Thirty-four-year-old Rory Kennedy was on top of the world, married with a newborn and living an active life.

Rory Kennedy: “When you’re in your 30s and you’re living a life where you’re just on the go and you work out all the time, you eat well, I’ve never had any health issues.”

He felt great, with perfect blood work and no reason to worry. Until he started experiencing bowel problems and went to see a doctor.

Rory Kennedy: “I had black, tarry stools. They just thought I had an ulcer. So we did some testing. They gave me some antibiotics and symptoms went away pretty quickly.”

But two years later, his symptoms came back. Doctors performed a colonoscopy and endoscopy. The tests revealed he had colon cancer.

Rory Kennedy: “Surgery was scheduled for just two weeks later, then four weeks after that, it’s chemo and chemo is for six months.”

Dr. Kiranmayi Muddassani at Mt. Sinai Medical Center is seeing more and more young colon cancer patients like Rory.

Dr. Kiranmayi Muddassani, colorectal surgeon: “I’ve seen a significant increase in the numbers. The youngest patient that I’ve diagnosed is as early as 26-years-old.”

She said diet, environment and genetics can play a role, but the mindset of younger men can be part of the problem.

Dr. Kiranmayi Muddassani: “It’s not something that they want to talk about, especially men. You know, they’re like, “Do I need it? It’s not necessary.’ Or like, they’ll give you 1,000 arguments why they’re fine.”

But it is a serious problem. The American Cancer Society recently lowered the age for a first time colonoscopy from 50 to 45, because catching colon cancer early is a key to survival.

Dr. Kiranmayi Muddassani: “So let’s say that you find a polyp that was just beginning, like pre-cancerous polyp, and you remove that. And that’s the absolute prevention of a colon cancer.”

Dr. Muddassani said it’s tough to get younger patients to understand their risks.

Dr. Kiranmayi Muddassani: “Listen to your body. It’s extremely important that you listen to your body. If you feel something is persistent, when I say persistent, it is more than 3 months and it doesn’t go away, ask yourself a question: ‘Are my symptoms getting better, worse or the same?'”

A few months after Roy’s first surgery, doctors found two more tumors on his liver, which put him at stage 4.

Rory Kennedy: “The percentages aren’t good, but I do know people do beat this. You really don’t have another option, you got to keep going, especially when you’re younger and you have a wife and a kid.”

He wants other young men to hear his story so if they are experiencing any symptoms, they seek out an early diagnosis and early life-saving treatment.

Courtney Allen, 7News.

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

For Kenny Nodal – school safety isn’t just a concern – it’s her job. She’s a middle school math teacher at Doral Academy.

Kenny Nodal: “It’s something that I enjoy doing.”

Kenny has been teaching for nearly 20 years. Which is why she was shocked when this letter arrived from Miami-Dade Police.

Kenny Nodal, teacher: “I got the warning last week. I received the notice in the mail.”

It is a warning for a school zone speed violation – complete with a photo of her car and license plate. But something didn’t add up for this math teacher.

Kenny Nodal: “What caught my attention initially was the time that was stamped on the picture that was taken of the license plate.”

The time stamp says 7:52 am.

Kenny Nodal: “I’m at work at that time, so I thought that maybe it had been given on a weekend. So when I looked at the calendar, it was a day of the week, it was on a Thursday, so then I thought, ‘Am I confused? Did I have the day off?'”

But she was working that day.

Kenny Nodal: “It turns out I was sending an email from my desk at work two minutes prior to the camera taking the picture. So I was already at work, I was not in the area at 7:52 in the morning.”

To make matters worse…

Kenny Nodal: “I realized that the sign posted is 8 a.m.”

What people don’t know is that the reduced speed limit of 15 miles per hour actually takes effect 30 minutes before the start of school in Miami-Dade County. According to the sheriff’s office, the slower speed starts earlier than the posted time of 8 a.m.

Kenny Nodal: “It’s an injustice.”

This was just a warning, but Kenny worries about what could happen next time. She also wonders how many drivers received tickets with the wrong time and paid them without realizing.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office runs the school zone cameras.

A spokesperson tells us the time on the camera was correct, and the department does not have an explanation for how Kenny’s car was on the road at that time. The sheriff’s office also says it has put in a request to correct the sign.

Kenny Nodal: “What I do is advocate for people, whether it’s my students or my community.”

Kenny says she always teaches her students to double-check the numbers. Now, she hopes the sheriff’s office is doing the same.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

This property has been in the Carrie family for decades.

Mark Carrie, facing foreclosure: “Me and my father, we built this. I went, looked for the land, saw it here.”

But they now fear it may be taken away.

Mark Carrie: “Wrong. Just abused, wrong, like.”

Mark Carrie was born and raised in Miami. He says his family has rented these properties out in Northwest Miami-Dade since the 1990s.

During COVID, some tenants fell behind on rent payments, which caused him to get behind on paying the mortgage.

Mark Carrie: “We’re chasing tenants for rent.”

He says he did get caught up — sending this wire transfer of more than $32,000 to the mortgage company in June of 2023.

Courtney Allen: “Whenever you sent that wire transfer, you thought you were good?”

Mark Carrie: “Correct.”

But a little more than a year later — Carrie got this notice saying he had more than $33,000 in overdue payments.

He believes the money from the original wire transfer was lost or misapplied.

Mark Carrie: “Where is my $32,000? What happened?”

Carrie says this property could be foreclosed on as soon as February, and since he was getting nowhere, he contacted 7Investigates. We talked to both the bank, who now say they are investigating.

Mark Carrie: “No one is gonna let us lose this. My mom, my father’s still alive. They’re eighty years old.”

And with the possible February foreclosure, Carrie is looking for an attorney who can quickly help save his family property.

Courtney Allen, 7News.

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

The website for Up Boats LLC promises “the ultimate tender.” A lightweight, custom carbon fiber boat.

Tom Stinnett: “This particular one, I was really pleased with the way it looked and the stability of the boat.”

Tom Stinnett was living in the Bahamas when he ordered one to ride around with his friends.

Tom Stinnett: “I paid him $28,885. I wire transferred that money on the Feb. 7.”

Tom says the owner of Up Boats LLC promised him, “We will have your boat ready by end of May.” But Tom says excuses and unanswered texts kept piling up as the delivery date approached.

Tom Stinnett: “The more I contacted him, the less he returned my phone calls, my texts, and my emails about the boat, and I knew I had a problem.”

Opa-locka Police started investigating after getting calls from buyers saying they paid a man named Ricardo Deuker at Up Boats for boats, they never received.

Deuker was arrested on theft and fraud charges on November 11th.

Sgt. Gabriela Llanes, Opa-locka PD: “We received information that he was leaving for Mexico. We don’t know the reasons why he was leaving. So we detained him at the airport with the assistance of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.”

Police tell 7 Investigates so far, they have found nearly half a million dollars in alleged fraud linked to Deuker, who also goes by the name Ric Ruthenberg.

He is facing 25 felony charges, including 13 counts of organized fraud and 12 counts of grand theft.

And 13 more boaters have contacted police, saying they never received their boats after paying for them.

Sgt. Gabriela Llanes: “We have an ongoing investigation, and we believe that there’s possibly 100 or more victims.”

Blaine Stevenson says his boat was actually delivered, but he says it was so poorly built that it sank.

He lives on the water—in the Virgin Islands. He had to pay for repairs on top of the nearly $12,000 he paid for the boat.

Blaine Stevenson: “And so I live off of an army retirement pension. So this boat is three months’ worth of my paycheck.”

Blaine started a Facebook page to find other people in the same ‘boat’ and was quickly sent this Reddit thread full of complaints from other boaters.

Blaine Stevenson: “We didn’t know anything about Reddit. I think if we had gone to Reddit, this thing would have blown up a lot sooner.”

Meanwhile, Tom decided to sue to get his money back.

Tom Stinnett: “I can’t stand fraud and dishonesty. I, of course, would like the money back. I can use that money in my retirement account.”

Police say it’s too early to know if the boaters will ever see their money again, but they are asking all potential victims to call them to file a complaint.

Ricardo Deuker is currently detained at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and awaiting arraignment.

Courtney Allen, 7News.

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

Runae Sneed can’t seem to keep the smile off her face these days.

Runae Sneed, homeowner: “Yes, it is a huge change.”

She recently moved into a brand-new home.

Runae Sneed: “Here’s my kitchen area.”

But it took nearly eight years to get here.

Runae Sneed: “A loooong time, it took a long time.”

When we met Runae in 2023, she was stressed, and her home was a nightmare. The ceilings were collapsing and the walls were infested with mold.

Runae Sneed: “It’s kind of scary. I just, I don’t know which direction to turn in.”

Her home was damaged during Hurricane Irma back in 2017. She couldn’t afford repairs, so she signed up for a program called Rebuild Florida. It was funded in 2018 with $615 million from the federal government. The money was supposed to be used to fix properties damaged by Irma.

Runae was approved for assistance. But she says help never arrived.

Runae Sneed: “I called just about every day or every other day. I called Rebuild Florida, I called the contractor, back and forth, back and forth, to no avail.”

The plan was to tear down Runae’s home and build a new one.

Construction permits were filed in 2020. None of the work was ever completed.

Runae says all she got was the runaround.

Runae Sneed: “And they were telling me then that the city was the hold-up, then the city’s telling me that it’s the contractors.”

After our story aired, Runae finally heard back from Rebuild Florida, and the work began. Runae moved into her new home a few months ago.

Runae Sneed: “It was really amazing to see, from what it looked like before to now. Beautiful. This is where i come in and just relax and unwind.”

Runae is not alone in her wait for help from Rebuild Florida. The Florida Department of Commerce operates the program.

It tells 7 Investigates that the “Rebuild Florida Hurricane Irma program has completed 3,897 homes. There are 26 homes to be completed. Florida Commerce’s goal is to complete the remaining homes as soon as possible.”

Runae has some words of advice.

Runae Sneed: “Fight. You gotta fight. You got to keep on top of things, and don’t give up. That’s the biggest thing I can tell you, is to don’t give up.”

After years of waiting, Runae’s nightmare is finally over, and has been replaced with a dream home.

Courtney Allen, 7News.

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

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 trucks drive through our neighborhoods picking up items for recycling.

Angela Munez: “Plastics, cans and any paper goods, which would be like pizza boxes or anything else that goes into that blue huge bin I have at my house.”

But are those things actually being recycled? 7Investigates wanted to find out.

