George Zimmerman - bond hearing, April 20, 2012

The records also reportedly show that, Zimmerman did not have to go to the Emergency Room on the night of February 26, after he shot and killed Martin, nor did he have a concussion.

Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in a gated community in Sanford, as he walked back from a nearby convenience store.

On the night of the shooting, Zimmerman told police that Martin attacked him after the two exchanged words and knocked him to the ground, beating his head on the pavement. He admitted to killing Martin, but said he did so in self-defense.

Police initially did not arrest Zimmerman, as they accepted he killed the teen in self-defense and was standing his ground when the two fought. But after an outcry for justice, the neighborhood watch volunteer was charged on April 11, with second degree murder.  Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.

Some legal analysts have suggested, the apparent injuries sustained by Zimmerman appear to back up his claim that, Martin was the aggressor and he shot and killed the teen in self-defense.

But Martin’s autopsy results, also leaked Wednesday, reveal that the teen had injuries on his knuckles, which might suggest that he was defending himself against Zimmerman.

An attorney for the Martin family, Benjamin Crump told Anderson Cooper on CNN that the teen was fighting for his life.

“He was fighting for his life,” said Crump. “Let’s not forget that Trayvon Martin was fighting a man with a 9-millimeter gun. We also have to remember that he didn’t start this fight. George Zimmerman got out his car and pursued Trayvon Martin.”

Before fatally shooting Martin, Zimmerman had called 911, complaining that he had seen a suspicious person in the neighborhood. Zimmerman was given specific instructions by the 911 dispatcher not to follow the individual.

Zimmerman appeared to have followed Martin, anyway.

Gary Montgomery - suspect

A Polk County Sergeant was arrested today, accused of inappropriately touching women who worked at the Detention Center with him.

48-year-old Dentention Sergeant Gary Montgomery, of Lakeland, immediately resigned his position after he was arrested and charged with five counts of battery.

Investigators said, Montgomery hugged the women and touched their breasts and butts in the process, without their permission.

Montgomery admitted to touching one of the victims’ breasts over her clothing, but denied touching any of the victims’ butts. He told detectives he hugged all three of the victims but said if he “accidentally touched them on the buttocks during the hugs he would not remember it.”

Montgomery was hired in July 1985 as a detention deputy, and was promoted to Sergeant in December 1993. He was released from jail on a $2,500 bond.

“Positive outlooks for occupancy and rent growth along with an improving employment trend are increasing our respondents’ optimism about the real estate markets in Florida,” said Timothy S. Becker, director of the Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies at UF’s Warrington College of Business Administration.

The UF Commercial Real Estate Sentiment Index, a measure of the respondents’ own business outlook, reached its highest level since 2007. Bergstrom Center officials attributed the rise to lenders and owners sensing a better lending environment with banks as well as an improving economy.

While there is optimism about the real estate industry outlook and the overall economy, there are concerns about the upcoming presidential election and the state government’s financial situation, the survey revealed.

Respondents are not optimistic that several major issues would be resolved before the November election, which could lead to harsh economic results.  Among the issues are the Bush tax cuts and the payroll tax break, which are both scheduled to expire after 2012, and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts that are set to take effect in 2013. Other concerns related to artificially low interest rates, inflation and increased gas prices.

Overall, the survey found that, while the future for real estate in Florida looks positive, a majority of respondents expect a slow and measured recovery until the conclusion of the presidential election.

The survey was conducted among 189 Florida professional real estate analysts and investors, representing 13 urban regions and up to 15 property types.

Video clip of robbery suspect # 1

Orlando police are searching for two suspects who they believe committed four residential robberies in the Colonial Town area last month.

According to investigators, one of the burglaries occurred on April 4, and three others took place on April 26.

The suspects used a 2004 white stolen Corvette to commit the burglaries. The Corvette has since been recovered, investigators also said.

During the April 4, burglary, the thieves made off with an HP desktop computer, a Nikon camera, television and jewelry, among other items, all valued at over $7,000.

In one of the burglaries on April 26, three watches valued at $5,000 were stolen. At another home, the men attempted to gain entry by kicking in a door, but were unsuccessful.

Video clip of robbery suspect # 2 (Photo: OPD)

Anyone with information on these crimes or  the robbery suspects is urged to call Crimeline at # 1-800-423-TIPS. Callers may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

The Lake County School Board unanimously approved on Tuesday, implementation of a uniform dress code for the 2012-13 school year.

School Board Member Kyleen Fishcher, who proposed the dress code amendment said, its implementation will make it easier to identify a student that is not dressed appropriately and there is less room to bring in contraband or weapons into the classroom.

A second reading of the 2012-2013 Code of Student Conduct & Policy Guide will be scheduled for a later date in June.

To submit comments to Lake County Schools about the proposed change in dress code for the 2012-2013 school year, e-mail comments@lake.k12.fl.us.

For guidelines on proposed uniform dress code, go HERE.

l-r: Jazlin, Jaxs and Pebbles Johnson - shot and killed by mother, Tanya Thomas on May 15, 2012, said Brevard County investigators.

33-year-old Tanya Thomas, of Port St. John, shot and killed Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, Jaxs Johnson, 15, and 17-year-old Pebbles Johnson, investigators said.

A neighbor told investigators that, around 4:50 a.m., three of the children, Joel, Jazlin and Pebbles knocked on his door asking for help, but returned home after their mother, Tanya called them back. The neighbor also called 911 to report the sound of gunshots.

Deputies, who arrived shortly after to the home on 7245 Bright Avenue in Port St. John, heard three gunshots around 4.54 a.m., then a fourth around 5:00 a.m.

