New autopsy reports reveal that father shot sons even though authorities believe he doesn’t have a gun

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of graphic violence and suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Newly released autopsy reports Tuesday revealed new details about the death of two young brothers in May by their father, whom authorities initially believed did not have a gun.

The new autopsy reports were significant because they first revealed that Gainesville’s Paul Otto Reinhart, 46, used a gun in the crimes.

This question – whether the police can reliably determine whether someone has a gun in an evolving crisis – complements previous questions about why it took the sheriff’s investigators so long to track down Reinhart after he disappeared with his sons.

The reports released on Tuesday describe the fatal injuries suffered by brothers Rex, 14, and Brody, 11, and their father.

Authorities had only said that Reinhart – who had separated from his wife Minde Reinhart and lost his high-paying executive job – was suspected of killing his sons and setting fire to the family’s waterfront vacation home in Dixie County, western Florida, and then to have killed himself.

The new reports say Reinhart shot both sons before shooting himself and starting the fire.

An attorney for the boys’ mother officially requested late Tuesday that news organizations not release details of her death from autopsy reports as it would be too worrying. The family was well known in Gainesville’s social and political circles, and Brody Reinhart regularly served as the unofficial Batboy for the University of Florida baseball team.

“Minde and her family do not want to know the details of these reports of the murder of their children, and we respectfully ask that you refrain from publishing the reports or the details therein,” Jeff Aaron of the Orlando law firm Gray-Robinson wrote in one Letter. “Please understand that Minde and her family are obviously suffering an unimaginable loss. Do the right thing and protect Minde, her family and all affected children from further trauma. “

Fresh Take Florida, a news service operated by the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, looked at the family’s request at the highest level of the college and decided to release limited but pertinent details from the new reports that it was are government records that are accessible to everyone under state law.

Previously reporting raises significant questions about why authorities couldn’t track down Reinhart any sooner after he disappeared with his sons, and why law enforcement officials believed he didn’t have a gun.

Authorities had previously stated that their assumption that Reinhart did not have a gun was based on a testimony from Ms. Reinhart and on records of recent gun deals checked by the sheriff’s investigators. The autopsy reports said Rex was shot with a 9mm projectile, a caliber common in handguns. It was not clear where and how Reinhart obtained a weapon or whether he was lawfully doing it.

The final law enforcement report on the case – including the efforts of two county sheriffs and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – should be released next week. This report could answer questions about why it took so long to find Reinhart and his sons, how Reinhart secretly got hold of a gun, when he began planning the murders, and whether he told anyone about his plans.

In the new reports, the coroner’s office said it could not determine the order of the wounds, so it was not known which boy died first.

According to the report, they did not die from the fire. Both had no signs of carbon monoxide in their blood and no soot was found in their lungs. No foreign substances were found in her bloodstream.

Reinhart shot himself, but not before exposure to the fire and smoke. He suffered from significant levels of carbon monoxide in his blood, tests showed. A measurement of the carboxyhemoglobin in his blood showed a concentration of 55%, generally enough to knock an adult unconscious. The gunshot wound was given as the cause of death.

Reinhart disappeared with the boys on the morning of May 4th after posting 64 photos of his wedding on his Facebook page at 5 a.m. and then sending Ms. Reinhart a message about their marriage. They had officially separated, and she lived nearby.

“You should have put your family first,” he wrote. “Now it’s too late. You are so selfish. You will live with that for the rest of your life.”

She replied by text message: “Please don’t hurt yourself or the boys. Please come home.”

At this point, Ms. Reinhart was already in the family’s luxury home in a residential complex. She found around 400 photos from her wedding scattered around the house. The security system was disabled so there was no video of anyone arriving or leaving. She had dialed 911, triggering a law enforcement search for Reinhart, who had driven 50 miles west to her waterfront vacation home near Suwannee.

Authorities arrived at this house almost an hour after receiving initial notice that Reinhart was there. When the sheriff’s deputy arrived, the fire department had already been called to put out the burning house. A firefighter in protective gear wrote in his official report that he crawled through smoke so thick that he could not see until he found the bodies of the boys on the bunk beds upstairs. Reinhart’s body was found collapsed nearby.

Reinhart is the younger brother of a convicted murderer who also tried to commit suicide seven years ago in a similarly violent household robbery.

Erick von Reinhart, 50, pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his ex-wife’s new boyfriend – just a week after their divorce – and then trying to kill himself with a large kitchen knife. He is serving a 40-year sentence in a Florida prison.

___

This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporters can be reached at awilder@freshtakeflorida.com and evelazquez@freshtakeflorida.com

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Start of work on the luxury highway Drivers Club Miami

Written by Gabriela Henriquez Stoikow on August 31, 2021

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Construction of a luxury freeway and commercial development near Miami Gardens is slated to begin in November after an early stage delay pushed the completion date off by nearly two years.

Drivers Club Miami, a more than $ 100 million project being developed by 13 Pista LLC, when completed by early 2029 would include a two-mile private driveway, club, hotel, retail, dining, and cultural attraction – Acre County’s own property at 20000 NW 47th Avenue that was previously the Landmark Learning Center.

13 Pista is currently going through the design and approval process, attorney Eric Singer of Bilzen Sumberg, the firm that represents 13 Pista, a subsidiary of South American developer Carlos de Narváez, told Miami Today.

As the newspaper reported last year, development has lagged behind schedule as three nonprofits in the southern portion of the Landmark property rely on utilities running north to south on the property.

13 Pista initially planned that construction could begin in the northern part without the agencies having to move first. But since water and electricity would have been cut off for the authorities, the company and the county changed the lease last year to a new schedule with a relocation of nonprofits and the construction of a government center prior to the development of the highway. as part of the “phase zero”, explained Mr. Singer.

The agencies are scheduled to move one mile east of the Landmark property on Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Miami-Dade (YWCA) vacant land to a building to be renovated and to new buildings by 13 Pista. A government building would be on Northwest 199th Street and 47th Avenue on the Landmark property.

“We are driving the development of the government center and at the same time the new facilities for the authorities are being built,” said Singer. “By early 2023 there will be the government center and the new facilities for the nonprofits.”