We put an AirTag on a plastic milk bottle in Coconut Grove. Another AirTag on a metal can in Country Walk. A third one on a soda can in North Miami and a fourth on a plastic bottle at Miami International Airport.

A City of Miami recycling truck picked up the milk bottle.

Four days later, it pinged at the Miami-Dade County central transfer station.

The plastic bottle thrown away at MIA showed up a day later at the Miami-Dade County west transfer station.

Waste taken to both of these transfer stations goes to a landfill and is not recycled.

The AirTag on the metal can of dog food in Country Walk and the one on the soda can we recycled in North Miami Beach stopped transmitting after being picked up.

They might have been smashed in the truck so we have no way of knowing if these items were recycled or not.

But two of our four items were not recycled and that frustrates some residents

Jacob Fleishman: “We’re paying to recycle. So might as well make sure it happens.”

But the reality is a lot of our recyclables end up in this long line of trucks at landfills

Kari: “Very mad, very upset. We’ve been recycling for a long time.”

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection wanted to find out why. So it commissioned this study, which found contamination is a big issue

Operators said “they could process more if incoming materials were cleaner.”

Dr. Yalan Liu: “A lot of them find diapers and all kinds of stuff in their recycling.”

Researcher Dr. Yalan Liu says as much as 50% of recyclable material is contaminated, something city officials say they deal with every day.

Russell Ketchem: “Contamination is by far the killer to a recycling program or to your commodity that you’re trying to recycle.”

So what can we do?

Start at home. Make sure your recyclable items are clean, so the load doesn’t get rejected and sent to a landfill.

Miami-Dade County is actually working on app-based tools to help residents identify what can and cannot be recycled.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Week after week, we place our boxes and bottles, cans and plastic in our recycling bins. We hope it will help save the planet.

Angela Munez: “I hope it is, I pray it is. That’s why I do it every two weeks. I take it out, it’s always full to the top.”

But 7 Investigates wanted to find out what really happens to the items we recycle.

We glued Apple AirTags to bottles, cans, plastic, milk cartons and boxes to see where they would end up.

We started in Broward County, with a cardboard box in Dania Beach and a wine bottle in Hollywood, a paper cup at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a cardboard tube in Pompano Beach.

All of the items were tossed into recycling bins with an AirTag attached.

Heather Walker: “Do you think your recycling gets recycled?”

Susan Akhtarkhavari: “Honestly, I’m doing my part, and I’m hoping it does.”

Here’s what happened. The cardboard tube first went to a Waste Management transfer station in Deerfield Beach. It was sent from there to Waste Management’s large recycling center in Pembroke Pines.

City officials say this is how recycling is supposed to work.

Russell Ketchem, Director of Environmental Services: “So it will go from the truck that picks it up off the street to a transfer station, and then transferred to a recycling processing facility out in Pembroke Pines.”

Our box in Dania Beach was tracked to this Waste Management transfer station in Davie, where we lost the signal. Though we don’t know exactly what happened, an AirTag that is crushed into a recycling bale would be destroyed.

The wine bottle was picked up in Hollywood and also sent to a transfer station.

Less than 12 hours later, it pinged 178 miles away in Central Florida at the JED Landfill, where there is no recycling.

The airtag from FLL ended up at the South Broward Waste-to-Energy Plant. It was burned and turned into power, which is sold to Florida Power & Light.

Heather Walker: “Do you think your recycling is being recycled?”

Steven Price: “Uh, I have no idea. The cans and glass, I assume are; the plastic, I doubt it. But we do the best we can.”

Airport authorities in a statement said, “Unfortunately, recyclables typically end up being mixed by airport users with non-recycled waste like food, liquids, plastic bags, etc…” which means they have to go out with the trash to be burned.

Hollywood city officials also blame contamination for the wine bottle being sent to the dump. If collection workers believe the load is too contaminated, they send the load out as trash.

In Pompano Beach, collection workers don’t have to pick up a bin that has the wrong items inside it.

Russell Ketchem: “He has the last look to say, ‘This is a go, no-go.’ And if he looks in the bin, and it is full of contamination, then it’s a no-go. Because it’s remarkable how little contamination and the type can mess up a whole truck.”

The end result for Broward County? Three out of four of our test items appeared to have been recycled.

On Wednesday, we test Miami-Dade County and look deeper into why so much of what we recycle ends up in landfills.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Karla Kelley thought she had set herself up for a nice, comfortable retirement after 30 years of teaching.

Karla Kelley, Bitcoin ATM scam victim: “I had worked all my life to get to a point where I had no debt.”

But one phone call changed that.

Karla Kelley: “They put a fear into me, it’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh.'”

Karla says she got an email about her PayPal account and was given a phone number to call. That’s when she got the bad news.

Karla Kelley: “Your account is in jeopardy; somebody has got your identity.”

The man on the phone said her account was hacked and criminals now had access to her bank accounts. So, she needed to take steps to protect her money.

Karla Kelley: “The guy asked me, ‘How much do you have in my savings account,’ and I said, ‘$5,000.’ He said ‘OK, take the $5,000 and put it into it,'” and he gave me a bitcoin machine.”

The man told her to take her money out of the bank and put it in bitcoin, but the man wasn’t done. Over the coming weeks, he claimed to be working with the police and said all of her bank and investment accounts were in danger of being stolen.

Heather Walker: “I know people are going to be watching and say, ‘How did she fall for this?'”

Karla Kelley: “I know it, I know it. If I was watching me, I would be saying the same thing. It’s the fear.”

Scammers use fear to steal billions of dollars from people all across the country.

Karla Kelley: “In the very beginning, they told me, ‘You cannot tell anybody because it could jeopardize the investigation.’ So I’m like, ‘All right, well, the FBI knows what they are doing. I certainly don’t want to jeopardize their investigation.’ So I didn’t say anything to my daughter, my friends, and I lived with 14 months with this fear and anxiety.”

Experts say the crooks know exactly how to manipulate their victims.

Karen Murillo, AARP Florida: “This is not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about. This is a game of numbers for the scammers; they are targeting us at a crazy rate these days.”

The actual number of victims is unknown because many people never report the crime.

A police body camera was rolling as this Texas woman inserted her life savings into a bitcoin atm. Not stopping, even when the police arrived.

These Bitcoin ATMs are a huge problem. Florida has more than 3,000 of them in stores across the state, and none of them are regulated.

Karen Murillo: “These scammers are exploiting the lack of consumer protections.”

There is no daily transaction limit, and most of the time when the money is sent, it’s gone instantly — because only the scammers have access to the cryptocurrency.

Karen Murillo: “It’s devastating, and Florida needs more protections.”

AARP Florida is pushing lawmakers to regulate Bitcoin ATMs and require the owners to pay back people whose money is stolen.

It’s too late for Karla. Her money is gone, and now she could lose her home.

Karla Kelley: “I’ve raised my daughter here. We’ve had Christmas, Thanksgiving, people all out on the patio, you know, we have a lot of memories here.”

Her daughter is trying to help – using social media to raise funds and warn others. She started a GoFundMe.

Now, with help from her family and friends, Karla is trying to rebuild her life.

Karla Kelley: “I can’t blame myself because I’m a trusting person. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Her lesson to others – if anyone asks you to put money in a bitcoin ATM – stop and call police.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

It was supposed to be the ultimate family vacation.

Ngozi Emelike: “Our family saved up for the entire year to take our parents out to vacation.”

Ngozi Emelike and her family live in DC. So they were ready to soak up some South Florida sun with her parents, who finally had some free time.

Ngozi Emelike: “They are retired, so we wanted to take them out. Got all the grandkids, all the parents together.”

They turned it into a true family affair – 11 people in total. They booked a big house so everyone could hang out together. Her sister-in-law, Bianca Parker, helped plan the trip.

Bianca Parker: “We were looking forward to it. We always imagined going to Miami is more of a fun spot. It’s time to relax, have a good time.”

This is the home they rented — “A Modern Three-Story Waterfront Residence” – with seven bedrooms, nine baths, a pool, and a hot tub.

Ngozi Emelike: “We hear a lot about the homes, how you can stay in the homes in Miami. They are really grand and nice by the water. We were super excited.”

But, days before their trip, the family says they got a call from Luxuri Management – the South Florida-based company that listed the home for rent on VRBO.

Bianca Parker: “All of the issues started when we received information from the house that the home we planned on staying at was no longer available. They had damages, and we wouldn’t be able to stay there.”

The family asked for a refund. That’s when they say things took a turn.

Bianca Parker: “They kind of, tried to convince us basically to stay at another home.”

Ngozi Emelike: “He was saying, ‘It’s the same house,’ we are going to have a good time, it’s above the water.”

This was the new house, it looked good on paper, and it was about $10,000 cheaper…

But when they arrived at the home, some toilets didn’t flush, appliances were broken, and it was dirty. They stayed because they had nowhere else to go. But after the trip, they filed a lawsuit — to get some of their money back.

Bianca Parker: “Just get the money back, just to get the difference so that way we could actually make our parents happy and make us feel good about what we did.”

7Investigates reached out to Luxuri Management LLC. The company sent us a statement saying, “We take pride in delivering exceptional service and hospitality. It is our goal to make every say a true reflection of the care and quality our guests deserve. We worked closely with the guest to reach a positive resolution, and the matter has since been resolved.”

The family says that the resolution was a “$2,000 refund” in exchange for removing any bad reviews. When we contacted VRBO, the company immediately agreed to refund the nearly $10,000 price difference.

Ngozi Emelike: “That is amazing! I mean, for you to be able to do this for us, wow. I just want to thank you and your team for listening to us, caring about what we had to say and fighting for us.”

VRBO says if a host cancels last minute, contact customer service before accepting any new offer. It wasn’t the picture-perfect vacation this family was hoping for, but now they have money for their next trip.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Kathy Thomas has lived in her Miami-Dade home for decades.

Kathy Thomas: “I bought this house in May, June, right before Hurricane Andrew in 1992.”

Her house survived Hurricane Andrew. But she’s afraid it might not survive a plan to replace a canal bridge just outside her backyard.

Kathy Thomas: “And there’s a crack that goes around the wall here.”

The bridge is on Caribbean Boulevard and crosses the canal between Southwest 103rd Avenue and Southwest 103rd Place. It was built in 1963.

Miami-Dade County announced it would spend $3 million to replace it in 2021.

The county promised it would take a little more than a year to complete.

Kathy Thomas: “Here we are in 2025 and the bridge is a dinosaur. It’s never been finished.”

Heavy equipment was moved in behind Kathy’s home in late 2021.

Crews dredged the canal and piled everything against the fence in her backyard.

