

His oldest son, Julius Woods Jr., was also in the Navy.

Julius Woods Jr.: “He always taught us, you know, just take care of family and everything. Can you imagine at 99 getting up at 3:30 in the morning, every morning? He gets up, goes to work, and I go back to sleep. I just hope I got his genes. You know, hey, 99, say he’s gonna work till 100.”

While this 66-year-old is retired, his dad has no plans to turn in his uniform.

Julius Woods: “As long as I feel like I do, I won’t retire.”

Julius’ message to all of us is this:

Julius Woods: “Always try to treat everyone like you want to be treated yourself.”

A “golden rule” to cherish and guard.

Tavares Jones, 7News.

While there are no official rankings, Julius is likely the oldest working security guard in Florida and possibly the country. If there is anyone older, we’d like to hear about them, so contact us!

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

911 call: “They’re yelling and screaming, so I’m assuming someone is hurt pretty bad.”

On Aug. 12, sisters Aviva and Rachel Nisanov slammed the personal watercraft they were riding into a concrete dock on the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale.

Officials say they jumped the wake of a passing boat and lost control.

911 call: “They hit really, really hard. I mean, they were going fast.”

Thirteen-year-old Rachel did not survive.

Tyson Matthews, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson: “This is a heartbreaking loss for everyone involved in this community.”

The sisters were taking part in a guided tour. Now, 7Investigates has discovered the owner of the company that rented the watercraft to their family has had more than a dozen boating-related charges filed against him in the last five years.

His name is Esteban Granados and he’s the owner of Prime Watersports LLC.

According to Broward Sheriff’s Office records, Granados has been in and out of Broward jail three times since 2022. And there was a warrant for his arrest — issued two months ago — for failing to show up to court.

It stems from a 2021 case in Hollywood, where police say Granados was operating a private jet ski rental business in a public park.

Another case involves a separate incident back in March.

Police cited Granados for renting a personal watercraft “without instruction on safe handling” and in both 2021 and 2023 — Granados pleaded no contest and was fined for renting personal watercraft without proper safety equipment.

Over the years, Granados has also been cited for operating personal watercraft at night, vessel registration issues and conducting business without an occupational license.

None of these cases is connected to the current investigation.

Granados turned down our request for an interview.

But in a statement, his attorney said:

“This was a tragic accident… Mr. Granados is heartbroken by this tragedy and looks forward to continuing to cooperate with law enforcement to aid their accident investigation.”

And while that state investigation continues, we’ve learned the Fort Lauderdale police marine unit stopped the teenage girls for a minor violation on their jet ski and discussed safety with them. No citations were issued.

Thirty minutes later, they crashed.

The attorney told 7Investigates Granados was “unaware” an arrest warrant had been issued for him. And Granados did show up to court Wednesday morning.

A judge found him guilty in the 2021 Hollywood case and sentenced him to six months probation. The judge also warned Granados that if he is cited with another violation involving his jet ski business during that time, he would face 60 days in jail.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

At 16 years old, Lauren Licea had her whole life ahead of her. But in an instant, everything changed.

Stefanie Celis, Lauren’s mom: “We didn’t even know if she was gonna make it at some point.”

Lauren was the passenger in this car when it crashed in 2018. Her injuries were life-altering.

Lauren is now blind in one eye, paralyzed from the chest down, and has a breathing tube, but she is focused on the future.

Lauren Licea: “I’m very strong. I don’t get down easily.”

Through it all, two important people have been by her side: Her surgeon, Dr. Arthur Desrosiers…

Lauren Licea: “He cares, and I appreciate him.”

…and her mom, Stefanie, a Miami-Dade public school teacher.

Lauren Licea: “I don’t know what I would do without my mom.”

Stefanie Celis: “You know, she lives in pain. That doesn’t go away with anything. I would do anything to take it away from her.”

Now, Dr. Desrosiers is going above and beyond to help Lauren have a better quality of life.

Dr. Arthur Desrosiers, Lauren’s surgeon: “She’s a very special young girl, and I think I feel empathetic for her situation.”

He specializes in facial reconstruction. This is a 3-D model of Lauren’s skull.

Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “She broke more bones in her face of any patient that I’ve ever seen survive.”

But the big problem is Lauren developed bacterial infections in her face — that cannot be treated with regular drugs. It requires monthly surgeries, but the infections keep coming back.

Lauren Licea: “It’s been almost seven years that I’ve been fighting these infections.”

Dr. Desrosiers found an experimental treatment to try to eliminate the infections once and for all. But it’s expensive and not covered by insurance. So he stepped up to help the family raise money to pay for it.

Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “I started the foundation, The Miami Foundation For Science and Medicine, specifically to raise money for underinsured or non-insured children and indigent people that needed to get healthcare and couldn’t access it.”

The GoFundMe he organized for Lauren has raised more than $13,000 of the $40,000 needed to start her treatment.

Lauren Licea: “Without the money, unfortunately, I can’t get this medicine.”

The experimental medicine Lauren is trying to get is called phage therapy. Phages are viruses used to target and destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “What we’re going to do is then take that money that we raised through the GoFundMe and use it to purchase that cocktail of phages for Lauren for her surgery here in Miami. I’m very optimistic.”

Stefanie Celis: “He’s always available for us. I haven’t gotten that from any other doctor, and we see many doctors. I appreciate him more than words can say.”

Her doctor’s actions keep Lauren hopeful.

Lauren Licea: “I do want to go to college and be independent. I want to go out more without having people stare.”

If it works, the doctor says the left side of Lauren’s face will be successfully reconstructed. While she will never be the same, it has given her a new perspective on gratitude.

Lauren Licea: “Always be yourself and love yourself the way you are, because you never know what could happen.”

A powerful reminder from a resilient 23-year-old.

Heather Walker, 7News

If you would like to contribute to Lauren’s fundraiser, click here.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

From the air, this field full of mangled and damaged cars looks like a junkyard.

The lot is behind a BSO jail in Pompano Beach.

But the vehicles here are not junk — they’re evidence.

This is where BSO stores cars involved in homicide and traffic homicide investigations.

Now, 7News has learned that on May 30th, detectives discovered someone cut through a chain-link fence and burglarized 10 cars.

Michael Gottlieb: “It’s a definite concern that those vehicles that are obviously being held for evidentiary purposes have been violated one way or the other, and that there was a failure to secure the lot appropriately.”

Michael Gottlieb is one of six defense attorneys who received this notice from prosecutors, letting them know about the burglaries.

His client, Julius Clark, is currently in jail, charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter for a deadly crash in January.

The car detectives say Clark was driving at the time was one of the cars burglarized.

Michael Gottlieb: “In all honesty, until I digest all the evidence in my case, including this newly discovered evidence, I have no idea if it’ll have any effect.”

A car involved in this crash was also burglarized.

Frantz Laine is accused of driving at speeds up to 112 MPH before causing a wreck that left two people dead in Tamarac back in 2023.

While some might find this breach in security concerning, the Broward State Attorney’s Office tells 7Investigates:

“Prosecutors do not believe the burglaries will have any effect on the cases…” because “…all evidence collection and testing… was completed prior to the reported burglaries…”

Michael Gottlieb: “It’s almost offensive, because when they say evidence and testing has been done on the vehicles, that’s from the state perspective. If we were talking about blood and the blood wasn’t stored in the right way, the state wouldn’t have that response.”

The state also says key pieces of evidence, like deployed airbags and items with DNA, were removed prior to the vehicles being moved to the lot.

Gottlieb is now calling the lot into question.

Michael Gottlieb: “I mean you have to scratch your head and say with all the cameras and all the law enforcement that’s going on, and somebody’s able to do it successfully twice, that there’s a serious security failure.”

We have learned the fence was cut not once but twice. In an email obtained by 7Investigates, a BSO lieutenant wrote that after the hole was repaired, the fence was “damaged and breached again”. She called for deputies to conduct extra patrols of the area.

Michael Gottlieb: “If any of these vehicles were damaged in a way that a defendant can raise a reasonable hypothesis of innocence, those cases are at jeopardy. I understand that a lot of people are going to say, ‘OK, these are attorneys just, you know, making a mountain out of a molehill.’ When you have somebody’s life on the line, it’s not a molehill.”

BSO turned down our request for an interview but told us there have been no arrests made in the case.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

At 84 years old, JoAnn Sampson is not slowing down — literally.

JoAnn Sampson, sprinter: “Eighty-four-year-old, some days I feel 48 because I’m training with my trainer, and just stretching and doing everything, so I feel a lot younger.”

We watched as JoAnn and her trainer, Eleazar Murphy, went through a morning workout in Hollywood.

Eleazar Murphy, trainer: “As a trainer, she’s like living proof of what exercise and eating right does.”

From warming up, to jumping rope and strength training.

JoAnn Sampson: “Yeah, she’s tough on me. I needed someone not to treat me like an old lady, but give me the skills and things that I need to run my race.”

Running races is this senior sprinter’s specialty — competing in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Eleazar Murphy: “The other trainers would be like, ‘You know, you should not be having her run.’ I’m like, ‘She’s a sprinter, number one, so she has to run,’ you know what I mean? So to tell her that she can’t run, that’s crazy.”

JoAnn Sampson: “This map is all the places where I’ve left my footprints.”

Each sticker on this U.S. map represents a place where JoAnn has laced up her running shoes.

A wall at her home is adorned with an array of medals for her accomplishments.

JoAnn Sampson: “This is my purpose. You know, we all have a purpose.”

And if you think JoAnn has been racing her whole life, think again. The retired public school teacher started running at age 62.

JoAnn Sampson: “I finished from Miami Northwestern in 1960. They didn’t have track for girls; everything was for boys. The only thing I did in high school was a cheerleader.”

JoAnn credits her soulmate of 50 years, who passed away in 2022, as the one who got her into track.

JoAnn Sampson: “‘Pump them arms, pump them arms,’ and I can hear him. I still visualize him still there, at the end of the lane, and I just get my power from that.”

In December, JoAnn finished second in her age group in the Florida Senior Games. That qualified her for the National Senior Games in Iowa, which run through Aug. 4.

JoAnn Sampson: “I’m just going to show them the bottom of my cleats. JoAnn’s still got game.”

The 2025 National Senior Games feature more than 12,500 athletes competing in 25 different sports.

Florida has the most athletes of any state in the country, and JoAnn’s mission is to draw even more attention to her fellow seniors.

JoAnn Sampson: “I feel like I was chosen for this, to let seniors know that no matter what age you are, you can do something. You know, follow your heart. We are a generation of champions.”

And JoAnn doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Next year, she will move up to the 85-to-89 age bracket and says she’s motivated by her elders on the track.

JoAnn Sampson: “We have a team of 90s. I’ll see them in National. Yeah, I want to be like them.”

Athletes embodying the phrase “age is just a number,” one race at a time.

Heather Walker, 7News.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Florida Senior Games

National Senior Games

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Like father, like son. When you watch Larry and Lakar Davis play piano together and jam in their backyard studio, one thing is clear: They’re a dynamic musical duo.

Lakar Davis: “He was my first mentor, and we can just connect anytime we want.”

Larry Davis: “We don’t even have to speak, like, he can play, I can play. It’s a bond that we have that, I think that nobody understands outside of me and him.”

You might not know Larry’s name, but you’ll definitely know his music. Back in the 1970s, Larry played trumpet for the Village People.

Larry Davis: “People still remember them. They come up to me, and they won’t even sing the ‘YMCA,’ they’ll sing my part, and I’m like, ‘How do you know my part out of that song?’ So, it makes me feel kind of good that I was part of the music.”

Lakar Davis: “Every, like, banquet or, like, a dance that I go to, the ‘YMCA’ always just randomly plays, and then everyone turns their heads towards me and my dad, and I always think that’s great.”

Larry went on to tour with some big names like Prince and Rick James. He still performs to this day, and now his son Lakar is starting to chart his own course in the music world.

Lakar Davis: “It’s very, like, full body work.”

The 17-year-old just completed his first season drumming with Legacy Production Company, a nonprofit for young musicians.

They practice at Mater Lakes Academy in Northwest Miami-Dade, and compete against teams in Florida and across the country.

Lakar Davis: “Every year, they come up with a theme and a story behind it, and we have to learn how to use our body and the melody to portray that story to the audience.”

Legacy’s founder and president, Jacques Bernard, was a band member at Hialeah Senior High School.

Jacques Bernard: “I went to school to go to band. That was my day.”

The 38-year-old started Legacy shortly after his father’s death to honor his love of music.

Jacques Bernard: “You would always know when my dad would come home, because you would hear his car pull up, and all you hear is music.”

The organization started with 13 members in 2021 and currently has 76 people. Most are ages 14 to 21.

All had to go through an audition process to get in. The group has music arrangers and a production designer.

Jacques Bernard: “You have Broadway theatrics, you have the musicality of a concert group, and you have the demand of a marching band or a drum corps. And that’s all being built into one.”

Lakar will soon be marching on. He’s attending Florida International University in the fall, where he is auditioning to be part of the band’s drumline, and he plans to come back for another season with Legacy.

Lakar Davis: “And, since me and my dad have a legacy, it’s great to also see that they have a legacy that’s carrying on from four years ago, and then I get to be part of that.”

Larry Davis: “We’re watching the second generation come in under us. It’s great.”

A legacy built on passion and talent, that is surely music to this father’s ears.

Heather Walker, 7News.

For more information about Legacy Production Company, click here.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Arrested again.

Video obtained exclusively by 7Investigates shows Gregori Arzumanov in a blue shirt, sitting with his hands behind his back.

He was arrested earlier this month at Turnberry On The Green Condominium in Aventura. And it’s not the first time the 63-year-old has been handcuffed here.

Just eight months earlier, Arzumanov was taken by police through the lobby of the luxury high-rise.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle: “It turns out there was trouble in paradise.”

At this news conference last October, Arzumanov was accused in an “intricate fraud case,” with him serving not only as the board president of the condo building, but also as property manager and chief engineer.

Investigators say he used “…threats and fear as a means to maintain control…”

Aventura Police Chief Michael Bentolila: “He took over, not just the building, but all, everything going on around the building, every asset used in and around the building. It was a complete takeover. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”

Arzumanov has already been accused of stealing more than $1.5 million dollars from his fellow residents, spending it on things like art and airplane fuel. But as he awaits trial on those state charges, he’s now been hit with federal charges and in the new case, prosecutors say, he was not acting alone.

Robert Hills, condo owner: “We received notification that there was an issue of monies that had been wired or transferred.”

Robert Hills owns a condo unit here and says he asked Arzumanov about that missing money.

Robert Hills: “I confronted Gregori in the lobby and said, ‘What is this?'”

This has to do with an additional $726,251 that disappeared from condo funds. And it led to the recent indictment of Arzumanov and another person on federal wire fraud charges. Both are accused of conspiring to transfer cash from the condo association’s bank account to other accounts “…for their own use and benefit.”

The co-defendant’s name has not been released because the individual “…has not yet been arrested.” But Robert remembers questioning Arzumanov about that person.

Robert Hills: “He said, ‘Well, he’s left the country and don’t worry, we have insurance.'”