At this point, construction work should begin on the vacated part of the Landmark site on which the Drivers Club would be located. Phase I includes the construction of a two-mile private driveway and public bike path; an integrated pit lane clubhouse with member facilities, lounges, and other recreational space totaling 28,000 square feet; Vehicle maintenance and inspection facilities totaling 72,000 square feet; Paddock and washrooms with a total area of ​​13,000 square meters; approximately 12,000 square meters of public retail and restaurant space overlooking the plaza; and storage facilities for at least 50 vehicles.

Phase II includes the construction of a 50-room hotel with a restaurant, bar and spa on a total of 64,000 square meters; a sales area of ​​12,000 square meters; and storage space for at least another 50 vehicles.

The original budget for the project was estimated at $ 100 million, including the Drivers Club, government center, and renovation and construction of new facilities for the nonprofits, but now 13 Pista have total costs higher than that amount, Mr Singer said.

“When the project was originally planned about five years ago, it was much more focused on old-school auto technology. The market is now more focused on newer technology, and as a result, some of the facilities to support the latest cars would be more technology and more expensive, ”Singer said. Construction costs have also risen in recent months. Mr Singer said he could not say exactly how much the project costs have increased.

As early as 2017, the Beacon Council applied for incentives for economic development on behalf of 13 Pista LLC as part of the district’s Targeted Jobs Incentive Fund program. If the company meets the goals set out in the initial rental agreement, it could receive financial incentives for the project.

However, due to delays in the early stages of development, 13 Pista did not apply for the $ 240,833 fiscal year 2021-2022, James Kohnstamm, executive vice president for economic development at Beacon Council, told Miami Today.

“I can confirm that there has been no payment from the county and no request for payment from the company this year, and that is because there were some delays in the project,” said Kohnstamm.

The project is progressing and the company has five more years of the program allowed by the county decision and the company still has the option to provide proof to the county that it has met the requirements. “The district then determines whether that is correct, and then they can receive this money,” said Kohnstamm.

Negotiating the lease with Miami-Dade County was taking longer than expected, Mr. Singer said. “When the incentive was negotiated, the thought was that the lease and the incentive would be approved roughly at the same time, but the lease wasn’t signed until August 2018,” he said. As a result, more than a year passed between the incentive and the lease when the project actually got going and the initial deadlines for applying for the district funds no longer worked.

The Miami Drivers Club will create an estimated 240 full-time positions, according to Stanley Rigaud, vice president of international business development for the Beacon Council and director of the Small Business Program. “We asked if the delays created an environment in which they could [13 Pista] the total number of jobs would have to adjust, “he said,” and their answer was no, they are still on track to recruit the 240 jobs they originally forecast. “

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Tallahassee Bakery reopens after son with COVID. was hospitalized

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Baked goods straight out of the oven are back on display at a Tallahassee bakery.

Tuesday was TC Bakery’s first business day in several weeks after a COVID scare.

TC Bakery was closed after the owner’s son had a serious COVID-19 case and sent him to hospital for several days.

Jennifer Young opened TC Bakery a few years ago. It was a dream job.

But that dream was put on hold this month when the pandemic became all too real.

“These cakes can wait, my son comes first,” said Young.

Her difficult journey began two and a half weeks earlier when her nine-year-old son Joseph fell ill after returning to school in Wakulla County.

“He didn’t feel good, he just didn’t look right,” she recalled. “It didn’t seem right.”

He was unable to suppress pain medication and a trip to the emergency room confirmed a diagnosis of COVID.

A day later, the family was told that the virus was causing further problems.

“His body tries to fight off COVID and bacterial pneumonia,” described Young.

The family were told to take Joseph to the Tallahassee Memorial.

“The doctor was very honest with us and said that they really don’t have many solutions for children. It’s one of those areas where they really don’t know. “

An agonizing waiting game. Every parent’s nightmare.

“As a parent, you cannot describe the feeling of seeing your child hurt. You want to take your child’s place, but there was nothing we could do about it. “

After a few days the pneumonia medicine began to work.

“The fellowship’s prayers, the support, I feel like it all worked,” said Young.

Young believes her son got the virus from school. Her message to parents: be vigilant.

“Do not go to school if you are still waiting for a COVID test result as you may inadvertently affect another child.”

Young adds that her son is fine overall. She says Joseph is eager to return to class and calls him “resilient.”

Copyright 2021 WCTV. All rights reserved.

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Tampa Bay Rays is expected to add David Robertson to the roster on Wednesday

NS. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays have added veteran aides to their cab driver David Robertson and are expected to call him back from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

The Rays signed the 36-year-old on August 16 after Robertson was named US silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Rays, who lead AL East, started Tuesday seven games ahead of the New York Yankees, for whom Robertson played nine of his twelve major league seasons.

“I’m excited to be part of the team and see what happens from here,” said Robertson on Tuesday. “I’ve always enjoyed playing the Rays just because they were the toughest, toughest team we’ve played and now I’m on the other side. I’m ready to go.”

Robertson last played with Philadelphia in the majors on April 14, 2019. In August of that year he had an operation on Tommy John and suffered a setback a year later.

“I feel great now because my elbow doesn’t hurt,” said Robertson. “I kind of rushed things. It was a major operation and I wasn’t a little kid when I had it so it took longer than I thought I was to heal. I should have listened to my body. “

The right-handed is 55-33 with 137 saves and 2.90 ERA in 661 appearances.

“He has as much experience as anyone else on our team,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “I think that will help. If he is healthy, he has shown and proven that he was a very, very good helper in every role.”

Game notes
Cash said reliever Ryan Thompson (right shoulder infection) has been banned from rehab and that RHP Oliver Drake (right flexor tendon strain) is most likely ready for the season. … RHP Aaron Slegers was signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training next year.

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Lack of a Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage in Hospital Staffing Wars

In the rural northeastern corner of Missouri, Scotland County Hospital has been so low on staff that it sometimes had to turn away patients amid a surge in covid-19 cases.

The national covid staffing crunch means CEO Dr. Randy Tobler has hired more travel nurses to fill the gaps. And the prices are steep — what he called “crazy” rates of $200 an hour or more, which Tobler said his small rural hospital cannot afford.

A little over 60% of his staff is fully vaccinated. Even as covid cases rise, though, a vaccine mandate is out of the question.

“If that becomes our differential advantage, we probably won’t have one until we’re forced to have one,” Tobler said. “Maybe that’s the thing that will keep nurses here.”