Kathy Thomas: “I was so surprised to come home one day and find a five foot wall of coral rock where I couldn’t even open the fence gate in my backyard.”

This piece of machinery was then brought in to drill massive metal panels into the ground.

Kathy says it caused her house to shake.

Kathy Thomas: “I have the sound here if you’d like to hear it. It was sort of like ‘Jurassic Park,’ the movie where they got the glass and you see the dinosaurs walking and you see the glass is vibrating. That’s exactly what it was inside my house.”

Early last year, construction came to a screeching halt. Workers disappeared.

Kathy says they left behind a mess, and some major issues in and around her home.

Kathy Thomas: “Well, I first noticed cracks in the tile.”

Kathy believes the vibrations from the piledriving have damaged her home’s foundation.

Her patio floors have become uneven, and a wall has shifted out of place.

Kathy Thomas: “You can see that whole wall is hanging off of the foundation.”

She had her home checked by an engineer.

A report blamed the damage on “…shifting and movement of underlying soil caused by associated bridge construction activities such as sheet and pile driving related vibrations…”

Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works hired a private company to replace the bridge.

The department says the contractor “…adhered to all required specifications, including vibration monitoring and property surveys for the subject property…”

However, the county fired that contractor last year.

Kathy Thomas: “What is left there is just the bare bones of what a bridge should be.”

We reached out to the company hired by the county — no one has returned our calls.

Kathy says it could cost more than $100,000 to fix all the damage to her home. She believes she shouldn’t have to be the one to pay.

Kathy Thomas: “Why should I pay for the damage that was done to my home from a county project?”

We told Miami-Dade County about the damage to Kathy’s home.

It said: “While DTPW has received feedback from neighboring property owners throughout the project, none have raised concerns related to vibrations. Nonetheless, we have connected directly with the homeowner to review and address her concerns.”

Kathy’s concerns are only growing. The county is now accepting bids to restart the bridge project.

Kathy Thomas: “And so what’s going to happen when the new company comes and begins work again? Is my house going to be subjected to more types of construction damage?”

The new bridge is not expected to be finished until 2030, and Kathy is worried a lot more trouble could lie ahead.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Virgil Widmy wants to take his family away from the violence in Haiti and start a new life in the United States. But he says the “company” that was supposed to help him immigrate has left him stranded in the Dominican Republic for nearly a year.

Virgil Widmy: “I can’t go back to my country, and I’m stuck here.”

A friend recommended Virgil use Charluna #1 Travel Agency in North Miami to get a visa and move to the U.S.

Virgil called the agency and says he spoke to a woman named Lunie Pierre.

He says Pierre promised to get him a visa to Mexico, where he could then apply for temporary protected status in the U.S.

Virgil Widmy: “I had to come here to the Dominican Republic, since she told me we’d be boarding a flight to Mexico from Dominican Republic. She told us that we would get a visa.”

Virgil says he paid the agency an $8,000 deposit, then he sent an additional $4,508 after arriving in the Dominican Republic.

But Virgil says Pierre ghosted him right before his flight to Mexico.

Virgil Widmy: “I couldn’t reach her anymore. I was supposed to be boarding on October 20th. October 19, I didn’t hear from her.”

Amide Joseph says she had a similar situation when she tried to get a visa for her brother.

She didn’t want to show her face because she’s worried about her brother’s safety. He’s still in Haiti.

Amide Joseph: “I really feel bad because he is my youngest brother.”

She says she paid Pierre $4,000, but the day her brother was supposed to leave Haiti and head to the U.S., he and the other people traveling with him were stopped at the airport.

Amide Joseph: “Their tickets were checked, and they were told that their tickets were not in the system because they were not paid.”

7 Investigates spoke with more than a dozen people in Haiti and South Florida who say they paid thousands of dollars to the travel agency or Lunie Pierre for immigration help, but never got to the U.S.

Amide Joseph: “She doesn’t want to refund the money. The money is gone.”

7 Investigates called Lunie Pierre, but she refused to answer any questions.

A former customer filed a complaint against Pierre and Charluna #1 Travel Agency with the state. It claims Pierre gave them “a fake Brazilian visa and failed to deliver the promised services.”

Pierre denied the claims and said she doesn’t own a travel agency. She added her “…brother owns a travel agency … it is based and operated in Haiti…” and they “…do not offer visa services.”

After her response, the state closed the complaint.

Patricia Elizee, immigration attorney: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Immigration attorney Patricia Elizee says, if you want to move to the U.S, your best option is to hire a lawyer, because it’s a long process.

Right now, the only legal option most Haitians have is to get a visa in a different country, then go to the U.S. Embassy and try to be accepted as a third country national.

Patricia Elizee: “And that request is not always guaranteed.”

If the request is approved, there’s still work ahead, and it involves more than just paying for a visa and getting on a plane.

Patricia Elizee: “I know people are desperate, but this isn’t the time to take risks with the funds that you have or with your immigration status.”

Virgil took the risk. He’s now stuck in the Dominican Republic, afraid to go back to Haiti.

Virgil Widmy: “I can’t go back to my country. You know, the situation, the current situation, the gangs, violence, you know, everywhere in the country.”

He’s still hopeful to start a new life with his family in the U.S., if he can find the right person to help.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Kimberly DeSocio is a collector.

Kimberly DeSocio: “I like to collect dolls, you know, I’ve been into Barbie dolls for a long time.”

She has a huge collection, and each piece brings her joy.

Kimberly DeSocio: “It’s the memory of where we were when we got it, you know, what it was like to get that particular, you know, doll or toy, the collectible.”

Kimberly can’t keep her entire collection at home, so she rents out a storage unit in Dania Beach.

She’s had the unit for more than a decade and never had a problem. Until now.

On July 30, Kimberly says someone broke into her storage unit.

Kimberly DeSocio: “It looked like somebody just threw a bomb in there.”

She filed a police report, and a day later Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Michael Shutov. He’s charged with burglary and theft.

Deputies say they found some of Kimberly’s belongings at a different storage unit Shutov was renting in Davie.

A lot more was missing, including a set of dolls with sentimental value.

Kimberly DeSocio: “These two Willy Wonka dolls. As crazy as it sounds, you know, they’re like 18 inches, but they’re really cool. And I was furious, furious over two dolls, two dolls that are more sentimental to me than monetary.”

BSO detectives found the dolls at 2 J’s Pawn & Gun in Davie.

Kimberly came to pick up her property, but left empty-handed. She claims she was told she’d need to pay to get her property back.

Kimberly DeSocio: “And then the guy tells me ‘OK, that will be $75.’ And I’m like, ‘$75?’ I said, ‘It’s my stolen property,’ and I said, ‘I’m not paying, you have stolen property. You want to sell me my stolen property back?'”

7News went to 2 J’s Pawn & Gun.

7News employee: “Hi, we’re with Channel 7.”

An employee said there was no manager or owner to speak with us.

Pawn shop employee: “They’re not available right now.”

7News employee: “Can I leave my card?”

Kimberly sent 2 J’s Pawn & Gun a letter where she threatened to file a lawsuit.

She says that’s when the pawn shop finally handed over the dolls.

Kimberly DeSocio: “It’s all about principle, you know, and what’s right and wrong.”

Florida law does not require people to pay to get their stolen property back from pawn shops.

Kimberly DeSocio: “I’m not paying to buy my stolen property back. I said, ‘That’s insane!'”

Kimberly finally has her dolls, but the case isn’t over. A lot of her things are still missing, and they may be gone for good.

Kimberly DeSocio: “I’ve been very, very lucky. Most people never recover their stuff back.”

Kimberly hopes she’s lucky enough to find the rest of her collection.

Brandon Beyer, 7News.

The owner of 2 J’s Pawn & Gun called 7News Tuesday afternoon and claimed that having people buy back their stolen property has been a common practice among pawn shops for years.

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

Jorge loved his wife, Daidys, just the way she was. But she wanted a Brazilian butt lift.

Jorge Fernandez: “I say, ‘If you like it, it’s no problem.'”

But it ended up being a very big problem, changing Jorge and Daidys’ lives forever.

Daidys’ surgery was supposed to be an outpatient procedure, but about a month after the operation, she was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism, blocking blood flow from her heart into her lungs.

Doctors told Jorge she wouldn’t survive.

Jorge Fernandez: “She was my first, like my first love.”

Today she is alive, but the 50-year-old is a shell of the vibrant woman she once was.

Jorge Fernandez: “She never more will talk or walk or eat by herself.”

She eats through a feeding tube.

Jorge is her caretaker.

Heather: “Did you ever think this would happen?”

Jorge Fernandez: “No, never.”

Jorge is now suing A&E Med Spa, along with the doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Fermin Morales, who is certified as a general surgeon, not a plastic surgeon.

Lavenia Santos, attorney: “This pulmonary embolism occurred because of this surgery.”

According to the lawsuit, patients, like Daidys, were misled by the med spa about the doctor’s qualifications, “from representations made by the agents at A&E Med Spa, any reasonable person would be led to believe that Fermin Esteban Morales, M.D., was Board Certified in Plastic Surgery when, in fact, he was not.”

Lavenia Santos: “The woman has no idea that she is not being cared for by a board-certified plastic surgeon. That’s just wrong.”

While some people might feel it’s wrong, it’s perfectly legal for any licensed medical doctor, regardless of their specialty, to perform cosmetic or plastic surgery.

Lavenia Santos: “If the public knew that, they probably not be so willing to go, regardless of price. What happened to her shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

7Investigates found the State Surgeon General recommended in January that Dr. Morales be sanctioned after another patient died during a butt lift procedure, but state records don’t show the resolution of the case.

We tried to talk to someone from Med Spa and Dr. Fermin Morales.

The spa’s lawyer said they had no comment on the lawsuit, but in a court filing they denied the claims in the lawsuit, they also told us that Dr. Morales no longer works there.

Despite several attempts to reach Dr. Morales, he never responded. Jorge says he hopes the doctor sees what happened to Daidys.

Jorge knows the lawsuit won’t heal his wife, but he hopes it will spare another family from this kind of heartache.

If you would like to support Daidys’ road to recovery and rehabilitation, click here.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Alias has owned his home in Sunrise since 1996.

Alias Panangayil: “When I bought this house, there was no houses around. It’s all empty, and I’m the first owner.”

But recently, he started to notice some problems with his roof.

Alias Panangayil: “Last year, I saw some leaks, and then I’m planning for replacing the roof in the near future.”

When this fax, advertising a flat roof specialist, came into his office, he thought he had found a solution. He called the business, talked to a man who said his name was Tommy and that he worked for Gravity Roofing.