Now, it’s Arzumanov who has plenty to worry about.

7News producer: “Sir, do you have any reaction to the new federal indictment?”

He had no comment on camera after his arraignment on Monday.

7News producer: “Is there anything you would like to say to your fellow unit owners?”

Arzumanov has pleaded not guilty in both his federal and state criminal cases.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Heather Walker shares their digital detox in tonight’s 7Spotlight.

Inside KLA Academy in Miami, a group of super smart fifth graders studied the history of communication, from the telegraph to the internet, and technology’s impact on their young brains.

Alana: “So, we were learning about, like, our prefrontal cortex and, like, our impulse control and, like, how our brain hasn’t developed yet, and it’ll develop at, like, 25.”

Amy Crehore, teacher: “They already were like, ‘I feel like I’m addicted to my phone or I feel like I am addicted to tablet,’ and then this was the language, and the brain science, behind why you are.”

But attempting to break that addiction is where this school project got personal.

Maggie: “There’s a lot of pressure nowadays. Like, if you don’t answer, like, a message, like, a text message in, like, five minutes, it’s like, ‘did you look at what I sent you?'”

Twelve-year-old Maggie and 11-year-old Alana helped convince the rest of their class to join them in a 21-day digital detox.

Their teacher, Amy Crehore, says her students came up with the ground rules, which included nights and weekends.

Amy Crehore: “So it was basically, like, their parents had to lock away their phones, their tablets, their video game consoles.”

The students recorded video diaries during school hours to describe the highs and lows.

Day 9 / Sophie: “I’m not missing my device at all.”

Day 9 / Eva: “This is actually harder than I thought.”

Day 9 / Elena: “The struggle is real guys. It’s there. I miss my iPad.”

Under each student’s name is their average daily screentime.

Alana: “The first week was like getting used to it. I would be like, ‘OK, I’ll just call you later, don’t worry’, and then I’d be like, ‘I can’t call you later.'”

The goal was to see how taking a three-week tech break would impact things like sleep, mood, focus and creativity.

Day 4 / Eloy: “I’ve had a lot more patience, actually than I used to, so that’s also improved a lot.”

Day 15 / Maggie: “I started a book, like, a book from my house.”

Day 17 / Elena: “One thing I’ve been noticing about my productivity is that, like, I’ve been making my bed. Which is very, like, not usual for me.”

Amy Crehore: “They definitely, like, reflected that they slept better. They felt more connected with their parents.”

Amy says she wasn’t surprised by the positive effect the experiment had on her students.

Amy Crehore: “What I was surprised about was the fact that they were able to, like, go through the 21 days and not give up.”

And while not everyone was swayed…

Day 19 / Matias: “I feel like this was just a waste of time, I could be catching up on the TikTok trends right now.”

…Alana and Maggie say their digital habits have changed.

Alana: “So now I do three days a month without any devices. So I do like a mini digital detox for three days.”

Maggie: “Honestly, I do not want to be the teenager that spends, like, their whole day like watching stuff.”

And for all the kids watching, Alana has a message — just not by text…

Alana: “If you’re, like, ever feeling, like, terrible about yourself, and you’re on the screen, I think you know why, and I think that you should stop. It’s honestly just like a game, like, either you let the phones win, or you win.”

And maybe we can all win, with a break from our screens.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

When we first met Carolyn, the 78-year-old had been living in her car for nearly two months.

Carolyn: “It can happen to anyone. Don’t think it can’t, because I never thought about it.”

She slept sitting up, in well-lit parking lots, to stay safe.

Carolyn: “Since I’ve been here, I sleep here in this seat, scrunched down. My ankles and legs are swollen from having to sit all the time. I buy jug water — it’s cheaper — and I eat one meal a day, for $2.02, and then I get a free senior drink.”

What a difference a month makes.

Carolyn: “It’s unbelievable. I mean, I’m in shock. Everything’s moved so fast, everybody’s been so wonderful.”

And things were about to get more wonderful, because in just days, Carolyn would no longer be living in this hotel room.

This is Carolyn’s new home: a beautiful one-bedroom apartment in a 55-plus community.

Her new living arrangements were made possible by state and local leaders working together after seeing Carolyn’s story on 7News.

Cassandra Rhett, City of Pompano Beach: “I know that it touched so many people’s lives.”

Cassandra Rhett, the Housing and Social Services Manager for the City of Pompano Beach, had been trying since late April to find Carolyn a place to live — without any luck.

Because the number of homeless seniors is on the rise.

Cassandra Rhett: “The need is just overwhelming, and we can’t keep up. You know, we need housing for them, we can’t keep up. A lot of places that are taking the elderly are full.”

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs worked with local agencies to help Carolyn after being contacted by the offices of State Senators Jason Pizzo and Ileana Garcia.

State Sen. Ileana Garcia: “Seniors also not being able to catch up with the cost of living. It’s disheartening, we see it often. The most important thing that people can do is reach out — incessantly, insistently. Someone says ‘no’ to you, pick up the phone and call someone else.”

Carolyn’s story clearly struck a nerve. Thousands of you flooded our social media accounts with comments of support.

But it wasn’t just words. People donated more than $9,000 to help Carolyn get back on her feet.

Carolyn: “Absolutely amazing. And I really thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. And it’s gonna go to good use. It’s just a new chapter in my life.”

That new chapter began Tuesday morning, when All My Sons moved Carolyn’s belongings from a storage unit to her new home, for free.

The rent is nearly $1,200 a month, but Broward County’s Elderly and Veterans Services will be chipping in more than $300.

Meaning, Carolyn will only have to pay $864 a month, which she can afford with her Social Security.

Carolyn: “It’s amazing. And I’m not an emotional person, but you’re gonna make me cry — and I’m not crying on camera, I can tell that right now.”

Once she settles in, Carolyn wants to start paying it forward.

Carolyn: “I’ve told Cassandra I want to be active and working with the homeless.”

Through it all, Carolyn has not lost her compassion, sense of humor or loyalty to the only roof she had over her head during her darkest hours.

Carolyn: “I still love my car. My mechanic tells me, ‘You got to get rid of it, Carolyn.’ I says, ‘You gonna get rid of me ’cause I’m old?’ It goes where I go.”

Thankfully, she just won’t be living in it anymore.

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness:

Florida Department of Elder Affairs
Elder Helpline: 800-963-5337

Broward County Homeless Services
Homeless Helpline: 954-563-HELP 

211 Broward 

City of Fort Lauderdale Homeless Resources

Miami-Dade Homeless Trust
Homeless Helpline: 877-994-4357

211 Miami

City of Miami Homeless Assistance

Monroe County Homeless Services
800-528-6595

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

They paddle separately — but as one — with intensity and precision.

Teresa Murphy, Team USA Breast Cancer Paddler: “I didn’t expect to build such deep personal relationships with so many people as a result of being in a sport. They are my BFFs.”

Teresa Murphy is describing her teammates. “BFF” stands for Broward Fierce Fighters.

The name is fitting, because the women on this boat have fought for their lives. All have survived or continue to battle breast cancer.

Teresa Murphy: “The fact that we can be out here doing something that helps us mentally, emotionally and physically to navigate some of the challenges that we have from surgeries — from just the emotional impact of having cancer.”

Teresa has been a Miami-Dade Public Schools teacher for 32 years, even winning the county’s prestigious Teacher of the Year award.

Teresa Murphy: “Definitely the highest honor in my career, being the Teacher of the Year, nominated by your peers.”

In 2020, during the pandemic, she continued to teach her third grade class virtually — without telling her students she was undergoing chemotherapy.

Teresa Murphy: “My students are the ones that helped me get through a difficult time. In education, we’ve long done the three Cs — common core curriculum — and in my case, in 2020, it was cancer, chemo and COVID. I can laugh about it because I’m here, so 100%.”

One hundred percent is what Teresa and her teammates try to give each time they get on the water.

Teresa Murphy: “We’re giving it our all, we’re putting everything out there.”

We rode along on a sunny Sunday morning in Hollywood for a team practice.

Teresa Murphy: “When we’re on the water, we’re just paddlers — cancer aside, all of our ailments aside.”

They’re paddling a dragon boat — a watercraft that traces back to ancient China. The team has competed and won dragon boat races.

Karen Eisen, Broward Fierce Fighters: “When we race, we feel it in our personal race, and so, when Mary, our captain, will say, ‘It doesn’t matter if we get the gold,’ it does matter if we get the gold, because we personally won.”

Now, just three years after first stepping foot in a dragon boat, Teresa is taking her competitive drive to the next level.

Teresa Murphy: “It was very intense.”

She tried out and was chosen to be one of 35 paddlers to represent Team USA in this summer’s World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Germany.

Teresa Murphy: “It is the first Team USA breast cancer team. So, it is a historical honor to represent the United States, for sure.”

Angela Long, Team USA Breast Cancer Paddlers head coach: “She’s got great heart, she’s determined.”

Angela Long, a breast cancer survivor herself, is the head coach.

Angela Long: “We’ve got the best of the best going up against the best of the best of the other countries. I would say Canada is definitely gonna give us a run for our money.”

Teresa says she’s in the gym six days a week and several days on the water to train.

Teresa Murphy: “I think the thing that I’m most proud of is how proud my children are of my accomplishments, because I’m always so proud of them.”

Team USA’s Breast Cancer Paddlers, who are from 12 different states, will go for the gold in July. We’ll of course let you know how they do.

Heather Walker, 7News.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Broward Fierce Fighters

United States Dragon Boat Federation

International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission 

International Dragon Boat Federation

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Carolyn’s clothes hang neatly in the back seat of her car…

Carolyn: “I’m a neat freak.”

…and are organized in the trunk.

Carolyn: “This is my dry cleaning, my silks, which I can’t afford right now.”

Dry cleaning is the least of the concerns for this 78-year-old. She has been living in her car for nearly two months because she can’t afford a place to live.

Carolyn: “I look at it as a journey. I’ve had many journeys in my life.”

Money is tight, because her only income is Social Security. She has sold many of her possessions over the last few years, but she still doesn’t have enough money.

We spoke with her here — in a well-lit parking lot in North Broward — where she spends time doing word puzzles…

Carolyn: “Where it has the large letters for people like me.”

… and sleeping, sitting up.

Carolyn: “Since I’ve been here, I sleep here in this seat, scrunched down. My ankles and legs are swollen from having to sit all the time. I buy jug water, it’s cheaper. And I eat one meal a day, for $2.02, and then I get a free senior drink.”

She gets free gym memberships as part of her Medicare plan.

Carolyn: “I do go shower and do my makeup and my hair.”

Cassandra Rhett, City of Pompano Beach: “Very brave, very brave.”

Cassandra Rhett, the Housing and Social Services Manager for the City of Pompano Beach, is trying to find Carolyn a place to live.

Carolyn: “She was my godsend.”

Cassandra Rhett: “It could be my aunt, it could be my mother. It just breaks my heart just how humble Carolyn is.”

Cassandra says she is seeing more and more seniors in need. Support services for them are at capacity.

Cassandra Rhett: “As you know, the rent is skyrocketed. That’s a main factor of why all these seniors are on the street, is because they cannot afford the rent.”

Ron Book, Chairman of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, says homeless seniors are incredibly vulnerable.

Ron Book: “We know if you put vulnerable elderly on the street, they’re going to die earlier.”

Take a look at this trend. In 2019, people age 65 and older made up nearly 8% of the homeless population in Miami-Dade County.

By 2024, that number almost doubled to 14%, and it’s projected to reach 22% by 2030.

Ron Book: “The face of homelessness has changed. I want people in our community to think about their mothers, and their grandmothers, and their grandfathers being homeless for the first time.”

Carolyn: “It can happen to anyone. Don’t think it can’t, because I never thought about it.”

Carolyn has not lost her sense of humor, despite living in her 22-year-old car.

Carolyn: “That’s my baby. She’s falling apart like me.”

She hopes speaking out about something so personal might help others.

Carolyn: “Other people may need somebody to be their spokesperson. This is the only thing I ever felt ashamed of in my life. And I truly felt ashamed. But this is the right thing to do.”

Just in the last few days, Carolyn’s situation has changed. With the recent heavy rain, her car started to leak. Cassandra says the city put her up in a hotel for now — but she’s working to get Carolyn a permanent place to live.

A GoFundMe has been created to help Carolyn. Click here if you would like to donate.

Heather Walker, 7News.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Broward County homeless services
211 Broward Touchline for seniors

Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust
211 Miami

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Alicia Guillaume realized she wanted to become a nurse back in 2010, when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. Her parents created a foundation to help the victims.

Alicia Guillaume, nursing student: “My parents are from Haiti. The care that they had for the people, the selflessness, and being able to put themselves in those peoples’ shoes and be sympathetic and be empathetic with them, really put a passion in me to want to get into nursing.”

The passion was there, but money to pay for nursing school was not.

Alicia Guillaume: “My parents are very, very, very hard workers, and like I said, they’re immigrants. I didn’t want to be that burden to them, because I know that they have a lot on their plate as well.”

Then halfway through her junior year at Barry University, Alicia learned she had won a scholarship.

Alicia Guillaume: “I was jumping for joy. Like, I was ecstatic. I ran downstairs when I found out. I told my mom. She was crying, I was crying.”

Less than a month before graduation, the 22-year-old was again shedding tears of joy, this time thanking the couple who made the scholarship possible.

Alicia Guillaume: “Thank you for believing in students like me. Your impact will live in the patients I care for, the lives I touch and the nurse I’m becoming. Thank you for being a part of my story.”

Matt Allen, foundation co-founder: “We don’t need a ‘Matt Allen’ building or a ‘Lisa Allen’ building. You know, we need Alicias in this world.”

The husband-and-wife team launched the Matt & Lisa Allen Family Foundation in 2022 with a mission to help kids and teens in our community.

Matt Allen: “We want to be able to support the organizations that have been along, that are established, that have great mentoring programs. Education and health care are our two main goals.”

Lisa Allen, foundation co-founder: “It’s a lot of work. We have no overhead, no employees. We do a lot a strategic planning.”

The pair hosted a fundraising auction at their Miami Shores home last month, hosted by yours truly.

Donovan Campbell: “I’m your host for this evening.”

Students must have good grades, commitment and community service hours to be considered for a college scholarship.

Donors got to hear directly from the high school students who have benefited from the foundation.

Asante Brooks, Coral Glades High School: “I’m gonna major in history because I want to become a lawyer.”

Tiana Penn, Blanche Ely High School: “I’ll major in medicine, aiming to become an orthopedic surgeon.”

Matthew McCallum, Atlantic Technical High School: “I can go to college without the worry of, you know, being in debt, basically debt-free. You guys set me up on my career path.”

At the fundraiser, we met 18-year-old Kelan Dennis.

Kelan Dennis, Crockett-Allen Scholar: “We get the exposure to our future, but also the means — financial and professional means — towards our future as well.”

Kelan will graduate from Blanche Ely High School later this month, also earning his associate’s degree from Broward College. He was accepted into 18 universities and ultimately decided to attend FSU.