As of Thursday, about 39% of U.S. hospitals had announced vaccine mandates, said Colin Milligan, a spokesperson for the American Hospital Association. Across Missouri and the nation, hospitals are weighing more than patient and caregiver health in deciding whether to mandate covid vaccines for staffers.

The market for health care labor, strained by more than a year and a half of coping with the pandemic, continues to be pinched. While urban hospitals with deeper pockets for shoring up staff have implemented vaccine mandates, and may even use them as a selling point to recruit staffers and patients, their rural and regional counterparts are left with hard choices as cases surge again.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a real challenge for these small, rural hospitals to mandate a vaccine when they’re already facing such significant workforce shortages,” said Alan Morgan, head of the National Rural Health Association.

Without vaccine mandates, this could lead to a desperate cycle: Areas with fewer vaccinated residents likely have fewer vaccinated hospital workers, too, making them more likely to be hard hit by the delta variant sweeping America. In the short term, mandates might drive away some workers. But the surge could also squeeze the hospital workforce further as patients flood in and staffers take sick days.

Rural covid mortality rates were almost 70% higher on average than urban ones for the week ending Aug. 15, according to the Rural Policy Research Institute.

Despite the scientific knowledge that covid vaccinations sharply lower the risk of infection, hospitalization and death, the lack of a vaccine mandate can serve as a hospital recruiting tool. In Nebraska, the state veterans affairs’ agency prominently displays the lack of a vaccine requirement for nurses on its job site, The Associated Press reported.

It all comes back to workforce shortages, especially in more vaccine-hesitant communities, said Jacy Warrell, executive director of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee. She pointed out that some regional health care systems don’t qualify for staffing assistance from the National Guard as they have fewer than 200 beds. A potential vaccine mandate further endangers their staffing numbers, she said.

“They’re going to have to think twice about it,” Warrell said. “They’re going to have to weigh the risk and benefit there.”

The mandates are having ripple effects throughout the health care industry. The federal government has mandated that all nursing homes require covid vaccinations or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and industry groups have warned that workers may jump to other health care settings. Meanwhile, Montana has banned vaccine mandates altogether, and the Montana Hospital Association has gotten one call from a health care worker interested in working in the state because of it, said spokesperson Katy Peterson.

It’s not just nurses at stake with vaccine mandates. Respiratory techs, nursing assistants, food service employees, billing staff and other health care workers are already in short supply. According to the latest KFF/The Washington Post Frontline Health Care Workers Survey, released in April, at least one-third of health care workers who assist with patient care and administrative tasks have considered leaving the workforce.

The combination of burnout and added stress of people leaving their jobs has worn down the health care workers the public often forgets about, said interventional radiology tech Joseph Brown, who works at Sutter Roseville Medical Center outside Sacramento, California.

This has a domino effect, Brown said: More of his co-workers are going on stress and medical leave as their numbers dwindle and while hospitals run out of beds. He said nurses’ aides already doing backbreaking work are suddenly forced to care for more patients.

“Explain to me how you get 15 people up to a toilet, do the vitals, change the beds, provide the care you’re supposed to provide for 15 people in an eight-hour shift and not injure yourself,” he said.

In Missouri, Tobler said his wife, Heliene, is training to be a volunteer certified medical assistant to help fill the gap in the hospital’s rural health clinic.

Tobler is waiting to see if the larger St. Louis hospitals lose staff in the coming weeks as their vaccine mandates go into effect, and what impact that could have throughout the state.

In the hard-hit southwestern corner of Missouri, CoxHealth president and CEO Steve Edwards said his health system headquartered in Springfield is upping its minimum wage to $15.25 an hour to compete for workers.

While the estimated $25 million price tag of such a salary boost will take away about half the hospital system’s bottom line, Edwards said, the investment is necessary to keep up with the competitive labor market and cushion the blow of the potential loss of staffers to the hospital’s upcoming Oct. 15 vaccine mandate.

“We’re asking people to take bedpans and work all night and do really difficult work and maybe put themselves in harm’s way,” he said. “It seems like a much harder job than some of these 9-to-5 jobs in an Amazon distribution center.”

Two of his employees died from covid. In July alone, Edwards said 500 staffers were out, predominantly due to the virus. The vaccine mandate could keep that from happening, Edwards said.

“You may have the finest neurosurgeon, but if you don’t have a registration person everything stops,” he said. “We’re all interdependent on each other.”

But California’s Brown, who is vaccinated, said he worries about his colleagues who may lose their jobs because they are unwilling to comply with vaccine mandates.

California has mandated that health care workers complete their covid vaccination shots by the end of September. The state is already seeing traveling nurses turn down assignments there because they do not want to be vaccinated, CalMatters reported.

Since the mandate applies statewide, workers cannot go work at another hospital without vaccine requirements nearby. Brown is frustrated that hospital administrators and lawmakers, who have “zero covid exposure,” are the ones making those decisions.

“Hospitals across the country posted signs that said ‘Health care heroes work here.’ Where is the reward for our heroes?” he asked. “Right now, the hospitals are telling us the reward for the heroes: ‘If you don’t get the vaccine, you’re fired.’”

Lauren Weber:
LaurenW@kff.org,
@LaurenWeberHP

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Buchholz recipient Quan Lee makes college selection from UCF, Miami, Michigan

Quan Lee, one of the top Florida recipients, is ready to announce his college goal.

Central Florida, Miami, and Michigan are the top schools for the three-star recruits at Buchholz High School. Lee officially attended UCF and UM in June while putting in his latest offering from the Wolverines on Aug. 13.

Lee reveals where he’s headed in an exclusive engagement video with The Gainesville Sun below.

“It’s been a great blessing to be recruited like this,” said Lee, who has 29 offers. “Since they’re only from Gainesville, not many people get highly recruited. They may receive small D2 deals, but very few get D1 deals. With me, I always knew that I was different.

“When I found out I was good at football in middle school, I had to take it seriously and get my head straight. I knew I had a gift, a God-given gift, and I took football for granted, so I had to make the most of it. “

More:Quan Lee von Buchholz moves more than just the chains on Friday evening

Lee had an example to follow in his older brother, former Gainesville High running back Ralph Webb. He had the best career of a Vanderbilt run in program history from 2014-17, setting multiple school records with 4,173 rushing yards, 931 carries, 32 rushing touchdowns, 35 total touchdowns, and 16 games of at least 100 rushing yards.

