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Saturday, April 5, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1991, Space Shuttle STS 37 (Atlantis 8) launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying the Gamma Ray Observatory.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News that First Lady Casey DeSantis will announce her 2026 plans after the Legislative Session ends in May. Now we'll wait to see if a gubernatorial run is in her future.

Welcome to Flyover Florida's inaugural Saturday edition! We're expanding our news coverage to a full seven days a week starting this weekend, with our first Sunday edition to follow tomorrow. Please enjoy, and let us know what you think!

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MS-13 Gang Members Arrested in Cold Cases

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials announced the arrests of nine alleged MS-13 gang members in homicide cold cases in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The cases are four gang-related homicides that happened in 2014 and 2015. One case involved a forensic excavation in Oakland Park in 2021, where the remains of a victim were recovered.

At the news conference on Friday, a poster next to the podium had photos of the suspects under the title Operation Shadow of the Beast. They are accused of first-degree murder and could potentially face the death penalty if convicted.

St. Pete Agrees to New Tropicana Roof

Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, will get a new roof to replace the one shredded by Hurricane Milton. The goal is to have the ballpark ready for the 2026 season.

St. Petersburg officials voted 7-1 on Thursday to approve $22.5 million to begin the repairs, starting with a membrane roof that must be in place before other work can continue.

Under the proposed timeline, the roof installation will take 10 months. The total repair cost is estimated at $56 million, and the city council plans to vote on additional funding.

Although the Rays pulled out of a planned $1.3 billion new stadium deal, the city is still contractually obligated to fix the Trop. The hurricane damage forced the Rays to play home games this season at Steinbrenner Field across the bay in Tampa.

Billionaire List Includes 67 from Palm Beach

Of the 3,028 businesspeople, investors, and heirs on Forbes' 2025 World Billionaire list, at least 67 reside in the Palm Beach area. See the top 10 billionaires with close Florida ties in 2025 here.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (No. 3) of Indian Creek Island is the highest-ranking Floridian at $215 billion. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison (No. 5, $192 billion) recently bought a $277.4 million luxury resort near Palm Beach.

Palm Beach's President Donald Trump made the list at No. 700 with an estimated current net worth of $5.1 billion, up from last year's $2.3 billion.

Forbes' 2025 list includes a record 902 Americans. Elon Musk remains the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $342 billion. You can see the full list here.

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➤ Fort Lauderdale: Authorities used DNA to identify two teens whose bodies were found in the landing gear of a JetBlue aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in January. (See Photos)

➤ Tallahassee: A House subcommittee advanced a bill that would allow microbreweries producing up to 31,000 gallons a year to self-distribute and to get out of current distribution contracts with 24 months’ notice. (More)

➤ Lakeland: A man who rescued a 3-year-old boy from a burning car in November has received North America’s highest award for civilian heroism, the Carnegie Medal. (See Video)

➤ Moore Haven: ICE is expanding its detention capacity by 500 beds by reinstating a service agreement with Glades County commissioners for the Glades County Jail. (More)

➤ Volusia County: The DeLand Fire Department is the first internationally accredited department in the county and one of only 31 in the state. (See Photo)

➤ Vero Beach: A teen who overcame health challenges from a spider bite has published her first children’s book. (See Photos)

➤ The Miami Heat saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday night after losing on a buzzer-beater from Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, sealing a 110-108 loss. (More)

➤ The Tampa Bay Lightning offense was stifled on Thursday, scoring just one goal en route to a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Lightning could have clinched a playoff berth with a win. (More)

➤ Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero was dominant on Thursday, scoring 33 points along with a career-high 18 rebounds, leading the team to a 109-97 victory over the Washington Wizards. (More)

➤ College sports are important in Florida, and the future of name, image, and likeness policies are important to college sports. Sign up for NIL Wire to stay informed.

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➤ Melbourne Orlando International Airport is removing its 1980s bird-of-paradise carpeting. Would you like a piece? (See How)

➤ A whispered "help me" from a woman to an Amazon driver in Indian River County resulted in the arrest of a man accused of choking her. (More)

➤ Jacksonville-based sailors assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 returned home after six months deployed in the Mediterranean Sea to their friends and family waiting on the tarmac. (See Video)

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