It’s Tuesday, January 11th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A teacher at a Broward County school was arrested after admitting to police he had a sexual relationship with a female student from the same school.
28-year-old Philip Velez, a teacher and assistant basketball coach at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, was taken into custody Sunday morning and charged with three counts of sexual battery on a minor and one count of an authority figure engaging in sexual misconduct with a student. Velez invited the student to his home in Hollywood last December, according to the report, and the two began a sexual relationship.
No. 2 - From the beginning of the omicron surge, hospitals have faced a two-pronged assault of more COVID-19 patients, with fewer health care workers to treat them.
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Dr. Sergio Segarra, the chief medical officer of Baptist Health, said Baptist had 500 health care workers out with COVID Monday. Memorial Hospital had roughly the same number of absences Monday, comprised of health care professionals calling in sick. NBC 6 counted eight urgent care centers across Broward and Miami-Dade that seemed to be closed.
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No. 3 - On Tuesday, Jan. 11, polls will open for Broward County voters to elect a Representative in Congress (District 20) and primary candidates for State House Representative (District 94) and State Senate (District 33).
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The special election for Representative in Congress, District 20, will determine who fills the seat left open when Rep. Alcee Hastings passed away in April 2021. Broward County residents who registered to vote by Dec. 13, 2021 will be eligible to participate in this election. Voting hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For a complete list of locations to vote and what you need to know, click on this link.
No. 4 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is likely to outline a largely conservative agenda in his State of the State speech Tuesday, his last of his first term as he seeks reelection and eyes a possible 2024 presidential run.
He'll likely outline proposals ranging from attempts to prevent schools and businesses from teaching critical race theory to keeping undocumented immigrants from settling in Florida. DeSantis has focused his criticism on Democratic President Joe Biden and the media, particularly when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis opposes COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates and often describes Florida as a place for freedom, not lockdowns.
No. 5 - In one of the more stunning moves, just hours after the end of the 2021 regular season, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores.
The team announced the move Monday morning with owner Stephen Ross saying the key dynamics of the football team "weren't functioning at a level I want it to be." Flores went 24-25 in his three seasons, with the Dolphins having back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021 — a first for the team since 2002 and 2003. Flores was the 13th head coach in franchise history after spending 11 seasons with the Patriots organization.
No. 6 - Miami Beach officials are expected to move forward with the demolition of the historic Deauville Beach Resort, calling the hotel where the Beatles played beyond repair.
For years now, city leaders have said the owners of the Deauville cared more about selling than preserving the historic property, allowing it to fall apart until the only option left was to demolish it. Last week, the owners turned over a structural report to the city that found the building is beyond repair and needs to be knocked down before the start of the 2022 hurricane season. The hotel closed in 2017 after faulty wiring led to a fire. In April of that same year, the owners failed to submit a 40-year re-certification.