Alias Panangayil: “When I met him, he looked like he was a professional person, because he was wearing the name of Gravity Roofing, blue T-shirt, and his two employees who is working with him, they are also wearing the Gravity Roofing’s T-shirts. So it looks professional, you know, appearance. So we believe that it’s real Gravity Roofing staffing.”

Alias’ Ring camera caught him and Tommy walking around the house, talking about the work that needed to be done.

Alias Panangayil: “I said, ‘OK.’ Finally, I agreed, $5,100.”

Alias says Tommy asked him to Zelle part of the money. The rest he wanted in cash so his guys could buy supplies and start working the next day.

Alias Panangayil: “I said, ‘I have to go to Sunday morning, the church, so I will be available after 2 o’clock or something.’ ‘Oh, no problem, 3 o’clock, I will come because I also go to church.'”

Come Sunday afternoon, no one showed up. Alias called Tommy for days, but no one returned his call.

The work was never done. At that point, he called Gravity Roofing.

Taz Crumpler: “Someone has been impersonating our company, Gravity Roofing, using our license number, our business identity, to scam homeowners across South Florida, especially targeting the elderly.”

Taz Crumpler owns Gravity Roofing, which is based in Orlando. He started getting calls from South Florida homeowners in June.

Taz Crumpler: “So, within the last 30 days alone, we have received calls from six different families in which most were scammed out of thousands of dollars.”

Crumpler immediately filed the complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. He claims some of the homeowners “found Tommy” through “Angi and HomeAdvisor.”

He then got his lawyers involved.

Taz Crumpler: “We’ve sent cease and desist letters. Even like Angi and HomeAdvisor, like they haven’t even deactivated this person’s account, even though we’ve made them well aware.”

After a month of back and forth, both Angi and HomeAdvisor put disclaimers on the Gravity Roofing profile page. Angi says, “This pro is under review.” HomeAdvisor says there are “unresolved complaints.”

Taz is frustrated because those complaints are not about him or his company’s work and are hurting his business.

Taz Crumpler: “It’s also exposing dangerous gaps in the verification process of major platforms and also has embarrassingly revealed the lack of urgency from state regulators, like the [Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation], local police departments.”

Alias Panangayil: “When I talked to the police department, they said, ‘You have to file in the court.’ That’s what they told me.”

Taz says, while his company has not lost money because of the South Florida scam, he has lost peace of mind.

Taz Crumpler: “I haven’t been able to sleep knowing that there’s someone out there taking advantage of vulnerable people, using my name to do it.”

He hopes this warning, and showing these pictures and videos, will get “Tommy” caught before someone else is caught up in his web of lies.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Brickell is busy with lots of people and pets, but one thing the area is lacking, is parks.

Isabel Quintero, Brickell resident: “It’s so sad.”

Which is why when the Southside Park closed, residents like Isabel Quinetro were angry.

Isabel Quintero: “I was extremely upset when I found out because this is the only park that we have in this area of Brickell.”

The park is located near The Underline off of Southwest 11th Street. But as you can see, the playground, basketball courts and the rest of the park is fenced off.

A developer has put a sales office for a new high-rise here

Isabel Quintero: “No park for the dogs, my poor baby. So many people have dogs and so many kids also. That was a park that belonged to the community. Who gave them the right to take it?”

7Investigates went to the city for answers.

City of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo: “We have not given the park to a private developer. That park will be developed by the private developer.”

Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo represents this area. He said the park closure is temporary. It is part of an agreement between the developer and the City of Miami.

Joe Carollo: “They have the right to be upset and be angry because they don’t have the use and haven’t had the full use of that park for some time.”

But he says the deal was made with residents in mind.

In order to build here, the developer agreed to put millions of dollars into park renovations, including a new playground, dog runs and basketball courts.

For residents like Isabel, that will be nice. But the developer says it won’t be done until 2027.

Isabel Quintero: “So now, what do we do?”

Heather Walker: “Is there any way for a portion of the park to be open during this process?”

Joe Carollo: “I have been looking at that, and I hope that in the next several weeks I’ll have an answer for you.”

7Investigates will be following up. Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Going on a cruise can be a lot of fun.

Natasha Roosekrans: “We had an amazing vacation.”

Randy Roosekrans: “That’s true.”

Randy and Natasha Roosekrans say their cruise to Europe was smooth sailing, but getting to the ship was a rough ride.

Randy Roosekrans: “I apologize, I was trying to make it easier.”

Officer: “You’re not, so keep your mouth shut at this point.”

Back in April, Randy and Natasha flew from Georgia to Fort Lauderdale for a three-week cruise.

They decided to Uber from their hotel to Port Everglades.

It was their first time using the app.

Randy Roosekrans: “When we were thinking back about everything that happened, that at any point during the process of the ride, our lives were potentially at risk.”

They say everything seemed legit at first.

Natasha Roosekrans: “It was the right car that was advertised and it had the Uber sign.”

Randy Roosekrans: “It matched the number.”

The driver even had Randy’s Uber confirmation code, a four-digit pin number drivers and riders get when a trip is booked.

Randy says it didn’t take long before things took a wrong turn.

Randy Roosekrans: “Ten minutes in, the driver starts kind of looking around himself and, you know, feeling over on his seat. He said ‘Well, I seem to have left my wallet somewhere.'”

Port Everglades requires everyone over 18 to show an ID at the checkpoint, including rideshare drivers.

The driver pulled over and asked Randy to get behind the wheel.

Randy thought he was helping.

Randy Roosekrans: “He said, ‘You’ve got your passport on you, and so, why don’t you just switch places with me and drive in.’ Well, he got into the passenger seat. I came out of the backseat and got in the driver seat.”

The plan didn’t work.

The officer at the checkpoint asked everyone in the car for their IDs. The Uber driver was sitting in the passenger seat next to Randy. Things kicked into high gear, and Natasha caught it on video.

Officer: “Where’s your ID?”

Driver: “I try.”

Officer: “Produce it! Produce it for me, now! Don’t play like you don’t understand what I’m saying.”

Driver: “No! No!”

Officer: “You wanna play that game, I’ll put you in handcuffs and tow your car.”

Officers took the driver’s phone and checked his Uber account.

Officer: “I can’t verify your account, so it sounds to me like you’re operating on somebody else’s account and not your own. I’m writing you a notice of violation because you don’t have identification that matches with your Uber account. That’s a problem.”

An officer then told Randy and Natasha their driver was using a family member’s account to pick up fares.

Lady Officer: “What’s happening right now is illegal, okay?”

Randy and Natasha had to get out of the car and find another ride to the pier.

Randy Roosekrans: “It was embarrassing for us.”

Natasha Roosekrans: “We’re standing there with our luggage, just, in the middle of the street.”

To add insult to injury, when they filed a complaint with Uber and requested a refund, the company told them, “This trip isn’t eligible for a refund.”

Randy Roosekrans: “Illegal driver, you know, not his car, asked the passenger to drive him in, got detained by the police. We were escorted out by the police. If this doesn’t qualify for a refund, I’m gonna have you tell me what does.”

We emailed Uber to ask why Randy and Natasha weren’t eligible for a refund.

A representative said they would look into the complaint and the couple got their money back the same day. But Natasha says it’s not really about the cash.

Natasha Roosekrans: “It has to do with the safety of passengers. What if it’s a young kid that’s Ubering someplace?”

Things may have started off rough, but Randy and Natasha didn’t let it wreck their vacation.

They just hope rideshare apps work harder to pump the brakes on bogus drivers.

Heather Walker, 7News.

Broward Sheriff’s Office issued the driver two citations and a trespassing warning. He will also have to pay a $2,000 fine.

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

Summer is here and with the rise in temperature can come a rise in violence.

Lamont Nanton: “When you live in conditions that are not favorable, whether it’s the actual conditions of the home or the violence or just a lack of resources, it creates anger, it creates frustration.”

This area in Miami near Liberty City is called Buena Vista.

Lamont Nanton: “It’s public housing. So here, you will have people in low income brackets.”

Barbara French: “I got three kids and all four of us have been shot here.”

It was once one of the most violent neighborhoods in Miami until the nonprofit group, Circle of Brotherhood, started deploying peacemakers to the area. Men like Ernest.

Ernest was once involved in street violence. He was shot and left paralyzed. Now, he is trying to save others from a similar fate — like this high school athlete who has dreams of making it to the pros.

Ernest: “Look where you at man and you are still keeping your head down and still going out of this gate and going to make sure you handle your dreams, bro.”

The peacemakers do just that – make peace. They work to de-escalate situations and teach others those same skills.

Heather: “Do you think they have helped reduce violence in your neighborhood?”

Resident: “Yeah, yeah it died down. Some people, they are scared to come back over and visit because of them.”

And the statistics support that — showing homicide rates have dropped by double digit percentages in the areas patrolled by peacemakers. But despite proof the program is working, federal funding for the Brotherhood has been cut.

Lyle Muhammad: “For it to happen to be quite honest, days before summer, to me, that is actually a death wish.”

In April, Circle of Brotherhood executive director, Lyle Muhammad, received an email saying their three-year, $2-million grant was “terminated.”

Lyle Muhammad: “When funding for work like ours goes down, violence goes up.”

Heather: “If they disappeared from your neighborhood, how would you feel?”

Resident: “Well, that would be bad because, you know, I feel safe talking to them. That would be terrible, you know, if they cut them off like that.”

The Circle of Brotherhood didn’t give up. The group went to work and started fundraising.

A social media telethon brought in more than $75,000 in just three weeks.

Lyle Muhammad: “It’s been beautiful to watch to me, to be honest. It’s not just the funds being raised, but it’s the awareness in the community that is being built.”

For now, they are operating week-to-week until they meet their $1.6 million fundraising goal.

That’s enough to keep the program running for one year.

Lyle Muhammad: “Our work has helped drive crime down across the entire county. This work is worthy of support.”

Lyle is hoping that even if the federal government doesn’t see the benefit, the community will.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Two years have passed since Ana Vieira hired Alco Windows and Doors LLC to install impact windows at her Margate home.

The windows never arrived, but she was still being forced to pay for them.

Ana Vieira, homeowner: “I should not be penalized for somebody’s mistakes!”

Back in February, 7News revealed she was one of several homeowners with similar stories.

All of them say they got a loan to pay Alco Windows and Doors LLC, but either work was never started or jobs weren’t finished. It left them on the hook for thousands of dollars.

Ana says she refused to pay it back.