Webb has spent the last three years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots.

“When I watched him go through the whole process, it was like he can, so can I,” Lee said of Webb. “He always showed me how to do it and just told me what it would take if I really wanted to play college football.”

The 6 foot tall, 175 pound heavy Lee will now embark on this journey with his decision made. He’s due to stop recruiting this fall to focus on his senior season and prepare for college.

“I can’t wait to show my talents on the next level,” said Lee. “I give everything hard and am willing to work on the little things too. I try to do what others don’t.

“It makes me different because I’m not afraid to be different. You will get a hard working guy who will give it his all. You get everything from me every Saturday evening. “

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Vigil for a young father who was randomly gunned down in Miami Beach – NBC 6 South Florida

A vigil in Miami Beach on Tuesday thought of a young father who was shot dead while on vacation last week.

The vigil took place across from La Cerveceria on Ocean Drive, where 21-year-old Dustin Wakefield was shot dead on August 24th.

“It was a cold-blooded murder, and visions of it are heartbreaking,” said one resident who read a message on behalf of the family at the vigil. “He was an angel on earth, a perfect son, husband and father. And my son didn’t deserve to be so dehumanized.”

NBC 6’s Ryan Nelson spoke to the victim’s uncle on the phone about his young family.

Wakefield visited South Florida from Colorado.

According to witness statements, the gunman ran into the restaurant and shot Wakefield, killing him at the table in front of his family.

The police arrested a 22-year-old Tamarius Blair Davis who was said to have shot at another person indiscriminately on the same day.

According to a police report, the suspect confessed to the shooting and said he was rich in mushrooms, which “made him feel empowered”.

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Leon County’s mother says repeated COVID-19 exposure and quarantine are affecting son’s education and calls for digital options

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee mother says her son has been in quarantine for nearly half of the 2021-2022 school year so far.

Kaylon Williams’ son is a sixth grade student at Cobb Middle School; he was exposed to COVID-19 and quarantined twice in the first three weeks of school.

As of Tuesday afternoon, statistics available show that more than 990 students are quarantined in Leon County. Overall, this number makes up 3.25% of all students.

The dashboard shows a total of 490 reported cases from employees and students in the last 14 days.

According to Leon County School District guidelines, parents must leave students at home during quarantine if they are sick or have a fever, or if they are waiting for COVID-19 test results, even if the student is asymptomatic.

Williams says when her son was first exposed he missed a full week of school because his “quick” test scores took two days. She says that during this time he was also unable to get into the online system to access his tasks.

When his password was reset days later, he was looking at homework on subjects and lessons he had missed. Williams says he’s already behind.

“So I have to go to work and come home and try to teach him so he can do his chores; I’m not a teacher, ”said Williams.

She added that while she also got a new job this month and it has been difficult to take time off because of her son’s COVID situation, her priority is his education.

“He’s supposed to do these jobs, but he hasn’t learned,” said Williams.

Her son had nine days at school this year, the other six days he was quarantined at home.

She learned that he was exposed again on Monday; they have an appointment for him to be tested on Wednesday. Williams is concerned about another delayed outcome and her son may miss the rest of the week.

Williams is pushing for a digital academy or virtual option.

“I would like to see that they have at least some kind of streaming or recording of the teacher teaching the class. That would be helpful. You need to make sure that the documents they post online so students can get their assignments done can be overwritten, not PDF documents, ”Williams said.

A spokesman for Leon County Schools says the state didn’t allocate funding for digital options this year, but they are working to unburden parents on those issues.

An email from the director of Cobb Middle School also stated that Leon County Schools are now providing free 24/7 access to all students in grades three through twelve so they can schedule live lessons with tutors during the quarantine .

Copyright 2021 WCTV. All rights reserved.

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The forces of philanthropy in Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS

The generosity of Southwest Florida is never more tangible than at the start of the season. Every gala and auction helps a child, parent or grandparent in need.

In September, WINK News partners at Gulfshore Life Magazine honored some of the people who have invested time and money in their “forces of philanthropy”: Denny Glass, on the board of three nonprofits; Dena Rae Hancock, director of the Golisano Children’s Museum; and John Quinn, president of Fountain 33.

The shoot for the September issue of Gulfshore Life is glamorous, but the men and women on display say they’ve done a lot of hard work all year long.

“I think the time I spend in all four programs I do is part of our feeling of giving back,” said Glass.

Glass serves on three charitable boards, hosts a golf tournament, and recently donated money to build Glass Hospital at the Naples Zoo. He says life has blessed him and that he feels best to pass it on.

Hancock enjoys the same feeling. Running the Golisano Children’s Museum and offering children a place to play even in a pandemic meant everything to her.

“Children just always light up your mind because you just … you make a difference that benefits forever,” said Hancock.

For John Quinn and his wife Amy, it was about recognizing a need and drawing on their own experiences.

“When we moved here, we realized that there was a significant shortage of resources for teenagers,” Quinn said. “My wife had some psychological problems as a young adolescent, a young adult.”

That is why they are creating a new position at their children’s school as a “Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator”

“It will help children learn how to handle emotions and regulate their emotions,” Quinn said. “How to deal with each other.”

For these three and the other ten recognized, they hope that someone else will enjoy this feeling of giving back as much as they do.

The other philanthropists honored this year and 2020 can be found in the September issue of Gulfshore Life.

See similar https://www.winknews.com/2021/08/31/inspiring-people-the-forces-of-philanthropy-in-southwest-florida/

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Seminole Tribe joins fray in lawsuits over gambling deal bringing sports betting to FL

As was inevitable, the plot thickens as Florida’s contentious new gambling laws come under legal attack on multiple fronts.

The issues relate to federal court in Washington D.C., and federal court in Tallahassee.

On Tuesday, the powerful Seminole Tribe of Florida filed documents in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to intervene in a lawsuit filed Aug. 16 by Florida pari-mutuel facilities against the U.S. Department of Interior’s decision to approve the tribe’s new, 30-year, multibillion-dollar gambling compact with the State of Florida.

The lawsuit against U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland argues, in part, that the compact approved on Aug. 5 violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act by allowing the Tribe to conduct gambling – most particularly, mobile sports betting — off tribal lands.