Kelan Dennis: “I want to pursue mechanical engineering as I enter Florida State University in the fall of 2025, and ultimately gain a deep understanding on mechanics and how to apply these mathematical principles from the textbook to the real world.”

The foundation has raised more than $3.5 million in less than three years.

Matt and Lisa hope giving back has a ripple effect as these young people chart their own career paths.

Matt Allen: “They’re receiving now, but they’re gonna be the givers of the future.”

Alicia says she definitely plans on giving back.

Alicia Guillaume: “Honestly, I’m very excited to see what the future holds for me.”

Alicia’s goals include earning her master’s degree, becoming a nurse practitioner and one day opening her own clinic.

Donovan Campbell, 7News.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Matt & Lisa Allen Family Foundation

Crockett-Allen Scholars 

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

The cars spin out, flip over, and crash on the highways and streets of South Florida.

Dr. Roy Taylor, police policy expert: “Once that car goes out of control, it’s out of control. It’s an unguided missile.”

And these unguided missiles on wheels are actually launched by law enforcement, when they deploy the PIT maneuver, or Precision Immobilization Technique, to try and put the brakes on a suspect who refuses to stop.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “So it takes it from its intended path of travel and it pushes it, so that the vehicle loses control.”

Dr. Roy Taylor is a police chief and policy expert with more than 45 years in law enforcement. He also testifies as an expert witness in court cases involving police pursuits.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “Are there circumstances where the PIT maneuver is warranted? Absolutely. The issue that I have with it, and many other law enforcement executives, is that it can cause death or serious bodily injury.”

A 2023 study released by the Justice Department backs up Chief Taylor’s safety concerns.

The report calls the PIT maneuver “controversial” and “high-risk,” not just for the fleeing suspect, but also for passengers, officers, and bystanders. Adding, “…the PIT maneuver should be prohibited under all but very narrowly defined circumstances.” But the same year the study’s recommendations came out, FHP revised its own policy, giving troopers the green light to use the PIT maneuver more, not less.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “So when we look at a policy like the Florida Highway Patrol, where it says it can be used if someone is eluding the police, that’s saying the same thing as you can go ahead and shoot them. I mean, you’re using deadly force to stop somebody that’s committing a misdemeanor. And that’s where it’s excessive.”

Last year, an SUV reported stolen was chased at speeds over 100 mph near Gainesville. A trooper pitted the vehicle, causing it to crash into a cement pole. All four teens inside the SUV died, including this man’s 16-year-old son.

Father: “I think that they feared, they were scared at the time, you know, but was put in a situation and put themselves in a situation. I wish we could retract every moment.”

And it’s not just how these pursuits end, but how they start. We also found inconsistencies between FHP policy and federal guidance on when it’s proper to initiate a pursuit in the first place.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “Nationally, we see pursuits being restricted only forcible felonies and other very dangerous situations.”

But that’s not the case with troopers in Florida. The policy says they “…must determine if the suspect is actively fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer or has previously committed a forcible felony.” Taylor said the “or” in that sentence is important.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “With that ‘or,’ it allows them to chase for any reason. If you don’t pull over, once they activate the lights and siren, the trooper could say, ‘well, you’re eluding.'”

The state has ignored our numerous attempts to get answers about these inconsistencies.

But in a previous statement, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ executive director, Dave Kerner, defended troopers use of PIT maneuvers: “…while many states shy away from holding dangerous felons accountable for their decisions, the Florida Highway Patrol seeks to use every tool and tactic available to ensure dangerous felons end up in jail and off our streets.” The department also said recruits undergo specialized PIT maneuver training.

Dr. Roy Taylor: “I think they need to tighten up the policy a little bit, not prohibit the PIT maneuver, but limit the use of the PIT maneuver to forcible felonies, which they do a good job of defining.”

Small changes in policy can make all the difference on the road. Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Jaime Arslan: “At this point, I would definitely say Louie is probably the most famous raccoon in America.”

Louie the Raccoon already has more than half a million Instagram followers — who like, comment and share his hilarious, viral videos.

Jaime Arslan: “I feel like Louie is larger than life. He is not your average raccoon.”

That’s an understatement, and now, Louie can add TV star to his raccoon résumé.

Jaime Arslan is Louie’s owner.

Jaime Arslan: “To be a part of the iconic Cadbury commercial is amazing. It’s a memory and experience that I’ll remember forever.”

The experience is one of the perks of being named the Cadbury Bunny. America voted last year, and Louie beat out 31 other animals from across the country.

Jaime Arslan: “Never in a million years would I have thought that Louie would have started off as this orphaned, sick baby raccoon. And now he’s in a national commercial.”

The commercial was shot in the dining room of the family’s Southwest Miami-Dade home.

Jaime Arslan: “Before we shot the commercial, I was getting him used to the Easter eggs and holding them.”

We first featured Louie and Jaime in the 7Spotlight last year.

Jaime, a former vet tech, took in Louie and later three other raccoons: Lucy, Leo and Lea.

None of them could have been safely released back into the wild, and they do require permits.

Heather Walker: You’re a mom to four raccoons.”

Jaime Arslan: “Yes, I am a raccoon mom. Full time.”

The raccoons live inside…

Jaime Arslan: “This is their playroom.”

…and outside.

They even have their own playground. And their dream has turned into Jaime’s mission to educate people about the challenges raccoons and other wildlife face in South Florida and beyond.

Jaime Arslan: “We’ve been able to help so many other raccoons across the United States just with Louie’s page alone.”

Awareness, and also money. Jaime donated the $7,000 Louie won to Samadhi Wildlife.

The Central Florida-based sanctuary used it to lease a new, larger property for the sick and injured animals they rescue.

Dawn Barbone: “Louie and Jaime are the dynamic duo, and what they have done for Samadhi Wildlife alone is just absolutely incredible.”

Dawn Barbone, the sanctuary’s founder, said more than 90% of the animals they rehab are released back into the wild, but the few who can’t — like this raccoon with a neurological issue — help to educate humans.

Dawn Barbone: “Her name is Juh Juh. So she can’t actually walk, so she scoots around in her wheelchair, and she is very, very happy.”

Jaime Arslan: “A lot of people always tell me that Louie has opened their eyes up to wildlife.”

As for Louie, who turns 4 later this month, being in the television limelight didn’t exactly impress him.

Jaime Arslan: “I showed it to Louie and, honestly, he could really care less. But I get it, he’s a raccoon.”

Heather Walker 7News.

Louie’s Instagram
Samadhi Wildlife
Learn more about raccoons
Injured and orphaned wildlife

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

James Grimes showed us all the golf balls he’s collected over the past year, while taking walks in his condo community.

James Grimes, resident: “10, 12, 14 balls in one handful.”

When we first met James — he was recovering after being hit in the face with a golf ball.

James Grimes: “The ball literally knocked me out.”

James was struck just five days after moving into Park Place in Pembroke Pines.

The condo complex is surrounded by this city-owned golf course.

Bad swings can send errant golf balls flying into the community.

James Grimes: “All of a sudden, a white light. I was completely unconscious. I don’t even know how long I was unconscious. I remember wiping my face and seeing blood on my hand.”

The 67-year-old is now sporting a beard instead of a black eye.

The swelling in his face has gone down — but the protective nets that were supposed to go up — are nowhere to be seen.

James Grimes: “Disappointment. I mean, what more can I say but disappointment.”

Disappointment, after James went before the city commission last June.

James Grimes: “I got lucky. The ball struck me right here in the eye and just a little bit further back, I wouldn’t be speaking to you today.”

Back then, Mayor Angelo Castillo made this promise to James:

Mayor Angelo Castillo: “I have spoken to the city manager, and I don’t believe that anyone here will object. He is going to accelerate the installation. That’s a commitment that you have from the city. The parks department is aware, the city manager is aware. They’ve given me, so that I can give you our word that there will be netting.”

Mayor Castillo made similar statements in an interview that day with 7Investigates.

Mayor Angelo Castillo: “The city will put up the screens at our cost. It’s a financial hit to us but it’s one that we welcome because we want to be good neighbors.”

So what happened? The mayor now tells us the money for the netting project was tied to a 230 million dollar bond measure to fund improvements across Pembroke Pines. But voters rejected it in March. Now, he says, the city has to figure out a new way to come up with the money.

Commissioner Jay Schwartz: “The mayor made a commitment that he hasn’t delivered on.”

Commissioner Jay Schwartz says the mayor got ahead of himself.

Commissioner Jay Schwartz: “There was no cost and there were no guarantees. The mayor could have placed an item on the agenda for our approval to move forward, and that hasn’t happened. You make a commitment that can’t be fulfilled, it’s a black eye on all of us.”

The commissioner — who once lived in the same building as James — says he thinks the city should install more trees and hedges to act as a natural barrier.

Commissioner Jay Schwartz: “Have a dense canopy. If that does not resolve the issue, then we must take a look at other ways to prevent balls from coming into Park Place.”

This is not a new problem.

Months before James was hit in the face, residents told us about close calls and damage done to their cars.

Marcia Storm: “It just missed me. I’m taking another step, and it would have hit me right in the head.”

Robert Heath: “‘Bam, my back windshield is completely shattered.”

Nancy Taylor: “I see what it did to my windshield, so I can imagine what it would do to my skull.”

James Grimes: I took a walk the other day, a ball landed right behind me. I covered up like this, because I heard it coming through the trees. Anybody that walks that path is literally putting their life in danger. Period.”

So until residents get some relief — the golf balls — will keep flying.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Meet Marine Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio.

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “I am an ammunition technician with 2nd Combat Readiness Regiment.”

That’s her official rank and job title. This is the more informal way she’s described.

Marjorie Perez, mother: “She is, she is a badass. Yes, I would definitely define her as that.”

And her mother isn’t the only one who calls this 20-year-old a badass.

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “So, everyone in my family calls me that. I am the first one to enlist at all in my family, so seeing my accomplishments, that’s the word that they use.”

Cpl. Ossorio’s latest accomplishment is a big one.

Award ceremony: “Marine to be awarded. Center, march!”

Last month, at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, she was named II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine of the Year. More than 12,000 Marines were eligible for the honor.

Award ceremony: “Cpl. Ossorio’s initiative, perseverance and steadfast commitment to duty reflected credit upon herself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “I felt proud, because of all the hard work I put in. I realize that I made my superiors very proud.”

And, as you can imagine, so was her mom.

Marjorie Perez: “She puts 150% in everything that she does. She loves the Marine Corps.”

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “I knew I wanted that physical high standard that the Marine Corps holds.”

The corporal told us she wakes up most days around 3:30 a.m. to hit the gym.

After that, she leads a team of Marines who manage the ammunition for training that involves live fire.

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “A lot of what you see on movies that go big and bang, and what everyone thinks the Marine Corps is about.”

Cpl. Ossorio’s passion for service started early in South Florida.

Marjorie Perez: “She had it in her since very little, that she wanted to follow law enforcement. She was in high school, she went to a memorial for veterans, and when she came back, she said, ‘I have made up my mind, and I want to go and serve my country.'”

Stephanie is a graduate of Coral Reef Senior High School. She was a Silver Knight nominee and a standout athlete in multiple sports.

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “I played softball, basketball, flag football and wrestling. Everyone knowing that, well, if I wasn’t at school, I was doing some sports event.”

She still plays softball and is trying to earn a spot on the All-Marine Softball Team.

As for what the future holds for this young Marine…

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “As of right now, I do want to stay in the Marine Corps. My plan and my goal is to become a commissioned officer.”

What she won’t be doing — is stopping.

Cpl. Stephanie Ossorio: “Keep going, keep going.”

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Daisy Link: “It’s a real twist. It is. Everybody says it to me, this is like some Lifetime Movie Network.”

But it wasn’t a movie. In November, 7 Investigates revealed how Daisy Link got pregnant by fellow Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center inmate Joan Depaz — despite the two never physically meeting.

Daisy Link: “She’s a miracle baby. She’s a blessing.”

Now, 7Investigates has obtained newly released records, including handwritten love letters between Depaz and Link. One even appears to show a list of possible baby names.

Heather Walker: “The big question here is how did this happen?”

Daisy Link: “Through the vent.”

Longer than a full-term pregnancy — that’s how long it took Miami-Dade Corrections to investigate this strange case. Their report backs up what the inmates told us in jailhouse interviews, but it still leaves unanswered questions like: How could this have happened without staff realizing?

Daisy Link: “They should actually thank me. I found a huge breach in their security. I haven’t gotten a ‘thank you’ yet.”

Officials at the jail say they conducted “a thorough review of this incident…” and concluded there was “insufficient evidence to substantiate staff misconduct.”

However, the jail did make changes after the two inmates conceived a child in a highly inconceivable way.

Joan Depaz: “I put the semen in Saran Wrap every day like five times a day for like a month straight.”

Daisy Link: “He would kind of like roll it up almost like a cigarette and he would attach it to the line that we had in the vent, and I would pull it through. From there, I had placed it inside of, it was the, you know, the yeast infection applicators? I had placed it inside of there, and then from there, yeah, I administered it.”

The records reveal a doctor put in place a procedure “to drastically reduce, if not eliminate applicators/tips in circulation” for inmates.

And that’s not the only security change.

Daisy Link: “I know that they rearranged certain levels, where males are not to be on the same level as females, so that way the vents don’t collide.”

That appears to be true. The details of this “action plan” are redacted. But “the objective is to ensure that inmates are not communicating through the vents as well as transporting contraband throughout the building.”

Joan Depaz: “Not gonna lie, this is gonna go down in history.”

Depaz told investigators no correctional staff was involved or aware of the plan.

Joan Depaz: “Over here, I’m like a celebrity.”

Depaz is no longer in county custody.

Judge: “Mr. Depaz, the court will now adjudicate you guilty.”

Last month, the 24-year-old pleaded guilty to murdering a man and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.

Judge: “Calling the case of Daisy Link.”

Link remains at TGK awaiting trial in a separate murder case. Their daughter — who is now almost 9 months old — is living with Depaz’s mother.

Heather Walker, 7News.

Miami-Dade Corrections declined 7 Investigates’ request for an interview.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

At first glance, the three towers that make up The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort appear lavish and luxurious.

Steven Leoni/resident: “A little slice of paradise.”

But a closer look reveals trouble in paradise.

Steven Leoni: “You can see the rebar is all coming apart.”

Exposed rebar, rust, and cracking concrete.

Steven Leoni: “The cracking through all this caulking, these are expansion joints.”

Henry Sasson has lived here since 2017.

Henry Sasson/resident: “You feel slowly, slowly, a deterioration. Then you become more curious: What the hell is going on here?”

Steven Leoni: “You just would not know unless you spent time here or lived here. You wouldn’t realize how bad the problems are.”

Steven Leoni bought his condo here in 2019 and is on the association’s board.

Steven Leoni: “What makes us unique is it’s a condo-hotel.”

People who own units here at the St. Regis spend tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance fees and assessments. But unlike a regular condominium, they don’t control how most of their money is spent.

Steven Leoni: “The money is going somewhere, but it’s not going into the buildings.”