Ana Vieira: “My loan was, starting off, was $10,028.36. All I want and demand is for that loan to be out of my credit history.”

Homeowners are taking their cases to court. They are not only suing the window business but also the financing company that gave them loans to pay for the work.

Hal Axler: “Hopefully there will be some justice for this.”

The homeowners say an employee with Alco Windows and Doors LLC signed them up for loans through an online lending service called Momnt. It connects construction companies with banks to provide financing for customers.

Hal Axler: “Everything’s on a tablet. Everything was very quick and easy.”

Hal Axler was approved for a $10,000 loan.

The money was sent directly from Momnt to Alco Windows and Doors LLC, but no work was ever done, and no one from the window company would respond to his calls. Hal also called Momnt for help but didn’t get anywhere.

Hal Axler: “It got to a point where, you know, especially when Momnt would not return any calls, their customer service, you would email them and they were nonexistent.”

Several lawsuits have been filed against Alco Windows and Doors LLC, Momnt Servicing Company LLC and one of two banks that provided the money for the loans.

One lawsuit claims Momnt Servicing Company LLC and the banks were involved in “deceptive practices” by issuing payments without checking “whether Alco Windows and Doors LLC has pulled permits or initiated work.”

Attorney Yasha Osby says Momnt would send money to Alco Windows and Doors LLC before work was even started, adding that financing companies usually wait until a contractor has pulled a permit before sending any money.

Yasha Osby, attorney: “Why did you guys pay this company a full payment? And you didn’t even have evidence that they pulled a permit?”

Osby is representing five homeowners who are asking for the loans to be canceled or be awarded enough money to pay them off.

Yasha Osby: “They’re stuck with the loan for a service that they have never received.”

Momnt Servicing Company LLC tells 7News, “We are committed to resolving disputes and fulfilling our obligations to our consumers. We investigate all claims thoroughly and take appropriate action based on the results of the individual investigation.”

And just this week, Ana was notified her account was closed and the loan was taken off her credit report.

Ana Vieira: “Finally, I’ll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The other homeowners haven’t heard anything about their loans.

Ana says at least she can finally close the door on this devastating financial storm.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

She was once a celebrated sergeant with the North Bay Village Police Department.

Now, Amy Gordon is banned from having a badge.

A police investigation found that while Gordon was treasurer of the city’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, she stole more than $68,000 and used it to gamble.

Al Palacio, Florida Fraternal Order of Police District 6 Director: “I think it’s disgusting.”

A police review of the lodge’s bank statements revealed more than 130 withdrawals from ATMs at casinos here in South Florida and other states.

The statements also showed several transfers to her personal bank account — with amounts ranging from $200 to $1,000.

Al Palacio: “We’re supposed to be the good guys, you know, in every case.”

Al Palacio is the Director of the Police Unions in Miami-Dade County. He says Gordon was taking money from her fellow officers.

Al Palacio: “I would definitely be angry.”

Gordon was the secretary as well as the treasurer at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge. It’s similar to a union, and officers pay to be members.

Al Palacio: “However, there are checks and balances. The issue is, in this case, she was the secretary of the local lodge, so it kind of puts her in a position where she’s actually the checks and balances.”

North Bay Village Police began investigating after Gordon abruptly resigned from her secretary/treasurer position.

In a statement from the village manager, the case was sent to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office for review. “As a result of their investigation, they offered a non-prosecution package to former Sgt. Gordon.”

The package had several requirements for Gordon to avoid criminal charges.

She had to “surrender her law enforcement certificate” and “attend gambling addiction treatment.”

Her case remains open until she meets all of the requirements.

North Bay Village Police Chief Carlos Noriega called it a “successful conclusion” in his letter to the state attorney.

But some officers in North Bay Village aren’t satisfied with the results of the investigation. They say anyone else would have been charged with a crime, prosecuted and possibly faced jail time.

Instead, Gordon was allowed to retire with a full pension.

In her retirement email to the chief, there was no apology. Instead, she wrote: “I would like to “express my gratitude” to “my fellow officers.”

The same officers who now wonder why she wasn’t charged with a crime.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Jessica Aguilar and her husband Josue have been together for five years. They have been trying to legalize his status, but it hasn’t been easy.

Jessica Rodriguez-Aguilar: “Why is it that we’re getting punished for trying to do the right thing, for trying to legalize in this country?”

Jessica said Josue came to South Florida from Honduras by himself 12 years ago when he was 14. He applied for asylum status, but was denied because of insufficient evidence.

Jessica Rodriguez-Aguilar: “So, during the time that his case was kind of ongoing, he got a temporary work permit and a social security number.”

He appealed the decision, and while he waited, he attended high school and got a job. A deportation order was issued after he graduated in 2018. It was never enforced– until now.

Josue Aguilar: “I’m just a little bit scared because I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

Jessica is a U.S. citizen. When she and Josue got married in 2022, they filed an application so she could sponsor her husband for a green card. That would allow him to live and work in the U.S. permanently. Their first appointment was last month.

Jessica Rodriguez-Aguilar: “And we actually got approved on the spot, which I was told is kind of rare and right after that, an officer came into the room, and asked me to step out.”

After she left, Josue was detained by ICE agents.

Josue Aguilar: “They just ask me for my name and then I told them my name and they told me ‘You’re under arrest.’ Honestly, I don’t remember anything because my brain was, you know”

Even though Josue had the 2018 deportation order, he was never a target for ICE agents. Immigration attorney Valerie Crespo said cases like his were not a priority back then because he didn’t have a criminal record.

Valerie Crespo: “So the previous administration didn’t focus on complying with the deportation orders necessarily if they weren’t criminals.”

But the Trump administration is, and illegal immigrants with no criminal records are being locked up when they visit the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, otherwise known as USCIS.

Valerie Crespo: “So I’ve seen that everyone that has a deportation order and go to the USCIS appointments are being detained. They have ICE officers inside the USCIS building like already waiting for immigrants that have deportation orders.”

Crespo said many of her clients have a tough decision to make if they want to continue trying to get legal status. They can go to their appointments and risk being detained or skip them and take their chances.

Valerie Crespo: “So we’re advising our clients, like ‘I cannot advise you against the law, so you have an appointment, you should comply with it.’ They’re like, ‘Am I going to pay for a process that will eventually deport me anyways?'”

Josue was taken from the immigration services center to Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade. He was transferred four times.

Josue Aguilar: “They moved me to so many places that it was super hard for me.”

Josue was deported to Honduras a month later.

Jessica is now with him. The couple is staying with a family member while they file all the paperwork needed for Josue to enter the U.S. legally. They know it could take a long time.

Jessica Rodriguez-Aguilar: “We just have to wait.”

They know it won’t be easy, but they are willing to wait as long as it takes to bring Josue back to his family in South Florida.

Heather Walker, 7News

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

Perfectly good tomatoes are being plowed over — instead of picked. It’s a sad scene happening in South Florida.

Heather Moehling, President, Miami-Dade County Farm Bureau: “You can’t even afford to pick them right now. Between the cost of the labor and the inputs that goes in, it’s more cost-effective for the farmers to just plow them right now.”

Heather Moehling understands the struggles that farmers are facing right now. She is part of the family that runs the Homestead produce stand, “Robert Is Here.”

She says farmers used to get $16 for a box of tomatoes. It’s now down to $3-or-$4.

Heather Moehling: “Just a horrible price and some of that has been from what Mexico is bringing into the country and some of that has been just from the threat of the tariffs.”

Farmers say President Trump’s tariffs and the threat of tariffs have caused thousands of acres of tomatoes to go to waste because the price to pick and pack them costs more than what the tomatoes are selling for this year.

Tony Dimare, President Dimare Homestead: “It costs you close to over $10, close to $11 a box to break even, so if you are selling tomatoes for $3, $4. $5 dollars, you can figure out the losses.”

Tony Dimare with Dimare Homestead says his company has experienced huge losses. He won’t disclose how much, but says South Florida farmers are hurting.

Tony Dimare: “The Mexican industry exported, in some cases, double and triple the daily volumes to beat being subject to the 25 percent tariff in February and March and the 10 percent tariffs in April. That just devastated our markets in the U.S.”

Those tariffs never went into effect. But the damage was done. When Mexico flooded the market with cheap tomatoes, local farmers couldn’t compete and didn’t even bother picking their fields.

Now the U.S. government has plans to put an anti-dumping duty on fresh Mexican tomatoes starting in July to try and prevent that from happening again.

And it’s not just tomatoes from Mexico that’s hurting our farmers. South Florida sends a lot of different produce to Canada, which puts a 25 percent tariff on our crops.

Tony Dimare: “Another watermelon grower in the state called me about concern and question on the tariff. His customers in Canada, which for the Florida watermelon growers in the spring time is a big market, had told him that they, because of the tariff and the added cost to Florida watermelons, they wanted to bypass sourcing Florida watermelons for this spring as long as the 25 percent tariff was in place. In fact, they were going to source their watermelon needs from Mexico.”

Immigration changes are also taking a toll. Many pickers are afraid to go to work.

Homestead farm worker: “Many workers have left, others are leaving now.”

This man agreed to talk to us if we agreed to hide his identity. He’s worried about being deported.

Homestead farm worker: “A lot of people are really afraid and sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t come and the harvest is lost because it cannot be harvested, so that’s why so much produce is lost.”

Heather Walker: “What’s the feeling from farmers right now? How are you feeling?”

Tony Dimare: “Not very good, to be honest with you.”

And with the current policies on tariffs and immigration, Florida farmers are not planting a secure future.

Heather Walker, 7 News.

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

From mission impossible to possible — getting a driver’s license in Miami-Dade County is getting easier.

Worker on speaker: “Please proceed to number 28.”

Heather Walker: “I’m looking here and normally we would see just people sitting here for long hours, no movement, long line outside. But this morning we saw people being ushered in, moving.

Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade Tax Collector: “Yes every day, we attend more or less between 700 to 800 people.”

Miami-Dade Tax Collector, Dariel Fernandez, says that’s a new record. It’s almost double the number of people who where being served here — when the state was running the DMVs.

Dariel Fernandez: “This is the Miami Central Office. It’s the second one, largest office that we have here in Miami-Dade County.”

And the second location that the county has taken over since the switch about four months ago.

Dariel Fernandez: “So as you see, all the windows are full.”

There are 33 windows fully staffed. That is up from around 20 (windows).

Heather Walker: “I was just wondering how the process was for you.”

Kimberly, Miami-Dade DMV customer: “Super fast. I got here at 11:05 (a.m.) and, let’s see what time it is now, 11:25 (a.m.), so 20 minutes in and out.”

