ICYMI

Gaetz likely to avoid formal charges, Orange County schools push back against prank threats, Amazon Fresh grocery store to open in Maitland, party foul on I-75 and more news you may have missed.

» Gaetz unlikely to be charged in sex trafficking probe, according to report

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is unlikely to face charges from the years-long probe into whether he engaged in sex trafficking, according to a new report from the Washington Post. Speaking to people within the Department of Justice, the paper found that prosecutors recommended against charges in the case, worrying that the credibility of two witnesses who spoke against Gaetz would not stand up in court.

One of those two witnesses was the woman at the heart of the investigation. Over the last several years, prosecutors interviewed her alongside Gaetz associates to determine whether or not Gaetz enticed her across state lines for the purposes of sex while she was still a minor, a crime punishable under federal sex trafficking statutes. In addition to the woman, prosecutors are reportedly worried that the testimony of former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg would not hold water. The former Central Florida politico was convicted last year on sex trafficking and fraud charges, the former stemming from his relationship with the aforementioned woman. Greenberg has yet to be sentenced, as he hoped to receive leniency by cooperating with investigators. While his sentencing has been delayed several times, it appears his testimony was not enough for investigators.

Greenberg and the anonymous woman were far from alone in testifying against Gaetz; his ex-girlfriend testified before a grand jury in Orlando earlier this year. Investigators were focused on an eventful trip to the Bahamas where Gaetz, Greenberg, his ex and the anonymous woman were all in attendance. The trip was at the heart of further investigations into corruption among Florida politicians.

» OCPS Superintendent sends message amid increase in prank threats on schools

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vasquez left an audio message for parents regarding an increase in joke threats throughout the Orange County School District last week. “Some students may think of this as a prank, but this is not a joke and it’s taken very seriously,” Vasquez said. “It doesn’t matter if they say it, text it, write it, snap it or post it on social media, students who make threats can face serious consequences according to our Code of Student Conduct and through law enforcement.” Vasquez also encouraged parents to speak to their children about the importance of safety and check there are no prohibited items in their backpacks before sending them to school.

Vasquez’s statement follows a series of prank threats throughout the OCPS system this past week. West Orange High School in Winter Garden received two written threats within the span of two days, sparking investigation from deputies. A suspect for these threats has since been identified, the sheriff’s office said. Maitland High School, in Volusia County, released a statement similar to Vasquez’s after a prank shooting scare caused panic on Friday, Sept. 9. “To prevent these types of situations from occurring in the future, we are asking parents and guardians to communicate with their children how dangerous these pranks are, how they create a very unsafe school environment, and how serious the internal and external consequences are,” the Twitter statement read. Anyone who becomes aware of a threat should report it through the FortifyFL app, Vasquez said.

» Plane carrying ‘DeSantis is a human trafficker’ banner flies over

Orlando

A plane flew a banner over Orlando last week bearing the message “DeSantis is a human trafficker,” following the Florida governor’s decision to send migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard earlier this month. The flight comes after Ron DeSantis stood by his decision to trick 50 migrants into a flight to Massachusetts. The stunt, intended to showcase liberal hypocrisy in the face of having to deal with an influx of migrants, largely backfired when the town welcomed the families and offered care. However, that fact hasn’t penetrated the conservative sphere, with DeSantis and others still gleeful about the stunt and planning more. The next location in the governor’s ongoing campaign of human trafficking is Rehoboth Beach, a small Delaware town where President Joe Biden has a vacation home. That information was revealed ahead of time by flight plans, giving the town time to prepare. “We are aware of the situation and are working with state and local partners to compassionately address this situation and take care of the migrants who may arrive,” a spokesperson for the city told the Daily Beast. “Beyond that, we don’t have any additional comment.” A Texas sheriff launched an investigation into whether or not DeSantis’ first flight from Texas to Massachusetts broke the law. Bexar County top cop Javier Salazar accused DeSantis of exploiting the migrant workers for “political posturing.”

» Amazon Fresh grocery store planned for Maitland shopping center

The Orlando Business Journal reports that the online retailer and recent entrant into the grocery game will build an Amazon Fresh store in the planned Trelago Market shopping center. Amazon has owned organic megachain Whole Foods Market since 2017. Amazon Fresh began its life as a produce and grocery delivery service, growing into brick-and-mortar grocery stores starting in 2020. Fresh acts as a sort of downmarket cousin to Whole Foods, and has opened locations in many American and European cities. Several of these locations have been cashierless, with customers being charged by sensors that detect what they carry out of the store. Amazon operates three Whole Foods Markets in the Orlando area, but this Amazon Fresh location would be their first in the region. OBJ’s unnamed sources also say the retailer has eyes on a location in Winter Garden.

» Seminole Dems headquarters also hit with ‘fascist’ graffiti

Yet another Seminole County political HQ has been vandalized. Mere weeks after some suspiciously neat graffiti was found on the headquarters of the Seminole County GOP in Casselberry, the Democratic Party office was also tagged with graffiti that appears to be in conversation with that first bit of vandalism. The windows of the building in Longwood were sprayed with the messages “UR Fascist Too” and “End Both Parties.” Like the former incident, an anarchist A was painted on the building. Unlike the Republican Party incident, the taggers managed to get some spray paint on the window frames and drew the A outside the bounds of its circle, the lack of which led to suspicion about the first spray-paint bombing. The building was also draped with a homemade banner that said “Free Palestine.” The Seminole County Dems condemned the original vandalism against the GOP in August. Seminole County police are investigating both incidents.

» Florida highway shuts down after trucks spill massive load of Coors

Lights

A major party foul resulted in multiple lane closures on a section of highway in Hernando County last Wednesday morning. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a collision involving four semi-trucks and one pickup shut down southbound lanes of Interstate 75 at mile marker 296 and sent cases of Coors Light spilling across the roadway. It was unclear exactly what led to the crash and what happened to all those cases of “The World’s Most Refreshing Beer.” Only minor injuries were reported, says FHP.

» Two Orlando routes named among 10 worst traffic snarls in U.S.

Two roads in Orlando have been named among the top 10 worst for traffic in the entire United States. The study by traffic analysts Inrix measured typical congestion and hours lost sitting in traffic on American roads. The study found that the average American driver lost 36 hours of their life sitting in congested traffic last year. Drivers who took the two problematic Orlando routes were well above that number, however. The study found that drivers during rush hour who traveled I-4 West between the Beachline Expressway and FL-429 lost an average of 74 hours in traffic. Anyone taking US-17 South from 192 to The Oaks Boulevard also suffered, losing 59 hours in traffic. Those numbers were good for third- and seventhworst congestion in the U.S., respectively. In spite of this, Orlando proper was nowhere to be found on the list of most congested cities overall. New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Miami made up the top five.