The buildings located on the beach in Bal Harbour are owned by a company in Doha — the capital of Qatar — and its South Florida based subsidiary.

Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company — or ARTIC — bought the resort for $213 million in 2014. Now, 11 years later, the unit owner’s association is suing ARTIC and others.

Juan Morillo/plaintiff’s attorney: “It’s going to take tens of millions of dollars to remediate, to fully remediate this building.”

The lawsuit alleges the resort is “…in a dangerous state of disrepair…” including widespread water intrusion, structural, mechanical, electrical defects and invasive colonies of mold — which “…pose serious and urgent health, safety… risks…”

Juan Morillo: “It’s incomprehensible to us. It’s a building that’s owned by the Qataris, the common areas are owned by the Qataris, the hotel is owned by the Qataris. It doesn’t make any economic sense for them not to maintain the project. It’s losing value.”

The court filing contains pictures of “cracks throughout the building facade…” with temporary netting set up and a sign that said: “Caution: Please watch for possible falling debris.”

A structural engineer said in an October 2024 report contained in the lawsuit that conditions in the garage “…could result in collapse if not properly addressed…”

Juan Morillo: “I want to be very clear. The building is not facing any imminent collapse. If these structural issues are left unaddressed, there could be a partial collapse.”

Steven Leoni: “The absolute neglect to do preventive maintenance or any maintenance whatsoever is just, it’s just unbelievable.”

Steven showed us around the property.

Steven Leoni: “Water intrusion completely rotting away our parking elevator systems. They’re completely rusted out.”

In a statement to 7Investigates — ARTIC’s subsidiary, Seldar Miami Holding, LLC, said: “Unfortunately, the plaintiff in this matter continues to irresponsibly spread unfounded and exaggerated claims. The court is overseeing a process to look into these alleged issues and we will continue to abide by that direction. We take the health, safety, and security of our properties very seriously…”

Steven Leoni: “All we want is the place to be fixed. We want it to be a nice place and healthy and safe. And we just don’t have that right now.”

Both sides agreed in court to a plan for additional inspections at the towers. But the multi-million dollar question is: What will get fixed and who will pay?

Marriott International manages the resort and owns the St. Regis brand. The company tells 7Investigates it is not part of the lawsuit and has no comment.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Parents picking up their kids from this day care, became worried when they saw a medical marijuana dispensary moving in next door.

Andrea Diaz/parent: “Really, really concerned because I do want my child to be as safe as possible.”

The dispensary is called Fluent Cannabis and it shares a wall with the day care.

Andrea Diaz: “I would feel the same about any other kind of adult product or adult store.”

Marlo Planas is the co-owner of Stop & Play: Drop-in Childcare and School  — which has been at this location in Northeast Miami-Dade since 2022.

Marlo Planas/co-owner: “We speak to hundreds and hundreds of parents. No one has come to us and said that they feel comfortable with having a dispensary next door.”

People involved with the day care wanted to know if a dispensary is even allowed to be so close to children.

Max Platonov/parent: “My question for the zoning in this area: How are they allowing to build this kind of business next to school, next to child’s day care?”

According to Miami-Dade County zoning, a medical marijuana dispensary must be at least 1,000 feet from “any child care facility” or school. Florida law says dispensaries must be 500 feet away from public or private schools, but there is no distance requirement from day cares. The wording in that state law prevents the county from enforcing their more restrictive local code — effectively tying their hands.

Marlo Planas: “We do have a kindergarten classroom and it is recognized by the Department of Education. This is where the big question comes in: Is the county going to now also recognize our kindergarten class as an elementary school program?”

The answer — is no. County officials tell 7Investigates: “…Stop & Play is currently only permitted…” with them “…as a day care facility”, not a school. So the state law requiring a distance of 500 feet doesn’t apply.

Bottom line — Miami-Dade gave Fluent Cannabis the green light to open.

Parents think it’s the wrong decision.

Max Platonov: “This is a school where they’re learning how to read. I don’t want my kid asking me like what cannabis is.”

Maria Attento/parent: “I just worry about little accidents happening, gummies falling on the floor and somebody picking it up.”

Marlo Planas: “If there’s an altercation next door, we would have to put our students on lockdown.”

Robert Beasley/Fluent Cannabis CEO: “I understand the concerns.”

Fluent Cannabis CEO Robert Beasley said his company has taken reasonable safety precautions.

Robert Beasley: “We want to be good neighbors and I think that over time, those concerns will not manifest into reality. We’re not a smoke shop. It’s not a bunch of weed guys over there hanging out, smoking dope. We are a medical enterprise selling a medical product to medical licensed, registered patients.”

He allowed us inside the store to show us the safeguards.

Robert Beasley: “This is the vault, so it’s a secure vault.”

Not only is the cannabis locked up — so is the money.

Robert Beasley: “We do not manage large piles of cash as a target for people to come rob.”

Robert said the room has a reinforced steel door, steel mesh in the walls, and 24-hour camera monitoring.

Robert Beasley: “Packaging is all white and bland and plain. Because there’s nothing to attract any type of children or indicate this is a candy in any way.”

The marijuana products are sealed.

Robert Beasley: “Would I send my kids to that day care with the store next door? Absolutely, absolutely.”

But a few parents clearly disagree and say they will leave Stop & Play.

Adeniyi Williams: “I love the school. We love Marlo. My son and my daughter make great friends here. But at the end of the day, I always have to do what’s right by my kids.”

Marlo has this message:

Marlo Planas: “I’m asking the local lawmakers to have this talk with Tallahassee: See why they cannot enforce their more restrictive laws to protect the children of Miami-Dade County?”

It’s a dispensary dispute — where emotions continue to run high.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Back in her South Florida condo, Marilyn Johansen has time to reflect.

Marilyn Johansen, daughter of World War II prisoner of war: “There were many of us that had an emotional experience. We felt our fathers with us in those moments.”

Moments Marilyn and her son experienced last month, about 5,000 miles away in Poland, and moments that connected generations.

Marilyn Johansen: “My father, Eugene Francis Phillips, was an Air Force officer. He was a major. My father served through World War II, Korea, Cold War and Vietnam. Something in him wanted to fly.”

In 1943, 2nd Lt. Phillips was fighting the Nazis in Italy when his plane was shot down.

Marilyn Johansen: “He was knocked unconscious. The plane was on fire. He was burned.”

Then he was captured.

A telegram sent to his mother in Ohio read: “Your son” is “a prisoner of war.”

Marilyn Johansen: “The Germans fed them rotten potatoes and cabbage and occasionally a piece of meat.”

For 15 months, 2nd Lt. Phillips was imprisoned at Stalag Luft III, an infamous Nazi POW camp. Near the end of World War II, Hitler ordered the camp be evacuated. The airmen were forced to walk day after day in sub-zero temperatures in what would be called “The Long March.”

Marilyn Johansen: “Hitler was thinking he would use these POWs as a bargaining chip. My father’s camp had 10,500 men in it. On the march, some men died.”

That was January of 1945.

Howard De Lester, event organizer: “Long March, 80th anniversary and a very special event.”

This was January of 2025.

Howard De Lester: “To begin the arduous, 60-plus miles through the countryside.”

Relatives of the late POWs joined members of the U.S., Polish and British armed forces to follow their exact route.

Howard De Lester: “The length of the column would represent the prisoners of war in 1945. Conditions were perilous.”

Marilyn Johansen: “This is where he almost starved to death. It was brutal. We all knew that when we marched: That if they hadn’t survived, none of us would have been here.”

Marilyn’s dad did survive and after being liberated, the telegram home read: “Your son … is being returned to the United States.”

Marilyn Johansen: “He was emaciated, and then he had frostbite and he had, you know, burns from his face.”

80th anniversary march video: “The war marks a dark chapter in our history.”

At the end of an event marking the past was a warning about the future.

80th-anniversary march video: “With this march, you also want to warn our world to not repeat our history. As soldiers of different nations, you stand for the protection of freedom and peace.”

Marilyn Johansen: “My father would say to me, ‘If you don’t study history, you’re destined to repeat it.’ He taught me that we learn through adversity, that life is full of lessons. He gave me the silver lining of a horrible, horrible thing that happened.”

Marilyn recently released a memoir about growing up in a military family, called “My Father’s Secrets.” Her father, who was awarded the Prisoner of War medal and a Purple Heart, passed away back in 1990, but his legacy lives on.

Tavares Jones, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Lauren Sopourn was born with an eye for photography.

Lauren Sopourn, pro sports photographer: “You’re looking through it, and it feels like you’re just a part of the camera.”

At just 25 years old, the Florida Atlantic University grad and freelance photographer already covers the Florida Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins and other teams.

Lauren Sopourn: “It’s a matter of putting yourself out there and trying to showcase yourself and your work in the best light.”

Light is a hallmark of Lauren’s creativity.

Lauren Sopourn: “I really like to focus on different lighting aspects, different focal points that aren’t necessarily outlined by general sports photographers and capture the moments that are missed.”

What’s not missed is the appreciation of her talent.

For two years in a row, three of Lauren’s photographs have been recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual contest.

Out of more than 1,200 photos submitted after each NFL season, only 20 win.

Lauren Sopourn: “It’s a very esteemed contest in the community of sports photographers.”

She calls one of them “The Game Plan.” It was captured in the player tunnel before the Dolphins beat the Jets in December 2023.

Lauren Sopourn: “Them communicating, them being a team, the camaraderie, you have to come together.”

Lauren Sopourn: “There’s a lot of power in the eyes in photography, in the direction of the eyes, gazing right at the viewer, and you almost feel like you’re the quarterback within the photo.”

Lauren Sopourn: “I was waiting and hoping that a player would kind of come right into that spotlight, and they did. And so, that’s how that photo was captured.”

With the Dolphins missing the playoffs, football season is over for Lauren, but she still has her hands full with the Panthers games. She photographed history during the Cats’ Stanley Cup Final run last year — including the now-legendary Game 7.

Lauren Sopourn: “There’s one photo of them all running over to Bob, and Ryan Lomberg is jumping in the air, and his hair is straight up. Bobrovsky lifting the Cup for the first time. The smile, the tears, the emotion. It was just really special to be a part of and get to capture all of that.”

You can see Lauren’s work, plus more than a half-century of award-winning photographs, in person at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Lauren Sopourn: “You get to see all of these photos of the greatest moments of football history captured through the photographer’s lens and through their eyes. So it’s really humbling to be a part of.”

Lauren shines in our 7 Spotlight, but she prefers being on the other side of the lens — always looking to catch the next, great moment.

Lauren says she plans to submit photos in this year’s contest, which opens after the Super Bowl.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

In a small recording studio built inside his garage, Chris Redding created music that is deeply personal.

Chris Redding, recording artist: “It was me being vulnerable with my relationship with my son and my family.”

Chris and his wife Serena have two sons: 3-year-old Cairo and 6-year-old Christian, who is on the autism spectrum.

Christian is nonverbal. He communicates with Mom and Dad in other ways.

Chris Redding: “He’s using the sign language, like ‘more,’ you know, he’s telling us when he wants to eat. He grabs our hand a lot. He’ll put it on things to say, you know, ‘This is what I want.'”

They discovered one of Christian’s favorite things is music.

Chris Redding: “And so, you know, as a dad and as a musician, that’s all I needed to know, right? I brought him in the studio; we start creating together.”

The result is this father-son collaboration, called “Visions of Sounds De Luxe.”

Chris Redding: “You see his eyes, and then you see my eyes parallel together. And I actually took sounds from him, what you call vocal stimming. These are vibrational sounds that people with autism can use to express their emotions. Christian’s voice is in the background of just about almost every song.”

The nine-song album is aimed at elevating all voices.

Chris Redding: “People on the spectrum can repeat words, right? So, we sort of did that with the chants in the album. And they are words of affirmation.”

Chris, Serena and Christian’s voices can all be heard in the song “GREATful.”

Chris Redding: “In that song, I talk to him.”

Serena Redding: “It’s just about being grateful for what you have, what God has blessed you with. It’s such a beautiful thing, because it was a full family project.”

A South Florida family’s project that is being heard by families across the country and world.

Chris recently performed in Argentina and at an Autism Speaks event in California.

Visions of Sounds is now being recognized on music’s biggest stage. The album is nominated for a Grammy Award, which Chris calls “very humbling”. But he and Serena realize there is something much bigger at play here.

Serena Redding: “For us, the most important part is that we get to connect with other families.”

Chris Redding: “There was a mom that wrote me, that said she played the album for her nonverbal son in the car, and he started humming the lyrics. And she’s like, ‘I’m freaking out because he never speaks.’ And, you know, hearing stuff like that is like, wow, this is why I do this.”

Serena Redding: “Grammy nomination, all that stuff is amazing, but at the end of the day, this is our family, this is our life, this is our real story.”

A story about a dad hoping his connection with his son sends a message of musical inclusion that can be heard loud and clear.

If you would like to listen to the album, it’s available on Spotify and other music streaming platforms.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Things are quieter at Turnberry on the Green in Aventura. But two months ago, it was much different.

The condo board president, Gregori Arzumanov, was arrested and walked out of the lobby in handcuffs. The luxury high-rise was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Robert Hills, condo unit owner: “Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing to see the person who’s been leading your building be handcuffed and hauled out of here.”

Robert Hills rented here for three years before buying a condo in May.

Robert Hills: “I kind of fell in love with this building.”

A building where Arzumanov allegedly used “threats and fear as a means to maintain control” over the board, employees and residents.

Authorities say the 63-year-old, who has since bonded out of jail, served not only as president but also as property manager and chief engineer.

Chief Michael Bentolila, Aventura Police: “It was a complete takeover. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”

Arzumanov is accused of stealing more than $1.5 million from the condo association. But it’s this check for $15,000 that’s now at the center of a newly filed lawsuit. A check that 7Investigates first questioned.

Robert Hills: “It doesn’t surprise me. No, not at all.”

As we reported in October, this check from the condo association’s account was made out to Rabin & Lopez, P.A., the Miami law firm representing Arzumanov in his criminal case.

The check memo reads: “Legal retainer – Aventura PD.”

Sam Rabin, attorney: “I’ve been representing Mr. Arzumanov since earlier this year. I’d say approximately April of this year.”

But attorney Sam Rabin is no longer representing Arzumanov. Rabin’s law firm is now suing him, claiming Arzumanov owes the firm $54,785 — $15,000 of which “rightfully belongs” to the association.

The suit says it “…Will be returned when Arzumanov settles his outstanding balance.”

Robert has his doubts.

Robert Hills: “I’ll be a little surprised if his attorney gets any money from Gregori, ’cause I have a feeling that he won’t see that.”

After our story aired — raising questions about whether condo owners were paying for part of Arzumanov’s personal defense — Rabin said this in court.

Sam Rabin: “I said to the state, if it turns out that check was somehow given improperly, I’ll refund the money.”

That hasn’t happened yet.

Robert Hills: “It’s upsetting, it’s very upsetting, I think, to all of us, to know that funds were taken from us to pay for his situation that he created.”

The new condo board tells us they expect the $15,000 to be fully reimbursed.

