6 Things to Know in Florida for February 17

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ADMITS NEARLY 13,000 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTO CLASS OF 2018
 
Associate Provost Zina Evans says 44 percent of the students who applied were admitted. That means that 16,000 students who applied were not accepted. In 1994, nearly 68 percent of students who applied were admitted.
 
AUTHORITIES SAY THERE'S BEEN NO ACTIVITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS BELONGING TO MISSING FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE
 
Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo and Ryan Uhre's parents are pleading with the public for help finding the young man, who went missing just after starting an internship with a state lawmaker. Police are reviewing downtown Tallahassee surveillance footage, and a bloodhound was dispatched to search the area Friday. Police spokesman David Northway says the search continues, but he couldn't say whether any more evidence had been found.
 
FLORIDA PANHANDLE PREPARES FOR SPRING BREAK
 
The Presidents Day weekend marks the official start of the spring break season in northwest Florida. Hotel and condo reservations show the second and third weeks in March likely will be the busiest in Panama City Beach. This year, the city's police and the Bay County Sheriff's Office say they're working Florida Highway Patrol, Florida's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and other law enforcement agencies to control large crowds of college students.
 
GEORGIA MAN DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY TRUCK WHILE INSPECTING DAMAGE TO HIS VEHICLE FROM A SEPARATE CRASH
 
John W. Jenkins of Villa Rica, Ga., got out of his truck to inspect the damage after colliding with another pickup truck early Sunday in Tamarac. The Broward Sheriff's Office says a third truck struck Jenkins as he stood in the road, looking at the crumpled front end of his truck. Jenkins was pronounced dead at a hospital. Authorities say the truck involved in the initial crash with Jenkins fled the scene. The driver of the truck that hit Jenkins stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
 
MAN ACCUSED IN FATAL SLEDGEHAMMER ATTACK ON FATHER
 
A central Florida man is accused of smashing his father's head with a sledgehammer after a night of `playing puzzles.' Police say the 33-year-old told them his father had upset him while they were playing games on Friday night. The father's bloody body was found in his bed on Saturday.

FAMILY OFFERS $5K REWARD IN MISSING NORTH MIAMI WOMAN CASE

Family members are now offering a $5,000 reward for information that helps them find a woman who went missing last week in North Miami. Noemi Gonzalez, who suffers from seizures and cardiogenic syndrome, was last seen Feb. 12 at 2 a.m. in bed, police said.