6 Things to Know in Florida for December 28

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today

BOBBY BOWDEN'S GRANDSON KILLED IN CRASH

Authorities say former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden's grandson was one of two men killed when their car flipped into a small ditch off a central Florida road. The Polk County Sheriff's Office says in a news release that 23-year-old Taylor Jeffrey Bowden and 25-year-old Rafael Fernandes De Aguiar Valim, who had been driving, both died in the Thursday crash in Winter Haven. A third man was rescued.

TAMPA TOURISM REBOUNDING

Officials say Hillsborough County's tourism industry is recovering from the recession. In the last fiscal year, the county has collected $21.2 million in tourist taxes. That's the most they've collected in a year since 2007.

FIU JOINS IN CONDEMNING ACADEMIC BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

Florida International University has joined a growing list of schools opposing academic sanctions against Israel. The nonprofit American Studies Association proposed the boycott last week over the country's treatment of Palestinians, particularly scholars and students. FIU Provost Douglas Wartzok says it doesn't make sense to protest the lack of academic freedom for one group by limiting it for another.

TARGETS IN BP SETTLEMENT INQUIRY ASSAIL FINDINGS

Nearly six months after a federal judge appointed former FBI director Louis Freeh to investigate alleged misconduct inside the settlement program for compensating victims of BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill, the targets of his inquiry are questioning his independence and trying to rebut his findings. A report that Freeh issued in September concluded that top members of Patrick Juneau's staff, including Lionel Sutton III, engaged in conduct that was improper, unethical and possibly criminal.

ST. PETERSBURG MAN SWIMS TO SAFETY AFTER PLANE CRASH

A St. Petersburg man was able to swim to safety after crashing his plane into the water. St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue reports that 61-year-old Thomas Beaman went down in Boca Ciega Bay Friday afternoon. After landing in the bay, Beaman swam away from the wreck. A nearby boater saw him and took him to safety.

MAN DEAD AFTER HIALEAH HOTEL SHOOTING

A 40-year-old man is dead and a suspect is in custody after a shooting at the Cabana Hotel in Hialeah Friday, police said. The victim died at the scene at 508 W. 1st Ave., Hialeah Police spokesman Det. Carl Zogby said. The man was shot in the left side of his torso, according to police.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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