We tried to talk to attorney Sam Rabin about the case, but were told he can’t comment on his firm’s pending lawsuit.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

In the snow and through the rain.

Shawn Cheshire: “Kind of hard to believe that it’s actually happening.”

From Oregon to Virginia Beach, Shawn Cheshire took a bike riding adventure that’s difficult under the best of circumstances.

But Shawn is blind.

Shawn Cheshire: “It was my idea, and I asked my friends, I was like, ‘Hey, can you guys help me figure out how to do this?'”

And they said?

Shawn Cheshire: “‘You’re crazy. OK,’ ’cause they knew I was gonna try to figure out a way to do it regardless.”

Shawn lives in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea with her guide dog Nick. She was not born blind.

The Army veteran started to lose her eyesight in 2009, at the age of 36, after she fell while working as a paramedic.

Shawn Cheshire: “A closed head injury. It was a traumatic brain injury. I don’t remember the accident.”

What she does remember is the gradual loss of her vision.

Shawn Cheshire: “My visual field started, like, if I was looking like I could only see here. And then, over the course of the next year and a half, it just kind of went like this to nothing. It’s scary. I think I was paralyzed by fear and sadness. I attempted to take my life twice.”

But Shawn persevered, beginning to push herself — mentally and physically. She took up cycling.

Shawn Cheshire: “I think that it was unknown, and I was lost, and it gave me a purpose.”

She competed in the Paralympics in 2016, on the back of a tandem bike with a sighted person.

But her history-making 2021 ride across America would be different: She would ride alone.

Shawn Cheshire: “Within the first two weeks, I was like, I’m never going to make it. It was so mentally and emotionally exhausting.”

Guide: “OK, turn a little right, lift, come back left.”

Shawn’s team guided her through speakers in her helmet.

Shawn Cheshire: “So it’s just constant talking and constant sound.”

A film crew captured the 60-day ride in a documentary called “Blind AF,” showing the unprecedented and dangerous trek.

Shawn Cheshire: “Wind, bumps, everything affected me differently, because as a sighted person, you can prep for it, and everything hit me by surprise.”

Blind AF’s director Gina LeVay and her team worked with Shawn to create point-of-view animations, so viewers could see how she experiences the world.

And the documentary is about more than a bike ride. It also explores traumas in Shawn’s past prior to her accident, from child abuse to domestic violence.

Shawn Cheshire: “When you watch the documentary, you will be watching healing in motion.”

The documentary was just screened at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. Shawn hopes it reaches visually impaired kids, who she calls “our future adventurers.”

Shawn Cheshire: “Maybe this will inspire them to push themselves and be scared, but still do something, or maybe it’ll just help someone not feel alone.”

And yes, the “AF” in the film’s title stands for…

Shawn Cheshire: “As [expletive]. “Blind as [expletive]”. Everybody who knows me, when they hear the name of the documentary, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Shawn.‘”

A four-letter word that in this case is less about profanity and more about perseverance.

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Violators caught in the act. Cameras installed on Miami-Dade school buses capture the license plates of cars that illegally pass.

Technology like this is relatively new.

But stop signs on school buses are not.

Dr. Regina Saenz: “I did not want to watch the video right away.”

As 7investigates reported in May, there was no stop sign on the private school shuttle that dropped Nicholas Suarez-Saenz off after school in Coral Gables.

From a neighbor’s security camera, you can see the 15-year-old starting to cross the street.

The next moment, he’s hit by this van.

Police say the driver crossed a double yellow line.

Nicholas Suarez-Saenz: “I was really lucky. A second later on his end, or a second earlier for me, I couldn’t be here in this interview right now.”

His mom, Dr. Regina Saenz, feared the worst.

Dr. Regina Saenz: “I made a couple of phone calls and asked people to pray.”

Thankfully, Nicholas only had minor injuries, but his mom says the accident exposed a major problem. In Florida, stop signs are required on public school buses but not private school vans. Now, that could soon be changing.

Dr. Regina Saenz: “My goal for speaking out, even though that it was difficult, it was to share our experience and to promote change to ensure that every child has the same protection when they go to school.”

Enter Senate Bill 52, filed just last week by State Senator Ileana Garcia.

If passed, the bill would require stop signs on all school buses and vehicles. Sen. Garcia tells us: “This legislation would standardize safety requirements for all school buses and vehicles, ensuring that students are transported safely regardless of whether they attend public, private, or charter schools.” 

Dr. Regina Saenz: “I got emotional because I felt that there was a chance to protect other children, not to undergo an incident like my child experienced.”

Senator Garcia says what the family went through, “Highlighted the urgent need for improved safety standards in private school transportation.”

Dr. Regina Saenz: “I’m very hopeful, and it’s gratifying to see that someone listened.”

The 2025 legislative session doesn’t start until March, and the filing of a bill is just the first step. But Dr. Saenz believes it’s a step in the right direction.

Dr. Regina Saenz: “If at one point down the line, another child can be prevented from getting injured as they’re transporting from school, it would be so satisfying for me.”

A parent turning her family’s pain into a push to help others.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

It looks like a prop from an action movie.

Etheridge Lovett: “It’s first of its kind. It’s the first of its kind.”

It’s what Army veteran Etheridge Lovett calls The Wrist Sheath, a wearable device that holds essential items servicemembers need to access in a hurry — including a watch, flashlight, knife and much more.”

Etheridge Lovett: “Basically, I was thinking about the soldiers that I left behind that are still in there. What could help better their service while they’re in the field?”

Etheridge served our country as a young man, but his journey began when he was a boy.

Etheridge Lovett: “I was the kid that had Army soldiers. When they bought me toys I always looked for the Army soldiers, you know, G.I. Joe and stuff like that.”

He joined the Army in 1979 and served for six years — including time in South Korea.

Etheridge Lovett: “To be taken out of this culture and immersed into another culture — different languages, different ways of eating and communication, the whole nine yards — it was beautiful.”

The 63-year-old has long since retired from the service, but not from wanting to serve others, and his latest mission is this invention.

Etheridge Lovett: “All in one place on your wrist, so instead of trying to find different things — you know, wire cutters to get through the fence, a can opener to open your can or whatever — I said, ‘Well, why don’t I invent something, just tinker around with this, and make this device?'”

Etheridge showed us some of his early, homemade versions. He recently secured a patent for his design, and investors helped pay to have this working prototype made.

Etheridge Lovett: “And what’s so interesting about it is, I mean, it doesn’t move. That was exciting. We can move ahead, they made the device, and I was very excited when I saw it. You know, ’cause I know that’s the first step.”

The next step is finding a manufacturer.

Etheridge Lovett: “Help me streamline it, mass produce it, and mass manufacture, market and get it on the market. It’s just a matter of having the right person who understands how important this device is.”

Etheridge has already received encouragement from the U.S. Department of Defense. An official wrote: “I strongly feel that it needs to be on the wrist of every U.S. soldier operating in the combat arena around the globe.”

The veteran says the device has potential beyond the battlefield.

Etheridge Lovett: “A Wrist Sheath designed for police. One designed for firemen. One designed for mountain climbers. I foresee that it’s gonna save many lives, and me being a Christian man, that would put my heart at ease to know.”

So while the device might be worn on the wrist, it’s very close to this man’s heart.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

7News broke this story back in January when the woman’s family wanted to know how this could happen here. The DNA results are in and the dad is another inmate.

Daisy Link: “Hello.”

For the first time, Daisy Link is talking about how she became pregnant in jail.

In an exclusive interview with 7Investigates, the 29-year-old said even she can’t believe it happened.

Daisy Link: “It’s a real twist, it is. Everybody says it to me, this is like some Lifetime Movie Network.”

Link is locked up awaiting trial, charged with second-degree murder.

Police said Link was holding a gun after shooting her boyfriend in the leg, killing him.

Surveillance video: “You’ll be fine.”

She has been an inmate at TGK for more than two years. But in June, Link gave birth to a baby girl.

Daisy Link: “She’s a miracle baby, she’s a blessing.”

A miracle because Link said she’s never met the father of her baby face-to-face.

Daisy Link: “I’ve never met him. I’ve never, it’s crazy.”

He was also a TGK inmate and, like Link, is charged with murder.

The DNA results show inmate number 200147865, Joan Depaz, is the baby’s father.

Automated message: “This call is from the Miami-Dade Metro West Detention Center.”

Heather Walker: “So you guys have never physically touched each other?”

Joan Depaz: “Never, like the Virgin Mary.”

Heather Walker: “The big question here is how did this happen?”

Daisy Link: “Through the vent.”

Link said she and Depaz started talking through A/C vents in their cells.

Daisy Link: “You would knock on it and you can hear the people from the different floors. You would stand on the toilet actually to be able to talk to them.”

They said they also passed notes and pictures.

Daisy Link: “Being in isolation for so long you begin to spend hours and hours talking to this person, you know, to the point where it’s almost as if you’re in the same room with them.”

Link and Depaz formed a romantic relationship and the 23-year-old shared his dream.

Joan Depaz: “I always really wanted to have a baby. And I’m not gonna get to do that for a really long time. So if I had to choose somebody, you know, it would be you. And she was like, ‘Yeah, we could do that.'”

Depaz came up with a plan.

Joan Depaz: “Not gonna lie, this is gonna go down in history.”

Daisy Link: “I don’t know what my fate is, you kind of don’t know what’s yours. If we’re gonna go out might as well just go out with a bang, you know? If it works, it works. But it definitely did.”

Joan Depaz: “I told her a way that one of my friends had showed me through the vent. Because the vents is like a L-shape, really. It drops right into my vent, from her room, she could throw a pen into the vent and it’ll land right into my vent.”

Daisy Link: “We had figured out a way to drop the line. It was a line that we had established out of like bedding material.”

Joan Depaz: “I put the semen in Saran Wrap every day like five times a day for like a month straight.”

Daisy Link: “He would kind of like roll it up almost like a cigarette and he would attach it to the line that we had in the vent and I would pull it through. From there, I had placed it inside of, you know, the yeast infection applicators? I had placed it inside of there and then from there, yeah, I administered it.”

She said it only took a few tries before she became pregnant.

Daisy Link: “I was very excited. I was ecstatic about it.”

Heather Walker: “Is this possible?”

Dr. Fernando Akerman/fertility specialist: “Yes, that’s the short answer.”

Dr. Fernando Akerman is the medical director of the Fertility Center of Miami. He said the chances of this resulting in a successful pregnancy are slim, but not impossible.

Dr. Fernando Akerman: “We estimate that probably their chances were less than five percent, but that is not to say that the chances were zero. So this is absolutely a case that is exceedingly unusual. To my knowledge I’ve never heard or read anything like this.”

On June 19, the baby was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Daisy Link: “I can’t believe it worked. I think everything happened for a reason.”

Joan Depaz: “Over here I’m like a celebrity.”

Their baby is now five months old. She’s living with his mom, who became a grandmother for the first time.

Link and Depaz, who are now in different jails, still talk on the phone and see their daughter on video visits.

Daisy Link: “She could be anything. I think that she’s gonna be something great.”

Now you may be wondering how this was able to happen without corrections officers realizing.

Miami-Dade Corrections has an internal affairs investigation, which officials tell us, is ongoing.

Heather Walker, 7News

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

It was all smiles outside Osteria del Teatro last year for the grand opening of its new location in North Bay Village. But this Italian restaurant dates back to 1988 on South Beach.

Gilbert Gonzalez/owner: “It started on Española Way next to the Cameo Theater.”

We featured owner Gilbert Gonzalez on Bite with Belkys last year.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “Welcome to Osteria del Teatro, try our Penne Alla Vodka, Buon Appetito”

He took over Osteria more than 20 years ago. Rafael has been an employee — even longer.

Rafael Ceballos: “I started in 1992. I started as a busboy. It’s my house. It’s my family. It’s my people. It’s an institution.”

An institution — that two weeks ago — was just hours away from going out of business.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “With the amount of my food costs, my payroll is doubled and I wish I could pay my employees even more because I know that they need to survive and I want them to survive.”

But now there were worries about the restaurant surviving.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “What happened is I ended up taking out these predatory loans against my credit card processing and it put me in a corner. I sat down with all the employees and I told them that we’re going to have to close the restaurant and I’m sorry. They were all sad and crying and they even offered to work for a week for free if it would keep us alive.”

In an Instagram post — Gilbert announced Osteria was “closing its doors” the next night.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “And I felt terrible. I didn’t want to close the restaurant. I’m sorry.”

Gilbert emailed customers announcing the closing and in a twist of fate, that email started a chain of events that ultimately saved the restaurant.”

Brad Shraiberg: “My wife and I have been coming here for literally 20 years.”

Brad Shraiberg lives in Boca Raton and says his family makes the trip to eat here several times a year.

Brad Shraiberg: “It’s literally our favorite Italian restaurant. I have brought my kids many times. They’ve seen them grow up.”

Brad, like other customers, received the email about the closing.

Brad Shraiberg: “My heart dropped and I looked at my wife saying, ‘We’re changing our plans.’ and we came down here to what I was scared was going to be the last time we would see our friends and be able to eat here.”

Rafael was Brad’s server and explained the situation.

Rafael Ceballos/head server: “When I told him what happened he said, ‘Don’t worry, send me Gilbert. I’m going to talk to him. That’s what I do for a living. And I might save you guys.’ so I start crying and the rest is history.”

Brad is a bankruptcy attorney. He is now handling Gilbert’s case for free.

Brad Shraiberg: “Congress made a new section, if you will, of Chapter 11 to allow small businesses to reorganize.”

That will allow Osteria to remain open.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “They were all excited and they were so happy.”

A second email, sent two days after the first, proclaimed: “Yes, Osteria del Teatro is staying open!”

Gilbert wrote he was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support from customers and Gilbert credits one in particular — for saving his restaurant.

Gilbert Gonzalez: “I’m so grateful that he’s in my life. Thank God.”

Brad Shraiberg: “It’s as rewarding of a feeling as it can get. I love seeing that all of these employees are going to still have a job tomorrow.”

Tomorrow and beyond. Because together, Gilbert and Brad have created a recipe for the restaurant’s success.

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Katherine Fernandez Rundle/Miami-Dade State Attorney: “It turns out there was trouble in paradise.”

That trouble centered around the president of an Aventura condo association who was handcuffed and arrested.

Thais Penezri/resident: “What I can tell you is that we were living a daily nightmare. I can say it’s a historical day. We’re very happy!”

A happy day for some residents, but a very bad day for Turnberry on the Green president Gregori Arzumanov.

Chief Michael Bentolila/Aventura Police: “He took over not just the building, but all, everything going on around the building. Every asset used in and around the building. It was a complete takeover. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”

In addition to being the condo president since 2008, prosecutors said he was also the building’s property manager and chief engineer.

Katherine Fernandez Rundle: “In those positions of trust, he had the ability to spend money for things, theoretically, that was for the association. Well, what he did was, he actually bought things that, we believe, were for himself.”

The state said Arzumanov stole more than $1.5 million from the association using it to buy personal items like food, artwork, even airplane fuel for his flight lessons. Now two weeks after his arrest, there are more questions about what else unit owners might have paid for.