Heather Walker: “Wow!”

Kimberly: “Yeah. But I did have an appointment.”

But the county says – it is still playing catch-up – cleaning the mess left behind from the state and the old system that allowed people to book multiple appointments and post them for sale.

Dariel Fernandez: “It’s already stopped. If you do that, you are going to have consequences.”

Last week, Miami-Dade County put in place a $500 civil penalty and possible time behind bars for anyone caught selling appointments.

Fernandez tells us the new system won’t allow it to happen anymore.

Heather Walker: “So your message is you are watching everything?”

Dariel Fernandez: “Yes, we are watching everything.”

Fernandez says come summer time – these lines should start to disappear – and appointments should open back up. Making it a much smoother ride for drivers to get on the road.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

It took years of saving money before Jonathan was able to buy the pricey pickup truck he always wanted: a Ram TRX.

But in just few months, it was stolen.

Jonathan: “You know, I was in shock.”

He filed a report with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, but he says he never heard back from them, so he decided track down the truck without their help.

Jonathan: “I started looking for the truck myself and started investigating everything.”

He searched ads on Facebook Marketplace and eventually found a post about a truck for sale in Miami.

Jonathan reported the ad to BSO, but says it was taken down before anyone could investigate.

Jonathan: “I was never going to see it again.”

A few weeks later, Jonathan got a clue about where his truck had been taken. Even though the truck’s GPS was disabled, he still got a notification on his phone that 800 miles had been added to the odometer.

Jonathan: “And I just started checking Facebook Marketplace and all those areas that, you know, were in that radius.”

Jonathan eventually found an ad for a Ram TRX. It looked like his truck, and it was 800 miles away in a city outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Someone was selling it for $80,000. The person who posted the ad had several vehicles for sale, and some of them appeared to be parked in front of the same house.

Jonathan: “So I spent nine hours on Google Maps just looking for that specific house.”

Jonathan searched every road in that area until he found the house matching the one in the ads. He reported his discovery to the sheriff’s office in Tennessee and hopped on a flight. A few hours later, deputies found his truck.

Jonathan: “I got my [expletive] truck back!”

7Investigates reached out to BSO, but no one would comment on an active investigation.

Jonathan: “If I didn’t do what I did, then the truck would probably be somewhere else right now.”

His efforts have given him a new mission: tracking down stolen cars.

Jonathan: “I already found another car that belonged to a friend of mine, and that car was in Texas. So he got his car back, and now we’re looking for another.”

And while he looks for cars, Jonathan is also being steered toward a new career as a detective.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

The hallways at this preschool are empty and quiet. Class was canceled a few weeks ago, and some of the reasons why were caught on video.

Daniel Grimm, owner, Avanda Academic Alliance: “Like, this whole situation is just insane.”

Two years ago, Avanda Academic Alliance took over the lease from a school located inside Faith Presbyterian Church of Pembroke Pines.

Daniel Grimm is the owner of Avanda. He says the relationship between the school and the church started off great … but things broke down when the plumbing backed up.

Daniel Grimm: “It would back up in here, would back up over there.”

Daniel claims the church never made any repairs, so the school stopped paying rent.

Daniel Grimm: “‘Here’s your notice. If you don’t fix this problem, we will no longer be paying the rent, which is our right as tenants.'”

The church started to evict the school in September, and last month, a judge ordered the school to pay up.

Daniel Grimm: “Twelve or 15 days to come up with $30,000-plus. We don’t have that kind of money.”

When Daniel couldn’t come up with the money, strange things started happening at the school.

Daniel Grimm: “That night we saw that, we’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ We had no idea who it was.”

Over several weeks’ time, the school’s surveillance cameras captured people roaming the halls at night.

Daniel Grimm: “It’s beyond bizarre.”

One video shows two people — one in a red coat and another person who has covered their head with a pink cloth.

Another video shows a person on the floor.

Daniel Grimm: “Dragging herself on the floor, hunched over, playing music, all throughout the school, everywhere — up and down every hallway for like four or five hours.”

7News visited Avanda on March 10. Daniel had just canceled classes for the day. Someone had installed a different set of security cameras and locked up every bathroom in the school.

Daniel Grimm: “Every single bathroom, the doorknobs, locked them, put the caution tape up.”

They left a portable toilet outside.

Daniel Grimm: “What are we supposed to do with these children? We’re supposed to take little children out to use a port-a-potty?”

A camera recorded a woman putting up caution tape in one of the bathrooms.

The church’s attorney, Claudia Barona, met us in the parking lot after we left the school. When we asked her what was going on inside Avanda at night, she had a simple answer.

Claudia Barona: “It’s our property.”

The church’s lease with Avanda says the landlord has access to the facility at any time. However, no one with the school is allowed on the property after 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Barona told 7News that Avanda breached its lease a year ago because of multiple issues before the school stopped paying rent. She claimed the plumbing issues only started after the church filed for eviction in September.

Claudia Barona: “The pipes were not an issue until we told them, ‘That’s it, no more.’ We just did a full research of our pipes, and guess what, they’re fine.”

Faith Presbyterian Church of Pembroke Pines was cited last month by the Broward County Health Department. Records show there were several reports of sewage leaks at the property since December of last year.

The department said the church has “…failed to maintain a septic system…” and it has caused a “…continuous repeated release of untreated sewage onto publicly accessible spaces.”

A hearing to determine whether the church has made the repairs is set for early April.

Daniel isn’t waiting for that hearing. He couldn’t afford to keep fighting the eviction case, so he packed everything up and moved out.

But he’s not sure where to go.

Daniel Grimm: “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. We reached out to all of our parents and asked if they have any ideas, if they know of anywhere.”

He hopes Avanda can reopen soon in a new home that’s free of nighttime visitors.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

There is a war on the water in Miami Beach. The city wants these boats out. The people who live on the boats are fighting to stay.

Leon Carlos: “Your pursuit of happiness is living in a square box in a building. My pursuit of happiness is living in a triangle in the water.”

Leon Carlos has been leading the charge to remain anchored in Biscayne Bay. He showed us around the boat that is now his home.

Leon, his wife, and their dog moved on board during the pandemic.

Leon Carlos: “Little by little we loved it and we moved in completely.”

They may be loving it — but his neighbors living on land — are not.

Tom Hawkins, Miami Beach resident: “It’s a serious problem.”

Tom Hawkins moved to this condo for the views of the bay. But he says these boats have been sitting here for years now, some without motors. He believes many are polluting the water.

Tom Hawkins: “It makes me upset that people are disposing of their waste in our bay. I care about our environment and I care about our bay.”

Hawkins and other residents want Commissioner David Suarez to get rid of these boats.

Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez: “At the end of the day it’s just a homeless encampment on the water”

Suarez took 7Investigates on a boat ride to see for ourselves.

Commissioner David Suarez: “One can only assume that they are emptying their contaminants and their sewage into the bay.”

But Leon says that assumption is wrong,

Heather Walker: “So you are saying you are not putting any of your waste into the water?”

Leon Carlos: “No, I do not because at the end of the day that’s my, that’s where I swim, that’s where my dog swims.”

Leon says they empty their waste, like any boat, at a marina.

A late-night sewage check from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission seems to confirm that. Only two of the 39 boats inspected were dumping their waste into the water.

Water was sampled around the boats. Results showed it was safe to swim.

Leon Carlos: “They don’t like us there. We are not paying property taxes. You know that’s it”

Commissioner Suarez insists his concerns are purely environmental, like this pile of trash on shore next to the boats.

Commissioner David Suarez: “Look at that, it’s ridiculous.”

There are about a hundred of these boats in Miami Beach, a hundred more in Miami and officials say the numbers are growing.”

Commissioner David Suarez: “All these boats eventually will end up like this and it’s going to be up to the taxpayers of Miami Beach to raise it and this cost anywhere between $10-20 thousand.”

To force these people to leave, the city is cutting off their access to land but as our camera shows – it is not working.

Leon Carlos: “I let you live, let me live. This is state waters. I’m not doing anything illegal here.”

He is right, it is perfectly legal. Suarez wants to change that.

Commissioner David Suarez: “The solution I believe is at the state level to limit how many days you can anchor.”

Until then — it is all hands on deck for both sides of this boat battle.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

You can book a free appointment for DMV of Miami-Dade County, but you have to book it months in advance because all the appointments are taken. Now, it appears some of those appointments are being booked and then sold by driving schools for hundreds of dollars.

Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez: “We have already discovered that more than 200 appointments, sometimes booked with the same phone number.”

A source tells us one driving school booked 70 appointments and believe it or not, those schools are not breaking the law.

Heather Walker: “How does that make you feel?”

Emma Saito: “Terrible. Terrible. So they’re making money and you’re here for days?”

We spoke to driving schools today. They all denied selling any appointments. The tax collector says other appointments are being sold by individuals.

Dariel Fernandez: “This company or these people, what they do is collapse the system.”

We shared the information with people waiting in line today.

Issach Francois: “I was just, you know, very shocked but not really shocked. It’s Miami.”

These long lines are outside of DMVs across Miami Dade. Some people here that we spoke to say they’ve been waiting for seven, eight hours to get in. Others have had to leave and come back multiple times without any success.

Issach Francois: “I already got like a ticket that I had got from another county for my, you know, expired license.”

Issach Francois has missed school trying to renew his license.

Issach Francois: “I think there needs to be a legislative issue or some type of, you know, verification in order to prevent things like that from happening.”

Tuesday, an ordinance was introduced to create penalties for what the county is calling reservation scalping. If passed, it would create a $500 civil penalty and possible time behind bars.

Dariel Fernandez: “I’m not going to allow anybody to (be) charged for appointment to any resident.”

The soonest the ordinance will go into effect is next month. It’s part of the tax collector’s ongoing effort to reduce wait times at DMV offices.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

On a sunny July afternoon, travelers are checking into this Miami hotel and so are patients.

Labresha Green/recovery patient: “In the hotel, there’s a lot of girls in there in different rooms, on different floors.”

This woman who spoke to 7 Investigates was once one of them. We set up a camera to see for ourselves. 7Investigates watched the hotel for two months.

Our camera captured patients being picked up and dropped off. Many still in surgical gowns and bathrobes. Others with extensive bandages. Some with medical drainage bags filled with fluid.

Labresha Green: “They’re doing a lot of stuff at the hotel is booked, but they don’t have any space left and it’s probably because most of them are girls coming for plastic surgery.”