Authorities said, one of the children, later identified as Pebbles, who had already been shot, exited the home. She was transported by police car to a nearby ambulance and rendered medical assistance but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Around 5:15 a.m., someone was seen moving around inside the home, investigators said, as evidenced by a cigarette. Then a final shot rang out at 5:26 a.m.

SWAT team members entered the home where they found three children, Joel, Jazlin and Jaxs deceased throughout various parts of the home. Thomas was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It has been reported that Thomas sent a text message to a friend around 3:00 a.m., indicating that she wished to be cremated with her children. The friend did not receive the message until after the shootings occurred, said Lt. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County sheriff’s office.

It is not clear what led to Thomas’ shooting rampage, as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call BCSO at 321-633-7162.

At an emergency meeting today and amidst calls for an independent audit of the results, rather than stick with the tougher requirements that raised the passing grade from “3.5″ to “4.0″ the Board voted to go with the “3.0″ rater.

With the passing grade returned to “3.0″ close to 81 percent of 4th graders would pass the test, about the same outcomes as last year.  Similar results are realised for 8th and 10th graders with the lower “3.0″ rater.

Prior to the start of today’s emergency meeting, Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition sent a letter to Florida Department of Education, Commissioner Gerard Robinson, recommending a “thorough external audit” of the results and cautioned against adopting an “arbitrary solution.”

Gerard said the poor results had to do with the way the test was scored and that the more stringent guidelines were not properly communicated to schools and districts.   He also said, the Department of Education would undertake an internal review “to see what happened,” the Palm Beach Post reported.

Meanwhile, Fund Education Now, a non-profit group that advocates for high quality public education said, the only possible explanation for the dismal results arose because “FCAT Writes is a multi-million dollar sham,” and the “Board of Education deliberately manipulated the grading rubric to impact the results.”

“When lobbyists, testing companies and bureaucrats can wave a wand over our childrens’ work and change it from passing to failure and back again, that’s called data manipulation. It’s also called lying,” the group said in a statement.

House Democratic Leader, Ron Saunders (D-Key West) said, “FCAT may be helpful as a diagnostic tool….. (but) it is now being misused as a measuring stick for how we assess student progress and how much we pay our school teachers.”

The decision to drop the passing score down to 3.0 is only effective for the current year.

Single family home on East Concord Street

The City of Orlando has produced the popular Historic Preservation Board Calendar since 1991 as a depiction of Orlando’s treasured historic resources. The Lake Adair-Lake Concord Historic District is a part of the College Park neighborhood. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior on December 30, 2011. The borders of the district are roughly Golfview Street to the north, Westmoreland Drive and Edgewater Drive the east, Peachtree Street to the south and Edgewater Court to the west. Please see the attached map for exact boundaries.

The Lake Adair-Lake Concord Historic District comprises more than one historical subdivision with the majority of plats filed in the 1920s as part of the Florida Land Boom. However, as a result of the bust of the real estate market in 1926-27, settlement remained scattered throughout the district during the late 1920s and into the 1930s. Construction of new residences resumed in the late 1930s and early 1940s as the economy recovered and relatively few vacant lots remained within the district by 1956. A variety of styles reflecting architectural trends from the early- to mid-twentieth century are represented in the district including Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Contemporary, Craftsman, Dutch Colonial Revival, Folk Victorian, Frame Vernacular, French Eclectic, International, Italian Renaissance Revival, Masonry Vernacular, Mediterranean Revival, Minimal Traditional, Mission, Monterey, Neoclassical Revival, Prairie, Ranch, Split Level and Tudor Revival.

WHEN:
Up to three photographs, labeled on the back with name, daytime telephone number and the address of the subject must be submitted or postmarked by July 13, 2012 at 5 p.m.

HOW:
Photographs must be black and white and printed on 8” x 10” or 8 ½” X 11” paper with a white border. Vertical or horizontal photographs are acceptable. The Board encourages photographs that capture the unique architectural characteristics of historic structures in the district. Please remember to be respectful of people and their property.

Deliver photographs to the Historic Preservation Office on the 6th floor of Orlando City Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue or mail them to the Historic Preservation Office, PO Box 4990, Orlando, Florida 32802. Submitted photographs become the property of the City of Orlando Historic Preservation Board for use in the annual calendar competition and associated promotions.

CONTACT:
More information and a map of the district can be found at http://cityoforlando.net/planning/cityplanning/hpb_Calender.htm.

Residents with questions about the calendar can call Richard Forbes at 407.246.3350 or Diane Rivera at 407.246.3416.

Trayvon Martin (l) George Zimmerman (r) - suspect

O’Mara received 67 CDs and hardcopy documents just after 5.00 p.m. on Monday, May 14, according to a statement on GZLegalCase.com, a website set up to assist in Zimmerman’s defense.

The documentation handed over also included witness statements, 911 calls, photos, video, medical records and more. While not yet available to the public, O’Mara said he wants to redact certain information pertaining to witnesses such as names and addresses, so that they will not be hounded.

According to news reports, contained in the material is a never-before-seen video from a security camera at the clubhouse near where Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old Martin, an unarmed black teen in February.

Prosecutors used the totality of evidence collected to charge Zimmerman with second degree murder several weeks after Sanford police failed to arrest the then-neighborhood watch volunteer.

Even as O’Mara and his staff begin to examine the evidence, he received a threatening phone call leading him to call the Orlando Police Department.

OPD responded to O’Mara’s office downtown Orlando on Monday, but little else is known about the threat, cfnews.com reported.

Five people were killed inside a home in Port St. John in an area known as the “Space Coast,” Brevard County authorities said.

Deputies were called to the home where they found one person shot dead in the front yard, wdbo.com reports. That’s when they set up a perimeter and went into the house.  Four other bodies were found inside the house.

Deputies said, all five deceased persons knew each other or are related.

The names of the victims have not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

Read More Here.