Sam Rabin/attorney: “Good morning, your honor, Sam Rabin on behalf of Mr. Arzumanov.”

7Investigates obtained a copy of this $15,000 check paid by Turnberry on the Green Condominium Association to Rabin & Lopez, P.A., the Miami law firm now representing Arzumanov in this criminal condo case.

Sam Rabin: “I’ve been representing Mr. Arzumanov since earlier this year. I’d say approximately April of this year.”

That is the same month the check was issued. The memo reads: “Legal Retainer – Aventura PD.”

But in a statement to 7Investigates, Attorney Sam Rabin said: “The check and the payment it represents is not for Mr. Arzumanov’s representation in his criminal case. The $15,000 payment was made during the course of an investigation, the details of which were unknown at the time.”

Adding “Mr. Arzumanov was arrested approximately five months after that payment and the fees for his representation in his criminal case are being paid for exclusively by Mr. Arzumanov.”

Condo law expert David Haber said the key question is whether the prior board voted to approve the payment.

David Haber: “The board would have the right to hire an attorney for an investigation into its president. Is it legal? Yes. Was it probably a good idea? Probably not.”

Sam Rabin: “Early in this investigation — he didn’t know who was targeted, whether it was him and other board members.”

In a hearing Wednesday morning, Attorney Sam Rabin brought up that check at the center of our 7Investigation on Tuesday night.

Sam Rabin: “The building retained me with a small retainer of $15,000 and that they’re somehow paying for his criminal defense. That also is not true. I have not taken a penny form the building since his arrest.”

Rabin said the check was signed by two people — Arzumanov and a former board member.

Sam Rabin: “I said to the State, if it turns out that check was somehow given improperly, I’ll refund the money.”

In the meantime, Arzumanov remains behind bars for now. Rabin argued that he was not a flight risk and asked the judge to reduce his $350,000 bond.

Sam Rabin: “He is not going anywhere. He wants to fight these charges.”

But the judge sided with the State.

Judge Laura Stuzin: “There’s nothing that you’ve said to me today that convinces me that there’s a reason for me to reduce the bond.”

A hearing is set for Friday — where Arzumanov and his attorney will try to convince the judge the money he uses to post bond wasn’t illegally taken from residents.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

This is the mug shot of a Sunrise Police sergeant.

In June, Daniel Rodriguez turned himself into jail, accused of “written threats to kill” and extortion. 

At the time, his attorney told 7News the arrest was retaliation for reporting the misconduct of a higher-ranking officer.

Michael Gottlieb, attorney: “My client saw a wrong being committed in his police department, and he tried to right it.”

Rodriguez claimed Lt. Brian Katz removed this antique fire alarm bell from the wall of a marijuana grow house back in 2017. He said, instead of Katz putting the bell into evidence, it was hung inside the police department.

Daniel Rodriguez: “It was taken from a house, and it was placed in the police department as a trophy. I would compare it to an officer conducting a traffic stop, arresting the driver, and then taking some loose change from the car. It’s minute, it’s petty, but it’s wrong.”

Lt. Katz is now the head of internal affairs at the Sunrise Police Department, and the man Rodriguez allegedly threatened.

Michael Gottlieb: “You’re talking about the integrity of the officer who’s running your integrity unit, your internal affairs unit. So it’s a huge problem, and one that I think that they wanted to bury, which is why they investigated it themselves.”

Rodriguez admits to sending several menacing text messages about Katz to a friend.

One read: “Just saw Katz running on Griffin. I thought about stopping and shooting him. I want to kill him.”

Daniel Rodriguez: “I did send it. It was a low point in my life where everything was stripped away from me, and I was talking to a friend, venting. And I had no intent to do anything.”

Prosecutors dropped the charges against Rodriguez because “the messages were not sent directly to Katz,” and, “The state is unable to show that the messages were sent with actual malice.”

Daniel Rodriguez: “A relief, a relief.”

Rodriguez says the private messages were discovered with a search warrant after he reported Katz.

Daniel Rodriguez: “It’s retaliatory. It’s people in positions that are abusing their power and position to conduct a cover-up, to cover up the bell because the bell is embarrassing to the department.”

Sunrise Police calls Rodriguez’s claim of retaliation “false,”  saying an investigation into his behavior began in 2023. The department believes the sergeant reported Katz in an attempt to stop the investigation into his own conduct.

Rodriguez was being investigated for a number of department violations, including having sex on duty. He was cleared of that, but was found in violation of others, including sending fellow officers the autopsy photo of a person Rodriguez shot and killed in a 2020 officer-involved shooting. He admits texting the photo but says he did it for training purposes. Late last month, Rodriguez was fired.

Katz was also investigated. The department found he failed to make sure the bell was placed into evidence. His discipline is verbal counseling. Meanwhile, Rodriguez says he’s not giving up.

Daniel Rodriguez: “They’re trying to stain my name. They’re trying to throw me out. Block me out. Forget about me. Erase me. And it’s not going to happen.”

He now plans to fight to get his job back.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

Abbas Karimi was already a decorated athlete.

Abbas Karimi, Paralympian: “My first world championship silver, and then that was my third world championship gold.”

But the 27-year-old was hungry for something more.

Abbas Karimi: “Since I became a swimmer, there was one thing in my mind always: to become a Paralympic medalist.”

Marty Hendrick, swim coach: “Mission accomplished. I couldn’t be more happy.”

Abbas and his coach, Marty Hendrick, recently returned to Fort Lauderdale from Paris, where the Paralympics were held.

The swimmer is now sporting, not one, but two silver medals.

Abbas Karimi: “It’s the heaviest medal I’ve ever had. Two-time Paralympic medalist, you know? What else could I ask for in life?”

A life filled with pain and perseverance.

Abbas Karimi: “Everything was very challenging to do with my feet.”

We first met Abbas back in 2020.

Abbas Karimi: “My father used to say, ‘God took your arms from you, but instead, he give you the talent and the skill on your legs and on your feet.'”

Abbas grew up in war-torn Afghanistan and was bullied as a boy.

Abbas Karimi: “They was always calling me armless, ‘Oh, look at this guy, doesn’t have arms,’ and trying to make fun of me.”

At the age of 16, Abbas made the difficult decision to leave Afghanistan. He came to the U.S. under the United Nations Refugee Program.

His love of swimming eventually led him here to train in Fort Lauderdale.

Abbas competed as part of the refugee team at the Tokyo Paralympics. But the Taliban had retaken control of Afghanistan, and the games did not go well for him.

Abbas Karimi: “I was in a dark moment of my life in the biggest moment of my life.”

But although he failed to medal, Abbas did not quit.

Abbas Karimi: “A true champion or a real champion, no matter how many times we get knocked down, how many times we fail, how many times we fall down, we keep getting up.”

Abbas became an American citizen in 2022 and was selected to represent Team USA in Paris this summer.

Abbas Karimi: “USA has given me a second chance, a second life to pursue my dreams. I wanted to do something back to this country. This time, I was much calmer and more confident, faster. Mentally and emotionally, I was in the best shape of my life.”

It paid off.

Abbas Karimi: “As a lion king, you know, as a beast, the whole stage, and thousands of people were yelling and cheering. My relay teammates are amazing people, very kind. A lot of people helped me mentally and emotionally, and one of them is Marty.”

Marty Hendrick: “He represents potential. Nobody is going to look at a 12-year-old kid in Afghanistan with no arms and believe him. He believed in himself. He had to tell people to believe in him.”

Abbas says he is still in his prime and plans to try to earn a spot on Team USA for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Ethan Calloway, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Under the morning sun — tropical fruit crop specialist Dr. Jonathan Crane digs in for the day. But the fruit he hopes these new plants will produce — is not your typical South Florida fare.

Dr. Jonathan Crane/University of Florida: “This is a scientifically based, methodical effort to see: Can we grow coffee in Florida successfully?”

It’s time to “wake up” to the idea of homegrown coffee.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: “It would be the biggest operation in Florida right now. But it’s not really commercial. This is all experimental.”

Alex Browning: “Unheard of?”

Dr. Crane: “Yeah.”

This batch of nearly 350 plants in the Redlands — is one of four locations being tested statewide by University of Florida researchers.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: “So these are the coffee beans. They’re green right now and they will be picked individually when they turn red.”

Dr. Felipe Ferrao/University of Florida: “I love coffee, so I drink coffee every single day.”

The ambitious project is being led by Dr. Felipe Ferrao.

Dr. Felipe Ferraro: “I’m from Brazil. My family has been growing coffee for multiple generations and I did my master’s and my PhD in coffee.”

Dr. Ferrao is blending his real-world experience with his expertise in the genetics of coffee beans.

Dr. Felipe Ferrao: “So what are the elements in the DNA of the plant that can make the plant better for the future?”

Most of the world’s coffee comes from the so-called “Bean Belt” — which stretches from Central and South America to Africa and into the Pacific. But production is forecasted to decrease over the decades — because of the warming planet and changing rainfall patterns. So finding new places to grow coffee is key.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: “We’re calling this ‘climate smart’ breeding. In other words, for coffee to be successful and not just here, they are going to have to adapt to the changing climate.”

And while they’re hoping this variety of the coffee bean thrives here in the Sunshine State — it all boils down to taste. And there’s a lot that goes into the perfect brew.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: “That is a key thing is the flavor. The aroma. I mean, there are professional coffee tasters, seriously. That’s the real test right — you know, is it good coffee? So we’ll see.”

And that first taste test is not far off. The beans on these plants are expected to be picked next month.

Dr. Felipe Ferrao: “For the first year, I’m very confident that we’re going to have nice results.”

Alex Browning: “Could we see Florida become a coffee mecca?”

Dr. Jonathan Crane: “I hesitate to use the word mecca. I think that there is a potential that we could have a significant high-end niche alternative crop industry, such as in Hawaii.”

So perhaps in the future — our morning pick-me-up could have its start in our own backyard.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

These six sisters have a combined age of more than 500 years! They came together Saturday to celebrate Teresa Rios’ 106th birthday.

Sisters: Lidia, 99. Adelaida, 95. Olga, 94. Antonia, 93. And the baby of the bunch — Nancy — who is 85 years old.

Stefani Green/Teresa’s granddaughter: “I asked her how she’s feeling turning 106 and she says she feels amazing. You know, thanks to God, she’s in good health and she’s feeling great. It’s an honor for me as her granddaughter to have her. She’s the epitome of love, nurturing, strength.”

The six Gonzalez sisters were once part of a group of 12 siblings — all born in Cuba.

Stefani Green: “She says coming from Cuba was a big transition for all of them. They all left their country and then her sisters came slowly.”

Over the decades the sisters have remained close. They celebrated all of Teresa’s milestone birthdays from 100 through 105 together — with the exception of her 102nd birthday — which was canceled because of COVID.

Stefani Green: “We do this every year and we can’t believe that it’s another year it’s like ‘Oh 100, oh 101’ and now we’re at 106. So I think, this is a year we’re like, ‘Wait, there must be some kind of record and that’s when we started collecting information and just adding all the numbers up.”

The family emailed 7News with the subject line: ‘The six oldest living siblings in the world living here in Miami.’ Their total combined age once you add the months and days is 575 years! The Guinness World Record is currently held by six sisters from Missouri. Their combined verified age — 571 years.

Stefani Green: “She’s happy to know that there’s six other sisters in another state and she says that if she would ever host them, that she would be very grateful to have them all.”

At this party — everyone is grateful for the matriarch — who is celebrated by her younger sisters not just on this day — but every day.

Stefani Green translating for Nancy Reimon: “She’s the one that came here first, and she worked on helping all of them get out of Cuba and come to the U.S. and be united as a family.”

Stefani Green translating for Adelaida Gonzalez: “She’s always been the mother figure amongst all the siblings and that she’s grateful.”

Teresa’s advice for a long, happy life — is simple.

Stefani Green: “Just to keep the family happy and as long as everybody’s united, it’s all about family with her. So it’s to keep the family united and everybody on good terms. That’s the key to happiness for her.”

Even though the South Florida sisters are older than the Missouri women — they don’t have all the documents needed to get the Guinness World Record.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

You may have seen their work around South Florida.

Street artists Adam Vargas and Rick Mastrapa, better known as Atomik and Abstrk, have left their mark on Miami.

Atomik’s artistic calling card is his signature smiling orange character, inspired by the Orange Bowl mascot Obie.

Atomik: “I just kept going with it, and the feedback was remarkable.”

Abstrk, like his name suggests, uses shapes and patterns in his free-flowing style. He draws inspiration from his passion for photography.

Abstrk: “I have just thousands of street photography, street photos I use for references when I paint.”

The Miami-Dade natives were among four local artists chosen to create custom jerseys for Marlins fans. The jerseys celebrate different heritages that help make up the melting pot of South Florida.

Tiago Pinto, Miami Marlins: “The unique design, done by an artist, that has the same background as the community we’re celebrating.”

Atomik: “My mother was born in Mayagüez in Puerto Rico. I’ve painted on the island several times. I’ve visited the island. I still have family that lives there.”

Atomik spray-painted a wall outside his studio to inspire the final design of his Puerto Rican jersey.

Atomik: “On the front, it’s a PR in graffiti style. In Puerto Rico, there’s the coquí frogs, so I basically rendered that in graffiti style on the back.”

Abstrk: “My mother and my father left Cuba as children.”

Asbtrk focused his jersey design on his family’s Cuban roots, using pictures he took while visiting the island.

Abstrk: “There’s cars, there’s buildings, just architectural elements. The Cuba letters, I kind of got inspired by the style of like that playful typography.”

Other countries are also represented.

Angel Portillo, known as Porti, brought his Venezuelan jersey to life.

And longtime graffiti artist Max Torres, who goes by the name Arive, arrived to sign autographs for fans celebrating their Dominican heritage.

We found this baseball fan sporting the Dominican jersey at a Marlins game, and he was born in Cuba.

Guillermo Galis, fan: “I’ve got ’em all. All the ones they’ve given away, I got ’em all at home. I have lived in the states for 61 years, and I used to play baseball in Cuba, and I love baseball.”

A shared love of the game and a passion for different cultures were on full display at the ballpark.

Atomik: “That day was amazing for me, it was very full circle. Since my character comes from the Orange Bowl, and loanDepot park is where the Orange Bowl used to be, I was able to paint a mural in the stadium.”

Abstrk: “Just being born and raised in Miami, the team celebrating, you know, artists that are from here and working with artists from here just makes the city like stronger.”

There are still a few more heritage celebrations at Marlins games in September, including Nicaraguan, Japanese and Canadian. And as this season winds down, the Marlins tell us they’re already planning for next season.

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

7News on Wednesday obtained the Florida Department of Law Enforcement report about the fatal shooting of Frank Ordonez after armed men hijacked the truck and ended in a shootout with police.

The 66-page document describes gunfire and chaos on a jam-packed Miramar intersection on Dec. 5, 2019.

7Skyforce followed the scene from above as police tried to stop the fleeing truck, which carried the two jewelry store thieves and Ordonez after the suspects took the UPS driver hostage.

