Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Woman, 2 Men Sought in Miami-Dade Real Estate Fraud Scheme: Police
A woman and two men are being sought in connection with a real estate fraud scheme in Miami-Dade that has targeted more than a dozen victims, authorities said.
Priscilla Marie Contreras, 32, Yordani Carriles Diaz, 43, and Deinoser Bravo, 47, are wanted in connection with the fraud scheme, Homestead Police officials said Thursday.
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Officials said Contreras would act as a realtor and lure victims to vacant residences through social media. Once the victims were there, Diaz and Bravo would pose as homeowners and conduct money transactions with the victims, officials said.
"In some cases, they would go to the extent of having their victims go to a police department, get background records, fill out paperwork, and then call them back and say 'you have been approved, but we need some type of down payment,'" Homestead Police Capt. Fernando Morales said.
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New Rule in Miami-Dade County Requires More Transparency From HOAs
Miami-Dade commissioners on Tuesday unanimously passed new rules requiring all condo and homeowner associations to publicly file financial statements and structural reports.
"It's mixed emotion. This new law unless it has a higher authority to implement it, it will be toothless," said Carlos Delgado, homeowner at Lakes of the Meadow.
By February 2023, all homeowner and condominium associations in the county must upload financial statements and disclose special assessments to make them available to the public, however, NBC 6 found the county won’t review the documents.
"This is the beginning of a multi-faceted approach to try to reign in these condo associations," said Commissioner Rene Garcia.
Video Shows Personal Watercraft Riders Harassing Boater Near Miami Marine Stadium
Miami Police are investigating an incident that left a woman fearing she wouldn’t make it back on dry land after she was harassed by personal watercraft riders near Miami Marine Stadium.
The incident was captured in a video clip obtained by Only in Dade that showed rowing instructor Yamel Ortiz getting drenched by the riders who came up at high speeds, splashing water on her multiple times Monday evening.
Ortiz said Tuesday that there were frightening moments as her boat began filling with water.
"I feel the first splash on my back and after that, it was like three minutes," she said. "The pain in my head was crazy because the water came straight in my head."
Peacocks in Miami: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
There could be up to some 1,500 peacocks living in South Miami, according to researchers. Now there’s a debate: should they stay or should they go. As NBC 6 found out, there’s really no middle ground.
“I, in part, bought this house because of the peacocks,” said Bettina Abascal, who lives in the area.
To say they’re beloved is an understatement. To some, they’re almost like family.
“This one peacock, we named him Phil. We got to know him pretty well,” said Fausti Garcia, another resident.
Past Neighborhood Segregation Still Shapes Where People Live in Miami
The impact of those policies can still be seen decades later regarding where and how people live.
Nadege Green grew up in Little Haiti and graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School. NBC 6 met her down the street from the school, outside the first public housing project in Miami: Liberty Square.
“It’s not necessarily visible. Though, as we sit on this race wall, it’s all around us,” said Green, who is the director of community research and storytelling at the Community Justice Project.
She showed NBC 6 what’s left of a race wall. Years ago, it was much taller and divided a Black neighborhood from a white neighborhood along NW 12th street in the Liberty City neighborhood.
Want to Support War Victims in Ukraine? Here's How You Can Help
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded, international humanitarian nonprofits mobilized to help Ukrainians in a country that remains in the grip of war.
Ukrainians woke up to war on Thursday following airstrikes under the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian troops have continued to capture the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv. The United Nations human rights office said it has received at least 25 verified civilian casualties, but the agency said that “the figure, we fear, could be much higher.” While some civilians are sticking to their routines despite the conditions, others are trying to flee — while having nowhere to go.
U.S. officials warned that Russia’s goal may be to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration to install a pro-Russia government.
As world leaders condemned the intervention and put multiple sanctions on Russia, Zelenskyy said in a tweet that “Now, more than ever, we need concrete support.”