Labresha Green came to Miami for a Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck last summer. The surgical coordinator at her doctor’s office told her she had to book her post-surgical care with a specific company at a local hotel and it wasn’t cheap.

Labresha green: “$200 per day. They want you to go to that hotel. So. Yeah, a lot of money.”

Money Labresha knew she had to pay because she would not be able to take care of herself for several days.

Labresha Green: “I can’t do anything but lay on my stomach like helpless when you can’t, like, pull your pants up or, like, wash your body.”

Labresha says despite a promise for 24-hour care, getting help from her caretakers was difficult.

Labresha Green: “I was asking she could take my blood pressure or if she had like a thermometer or something and they said ‘No.’ Every time I asked it was like ‘No, we don’t have it.'”

We found hotels also being used as recovery centers in Broward County.

A New Jersey woman sued her plastic surgeon after being “diagnosed with life-threatening sepsis and impending multisystem collapse”.

The lawsuit claims the doctor failed “to recognize a serious infection brewing inside her body” even though she had paid the doctor for an “upcharge premium package” in a Fort Lauderdale hotel.

Chris Russomanno / attorney: “She thinks this is the best care you can possibly get. She has a 24/7 alleged registered nurse that’s sleeping with you, that’s taking vitals and supposedly giving the vitals back to the doctor.”

Her attorney Chris Russomanno says the woman settled her case. But he fears most patients don’t understand the risks of these post-operative hotel stays.

Chris Russomanno: “It’s just a constant turnover and turnover of different women coming in with open wounds, JP drains. It’s a dangerous situation in my eyes.”

It is perfectly legal for a hotel to rent rooms to people recovering from plastic surgery, but a company like the one Labresha was told to hire that has several patients at the same hotel could be a problem.

Chris Nuland: Lawyer/lobbyist Florida Association of Plastic Surgeons: “They are at the very edge and may be in fact skirting the law because home health agencies are designed to do just that. They are to take care of you in your home.”

The lawyer for the Florida Association of Plastic Surgeons says facilities caring for multiple patients should be licensed and inspected.

Chris Nuland: “These patients are not fully healed. They have drains and they can get infected. A hotel is no place for a patient who cannot take care of themselves and may have medical needs.”

Labresha says she needed to be hospitalized for blood loss after she was kicked out of the hotel for questioning her care.

Labresha Green: “She just left me basically naked in the bathroom.”

She says she should have checked out her caregivers before she checked in.

Heather Walker 7News

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

Officer: “Are shoppers ready back in place?”

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the county department of transportation are working together.

Officer: “We got one coming? Okay, right now, picked up now?”

To crack down on unsolicited ride-share drivers.

Officer: “We got it.”

Ivan Cotayo is leading the operation. He is in charge of regulating ride shares for the county.

Ivan Cotayo, Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation: “In Miami-Dade County, it’s prohibited for you to solicit any passengers for transportation.”

The team sent undercover officers with suitcases to pose as tourists at Port Miami. The officers then waited for someone to approach them and offer a ride.

Ivan Cotayo: “This individual that is now on the way to us is charging $40. That’s what the officer just wrote.”

The undercover officers are in constant contact with Cotayo. An unmarked car tails the vehicle that picked them up.

Ivan Cotayo: “He should be here within the next minute.”

Once the driver arrives at the drop-off location, the team moves in.

Ivan Cotayo: “The 40 dollars, can you give it to us, please?”

Fake Rideshare Driver: “Yeah.”

The money is marked so Miami-Dade police can use it as evidence.

Ivan Cotayo: “Do you work for Uber or Lyft?”

Fake Rideshare Driver: “I do, yes.”

Ivan Cotayo: “Did you pick up this fare through the app?”

Fake Rideshare Driver: “This was through a family member.”

Ivan Cotayo: “Through a family member? Okay, are they your family?”

Fake Rideshare Driver: “No, my family told me to pick them up.”

Ivan Cotayo: “Oh, your family told you to pick them up? OK. Actually, sir, these are undercover officers.”

In less than two hours, four people solicited undercover cops for a ride and got busted. For some, it’s not their first time getting caught.

Fake Rideshare Driver: “It’s just what we have to do just to survive. Just to pay rent. We have to do these desperate things just to make money.”

This driver agreed to talk to us if we hide his identity. He broke down in tears telling us he works for rideshare companies but doesn’t make enough money to take care of his daughter.

Driver: “They are taking too much money from us, and we have to work more hours. We have to slave ourselves for this company that just takes too much.”

Here in South Florida, ride-share drivers joined a nationwide strike last year, demanding better pay.

Uber and Lyft say they are working to increase wages. Drivers also demanded the companies do more to keep them safe on the job.

Driver: “Everyone likes to think that the passenger is the one that’s in danger, but it’s us too. They’re not going to pay us more, so you guys can make this story, and it will never end. There will always be people that do this because we will do whatever it takes to survive. We are hungry.”

That’s why he says they take this risk. Drivers who get caught receive $2,000 tickets. Their cars are towed, and they have to pay to get their vehicles back.

Ivan Cotayo: “This is for them to realize that this is serious. Miami-Dade County is trying to stop this illegal activity from happening.”

The county takes it seriously because people have been raped and robbed by crooks posing as rideshare drivers. Which is why it is so important to make sure you are getting in the right ride.

Ivan Cotayo: “When you do the booking of your rideshare through the app, you know the tag, and you know who the individual who is picking you up is.”

And police say they will continue to pick up illegal drivers.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Justin and Maricel Lafond moved into their Broward home about a year and half ago. The house has a special meaning to them.

Maricel Lafond: “This is his childhood home, so his parents came from Trinidad, and they built this house from the ground up.”

Justin and Maricel decided to install new impact windows.

They searched online for a contractor, and found Alco Windows and Doors LLC.

Maricel Lafond: “They had – I think it was like a 4.7 on Google, [Better Business Bureau] reviews were good, so we were like, ‘OK, why not?'”

They called and scheduled a home visit. The employee who visited gave them an estimate and helped them apply online for financing.

Maricel Lafond: “He told us it was the easiest process ever. He was going to send us the link, and he sent us the link, and perfect. Bam! We were approved.”

Justin and Maricel got a loan for nearly $48,000. They transferred the money to Alco Windows and Doors LLC to expedite the work.

Despite having the money, the company didn’t start work for nine months.

Maricel Lafond: “Called in about February. Now, it’s April, and every month that passed, it just kept on delaying and delaying.”

But the couple says things got worse after the work finally began.

Maricel Lafond: “That was the day they started ruining my house, They came in, and they were banging my new windows like you’d never believe. They weren’t cutting the openings correctly, and they were trying to kind of fit something really big into a small opening.”

The windows and doors were put in, but Justin and Maricel were put out.

Justin Lafond: “The windows pop and crack randomly.”

Maricel Lafond: “I had stucco exposed.”

They asked Alco Windows and Doors LLC to fix the problems. Workers removed the windows and reinstalled them, but to this date, they haven’t passed inspection, and the work permit hasn’t been closed.

State records show Alco Windows and Doors LLC is registered to Luis Alvarez. The business has a Doral address, but no one was there. We found a Miami-Dade County eviction notice on the window.

We traced Luis Alvarez to a home in Miami-Dade.

Voicemail recording: “Your call has been forwarded to voicemail.”

No one answered the door, or our phone calls.

At least 16 lawsuits have been filed against Alco Windows and Doors LLC in the past year. According to court records, customers say after Alco Windows and Doors LLC was paid, little to no work was ever done.

Ana Vieira: “I want justice to be done for myself.”

Ana Vieira can’t afford to take her case to court. Like Justin and Maricel, she took out a $12,000 loan to pay for her new windows.

She says she paid the company but never got her windows.

Ana Vieira: “I felt deceived, because I trusted in a company that supposedly were willing to help out.”

Ana, as well as Justin and Maricel, now have to pay back the loans. They have filed complaints with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the State Attorney General’s Office.

The State Attorney General’s Office tells 7News, “Our Consumer Protection Division has an active investigation regarding Alco Windows and Doors, and we have received over 30 consumer complaints. We cannot comment further at this time.”

Justin Lafond: “I am completely willing to do whatever I have to do to make sure justice is served, for everybody.”

These homeowners also want to make sure others see through the company’s claims before hiring them.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Now a major change is promising to speed things up. 7’s Heather Walker investigates.

Any day of the week, it is chaos outside of South Florida’s DMV offices. There are long lines, and at times, short tempers.

Bianca Gonzalez, driver: “It’s a lot, it’s a lot.”

Some people have resorted to camping out overnight just to get in. Others wake up early.

Bianca Gonzalez: “We had to get up at like 4 in the morning to go there.”

Bianca Gonzalez is a Miami Dade public schoolteacher, just trying to get her driver’s license.

Bianca Gonzalez: “Today I had to miss a day of work.”

But the waiting and the aggravation could be coming to an end.

Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade Tax Collector: “We are here to help.”

In November, Miami-Dade County voters elected Dariel Fernandez as tax collector.

Dariel Fernandez: “I am here to support my community.”

It is now his responsibility to oversee DMVs in Miami-Dade, which will no longer be under control of the state.

Dariel Fernandez: “It’s insane that you need to wait at least three months to get an appointment. And after that, you need to spend the whole night and part of the day to just, for example, change the address or get a new ID.”

In his first interview, Fernandez tells 7 Investigates he already has plans for improvements.

Dariel Fernandez: “We are going to cut the lines, the waiting time in lines.”

Fernandez says he will start by adding more service windows and staff at the North Miami office and then focus on other offices in the county.

But he says the biggest change is happening online.

Dariel Fernandez: “We started creating a customer service center that the people, before they go to the office, they are going to communicate with some of our customer service reps, and they are going to explain to them what they need.”

The representative will give you a list of documents you need for your appointment and let you know if you can take care of your issue online.

To help cut down on lines, some DMV locations will be adding kiosks where you can renew your vehicle registration.

Dariel Fernandez: “One of the main problems that we have now is technology, so we need to invest in technology.”

Technology that will prohibit people from booking multiple appointments and selling them online.

Dariel Fernandez: “With our new software, we are going to restrict all of that.”

Broward County also elected a new tax collector and will be implementing similar changes, but don’t expect to see any improvements just yet. Fernandez says it will take about six months to get up and running.

Dariel Fernandez: “We are in the best country in the world. We cannot allow people that start, you know, doing this to our residents. Because a person is going to get a driver’s license because they need them.”

People like Bianca are excited to see things being kicked into drive.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

The bus business is a big part of Sebastian’s past and his future.