For over an hour, multiple police agencies engaged in the pursuit of the truck.

The report said FDLE investigators scoured through red-light cameras, surveillance and cellphone videos, 54 police body-worn cameras and interviewed dozens of witnesses as they pieced together the events that unfolded that day.

Investigators said that at 5:23 p.m, dispatchers told police, “Attention all units, do not approach the vehicle. Again, attention all units, do not approach the vehicle. The subject has shot at units multiple times.”

But 12 minutes later, on Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road, there was this radio communication: “He is boxed in now. He is boxed in with all the traffic. Definitely no way out now, not for him there. Have Pines and Miramar (Police) not let any traffic through the intersection on Flamingo. Any units here, go to the intersection and stop all the traffic there. Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired. Crossfire, crossfire, crossfire. Seek cover, seek cover.”

According to the report, one witness was “…very sure that the first shots came from the subject inside the UPS truck.”

But then mayhem ensued.

According to the report, officers fired nearly 200 rounds, some of which hit Ordonez, the innocent driver.

Witnesses described the mayhem to police.

One said the bullets hit “his daughter’s car seat,” another said the bullets landed on the driver’s side headrest, and a third witness told officers “there were bullets everywhere.”

The report said, of the rounds fired, Ordonez was hit by bullets from all four police officers that were indicted.

Both suspects, Ordonez and another driver, Richard Cutshaw, would all die from bullet wounds. Ordonez was just 27 years old.

Four Miami-Dade Police officers — Jose Mateo, Leslie Lee, Richard Santiesteban and Rodolfo Mirabal — were indicted as a result of the shootout. They all face manslaughter charges.

The pain is still unbearable for Ordonez’s family.

“I just think it’s so unfair. You guys came home to your families; we came home to nothing,” said Ordonez’s sister, Geneviève Merino. “They could’ve waited, like this could’ve been avoided.”

The family said they already suspected the findings of the report.

“I just can’t imagine in my head how he was feeling. My brother had kids, so I just I can’t imagine the moment that he was literally in front of death,” said Merino.

“They should’ve held back. Obviously, the report says it all,” said Joe Merino, the victim’s stepfather. “Those memories just don’t go away. It’s the same movie. You can play it back over and over again, and it’s the same movie. The same, it’s the same outcome.”

The four officers have all pleaded not guilty and are out on bail.

Fourteen-year-old Maryanne cannot speak. But she smiles when her mom Sandra sings her favorite song.

Sandra Sulzbach, mother: “She’s an angel from God, so we love her.”

Maryanne was just two days old when she was diagnosed with a rare blood vessel abnormality in her brain.

Complications from surgery led to a stroke and brain damage, which left her bedridden.

She now relies on a ventilator to survive.

Sandra Sulzbach: “She depends on that. If not, she will die. Many doctors say, ‘You can just let her go ’cause that’s not life for her, being on the ventilator is not life.'”

Jeffrey Sulzbach, father: “A child of God, it’s not our decision to let her go.”

Given her complex medical needs, Maryanne has had Medicaid coverage all her life. That is, until May 1 when she suddenly lost it.

Jeffrey Sulzbach: “It’s been devastating, because first we weren’t informed that they were going to cut it. So right away, when we needed her medication for her seizure control, it’s like, ‘Well, we can’t give you nothing because they’re not paying for it anymore.'”

Sandra says she was told she and her husband, who live in this rented Coral Springs apartment, made too much money for Maryanne to remain eligible for Medicaid.

Sandra Sulzbach: “My point of view is like, they want you to live in poverty in order for them to get Medicaid. It’s like if they want us to live homeless.”

Lynn Hearn: “They are absolutely in crisis.”

Lynn Hearn, with the Florida Health Justice Project, advocates for families trying to navigate a complicated system.

Lynn Hearn: “Florida does not have a broad array of options for coverage for children with complex medical conditions, unless their parents income is just very, very low.”

In Florida, more than 531,000 children lost Medicaid coverage between April 2023 and April 2024. That includes more than 69,000 in Miami-Dade and more than 53,000 in Broward.

Lynn Hearn: “Seeing large numbers of children with complex medical conditions losing Medicaid all at once is fairly jarring.”

The reason so many kids have recently been dropped from Medicaid goes back to the pandemic, when people lost their jobs and health insurance.

Enrollment in Medicaid skyrocketed, and federal protections prevented states from taking away the benefit.

But once the COVID emergency ended, states started reviewing who remains eligible.

Jennifer Malqui, mother: “I literally lost so many nights of sleep.”

Jennifer Malqui’s daughter, Bianca, had cochlear implant surgery on both ears due to severe hearing loss.

Jennifer Malqui: “That’s a magnet, so that processes the sound, so that’s how she’s able to hear.”

Medicaid pays for the 16-year-old’s therapy sessions three times a week.

But like so many others, in April, Jennifer learned Bianca was being dropped from Medicaid.

Jennifer Malqui: “I was worried. I was very scared.”

The state said Jennifer also made too much money.

But she says what they used was outdated income information.

Jennifer Malqui: “I am a single mom of two. I work my butt off, and I live in Miami, so the cost of living is extremely high.”

That’s when this legal assistant got to work.

Jennifer Malqui: “I had federal rules on one side, state laws, statutes, public laws SSA Act.”

Jennifer appealed and is waiting on a final decision.

Bianca Malqui: “I’m really proud of my mom because she’s doing a lot of stuff, like, working hard as my mother. I love her.”

Meanwhile, Maryanne’s parents have struggled with the high cost of caring for her without Medicaid.

Jeffrey Sulzbach: “I’ve been using my 401K to help out with buying a lot of Maryanne’s needs. But it’s kind of like depleted now.”

Then finally, some good news.

The Florida Health Justice Project stepped in to help, and Maryanne’s critical coverage was recently reinstated.

Heather Walker, 7News.

Experts stress families have the right to appeal the decision to drop children from Medicaid.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Florida Health Justice Project
floridahealthjustice.org/ending-continuous-medicaid-coverage.html

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

The Thompson brothers are overjoyed as they see their new, fully furnished apartment.

Their reaction makes sense once you understand what it took for them to get here.

Lawrence Thompson: “Since the day we were born.”

Male Thompson: “We took care of each other.”

Lawrence Thompson: “Wherever we go, we’re always together.”

54-year-old Lawrence is on the autism spectrum.

Lawrence Thompson: “I am, what they say, autistic, but I don’t realize myself like that. I feel like I’m a normal person like everybody else.”

The brothers were born and raised in New York and lived with their mom.

Male Thompson: “When she passed away, I promised Mom to take care of him, and that’s what I did.”

For a short time, they lived with their uncle in Philadelphia, until he died.

That’s when they suddenly found themselves on their own.

Lawrence Thompson: “So then we ended up on the streets.”

Here in sunny South Florida, the brothers experienced some of their darkest days.

They were homeless for more than four years.

Male Thompson: “Sometimes we used to sleep at bus stops, you know.”

Lawrence Thompson: “Get up the next day, and everything is missing.”

Male Thompson: “Yeah.”

The men got into their share of trouble, arrested for things like trespassing and stealing from grocery stores.

Lawrence Thompson: “Sometimes we would go on the street and panhandle, and we didn’t make any money, and I’m like, ‘Male, I’m hungry.’ May God forgive me.”

Last September, Lawrence was seen asking drivers for money at a Pompano Beach intersection. But instead of taking him into custody, a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy issued him a notice to appear in something called Community Court.

Lawrence Thompson: “The day I set foot in that community court, my life changed.”

Broward County Judge Florence Taylor Barner: “You know, there’s no fear, because there’s no judgment here.”

No judgment, and no courtroom, but there is a judge.

Those eligible include people charged with certain nonviolent crimes.

BSO Sgt. Toni Hopkins: “First thing: Homelessness is not a crime.”

BSO Sgt. Toni Hopkins leads a team that has gotten more than 100 people into Community Court.

Sgt. Toni Hopkins: “We’re part of the community, and it’s a community problem, and we’re trying to help as much as we can.”

And the Thompson brothers definitely needed help.

Cassandra Rhett, Community Court coordinator: “I have never seen a case like this since I’ve been doing this in my career.”

Cassandra Rhett is Pompano Beach’s Community Court coordinator.

Cassandra Rhett: “it just made the case even more challenging when we realized that they couldn’t read or write.”

Lawrence Thompson: “I thank God first, and I have to thank Cassandra Rhett second. That lady is tremendous. She’s an angel.”

IKEA, the United Way, even a good-hearted South Floridian helped furnish the brothers’ apartment.

The nonprofit organization Broward Housing Solutions is paying their rent.

Male Thompson: “To lock that door at night, and to feel that you’re safe at night and your brother is safe, it’s a blessing from the Lord.”

Lawrence Thompson: “Basically we said, ‘Thank you, God, it’s over with.’ We’re off the streets and back in society.”

Back in society and once again able to experience the basic comforts some may take for granted. Like a hot shower and a comfortable bed.

Lawrence Thompson: “It’s like heaven.”

Their Community Court graduation certificates are prominently displayed.

Lawrence Thompson: “We got our diplomas right there.”

So, guided by their faith and moving to the music, these brothers are ready for their fresh start.

Heather Walker, 7News.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Lawrence and Male. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

For more information about Community Court, click here.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

A once outgoing and energetic Marian Sanchez Cuevas was the passenger on this motorcycle that crashed in Coconut Grove on Sept. 24, 2023.

Marian suffered a traumatic brain injury and had part of her leg amputated. She has not spoken since.

Sahily Cuevas, mother: “We are hoping and waiting for the first words [from] her.”

The motorcycle was being driven by Nicolas Araujo, a Miami-Dade County firefighter who was not on duty at the time.

Police officer in body camera video: “Give me two rescues, please.”

Nicolas was hurt but recovered. He was issued a careless driving citation, not right after the accident, but four months later.

And on Thursday afternoon in traffic court, things turned heated.

Judge Steve Leifman: “This is unacceptable.”

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Steve Leifman scolded the Miami Police Traffic Homicide detective on the case for not being prepared for the Zoom hearing.

Judge Steve Leifman: “Are you telling me there’s no cameras at any computer at the City of Miami Police Department?”

The motorcycle driver, Nicolas Araujo, did not attend the hearing. An attorney entered a no-contest plea on his behalf. He was fined, and his license was suspended.

Andrew Perlin, witness: “I mean, it was haunting, it really was.”

The judge allowed two witnesses, who said they saw the motorcycle speeding and running a stop sign, the chance to speak.

Mike Forenza, witness: “I mean, this is the most cut and dry drunk driving thing I’ve ever seen.”

That echoes what he told an officer on scene, in body camera video 7 Investigates aired in May.

Mike Forenza (in body camera video): “If he makes it, he should go to jail, for life. If he makes it. The poor girl is – he has to be drunk.”

In a picture from a tailgate on the day of the crash, both Nicolas and Marian had drinks in their hands.

Jessica Dehombre, cousin: “I personally was the one who reached out to everybody that was there that day and gathered the photos and videos of him drinking all day.”

But investigators never asked for a blood alcohol test.

Gabriel Varona, friend: “He was never tested at all, supposedly. That makes zero sense to me.”

Marian’s friends and family long questioned why it never happened.

On Thursday, so did the judge.

Judge Steve Leifman: “I don’t know why they did not have him blood tested, which is usually standard procedure if there’s any suspicion. When there’s serious bodily injury, it’s required by law. So I share your curiosity and frustration.”

The Miami Police Department has long maintained that there was no physical evidence at the scene to indicate Nicolas was impaired.

His defense attorney agreed.

Bradley Horenstein, attorney: “There was no smell of alcohol; reports are void of any of that. There was no suspicion of alcohol in this case.”

Marian’s family also spoke to the judge about their outrage over Detective Luis Vargas’ investigation.

Cristy Dehombre, cousin: “I’m sorry, I’m just getting very emotional hearing that such a bad job done by this detective. The father tried to call Detective Vargas many, many times and never received a call back. I’m listening to this detective saying there was nothing there with suspicion of alcohol. This is [expletive].”

Judge Steve Leifman: “I’ve been on the bench for almost 30 years, and this is a very unusual situation that certainly seems to me should have been investigated a lot more thoroughly than it was.”

Meanwhile, Marian has shown some encouraging signs of progress in recent months.

Sahily Cuevas: “Close your eyes if you feel OK.”

But the road ahead is a long one.

Sahily Cuevas: “This is the way that we feed Marian, four times per day.”

While his traffic case is now over, Nicolas Araujo still faces a civil lawsuit filed by Marian’s mother alleging he was driving drunk. It seeks damages of more than $5 million.

In Miami, Jessica Holly, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

James Grimes may look like he just lost a boxing match, but his injury isn’t from a fight.

James Grimes, resident: “The ball literally knocked me out.”

He’s talking about this golf ball. Five days after moving into Park Place in Pembroke Pines, the 66-year-old was walking his dog earlier this month, when…

James Grimes: “All of a sudden, a white light. I was completely unconscious. I don’t even know how long I was unconscious. I remember wiping my face and seeing blood on my hand.”

James didn’t have his cellphone on him. He managed to get upstairs to his condo to call 911 and was taken to the hospital.

James Grimes: “No broken bones, no brain bleeding. The golf ball literally hit me right here in the eye, but just another half inch back is my temple. It would have killed me. I mean, I would not be here to have this interview.”

This interview with James comes just three months after 7 Investigates reported on residents’ concerns.

Charles Heighter, resident: “It’s scary. It’s scary.”

The condo complex is surrounded by this city-owned golf course. Bad swings can send golf balls flying into their community.

Florence Hirsch, resident: “I’m living here 31 years. When I moved in, within the first month, the front window of my car, the back window of my car and three windows in my apartment.”

Residents shared stories of their cars dinged and damaged.

Robert Heath, resident: “‘Bam,’ my back windshield is completely shattered.”

But what they feared most was someone getting hurt.

Marcia Storm, resident: “It just missed me. I’m taking another step, and it would have hit me right in the head.”

Nancy Taylor: “I see what it did to my windshield, so I can imagine what it would do to my skull.”

Florence Hirsch: “If that golf ball hits one of the people, they’ll never get up again.”

In this letter sent less than a month before James was hit, the association president said a resident: “…was cut by a piece of the glass when a golf ball penetrated her living room and shattered her window.”

James Grimes: “I truly fear that we’re going to have another conversation, and it’s going to be over a death. I’m not looking for monetary damages. I’m looking to protect my community.”

James shared his ordeal with Pembroke Pines commissioners this week.

James Grimes: “If you can possibly find a way to correct that problem or find a solution to that problem, you may save some lives.”

Mayor Angelo Castillo met with James before the meeting and promised the city would take action.

Mayor Angelo Castillo: “We all feel terrible about it. It’s a freak accident. It’s a thing that happens. It’s a beautiful golf course that they enjoy. We just have to make it a little safer.”

The mayor said the city would fast-track plans that were already in the works, to install more netting around the golf course.

Mayor Angelo Castillo: “I have spoken to the city manager, and I don’t believe that anyone here will object. He is going to accelerate the installation. That’s a commitment that you have from the city.”