The federal case in Washington was brought by Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room, both being pari-mutuel facilities affiliated with West Flagler Associates.

Those same parties filed a case in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee on July 2 against Gov. Ron DeSantis and Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Julie Imanuel Brown. That case demands an injunction to prevent those two from implementing gambling laws adopted in May that allow the Seminole Tribe to unilaterally decide which if any pari-mutuels it will partner with in future sports betting operations off tribal lands.

Florida’s pari-mutuel facilities – places where gambling occurs along with live events such as horse races and jai-alai games – want in on the lucrative sports betting market, too, and they don’t want the Tribe to have a monopoly.

On Aug. 16, the pari-mutuels sued Secretary Haaland, asking the federal court in Washington, D.C., to vacate her approval of the compact.

On Tuesday, the Seminole Tribe intervened on Haaland’s side, arguing that as a federally designated tribe and a sovereign nation, it is an “indispensable party” in the argument but also immune. In other words, it argues that since it an indispensable party but is, due to its sovereignty, barred from participating to defend its interests, the case must be dismissed.

The compact at the heart of the Aug. 16 lawsuit was approved specifically by Bryan Newland, newly appointed to the top post in the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. Technically, Newland declined to affirmatively approve the compact but deliberately allowed it to take effect by default at the end of the requisite 45-day review period.

Newland, then an unconfirmed nominee to his post, wrote extensively that despite allowing the compact to move forward, he had “concerns’ about key provisions of the compact — concerns that likely will be deliberated in future court arguments.

To outright reject the compact — worth $2.5 billion to the State of Florida in just the first five years — may have drawn the ire of the Seminole Tribe, Republican Gov. DeSantis and other powerful interests.

The day after he announced the compact could proceed, Newland was confirmed to his post by the U.S. Senate, with support from both of Florida’s Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.

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Research suggests that renters in St. Peter should consider getting bigger

St. Petersburg is one of 30 cities across the country where the average price for available two-bedroom apartments is now below the average for one-bedroom apartments.

NS. PETERSBURG, Florida – Rental rates are getting higher and higher in our region. But in St. Petersburg, something very unusual happens.

New research has shown that renting a two-bedroom apartment can, on average, be cheaper than a one-bedroom apartment.

“The rent is pretty high,” says Lara Tassara, a newcomer to the area.

You don’t have to tell apartment hunters like you looking for an apartment in St. Petersburg that one-bedroom apartments are hard to find. And expensive.

“Basically the cheapest price I could get here,” said Tassara, “yeah – about sixteen hundred.”

And for this money, the number of square meters is not always – shall we say – generous.

“It’s definitely a bit small,” said Oskar Mossberg about his apartment on Central Avenue. “I would be lying if I said anything else.”

Given the demand and lack of supply, Rent.com has just determined that St. Pete is one of 30 cities across the country – and the only one in Florida – where the average price of available two-bedroom apartments is now lower is than the average rent for available one-room apartments.

About $ 85 less a month.

“Yeah, it’s crazy. The market surprises us all every day, ”says Dan Pepper, whose company Rent Palm Property Management looks after hundreds of properties.

Pepper says the demand for a one-bedroom room in St. Pete is not on the charts.

“It’s changing, crazy, street by street,” said Pepper. “And so you can sometimes find a two-room room two streets away from a single room at a lower price.”

Pepper said no one should expect to get two bedroom space in the exact same building or apartment complex for less than one bedroom. But sometimes that extra space for less money isn’t necessarily all over town. It could be just around the corner, he says.

“Yes, indeed, sometimes there can be a two-bedroom next door for a cheaper price than the new one-bedroom,” Pepper said.

“I would definitely look for a twin room. I mean more space. If I pay the same price for more space and can still be in the same area, I would definitely take it, ”said Tassara.

“100 percent no brainer, that I would definitely take up more space if I could still walk anywhere from the city center. And I might sacrifice a block or two like you mentioned just to have access, ”he said.

Rent.com research found that areas with competitive two-bedroom prices are usually near larger cities where rents are high and places where more two-bedroom apartments are available.

Right now, Pepper says, this is definitely the situation for St. Pete as newcomers get a feel for the area. But if they like it and stay, he says, he wouldn’t be surprised if the demand for more space returns.

“So this time next year we might find that the demand for two bedrooms is much higher. We will find that the demand for property prices is much higher, ”said Pepper. “But right now, this snapshot, one-bedroom is the hot commodity.”

With homes in such high demand, some advice from the experts is to check the listings online frequently. In the case of computerized prices, the rent can change on a daily basis. Also, be patient and don’t be afraid to look in the same neighborhood for something with more space for the same or maybe even a lower price.

RELATED: “People Literally Suffer and Become Homeless”: Tampa Bay Renters Crawl As Eviction Law Ends

RELATED: Protest in St. Pete against End of Eviction Moratorium

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Mudslide Mayhem – Guerin Green

Mudslides across the West follow wildfires. When major highways close, the whole nation experiences suplly chain impacts— delays, higher costs and even business failures.

Colorado knows natural disasters. Flooding has devastated areas of the state in recent years. Wildfires have become a frequent occurrence each summer. And now, you can add mudslides to the list.

Mountain mudslides are not new in the Centennial State, but their impacts are having devastating consequences, particularly on a key Colorado interstate-highway corridor.

Interstate 70 has been forced to close at least 10 times this summer due to mudslides from the nearby Grizzly Creek wildfire burn scar.

The most recent mudslide, which also forced Hanging Lake to close indefinitely due to major damage, led Gov. Jared Polis to issue two state disaster declarations for Glenwood Canyon on Aug. 6.

The declarations authorized the use of the Colorado National Guard for traffic control, debris management and unarmed law-enforcement support, and enabled the state to seek federal funds to assist with recovery.

While I-70 reopened through Glenwood Canyon on Friday, the climate conditions that precipitated the slides are expected to continue to haunt Colorado, with the primary culprit being fire. In 2020, more than 625,000 acres burned in the state, with the three largest recorded fires in Colorado history.

When wildfires burn, vegetation is removed from the ground. That vegetation normally acts like a mesh network that helps stabilize the soil, explained Uwe Kackstaetter, Ph.D., a geology expert and professor in Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department. The intense heat also changes soil properties, making burn scars vulnerable to mudslides.

