JACKSONVILLE, Florida, July 25 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Jacksonville District issued the following news release: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, has begun executing several days of minor repairs along the southern jetty system at Venice Inlet; repair work is expected to complete by Friday, July 25, 2024. The jetty was impacted by Hurricane Idalia in 2023. USACE Jacksonville is making repairs to the jetty in cooperation with the City of Venice and in coordination  more

TAMPA, Florida, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Pierre C. Marc (37, Bradenton) to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, marijuana, and heroin, and possessing with the intent to distribute marijuana and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Marc was found guilty by a jury  more

TAMPA, Florida, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release on July 24, 2024: An indictment was unsealed today charging Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, with conspiring to act as an agent of the People's Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General and with acting as an agent of the PRC without notification to the Attorney General. If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.   more

PANAMA CITY, Florida, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida issued the following news release: Ronald Richardson, 40, of Panama City, Florida was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. "Our law enforcement partners play a vital role in fighting crime and protecti  more

ORLANDO, Florida, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Sebastian Gabriel Lugo-Lugo (20, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Lugo-Lugo faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea a  more

ORLANDO, Florida, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Dontrell Deshawn McCaskill (33, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to three counts of fentanyl distribution and one count of possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. McCaskill faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is set for October 15, 20  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today that the president has made the following nominations: Navy Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey for appointment to the grade of admiral, with assignment as commander, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. Holsey is currently serving as military deputy commander, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. Navy Rear Adm. Peter A. Garvin for appointment to the grade o  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today that the president has made the following nominations: Navy Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey for appointment to the grade of admiral, with assignment as commander, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. Holsey is currently serving as military deputy commander, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. Navy Rear Adm. Peter A. Garvin for appointment to the grade of vice a  more

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida, July 23 -- The U.S. Central Command issued the following news release: TAMPA, Fla. In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi missile launchers in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters s  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on July 24, 2024: An indictment was unsealed today charging Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, with conspiring to act as an agent of the People's Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General and with acting as an agent of the PRC without notification to the Attorney General. If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. According to the court documents, the PR  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 25 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on July 24, 2024: A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with a scheme to defraud insurance providers for physical therapy services that were not provided to patients. Jeffrey MacEachron, 60, pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of health care fraud; aiding and abetting. U.S. District Court Judge   more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: Lindsay French is a Marine Habitat Resource Specialist based in Charleston, South Carolina. She supports the work of the Office of Habitat Conservation's Restoration Center in the southeastern United States. What is your key responsibility? I am a technical monitor for habitat restoration projects funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act in North and South   more

EGLIN AFB, Florida, July 25 -- The U.S. Air Force's Eglin Air Force Base issued the following news: By Samuel King Jr. The whirling blades of the four Rolls-Royce turbo-prop engines drowned out all other sounds on Eglin's flightline as the 96th Test Wing's newest aircraft rolled to a stop at its new home July 17. Members of the 417th Flight Test Squadron, braved the July heat to welcome their new C-130J model, the first C-130 officially assigned to their five-year-old squadron. The 417th FLTS  more

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida, July 24 -- The U.S. Central Command issued the following news release: TAMPA, Fla. From July 18 to 21, 2024, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) hosted the CENTCOM Component Commanders Conference at al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. With command representation from all CENTCOM components and subordinate commands, the leaders gathered to discuss the current state of security in the CENTCOM area of operations and discussed ways to stre  more