Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Here Are the Updated Testing Requirements for Each Major Cruise Line
Ever since the start of the pandemic, new COVID-19 protocols have complicated many travelers' ideal summer getaway: cruising.
To many, the newfound hassle of determining cruise line regulations, gathering documents and finding a testing center has turned many away from sailing. In recent months, however, many cruise lines have altered requirements to become more lenient on pre-boarding testing regulations.
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Before taking to the seas on your next adventure, read this guide to review the updated testing mandates on all of your favorite cruise lines.
For the full story, click here.
Local
Gross! Sargassum Seaweed Smothering South Florida Coast
Beachgoers have been reporting mounds of seaweed washing up on the shores of South Florida and scientists say record amounts are choking the coasts of the Atlantic and the Caribbean.
“I’ve never seen it like this. Never,” said Gigi Rodriguez, a beachgoer trying to avoid the soggy situation on Dania Beach.
“It’s all over the place. We tried to go farther in, but the farther you get, the more seaweed you’re going to get all over,” said Tanya Suarez, another beachgoer on Dania Beach.
Besides being a stinky and itchy nuisance, experts say we’re seeing more Sargassum seaweed than usual across the entire Atlantic.
“The month of June in 2022 had a record high Sargassum amount compared to any previous year,” said Chuanmin Hu, a professor with the University of South Florida’s Oceanography Lab.
According to a recent report from the lab, over 24 million tons of Sargassum were found across the Atlantic in June, compared to 18.8 million tons in May. The numbers for July are starting to level off for now.
For the full story, click here.
What Is Mar-a-Lago? The History of Trump's Luxurious Resort And Residence
On August 8, former President Donald Trump revealed that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, a search the FBI said was an attempt to recover sensitive documents transferred to Florida when Trump left the White House following his presidency.
Friday, the property receipt of items recovered by FBI agents who searched Mar-a-Lago resort shows that agents recovered a trove of top secret and other heavily classified documents.
In light of the recent news surrounding the Mar-a-Lago estate, here is a look at what it is, when it was built, and why it is so synonymous with Trump's livelihood.
For the full story, click here.
Take a Dip into Homestead's Best Kept Secret Lagoon
When trying to cool off during the heat of the summer, most people head to the beach or the pool, but what if there was another option?
In Homestead, Blue Lagoon Farm is the next best thing offering their man made natural spring.
On their five acres of land, husband and wife duo Alfredo and Tania Rohaidy offer a tropical escape for people looking to try something different when they take a dip in their lagoon.
"When people walk in without their bathing suits on, I tell them, bro don't even come," Alfredo said.
Alfredo and Tania live on the property and purchased the land from Benjamin Bistrong in 2017 who specializes in creating natural lagoons in a business he ran with his brothers, Jungle B's Landscaping.
For the full story click here.
‘Helpless': Haitian-American Couple Shares Their Story of Immigration Limbo
An American man is frustrated with the U.S. immigration system after spending nearly four years trying to legally bring his wife from Haiti.
Michael Donald married Bertha in 2018 and soon after, they started her immigration process. Donald says Bertha still hasn’t been granted an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
"They’re messing with people’s lives," Donald said. "You know this is four years I haven't been able to have my wife in the U.S. I could have already had a child. So much could have been happening and while we have this porous border in Texas and Mexico and yet the legal immigration way don’t know what’s happening."
Donald says he can no longer travel to the Haitian town of Jacmel because it’s too dangerous to get there.
"There’s a lot more crime in the streets," he said. "I'm afraid to go back to that town because it would just draw attention to her for her to be kidnapped."
For the full story, click here.
Meet Ruby! Lion Country Safari Welcomes Third Rare Rhino in Less Than a Year
For the third time in three months, Lion Country Safari became the birthplace of a Southern White Rhinoceros.
On Aug. 6, a calf named Ruby was born to 7-year-old mother Blossom. She is the 39th calf born in Lion Country Safari since the year 1979.
Ruby is Blossom's first calf, according to a statement from Lion Country Safari. Rhino mothers like Blossom give birth to a single calf weighing between 88 and 132 pounds, the statement said. The calves are then expected to gain 3 to 4 pounds a day from their mother's milk, gaining about 1,000 pounds a year for the first three years.
Ruby and other members of her lineage are a part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan that intends to protect the species and others like it from extinction.
For the full story, click here.