“If you have loose debris and rain, the writing is on the wall,” Kackstaetter said. “That loose material gets swept downhill, and when you incorporate this loose material, you are creating something like liquid sandpaper. Only it’s much worse than sandpaper. You have big chunks, car-size boulders, that move off these admixtures of mud and water.”

Interstate 70 has been forced to close at least 10 times this summer due to mudslides from the nearby Grizzly Creek wildfire burn scar. Photo courtesy CDOT.

That scenario is what happened in the Glenwood Canyon section of I-70. Wildfires, floods and other weather events amplified by climate change have affected the area in recent years. The Grizzly Creek Wildfire last year burned around 30,000 acres and left the canyon’s cliffs and mountainsides scorched in many places.

Kackstaetter said the resulting destruction had also been exacerbated by the narrow nature of the canyon and how the highway was designed to fit through it.

Keah Schuenemann, Ph.D., professor in MSU Denver’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said climate change is the underlying issue in the rising number of mudslides.

“Droughts lead to increased wildfire activity, and because climate change leads to increased extreme precipitation events, it all adds up to the perfect recipe for mudslides being more common,” she said. “I think we’ll have more burn scars going forward, so it makes sense that we would have more mudslides on these steeper slopes.”

The good news? The land can heal.

Eventually, damaged soil in burn scars will regenerate and be reestablished on steep slopes. Plants that help hold soil and rocks in place will grow naturally. The challenge is that the process could take up to 15 years, Kackstaetter said. And while the state has made limited efforts to seed the burn zone at Glenwood Canyon, he added, some areas are impossible to reach because of the canyon’s steep walls.

Proactive action can also help mitigate mudslide damage, said Runing Zhang, Ph.D., a professor in MSU Denver’s Civil Engineering Technology Department and a member of Denver’s Sustainability Advisory Council. While mudslides are notoriously hard to predict, he noted that government officials can invest in measures such as restoring vegetation, improving drainage systems and maintaining flood-control systems.

“If we do something before a mudslide happens, then it will be much more efficient (in preventing damage),” he said. “It’s a problem that local agencies have to look at and evaluate.”

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An escalating legal war could be on the horizon for school boards and masks mandates in FL schools

The school mask mandate controversy could involve more legal battles, according to school district officials, with Broward and Alachua discussing their legal options after the Florida Department of Education docked pay for the two local boards because they had implemented strict mask mandates.

The move by the DeSantis administration and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran — who believe that parents of schoolchildren, not school boards, should make decisions on mask-wearing — came after a judge ruled verbally Friday that local boards can indeed implement mask mandates.

“I’m very troubled by the state’s action,” Alachua County School District Supt. Carlee Simon said in a written statement on Tuesday. “Our School Board members made a courageous decision to protect the health and lives of students, staff and the people of this community, and a court has already ruled they had the legal right to do so. They deserve praise, not penalties.”

She noted that the Alachua school district is looking into legal action.

“We believe this is a necessary step to ensure that Florida’s districts have the right to act in the best interests of those they serve.”

The statement did not provide further details on the legal front.

Alachua communication staffer Jackie Johnson said that Alachua and Broward, as well as the Orange County School District, are working with attorneys on the matter and awaiting a written court order from Circuit Court Judge John Cooper before pursuing any legal moves.

“We’ll have more information on the specific arguments when there is a formal ruling, which should be in the next couple of days,” Johnson told the Phoenix.

The Broward County School District also released a written statement Tuesday, saying that the board believes its mask policies are complying with state law and rules.

“We continue to receive legal advisement that we are in compliance to the rules as well as to the order,” interim Supt. Vickie Cartwright said during a special school board meeting Tuesday morning. The comments were from a video from the Tuesday board meeting.

Alachua and Broward were the first two districts to implement strict mask mandate policies in response to the rising COVID-19 cases in Florida. Ten other school districts have since followed suit and implemented strict mask mandates. These districts could see similar punitive measures, but it’s not clear yet.

Other than Alachua and Broward, the other school districts that have defied the DeSantis administration’s mask policies are: Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Leon, Duval, Indian River, Orange, Brevard and Lee.

The Department of Education has been sending letters to those or at least some districts that could lead to punitive actions, such as docking pay for local boards.

A press release from the Florida Democratic Party responded to the Department “illegally” withholding the salaries of school board members.

“This announcement is shocking and outrageous,” chairman Manny Diaz said in the written statement. “Just last Friday, a Leon County Judge determined that Governor DeSantis exceeded his authority when he signed an executive order blocking local school boards from enacting mask protocols.

“Yet Commissioner Corcoran has moved forward with these heavy-handed tactics to further the Governor’s unconstitutional efforts to prevent school boards from enacting the health protocols they deem necessary to protect the lives of their students and employees.”

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Hall County Schools nearly doubles the previous peak in COVID-19 cases

The CDC officially recommends universal masking in areas of high transmission such as Hall County, and even did so in the May report, recommending the “universal and correct use of masks” as a “relatively inexpensive and easy-to-implement strategy”.

The report also found that “the incidence of COVID-19 in schools that required mask use by teachers and staff was 37% lower”.

When asked in an interview why the district has not mandated masking of staff, Schofield said, “We certainly do not see ourselves as custodians of adult decisions. … I don’t see myself as the father of a 40-year-old and tell them that you wear a mask because you haven’t been vaccinated … huge difference between an 8-year-old and a 40-year-old who has a certain free will and a certain amount Possibility to make some decisions yourself. ”

Schofield said he has “tremendous empathy for what our healthcare workers are going through,” but added, “I think what people are trying to get the point into is,” Oh, when schools have a mask we wouldn’t have a challenge. ‘ And there is simply no data yet to suggest that schools are a vector of diffusion. … So once again, great sympathy for our healthcare workers. But we don’t see the numbers on the basis that our school leads to more people in the hospital system. ”

“Many of our team members choose to wear masks,” said district spokesman Stan Lewis in an email. “The district recommends employees wear masks when social distancing is not an option. However, masks are still optional. In addition, all of our teachers have had the opportunity to get vaccinated. ”Lewis said it was difficult to estimate how many employees would choose to be masked.

Schofield has strongly recommended vaccination for all school staff. Lewis estimates that 50% of employees are fully vaccinated, although employees are not required to report their vaccination status.

The district will close its schools for a mental health / voluntary vaccination day on September 20. The decision was twofold, said Schofield.