Sebastian Arregoces, Signature Buses: “Since my dad, for the last 20, 25 years, he’s been doing it, and now it’s my turn.”

Sebastian Arregoces owns a charter bus company called Signature Buses.

He hopes to one day expand from eight buses into a large fleet.

But a bad deal has cost him thousands of dollars.

Sebastian Arregoces: “It was about $4,000.”

In March of 2023, Sebastian said his company was hired by Delvin King, the principal of the Youth Under Construction Youth Center in Pompano Beach.

King wanted a bus to take students on a college tour in Tallahassee.

Sebastian got the $4,000 he was owed on the day of the trip, but there was a problem.

Sebastian Arregoces: “A couple of days later, the bank tells me the account had insufficient funds and they’re taking the funds back from my account back to him.”

Sebastian said King gave him a busload of excuses.

Sebastian Arregoces: “He just gave me the basic excuse of that he must have given me the wrong account and then he never gave me another account to try to use. I gave him a call; he didn’t pick up, so I texted him, email. No reply.”

Sebastian is not the only one trying to get money from the king.

Back in August, 7Investigates found two other charter bus companies that King never paid.

Barrington Samuels: “It’s over $16,000.”

At the time, King blamed the management company that pays the school’s bills.

Delvin King, Youth Under Construction Youth Center: “I signed the purchase order, the management company has to pay out the transportation company. But they never paid out to the company, so it was big business mismanagement.”

King told 7Investigates the businesses would get their money “on or before August 23rd, 2024.”

That never happened.

Dawna Mullings: “I was disappointed, extremely disappointed.”

After our story aired, we heard from Phoenix Golf Car in Pompano Beach.

The school leased a golf cart from here back in May.

King’s credit card payment for the first month was approved. But it was declined for the second month.

Christian Santos, Pres., Phoenix Golf Car: “And when we tried to contact him after that, it was very difficult to find him. We sent a lot of emails, calls.”

Company president Christian Santos said she went to the school and took back her golf cart. It was damaged and it would be expensive to fix.

Christian Santos: “It’s around $6,500.”

Phoenix Golf Car sued King and won.

He had until November 25th to pay $6,515.50.

Christian is still waiting for her money.

Christian Santos: “And we continue to send emails.”

7Investigates went back to the address where we last met King.

He wasn’t there and we were told the school had recently moved out of the building.

King didn’t answer when we called, but we did get an email from the school saying, “The majority of this former debt was settled or is in the process of being settled. At a later date, the principal will reach out and fulfill your media request once he is back in the office.”

Christian Santos: “I just have a question: Why nobody stop him?”

Five more bus companies also tell 7Investigates that they are owed money.

Some have filed complaints with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Sebastian isn’t sure he wants to go that route.

He’s too busy trying to make up for the loss of $4,000.

Sebastian Arregoces: “That’s like a whole two months of insurance for these buses, two or three months of insurance. It does hurt, and then especially since, you know, poor excuses, doesn’t care to get back to me.”

He hopes he can get the money he’s owed without going to court.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Tasha Patterson: “It’s the holidays, and I want my kids. It’s not fair.”

This is Tasha Patterson’s third Christmas without her twins.

Tasha Patterson: “I have the Christmas tree, and I have the bag that I’m filling with my baby’s toys. There is no reason why we should be spending another Christmas without our entire family together.”

Tasha is a nurse practitioner. When we first spoke to her earlier this month, she told us her twins struggled from birth.

Tasha Patterson: “They would have these spurts of increased fussiness that we didn’t understand why.”

She made several trips to doctors and emergency rooms, but never found out what was wrong.

On her last visit to the E.R., a doctor found one of the babies had rib fractures.

Tasha Patterson: “They had my second twin brought in. He had fractures everywhere.”

The injuries were reported to the Department of Children and Families, and the babies were taken away.

Tasha Patterson: “No, I didn’t abuse my babies.”

Tasha found out later she had a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or EDS, which can be passed to children.

The disorder causes easy bruising and fragile bones.

Despite informing the state, DCF refused to return the children and denied her first appeal.

Now, she’s appealing again, and more doctors are saying the babies weren’t abused.

Valentina Villalobos, Attorney: “That doctor said, ‘Although this is new and there is not a ton known about it, what we do know about it makes it impossible for you to conclude that this is child abuse.'”

Tasha’s case has been reviewed by several EDS experts.

Dr. Irman Forghani from Mount Sinai Medical Genetics found, “One of the twins continued to show new fractures while the child was not in Tasha’s custody.”

Tasha Patterson: “So you are labeling these things as unexplained injuries, but it’s not unexplained due to concealment; it’s because we didn’t even know at the time. Now we are giving you the information.”

Another doctor said some of the fractures happened before the babies were even born.

Valentina Villalobos, Attorney: “So obviously that is pretty exonerating if there were fractures that were occurring when she was pregnant and while the kids were in the hospital.”

For now, Tasha has supervised visits while the twins live with her brother.

Tasha Patterson: “When I’m walking out the door, I hear them crying, ‘Mommy,’ through the door. If I’m this horrible person, why would my kids be crying for me? They want their mom, and I can’t be there the way I want to be there because these people are blocking me.”

Tasha’s second appeal is making its way through the courts. If Tasha loses, the twins will be put up for adoption.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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

Tasha Patterson gets emotional every time she looks into her twin sons’ cribs.

Tasha lost custody of her babies just months after they were born. She was accused of abusing them.

Tasha Patterson: “No, I didn’t abuse my babies.”

Tasha is a nurse practitioner. She says early on, she knew something was wrong with her sons.

Tasha Patterson: “They would have these spurts of increased fussiness that we didn’t understand why.”

She took the twins to doctors, even visited the emergency room more than a dozen times.

Every doctor dismissed her concerns.

Tasha Patterson: “I kid you not. Actually, it’s documented in the medical record that I was ‘just a concerned mom,’ something along those lines.”

But it was her last trip to the ER, because of a strange bruise that changed her life.

Tasha Patterson: “Then the medical team comes in, they start telling me, ‘Your baby has rib fractures.’ That’s when I found out he has rib fractures. ‘And he has a small grade 1 liver laceration.’ They had my second twin brought in. He had fractures everywhere.”

Tasha and her husband were accused of child abuse. Their parental rights were terminated, and DCF took custody of the babies.

Tasha Patterson: “My babies are a statistic when they shouldn’t be. Because they were never abused. They were never maltreated. It never happened.”

Shortly after the boys were taken, Tasha had health issues of her own. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS, a disorder that causes easy bruising and fragile bones.

She found it can be passed on from parent to child.

Tasha Patterson: “The controversy that surrounds this type of EDS is that you can diagnose children, but not under the age of 4.”

Tasha had the twins’ medical records reviewed by top EDS specialists. They agreed she likely passed EDS onto her twins.

But despite these expert opinions, Tasha’s attorney says DCF won’t return the children.

Octavia Brown, Tasha’s Attorney: “It’s DCF’s job to say, ‘This is the evidence, and we know, clearly and convincingly, that these children have been abused.’ In our opinion, they didn’t meet that standard.”

Parents who pass EDS onto their infants have faced abuse allegations across the country.

A young father in Arkansas was arrested after his son’s X-rays showed bone fractures. Rana Tyson and her husband in Texas fought abuse charges for two years.

Rana Tyson: “And so, then they ended up coming to us and trying to terminate our parental rights.”

It prompted her to start the Fractured Families Foundation, which helps parents fight the battle, and gives advice on what to do when they are accused of abuse.

Rana Tyson: “I want to shorten that journey for them. I want to just offer the advice that I can offer.”

Tasha is hoping someone at DCF will listen to her story.

Tasha Patterson: “We’re going on two years, and I am not going away until my children are able to be back in this house. I’m not going away.”

Tasha and her husband lost their first appeal to regain custody of their sons. They’re heading back to court soon, and they hope it’s enough to finally reunite their family.

Heather Walker, 7News.

7 Investigates did reach out to DCF about the Patterson babies, but no one from the agency has responded.

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

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

Like many people, for Lazaro Gonzalez, dogs are more than just pets, they’re family.

Lazaro Gonzalez, dog owner: “Dogs were always something that when you get in trouble, you’re doing something you’re not supposed to, they’re with you.”

He said, to keep his dogs safe, he makes sure to microchip them.

But that didn’t help his dog, King Odin.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “I just want answers. I want answers.”

In February of 2023, Lazaro said, a friend was watching King Odin while he cared for his father, who had cancer.

Unfortunately, while Lazaro was gone, the dog went missing from the yard. Lazaro reported it to Miami-Dade Police but didn’t have much time to search for his pet because he was busy with his dad.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “We had to focus on this, which is a terminal ill disease, right now.”

Police told him if King Odin ended up at an animal shelter, he would be scanned for a microchip.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “I was told that they would reach out to the Humane Society or animal control to try to locate if the dog would have been brought in. Never got an answer.”

A year went by with no answers, until Lazaro saw a picture of King Odin on our website, WSVN.com.

7News featured a photographer who takes pictures of shelter animals to help get them adopted.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “‘That’s my dog!’ Like, ‘That’s him!'”

Lazaro couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “I know the tilted ear, the freckles in the mouth. That’s my dog.”

He immediately called Miami-Dade Animal Services.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “As I’m calling, everyone’s asking me for chip number, my information, who’s on the paperwork. To provide any details, they needed that. As I provided everything, I was denied information over the phone.”

Lazaro was told he would have to come here to the shelter in Doral for more information.

When he said he couldn’t, a volunteer privately told him the bad news.

King Odin was adopted out eight months after he went missing, and in October of that year, he was brought back and humanely euthanized.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “It’s devastating. To me, he was my best friend. I was in a time of need, and he was there.”

Miami-Dade Animal Services couldn’t reach Lazaro on his cellphone because he got a new phone with a different number and forgot to update the microchip information.

Lazaro’s friend was listed as an emergency contact with both an accurate email and phone number. But he was never contacted.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “I need to know why there was no email. Why was there no call?”

The shelter tells 7News, while Lazaro did file a police report, “His dog was not registered with the county. This situation highlights the importance of microchipping, registering, and maintaining your updated contact details with the chip provider, as well as registering your pet with the county.”

Lazaro is devastated he wasn’t there for King Odin. But he’s doing what he can to keep his remaining dog safe.

Lazaro Gonzalez: “Her name is Baddie. She is actually registered with Miami-Dade Animal Control, and they are aware of Baddie.”

And Lazaro has made sure his contact information has been updated on her microchip.

Heather Walker, 7News.

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