Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Best Holiday Events Happening in South Florida This Month
From winter wonderlands to luminous light shows, South Florida is full of fun holiday events for guests of all ages.
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DeSantis Announces New COVID-19 Drug Will Be Available to Floridians
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced that a new monoclonal antibody treatment for people with serious health problems or allergies who can’t get adequate protection from vaccination will be available for Floridians soon.
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DeSantis was joined by Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo in a news conference in Ocala as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state.
“This monoclonal is a new tool for some of our most vulnerable Floridians and we are happy to make this available throughout the state,” the governor said.
Last week, the FDA granted emergency use authorization for AstraZeneca's antibody drug called Evusheld for adults and children 12 and older whose immune systems haven't responded adequately to COVID-19 vaccines or have a history of severe allergic reactions to the shots.
Find a monoclonal antibody treatment location on the Florida Department of Health website.
Condos Should Have Frequent Inspections, Panel Says in Report on Surfside Collapse
A Florida grand jury issued a lengthy list of recommendations Wednesday aimed at preventing another condominium collapse like the one that killed 98 people in Surfside back in June, including earlier and more frequent inspections and better waterproofing.
In its report on the Surfside collapse, the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury called on state and local officials to require condominium towers to have an initial recertification inspection by an engineer between 10 and 15 years after their construction and every 10 years thereafter. Currently, Miami-Dade and neighboring Broward County require inspections at 40 years. Other Florida counties have no requirement.
“The truth is, it could happen again," said Martin Langesfeld, whose sister Nicky and brother-in-law Luis Sadnovic died in the collapse. "And things and laws need to change so it doesn’t happen again for the safety of your family, my family, and everyone around us.”
Champlain Towers South, built in 1981, collapsed June 24 as its 40-year recertification was due. No cause of the collapse has been determined, but records show the building had significant structural damage in its underground parking garage. An engineer had already concluded that $15 million of repairs would be required to bring it up to code. Some of the damage at the oceanside building is believed to have come from saltwater in the air.
Broward High School Science Teacher Fired for Refusing to Wear Mask
A teacher in South Florida has been fired for repeatedly refusing to wear a mask.
The school board in Broward County on Tuesday unanimously voted to fire John C. Alvarez, a science teacher at Piper High for gross insubordination.
Alvarez plans to appeal the decision to an administrative law judge, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The school board had required students and employees to wear masks in schools for most of the school year, citing a large number of COVID-19 cases, as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has prohibited student mask mandates, leading to months of bitter legal disputes with Broward and other counties. DeSantis' orders, which were codified into law by state lawmakers last month, do not apply to employees, only students.
Students Gifted Toys in Memory of Miami-Dade Girl Killed in Drive-by Shooting
Students at Golden Glades Elementary School received toys for the holidays, thanks to the Jada Page Foundation.
Jada, 8, was killed in a drive-by shooting five years ago in Northwest Miami-Dade. She was sitting on her father's front porch when they were wounded.
A bullet struck Jada in the back of her head, and her father, who police say was the intended target, was shot int he chest and survived.
On Thursday, Jada's mother, Rosalind Brown, hosted a toy giveaway honoring her daughter's memory.
"Being able to see the kids, you know, the smilies on their faces," Brown said. "I know that she would love this, I can imagine her bouncing around this room."
Jada's younger sister Jazz was only 3 years old when her sister died. She was by her mom's side for the toy giveaway.
Good Neighbor Saves a Mail Mixup in Fort Lauderdale
A priceless package was found by a good neighbor after it was delivered to the wrong house in Fort Lauderdale.
Don spent days tracking his newly purchased vintage 1972 guitar base he found online. But according to Don, the shipping company delivered it to the wrong address.
“The neighbor calls me up and says that this big box was delivered," he said. "So I drive over there, and lucky for me. I mean I was so, so happy that she read my phone number on the box that the music store put."
The mail mixup could have ended badly, but thanks to a good neighbor, that didn’t happen.
“I’m grateful, just so grateful that she found it," Don said.
He was thankful his neighbor was home at the time when they delivered the package.
NBC 6 and Telemundo 51's Caravan of Joy Makes Stop in Florida City
70 lucky kids from the Redland Christian Migrant Association got to meet Santa and his Caravan of Joy Tuesday morning in Florida City.
Santa gave out gifts to a grateful crowd. Some opened their gifts right away while others are waiting for Christmas.
"They're absolutely grateful. We know that this time of the year can get difficult especially financially so I know they're very appreciative of any gifts that they can receive especially for the children," Guadalupe Leal, a Coordinator for the Center said.
The toy drive has been around for decades. It's an NBC 6 and Telemundo 51 tradition of organizing toy drives in our communities, collecting and wrapping gifts to give away each year.