“No. 1 is we have four weeks in the school year and people are already exhausted,” and the day off will “give our people an opportunity to catch their breath,” he said continue to believe that vaccination is the only lever that can make a significant difference in the long run, and we want to keep giving people the opportunity to think about it. ”

At its most recent meeting, the Education Committee rejected Schofield’s proposal to pay a payment of $ 400 to any employee proven to have been fully vaccinated before October 15.

Governor Brian Kemp announced Monday that State Health Benefit Plan members, which include school staff, are eligible for a vaccination incentive in the form of a US $ 150 Visa Gift Card or US $ 480 Health Care Credit.

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Driver fleeing shootings crashes into a wall outside the Miami Gardens home

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida. – Authorities investigated two scenes in Miami Gardens on Tuesday afternoon.

On one scene, a car crashed into a wall outside a house on Northwest 5th Avenue.

A few blocks away they were investigating reports of gunfire fired.

According to Miami Gardens police, the driver involved in the accident told officers that he was heading north on Northwest 5th Avenue when two vehicles shot at each other.

The driver tried to escape and fell, the police said.

No injuries were reported.

The driver’s vehicle was hit by a bullet on the rear bumper.

As the police announced, the vehicles involved in the shooting fled south.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Tallahassee Beer Festival returns on November 7th

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (WTXL) – After a hiatus due to COVID-19, the Tallahassee Beer Festival has rescheduled.

The event will now take place on November 7, 2021.

According to the organizers, the festival has been suspended due to high cases and low vaccination rates in the county.

Safety is paramount as organizers plan for the November event. Ben Graybar, who is overseeing the event, says their security protocols will be released as the event approaches.

“In terms of COVID logs, we are too far away from the event date to know what it will be like. We know what we’re up to if we want to continue, ”said Graybar. “We have seen a rapid increase in community in an otherwise previously untouched population. We have stepped the can enough that anyone who wants to plan differently has the opportunity.”

Tickets purchased for the original date will be considered.

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Tesla has proposed replacing Toys R Us in north Naples

The Model 3 sedan is on display in Tesla’s showroom in the Waterside Shops in Naples.

Q: Any information on what’s going on in the Toys R Us building at the airport and Pine Ridge? I heard from a Tesla dealer but it’s unconfirmed.

– Brian Konkel, Bonita Springs

A: Tesla’s R us? Development plans confirm that a Tesla sales and service center has been proposed to replace the former Toys R Us store on the edge of Bed Bath & Beyond Plaza on the northwest corner of Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge streets in north Naples.

A state-of-the-art Tesla Service Plus concept for the luxury electric car maker would take up the entire 30,585 square meter store that the toy retailer vacated three years ago. Since then, the shop has only had a few temporary uses such as a Spirit Halloween shop.

The planned new Tesla Motors service center at 5305 Airport-Pulling Road N. would be just 3.2 km from the showroom that the Californian company opened in December 2016 in the Waterside Shops in Naples.

Tesla’s showroom on the northern edge of the Waterside Shops in Naples.

The new location would have more space to display at least four of Tesla’s all-electric cars, but the main difference is that local owners of the vehicles don’t have to travel far for service and repairs. Of the eleven service centers Tesla operates in Florida, the closest to Naples opened last fall near Colonial Drive and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers.

Most of the proposed space in Naples is reserved for car maintenance, according to plans by Ohio-based architecture and engineering firm WD Partners. The floor plan and exterior view of the 25-year-old building remain essentially the same. The most notable changes to the structure are proposed in the northwest corner, where the entrance is still outlined in rainbow-colored tiles, the only remaining reminder of the Toys R Us store there.

Plans show the sales area at the existing public entrance to the building on this corner. The colorful tiles and part of the walls on the north and west sides of the building are to be removed in order to create a stylish new shop window for Tesla, which owns and operates all of its sales and service locations. Tesla has no dealers or franchises, and its sales reps do not operate on a traditional commission because most sales are made online.

Tesla’s showroom in the Waterside Shops in Naples offers charging stations for its electric cars.

Architectural plans outline every detail of the planned location in Naples. TESLA – in letters 4 to 6 feet high – is said to span the western corner of the building above a new folding glass door and shop window glazing that is outlined by a red metal portal that extends to the north side of the building. The outside corner of the building is opened to create an overhang and a modern architectural element. Tesla’s 6 foot tall “T” logo – said by CEO Elon Musk is a cross-section of the electric motor first designed by namesake and futurist Nikola Tesla – will adorn the north side, where a high-speed roller shutter will be added for the Service. Another roller shutter will be built on the west side of the building.

The Toys R Us store was vacated three years ago at 5305 Airport-Pulling Road N. in north Naples.

In addition to an exhibition room and a garage, the interior construction plans show rooms for a lounge, offices, a conference room, parts and storage, toilets as well as a break and changing room for the employees.

Parking spaces for charging electric vehicles will be set up at the northeast end of the building. The plans show seven wall connection points and four V3 compressor posts.

A Tesla consultant on duty at the Waterside showroom was unable to review the company’s plans for the new or existing showrooms in Naples. Tesla’s project and architecture managers could not be reached to comment on a construction schedule for the service center in Naples.

Benderson Development owns the 3 acre outparcel property that Tesla wants near one of the busiest intersections in Collier County. When asked about Tesla’s proposed lease, Brett Burgher, Benderson’s executive director of national leasing, said the company is not commenting on the plans for its real estate.

A look into the empty shop that housed Toys R Us in northern Naples for 20 years.

The regional developer has had a relationship with Tesla since at least 2014. Sarasota-based Benderson was the builder of the Mall at University Town Center, home of Tesla’s first showroom in southwest Florida.

Last October, a Benderson subsidiary formally requested a zoning confirmation letter from the Collier County’s Growth Administration Department to see if an electric car company would have an acceptable use to replenish the vacated Toys R Us business for auto sales, service, and car sales. repair without changing the approved existing site plan. A letter from the Zoning Services Division of Growth Management to the director of real estate development at Benderson replied that new and used vehicle dealerships and general automotive repair shops may be used in this heavily C-5 commercial zoning area, as determined by the county records emerges.

Hotel renovation

Q: What’s going on with the on-site restaurant at the DoubleTree Hotel? It has activity. It used to be Charlie Chiang’s, at 41 near the old tin mug.

