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Brodys win first round vote

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:30:21 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- The Senate Rules Committee gave first round approval to a more than $15 million claims bill for Eric Brody , a 32-year-old Sunrise man who was catastrophically injured in an accident with a Broward Sheriff's Deputy in 1998. The accident left Brody brain damaged and largely confined to a wheelchair. He needs round-the-clock care – at an estimated lifetime cost of $10 million – but wrangling with an insurance company and the Legislature has left him reliant on Medicaid. A jury awarded Brody more than $30 million, but Florida's sovereign immunity laws protect government entities from having to pay out large jury awards. In egregious cases though, the legislature typically passes a bill directing either the state or the responsible government body -- in this case the sheriff's office -- to pay the money. The Legislature has come close to passing the bill the past several years, but has always come up short. Last spring, after the House failed to take up the Senate bill, Senate President Mike Haridopolos made it a top priority for the 2012 session. The bill passed would authorize the BSO to award Brody $15.575 million, but the BSO will likely sign over the right to sue the insurance company for the money, so the BSO won't have to pay anything. Pete Antonacci, a lobbyist for the now-defunct Ranger Insurance Company, said that the company has offered Brody an $8 million settlement that includes a life care plan of just more than $3 million. If they go to court, there is no guarantee the Brodys will win and then they would get no money for Eric. He also said the bill brings up constitutional and policy issues because the legislature would be passing it knowing that it will likely result in a lawsuit. "It is a bill that puts a target on the back of a private company, my company, the company I represent," he said. Lance Block , an attorney for the Brody family, said the settlement offer does not pay enough for the life care plan that the Brody's former insurance company put together for Eric. "Eric’s a human being that at the very least deserves to have all his bills paid," he said. Sen. John Thrasher , R-St. Augustine, urged the parties to come together and resolve the issue before it came before the entire Legislature. "This young man needs to be taken care of, and in an appropriate way," he said. The House version of the bill, which has not yet had a committee hearing, is worth more than $30 million.

Convicted Pedophile Sues Florida Prison System For Making Him Eat Soy, Says its "Cruel and Unusual Punishment"

Kyle Munzenrieder — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:23:42 +0000

In order to keep food costs down the Florida prison system routinely substitutes about half of the meat product in inmates’ meal with soy. But one inmate, Eric Harris, currently serving a life … Continue reading “Convicted Pedophile Sues Florida Prison System For Making Him Read More

305 Photo of the Day: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…

Kyle Munzenrieder — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:05:02 +0000

Today’s photo comes from GoboNDC’s Flickr. If you’d like to see your photo here join our Flickr group. Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes. … Continue reading “305 Photo of the Day: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Read More

