It’s Friday, May 7th-- and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A Pennsylvania man facing a felony charge of battery on a police officer says he was the one battered for no good reason - and his lawyer says Fort Lauderdale police can soon expect a lawsuit over the matter.
But the department Thursday released body cam video that refutes some of what the man claims and casts doubt on other assertions. Francisco Moore, of Bethlehem, PA, was celebrating his 37th birthday in February with his fiancé and friends when things turned ugly at The Wharf nightclub. In his police report, Det. Alexander Paul says Moore called him the N-word. Moore denied that in an interview with NBC 6. But the video clearly shows him using the racial epithet against Paul, who is Black. To see what happened next, click here for the video in the story from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
No. 2 - A popular cruise line may stop setting sail in Florida after an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans businesses, schools and government entities from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.
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The CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the third largest cruise company in the world, made the remark during an earnings call Thursday, the Miami Herald reports. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava echoed Del Rio's message in a statement. DeSantis signed the executive order banning COVID-19 passports a few days ago.
No. 3 – A vaccine event will take place Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the office of the Consulate General of Mexico, located at 1399 S.W. 1st Avenue.
No appointment is required and doses of the Moderna vaccine will be distributed. Meanwhile, the city of Homestead is offering two walk-up vaccination events for Florida residents 18 years of age and older. The first event will take place Friday from 10am – 6pm at the Phichol Williams Community Center, 951 SW 4th Street. The second event will take place Saturday from 10am – 6pm at J.D. Redd Park, 550 Homestead Boulevard.
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No. 4 - Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 90 Thursday, an election reform bill which adds more voting requirements for vote by mail ballots and limits the use of drop boxes. Opponents of the law have already filed two major lawsuits in a Tallahassee court.
The political storm around SB 90 is immense. The changes are tweaks to current law which critics say will make it more difficult to vote. Much of this effort stems from the 2020 election. Former President Trump continues to say he won the election when he did not. He claims massive amounts of voter fraud altered the outcome when it did not. Two major lawsuits have already been filed in response to SB 90 becoming law. One is from the League of Women Voters, the Black Voters Matter Fund, and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans. Another lawsuit was filed by the NAACP, the Legal Defense and Education Fund, Common Cause, and Disability Rights Florida.
No. 5 - There's still a month to go before the big South Florida boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul, but the two already got physical at media promotion for the fight at Hard Rock Stadium Thursday.
The bedlam broke out at the stadium in Miami Gardens when Paul's brother, Jake, ripped Mayweather's hat off his head. The two briefly scuffled and had to be separated, as security and others held Logan Paul back. To see the wild video and for a preview of the June 6th battle inside the stadium, click here for the story.
No. 6 - Matthew and Gabriela Giampietro thought they had done everything right when they decided to fly to Puerto Rico on JetBlue with their two dogs.
They told NBC 6 they submitted Department of Transportation (DOT) forms saying the dogs were trained service animals, along with letters from a licensed mental health counselor saying they each had been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition and should be allowed to travel with the dogs. A few weeks later, the couple said they booked a one-way ticket back home on JetBlue and submitted the same paperwork but had issues at the gate. To hear why they say they were left stranded, click here for the story from NBC 6 consumer investigator Alina Machado.