James Grimes: “I know myself and the community will thank you for those actions. And that’s all we were asking for: a place to be safe in our own community.”

A date has yet to be set for when the new netting will go up, but the mayor says the city will cover the cost, which is a win for the condo residents.

Heather Walker, 7News.

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com

For these sisters, listening to a voicemail from their dad is a cherished memory.

Asaad Masoud (in voicemail): “Hey, sweetheart. I hope all is well. I miss you. I’m praying for you.”

Asaad Masoud died in 2021, but to understand his South Florida legacy, we need to look back.

He was a lifelong boater and a legend in Coconut Grove.

Anisa Masoud, daughter: “He was known as ‘The Captain’ around Coconut Grove.”

Isis Masoud, daughter: “He was a little bit of a local celebrity. You couldn’t leave your house without somebody being like, ‘Oh, The Captain!'”

But to his daughters…

Isis Masoud: “This was my dad’s jacket.”

…he was simply Dad.

Isis Masoud: “My dad was one of the most generous people that I know.”

One of Asaad’s loves was his boat, “The RA,” docked for decades at Dinner Key Marina.

Isis Masoud: “RA was the Egyptian sun god, was known as a life giver.”

A meaning the captain took personally by setting sail on a mission to change lives.

Isis Masoud: “He invited people out sailing all the time, and even if they couldn’t afford to go sailing, he would invite them anyway. And this was his gift, you know, giving people access to the bay.”

Through the years “The RA” survived two lightning strikes and being sunk during Hurricane Andrew.

But in 2020, the captain faced his own battle, with cancer.

Isis Masoud: “We were taking care of my father in his last chapter, and it was very difficult for all of us.”

With their father sick, the daughters were financially forced to make a difficult decision to sell “The RA.”

Omnia Masoud: “I told him, ‘Daddy, we’re gonna go say goodbye to the boat.’ And he said, ‘She was the love of my life, yeah. Don’t tell Mommy.'”

The daughters hoped by selling, they were giving the boat a new life with a new captain.

But in a twist of fate, two years after their dad died, last November, “The RA” came back into their lives.

Isis Masoud (in cellphone video): “Oh, my gosh. Oh!”

This is the moment the sisters first saw the boat abandoned.

Now, they are on a rescue mission.

Karen Hensel: “So, what do you make of the fact that that boat, that was the love of your father’s life, that boat all of a sudden washes back up on shore?”

Isis Masoud: “So, I think that my dad wants us to tell his story, and he’s using the boat as a vehicle to do that.”

In his memory, the sisters started a nonprofit, called The RA Foundation, that will eventually take disadvantaged kids in South Florida out sailing on Biscayne Bay.

Omnia Masoud: “We really felt like we, in some way, we want to share her with the community the way that Dad did.”

And that community, who loved “The Captain” so much, has donated enough money to right and raise “The RA.”

Isis Masoud: “We need to get her lifted up within the next high tide, right? So, we have some high tide at the end of the month, so we’re definitely up against the clock in terms of getting her sailing again and finding her a home.”

Finding that home will be the final hurdle.

Isis Masoud: “The main challenge we have right now is, we don’t have a place to take her.”

Anisa Masoud: “I just feel like we need a little bit more help to get to the finish line. And we’ll just really help have his legacy live forever.”

Asaad Masoud (in voicemail): “I’m praying for you. God be with you, sweetheart. I love you. Bye.”

A father’s life, love and legacy, now carried on by four daughters on a mission to once again set sail.

Karen Hensel, 7News.

If you or someone you know live on the water and could house the boat or know of dock space opening up, Asaad’s daughters have set up a GoFundMe page where you can connect with the family.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Danny Jacobson, WWII Army veteran: “My name is Daniel Jacobson. I was a regular sergeant in the infantry of the United States. The 45th division, the 179th infantry.”

Danny Jacobson was born on April 12, 1919. To save you the math, that makes him 105 years old.

Danny Jacobson: “I was always competitive in my life. I’m small stature.”

What Danny lacks in height, he more than makes up for in heart.

Karen: “You’re a fighter.”

Danny Jacobson: “Yes, to this day.”

Karen: “What do you mean you’re a fighter to this day?”

Danny Jacobson: “I won’t let anybody take advantage of me or anybody around me.”

So perhaps it’s fitting that near the end of WWII, Sergeant Jacobson’s unit helped liberate Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp.

Danny Jacobson: “It was difficult. You thought, ‘Look at all the people that went in there that didn’t come out alive.'”

Just six days after Hitler committed suicide, Danny and his fellow soldiers set up headquarters inside the dictator’s Munich, Germany apartment.

Danny Jacobson: “They took everything they could.”

But what was left behind, has now become this Jewish veteran’s lasting legacy of defiance in the face of evil.

Danny Jacobson: “I picked it up and looked at it and to myself. I used a little profanity, it wasn’t loud. I said ‘Blah blah blah blah. I got your stationery, you –‘”

On Hitler’s personal stationery, then 26-year-old Danny wrote a letter to his wife, Julia, dated May 6, 1945: “Dearest Julia, and so, Hitler’s treasured stationery has come to this.”

Danny Jacobson: “Hitler would turn in his grave if he knew a Jew was writing on his stationery. I expressed my feelings on it.”

Karen: “Almost 80 years later, you light up, and I think you still get a kick out of it.”

Danny Jacobson: “Oh, I still do. Oh yeah.”

Karen: “And you wrote the letter sitting…”

Danny Jacobson: “Sitting in one of his chairs.”

Karen: “And when you got home from the war, did you think about that letter?”

Danny Jacobson: “No, I mailed it and forgot about it. It was forgotten.”

But Danny’s late wife had saved the four-page letter. For about 50 years, it was in a box in a family attic and then a basement, before being rediscovered. Now, the letter, and a porcelain figurine Danny also took from Hitler’s apartment, are preserved at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Danny Jacobson: “We hated him. I mean, what he did to 6 million–more than that–people.”

From past atrocities, to today’s reality.

Danny Jacobson: “Right now, my thoughts are about the present.”

Karen: “Do you have a concern about the rise in antisemitism?”

Danny Jacobson: “Oh, very much so.”

As we spoke, Danny repeatedly brought up his fears about the fragility of our own democracy.

Danny Jacobson: “People don’t know what democracy means. They don’t know. I love America, believe me. And I hate to see what’s happening. I’ve lived to be 105 years old and I have seen it all.”

Born in Baltimore and raised in Oklahoma, Danny has lived in South Florida since the 1970s. In April, Danny celebrated his 105th birthday at Oakmonte Village of Davie.

The assisted living community is also where Holocaust survivor Eva Schultz had lived. She has since passed, but not before the two had a chance to meet.

Danny Jacobson: “And then she said, ‘I have to thank you for freeing me.’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ She says, ‘Dachau.’ She said ‘I’m from Dachau.’ It made me feel so good.”

Sitting in his apartment with family, there are sweet moments and time to reminisce…

Danny Jacobson: “That’s when I had hair.”

…about a life well-lived. One built on service and sacrifice, and stamped in history for seemingly the simplest of things… a letter home.

Karen: “And I think you signed it, ‘Loving you forever sweetie.’ That’s pretty special.”

Danny Jacobson: “Yeah.”

Karen Hensel, 7News.

When someone mentions Brickell, you probably think heavy traffic, hot restaurants and high rent. But did you ever wonder where the neighborhood got its name?

Heather Walker: “This is kind of hidden in plain sight.”

Cesar Becerra, historian: “It is hidden in plain sight.”

You may have gone right by this building and never noticed it.

Cesar Becerra: “We’re about arrive at the Greek marble temple.”

This small structure sits in a park off Biscayne Bay, next to the Icon building.

Cesar Becerra: “I get asked this a lot, ‘What is that marble building in the middle of the [Mary] Brickell Park?'”

There is no plaque, just the name Brickell carved at the top. So what is it? And why is it here?

Cesar Becerra: “That is really the original second resting place for Mary and William Brickell.”

Cesar Becerra has studied the Brickell family for more than 25 years.

This is the mausoleum where the founders of Brickell were laid to rest.

Back in the early 1900s, this stretch of the Brickell area was known as “Miami Millionaire’s Row.”

William and Mary Brickell were one of the largest landowners.

Cesar Becerra: “This is where their home was, where the Icon is.”

We went to the HistoryMiami Museum Research Center to see what William and Mary’s home once looked like.

Cesar Becerra: “She was very careful in how she developed her land.”

Their land went from the area that is now Brickell, all the way down to Coconut Grove. They helped grow the City of Miami.

Cesar Becerra: “There was a lot of things. They owned the first store, the first post office; everything was here.”

William and Mary Brickell’s remains were later moved from this mausoleum to Woodlawn Cemetery, their final resting place.

The mausoleum is now a protected historical site in Mary Brickell Park.

Cesar Becerra: “Mary Brickell had envisioned giving this park to the City of Miami, and she did so in her will.”

A fitting place for the last standing structure from the family who was instrumental in building the Miami we know today — a city that continues to grow and change, but the Brickell name is here to stay.

Heather Walker, 7News.

If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Dr. Joseph Cione is a meteorologist on a mission.

Dr. Joseph Cione, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: “I love my job.”

His job is to lead hurricane hunting into the future.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “This plane flies at 10,000, 12,000 feet, 8,000 feet. Why don’t we fly below that? It’s way too dangerous. Way too dangerous.”

That’s where these lightweight but high-tech drones come in.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “You’re throwing a plane out of a plane. The P-3 behind me is going 220 knots, so you’re jettisoning something out and expecting it to just get its bearings and fly. It sort of comes out in a cylinder. Then you have the wings deploy, gets acclimated and does its thing.”

The drones collect data at low altitudes and transmit it back to the hurricane hunter plane.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “When the storm makes landfall, we’re at the coast. We’re not at 20,000 feet, 10,000 feet. We’re all down here, so when these storms make landfall, we want to know particularly what the winds are.”

Back in September 2022, the winds of Hurricane Ian reached 160 miles per hour as it approached Florida’s southwest coast.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “The biggest flight we’ve had so far is in Ian itself, which that alone, that was a crazy flight.”

Hurricane hunters: “Holy cow!” “Oh, [expletive]!”

Video from inside that plane shows just how crazy it got.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “That initial transect through the western eyewall was, for me personally, the most violent, most turbulent transcect into a storm. And it was so violent that we ended up leaving the storm.”

But not before successfully deploying a drone into Ian’s eye.

Once dropped, its location is marked by a bull’s-eye on this remarkable radar image.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “This thing measured, set world records: 216 miles an hour. We recorded the strongest winds by any drone, anywhere, on this planet anyway. An incredible mission.”

Speaking of incredible, Saildrones, like their name suggests, literally ride the ocean’s massive waves.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “So this thing is sitting in the ocean, experiencing 50-foot waves. The Saildrone is nice, because it gets us right at the surface. We can see what’s going on in the ocean, because remember, the energy from the ocean is how the storms stay alive.”

Whether it’s flying drones or Saildrones, the key is for the data they collect to help improve forecasts here at the National Hurricane Center.

Daniel Brown, NHC: “I think there’s a real future for some of these instruments, because they can fly in areas of the storm that manned aircraft cannot.”

Dr. Joseph Cione: “That’s something that is an absolute must of this program, is to get the data to the people that can make these life-changing forecasts in real time.”

The mission is a personal one for Dr. Cione, a former South Florida resident.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “Spent many, many years in Miami. Loved my time in Miami. If this technology can get implemented, places like Florida, particularly South Florida, are going to benefit quite a bit.”

And we will all benefit from the information gathered by these new forecast tools.

Dr. Joseph Cione: “That’s the overriding mission for NOAA, right? We’re here to protect property and save lives.”

Which is why critical improvements in technology now will lead to better forecasts in the future.

Karen Hensel, 7News.

From beaches to parks to sidewalks, even under bridges, this is “home” for some people in South Florida.

But a new law taking effect in October, will ban camping and sleeping in public spaces so they may be forced to move.

Hyka: “I think it’s a horrible law. I think it’s very dehumanizing.”

The state law puts the burden on counties to set up designated areas for people to live, if shelters are full. The encampments must include bathrooms, security, plus access to mental health and substance abuse services.

Gov. Ron DeSantis: “It will help maintain and ensure that Florida streets are clean and that Florida streets are safe.”

State Sen. Shevrin Jones: “This bill does not, and it will not address the more pressing and root cause of homelessness.”

Politicians have had their say.

But we wanted to talk to those most impacted. So we hit the streets of South Florida.

Iris: “I was born in Cuba.”

Iris is 74 years old and said she has been homeless for three years.

Karen: “This is all your worldly possessions?”

Iris: “Yeah and that’s it.”

Petite and soft-spoken, she lives on this section of sidewalk near Miami Police headquarters.

Karen: “Do you feel safe right here?”

Iris: “Yes, yes.”

Karen: “If you feel safe here, would you feel safe in one of these new homeless camps where they’re going to have all the homeless live together?” 

Iris: “At this particular moment, I don’t know because, you see, I cannot be with many people or anything like that.”

Just across the street from Iris is Bernard. The 72-year-old said he is an army veteran and former firefighter.

Bernard: “I used to like Miami but boy, it just, you know…It’s just eh.”

Karen: “Will you take any of the services at these homeless camps if they offered services to you to find a home?”

Bernard: “You know, I’ve been trying to get off the street but they have been like, don’t want me to.”

Karen: “What do you mean they don’t want you to?”

Bernard: “Well they keep slow dragging. You know, they put you off and tell you to come back tomorrow.”

Farther south, near a Kendall neighborhood, a viewer sent us this video of makeshift structures under a bridge. We are told twenty people were living here. The camp has since been cleared out.

In Wynwood, two women were taking pictures unaware of a woman taking shelter nearby.

North to Broward, this was what we saw early in the morning: tents set up on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

More difficult to see was a man on the sidewalk next to his wheelchair and a woman sleeping right next to the street.

Jeff: “I’ve been homeless for like a little over two years.”

We met Jeff, Bryson, Hyka and Steven all living near the Broward Boulevard bus terminal. We also asked them their thoughts on the new law.

Jeff: “Everybody knows about this by word of mouth, you know? I mean, it’s pretty widely known.”

Bryson: “The homeless, you know, there’s two different types. There’s the (expletive) kind but there’s also a lot of good homeless people out here, you know, and we’ve had a hard time in life just like everybody. I think it’s real (expletive) up that they’re kicking us off public property.”

Hyka: “I know politicians don’t like homelessness but this is not going to make it go away. I can’t imagine the cops didn’t have a fit when they heard about it because they’re going to have a really hard time dealing with all of us. I don’t think they’ll be able to enforce it.”

Steven: “It’s not a crime. It’s just unfortunate that I’m homeless.”

Karen: “Steven and the others are not alone. Homelessness has reached record levels across the country. 

Now, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on a case out of Oregon.

At issue: whether it is unconstitutional to punish people for sleeping outside when there is not enough shelter space. How exactly the ruling will impact the new Florida law is unclear.

Karen Hensel, 7News.

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