Talking Points: Miami Dolphins finally realize that pass-first is the way to go

Beach Blogger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:23:59 +0000

Programming note: Please join Ben at 10:30 a.m. Eastern for a live Dolphins Q&A. Click the link to ask a question. A trio of Dolphins talking points to kickstart your Monday: 1. Dolphins finally realize: Pass-first is the way to go. When Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells arrived in Miami four years ago, they made no secret of the fact that they wanted a big, tough, physical football team that could run the football. This year, with Parcells gone and Sparano fighting to save his job, Sparano vowed that his offense would become more aggressive and try to move the ball more through the air. But it took Sparano eight games to truly buy into that philosophy. And the result, coincidence or not, was a 31-3 thrashing of the Chiefs. The Dolphins ran 18 plays in the first half, and 15 of them were pass plays (one turned into a scramble by Matt Moore). Reggie Bush , meanwhile, had three carries for nine yards. Daniel Thomas didn’t even touch the ball in the half. “Early in the game, our thought was that we had to be the aggressor on offense, we had to throw it,” Sparano said afterward. And it worked. Moore completed 11-of-14 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins jumped out to a 14-3 lead. They also had five plays of 20-plus yards in the first half. The run-pass balance evened out in the second half as the Dolphins protected their lead, with the Dolphins calling 27 passes and just 20 runs. (Yes, the Dolphins scored 31 points on just 47 offensive plays, an average of .66 points per play.) And the Dolphins may not have completely re-shaped their identity as a pass-first team. Even after Sunday’s game, the Dolphins rank just 26th in passing attempts per game (31.2) and 16th in rushing attempts per game (26.8). But it’s good to see that Sparano and the Dolphins have realized – at least for one day – that the NFL is now a passing league. 2. Miami’s inside linebackers aren’t so bad, after all. Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett took a lot of flak during the first two months of the season for their subpar play. They missed tackles, got burned in coverage, didn’t make any impact plays and had fans wondering why the Dolphins gave them $22 million (Dansby) and $10 million (Burnett) in guaranteed money. But the two have quietly stepped up their play in recent weeks, and were phenomenal in Sunday’s win. Burnett, the free agent signee from San Diego who replaced Channing Crowder in the lineup, led the Dolphins in tackles for the second straight week with 12. He also had 1.5 sacks (his first of the season), three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. “Just because it didn’t show up in the stat sheet doesn’t mean I wasn’t playing well,” Burnett said. Fair enough. But it’s a lot easier to talk about Burnett’s good play when it does show up in the stat sheet. Dansby, meanwhile, finally looks completely healthy from a nagging groin injury. He was second with 11 tackles – two for loss – and a forced fumble. Burnett, now in his seventh NFL season, said the losing and inconsistent play this year have taught him valuable life lessons. ““This (season) is really teaching me to be more grateful when you win games, and it’s really teaching me to stay in the moment,” he said. 3. Give props to the pass rush, as well. Through the Dolphins’ first five games, their entire defensive line combined for zero sacks. Yes, you read that right – zero sacks. And the linebackers weren’t doing much better. Three games later, that problem has definitely been fixed. The Dolphins sacked Tim Tebow six times and hit him another nine. The Dolphins only sacked Eli Manning once, but hit him seven times. And Sunday, they made life miserable for Matt Cassel , sacking him five times and hitting him another nine. Tony McDaniel and Tyrone Culver picked up their first sacks of the season (and first sack of Culver’s career), while Jared Odrick had a sack, Cameron Wake had half a sack, and Jason Taylor hit the quarterback twice. The Dolphins also had nine tackles for loss. “You can definitely say that those guys put the game on their backs, because Cassel was constantly running for his life,” cornerback Sean Smith said. It’s funny how much better the rest of the defense looks when the Dolphins get consistent pressure on the quarterback.

Vote: How do you feel about the Dolphins beating the Chiefs?

Beach Blogger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:44:06 +0000

The Dolphins finally won a game, manhandling the Chiefs 31-3 today at Arrowhead Stadium. Cause for celebration, right? Maybe not, as the Dolphins’ win, combined with the Colts’ loss to the Falcons, put a serious dent in the Dolphins’ bid to get the No. 1 pick in the draft and take Stanford QB Andrew Luck. The Dolphins, at 1-7, are now 1.5 games ahead of the Colts for the worst record in the league. They will be tied with either St. Louis or Arizona, who each have one win and are playing each other today. And a handful of teams will have two wins (St. Louis or Arizona, Minnesota and Carolina). So the question is simple: How do you feel about the Dolphins’ win today? Happy they finally pulled out a ‘W,’ or upset that they didn’t “Suck for Luck?” How do you feel about the Dolphins beating the Chiefs?

Hotline to help prevent senior citizen scams

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:45:59 +0000

A rising tide of swindles targeting senior citizens has prompted a one-day hotline service to help potential victims and their adult children fend off fraud. Don Blandin Family counselors, doctors and about 150 financial planners will be standing by on Thursday, Nov. 10, to field questions and offer advice by phone. One in five senior citizens already has been victimized by financial fraud, according to a survey by the Investor Protection Trust, which is leading the hotline initiative. Most were victims of neglectful or abusive family members, but many fell prey to fraudulent advisers and scam artists whose schemes have mushroomed amid hard times. Experts say Florida -- ground zero for Medicare fraud -- is a hotbed for financial scams because it is home to more than 3 million senior citizens and their life savings. “Since seniors hold 70 percent of the wealth of this country, they are the target,” said Don Blandin, president of Investor Protection Trust. The free advice can be obtained on Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by calling 888-227-1776 for general finance questions, 888-303-3297 for questions about financial abuse and 888-303-0430 for questions about impairments that might affect financial decisions.