– Jennifer East, Naples

A: Another restaurant is now not planned for the space Charlie Chiang’s Chinese restaurant occupied for 12 seasons before it finally closed three years ago at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Naples award-winning hotel. The hotel’s fitness center will be relocated to this area and some of the square meters will serve as meeting rooms, Ms. Robbins said.

In April, construction began on the first phase of an interior and exterior improvement project for the 12200 Tamiami Trail N. all-suite hotel in north Naples. All of the 101 suites at the three-story hotel are due to be renovated by September, Ms. Robbins said.

The hotel’s owner, Guest Services Inc., based in Virginia, is also planning building renovations to include 68 square feet of pool deck and 216 square feet of covered walkway, enhancing the existing sidewalk and landscaping, and showing other changes, the county plans show.

Further expansion plans in the next year could include another restaurant, Ms. Robbins said, but that’s not yet decided. |

Tim Aten Knows is published weekly in the Naples Florida Weekly. Mr. Aten is Senior Editor of Gulfshore Business Magazine. Email questions to TimAten-Knows@floridaweekly.com. Follow @ TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Monument in Tampa at Ground Zero nearing completion

Pete Karamitsanis began rebuilding the Church in 2015.

TARPON SPRINGS, Florida – As the United States approaches the 20th anniversary of the most notorious terrorist attack on its soil, the changing world climate has once again turned an eye on the Taliban. That fateful day – September 11th, 2001 – is a day that most Americans will not and cannot forget.

Count Pete Karamitsanis as one of them.

Karamitsanis attended St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in historic Tarpon Springs for two decades while living in nearby Palm Harbor. Now in New York he is about to complete a project that is close to his heart.

“We are overseeing the rebuilding of St. Nicholas,” he said, referring to the now infamous church in Manhattan that was the only place of worship that was destroyed during those 9/11 attacks. On September 22nd, 2001 the church was completely demolished.

Karamitsanis is the director of InVision Advisors, a Tampa-based company helping rebuild this sacred space. Work on the project began in 2015.

“There is a whole generation of young people born since September 11th who have no idea what happened on September 11th,” he said. “The connection back to September 11th and the serenity that this church brings and hopefully will bring to many people who go there to remember their loved ones who have died, that was what we were looking for.”

COVID-19 delayed the project because it was difficult to get global materials for the church. Some of the marble comes from Greece. Other essentials come from Austria and New Zealand, among others.

“I think people just go speechless when they walk in,” said Karamitsanis, who now lives in Tampa. “It’s the opposite of emotions. It now belongs to the world. “

The new church memorial will be just one block away from the original church. Most of the workers helping to build the new St. Nicholas Church are not Greek Orthodox. Nevertheless, they give their heart to the project. This impresses Karamitsanis, who calls himself a lifelong Christian.

“They know they are working on a legacy project,” he said. “It’s not another construction project for them.”

The legacy that follows September 11th is marked by death and despair for many. Karamitsanis hopes the new church will change the outlook of that date to one of hope.

“(It) is not only a Greek Orthodox Church, but also a national shrine because it is located at Ground Zero,” he said with a smile.

The new hopeful opening date of Karamitsanis is Resurrection Sunday 2020.

RELATED: Clearwater High School honors longtime sports director by naming the soccer field after her

RELATED: Pinellas and West Pasco Habitat Reaches Major Milestone; continues the effects across Tampa Bay

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Unvaccinated Police, Firefighters dying in Delta surge – COVID – Guerin Green

Unnecessary. Unvaccinated. Dead.

UMany first responders in Central Florida have had a difficult week. Three of their colleagues died due to COVID-19.

Port Orange Police Chief Bill Proctor stated that a loss like this was devastating because everyone knows him and his family.

The death of Officer Justin White, 39, was announced by the Port Orange Police Department on Thursday.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office also announced that it had lost a COVID-19 deputy, 54-year old Deputy First Class Craig Seijos.

The Melbourne Fire Department had also announced the death of Scott Allender, a long-standing firefighter.

“We are deeply sorry for the loss and tragic tragedy that has befallen our brothers and sister and their agencies. According to Battalion Chief Scott Egan.

First responders from all over the region have offered their condolences.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood used social media to express his gratitude, noting that COVID-19 is currently the leading cause for line-of duty deaths.

Egan stated that even though first responders are more familiar with COVID-19, the threat is still significant.

Egan stated that it is still as dangerous today as it was at the beginning. It must be taken seriously.

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Calm, composed Calli Hardison pacing East Hall up and down the pitching circle

On August 25, Hardison made one of her best performances to date in 2021 with 12 strikeouts and no allowed walks in a 6-3 win in the region against North Oconee.

The win came just a day after a head-to-head battle against Flowery Branch and junior left-handed Nikki Harris, 3-2 in eight innings, at East Hall Park.

A wild pitch from Hardison was the deciding factor in this particular matchup.

However, Hardison won’t let a bad moment ruin her stellar career.

After three years of constant pitching for East Hall, coach Anuel Burce has all the confidence in the world with the ball in Hardison’s hand.

“She stood her ground and did what we had to do on and off the field,” said Burce. “She has a winning mentality when it comes to preparing. She never gives up. Calli is a bulldog on the hill. “

In some places Hardison was almost unbeatable. The Lady Vikings pitcher attributes her success to a clear mind and a sharp focus on the softball field.

“When I step into the circle, I don’t think about any aspect of my life,” said Hardison. “I’m only thinking of softball.”

An example was on August 16 when she beat 14 of 15 thugs against Lanier in a 9-1 win.

In his sophomore year, Hardison picked up a no-hitter against North Hall.

She is an important holdover from the Lady Vikings run to the Elite 8 in 2019.

This season, Hardison has a 3-3 mark in the pitching circle with 56 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.09.

And if East Hall hits another deep playoff run in 2021, it will likely be in the circle in crunch time.

For her career, Hardison has a 15-15 pitching mark with 236 strikeouts in the circle.

East Hall’s # 1 starter has since bounced back from that frustrating loss to Flowery Branch.

Playing in the same region, the Lady Vikings will have two more shots at the Lady Falcons on the field before the 8-4A tournament.

On the track, Hardison will have ample opportunities to bring East Hall deeper into the state playoffs than ever before.

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