ICYMI: DeSantis Calls For Teacher Raises, Santa’s Enchanted May Leave Tropical Park

Here are some of the top stories from the past week you may have missed from NBC 6 News:

Florida Governor Calls for Teacher Raises, New Abortion Law

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for teacher raises, the eradication of Burmese pythons in the Everglades and a new law to force girls to get their parents' permission before getting an abortion during his State of the State address on Tuesday. He said keeping taxes low, improving education and protecting the environment will help Florida continue to grow.

Santa’s Enchanted Forest May Be Leaving Tropical Park; County Puts Land Up for Bid

Miami-Dade County says it is hearing bids from organizers who may replace Santa's Enchanted Forest at Tropical Park, as the event reaches the end of its lease. The holiday themed event has been operating out of Tropical Park since 1992. The $300,000 lease expires in March. Santa's Enchanted Forest can still put a bid in to keep the land, but will face competition.

Miami-Dade County says it is hearing bids from organizers who may replace Santa’s Enchanted Forest at Tropical Park, as the event reaches the end of its lease.

Local

only on 6 5 hours ago

NBC6 viewer recognizes missing Pembroke Pines boy and helps him return home

Broward County Public Schools 8 hours ago

Broward installing walk-through metal detectors in all high schools next year

Officer Saves Families After Shed Catches Fire in Westchester

A police officer is being hailed as a hero after saving home owners after a shed caught fire early Tuesday morning inside a Westchester neighborhood. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue member Robert Ortega says the blaze broke out inside the shed located near the 2500 block of Southwest 89^th Avenue. The officer on patrol in the area spotted flames in the back of a home and was able to call 911 and bang on the windows and doors of a nearby duplex to get residents out safely.

4 Florida Panthers Found Dead in First 2 Weeks of 2020

Four Florida panthers have been reported dead in the first two weeks of 2020. Three of the deaths were caused by vehicle strikes, while the fourth was killed by a train, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

(GERMANY OUT) USA, Florida: Hinweisschild auf Panther an einer Strasse im Everglades National Park. (Photo by Braunger/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Fate of Palmetto Express Lanes To Be Decided During Florida’s Session

Just four months after toll collection began, Florida lawmakers are trying to nix the Express Lanes. A bill, introduced by State Representatives Bryan Avila and Senator Manny Diaz Jr., seeks to eliminate express lanes on the Palmetto and prohibit tolls from being created on the highway. They say the tolls have caused more traffic for residents in Hialeah. So, so far what have the express lanes accomplished in their short span of existence?

Nearly a quarter of a million people take the Palmetto Expressway every day. It's one of the few expressways in Miami that does not toll drivers for taking it. That was until mid-2019, when construction began on express lanes for a portion of the major highway.