A Day On A Porn Set: Real Housewives of South Beach

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:48:35 +0000

Last month we spent the day on the set of “Real Housewives of South Beach - An Adult Parody.” What we found is that while the Adult industry may seem like a crazy, surreal place, the life is a lot more work than play. Join Matt Meltzer and Carlos Miller as we spend a day finding out what working and performing in porn is really like. And learn about the real people behind what you see on your computer screen.

Cuban refugee comes full circle

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:17:22 +0000

A survivor of the mass exodus from Cuba to Florida known as the Mariel boatlift decided to go back to his homeland and make a documentary on the life he left behind.

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Miami Dolphins Talking Points: Chad Pennington wasn’t a fan of Gator Day or Stephen Ross’ actions, either

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:18:24 +0000

A trio of Dolphins talking points heading into Wednesday’s practice, the Dolphins’ first of the week as they prepare to face the Giants on Sunday: 1. Chad Pennington didn’t appreciate Stephen Ross’ actions on Sunday. Pennington has been a terrific ambassador of the Dolphins’ organization since coming to Miami in 2008 — even this year, when he’s no longer affiliated with the team. But Pennington surprisingly spoke out against owner Stephen Ross on Tuesday while making his weekly appearance on Dan LeBatard’s radio show on 790-AM. Pennington was asked by a caller on Tuesday what he thought of “Gator Day,” and his opinion on seeing Stephen Ross laugh it up with Urban Meyer on the sidelines at the end of Sunday’s game. “I myself was taken back by the situation,” Pennington said, “thinking about, ‘Why did the Dolphins honor the Gator team knowing that Tim Tebow’s coming in? Why is the owner down on the sideline with Tim Tebow’s college coach? I truly didn’t understand it.” “I know that people will be surprised that I may be critical this situation,” Pennington said. “But I don’t understand it for the life of me. All I can think of is he’s worried about putting fans in the seats because the Dolphins aren’t winning. And that’s just quite frankly sad, in my opinion. I cannot understand it at all.” Note to Ross: If you get Pennington riled up, you know you did something wrong. 2. The Chad Henne injury may have officially ended the season, but the Lydon Murtha injury may have doomed it from the start. The Dolphins certainly miss Henne, but the team was still struggling with him under center, scoring 13 and 16 points against Houston and Cleveland and starting 0-3 before he got hurt. But losing Murtha in the preseason may have had a bigger impact on the season. The original plan for Murtha, the third-year tackle out of Nebraska, was to have him transition into Marc Colombo’s spot at right tackle after a few regular season games. The Dolphins knew that Colombo’s performance would be an issue, and their concerns have been realized – he has allowed eight quarterback hit, the most among 71 offensive tackles in the league, and is tied for second with 21 pressures allowed. But those plans were derailed in the preseason when Murtha tore ligaments and tendons in a toe on his right foot. He felt a twinge in the second game, and a full tear early in the third game. He played the entire game, thinking it was only Turf Toe, but a specialist discovered the tears and recommended surgery, ending Murtha’s season. And Miami’s already shaky offensive line lost a crucial piece of depth. “There were big expectations for me going into this year, and unfortunately it didn’t pan out like it’s supposed to,” Murtha said Monday. This isn’t to suggest that Murtha would have solved all of the Dolphins’ issues on the offensive line – their 22 sacks allowed are third-most in the league – but he at least would have been able to replace Colombo, who now is forced to stay in the lineup despite his awful numbers in pass protection. 3. Scary thought: The Dolphins are literally one play away from turning to J.P. Losman. It’s a football cliché that applies to every player given the frequency of injuries in the NFL, but it carries even more significance for the Dolphins’ quarterback situation given how bad the offensive line has been. Matt Moore will play Sunday against the Giants, but he suffered some bruised ribs against Denver this past Sunday. He’s taken 25 hits the past two games – eight sacks, 17 quarterback hits. And Henne was taking a beating before he eventually went down with a shoulder injury. Now they face the Giants and their ferocious pass rush. The question, Dolphins fan: Are you ready for some Losman?

Crop scientists now fret about heat not just water

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:38:24 +0000

Crop scientists in the United States, the world’s largest food exporter, are pondering an odd question: could the danger of global warming really be the heat? For years, as scientists have assembled data on climate change and pointed with concern at melting glaciers and other visible Read More