Florida News Digest

Good afternoon! Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up in Florida. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Miami bureau at 305-594-5825 or miami@ap.org. Ian Mader is the news editor and can be reached at imader@ap.org. Kelli Kennedy is on the desk and can be reached at kkennedy@ap.org. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern. Some TV and radio stations will receive broadcast versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

TOP STORIES:

SPRING BREAK-MIAMI CURFEW

MIAMI BEACH — Miami Beach’s commissioners will hold an emergency meeting Sunday to determine whether to extend an unusual 8 p.m. curfew aimed at curtailing spring break crowds that got so out of hand that authorities had to call in SWAT teams. Officers in bulletproof vests dispersed pepper spray balls Saturday to break up groups that descended on sunny South Beach by the thousands, trashing restaurants and flooding the streets without masks or social distancing despite COVID-19 restrictions. SENT: 600 words. With AP photos. Will be updated after 3 pm commission meeting.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COUPLE DIE TOGETHER

FORT LAUDERDALE — A Florida couple who spent decades as missionaries and ministers died 15 minutes apart of COVID-19. Bill and Esther Ilnisky were married almost 67 years when they died recently at a Palm Beach County hospice. Their daughter says while she misses them, she is consoled by the fact that they died together. The Ilniskys spent 10 years in Jamaica and seven in Lebanon as Christian missionaries. They then moved to West Palm Beach in the 1970s and spent four decades running an Assemblies of God church there. He was 88 and she was 92 when they died March 1. By Terry Spencer. SENT: 716 words. With AP photos

VIRUS OUTBREAK

UNDATED — Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina, Florida and Missouri that raced to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut. The explanation, as experts see it: The rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle. The result was serious disarray, confusion and frustration. The analysis may hold an important lesson for states as they rush to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of making all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1. SENT: 1100 words. By Carla K Johnson and Nicky Forster.

DEPUTIES SHOOT VETERAN

HUDSON — A 79-year-old Florida man is in intensive care after being shot by deputies at a gas station. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said James Zambrotto approached a deputy Saturday rambling about driving his car into the gas pumps to cause an explosion. Nocco said the deputy tried to deescalate the situation, offering to buy the man coffee. The Sheriff’s Office released an edited 26½-minute video of the encounter. The sheriff said a deputy saw Zambrotto reach for a gun. Two deputies fired at him. Zambrotto said he was a military veteran. He has no history of mental illness or criminal interaction with Pasco deputies. SENT: 396 words

FL-XGR--LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW-FLORIDA

A Florida House committee takes up its own effort to rewrite vote-by-mail rules on Monday as part of a Republican push to enhance “ballot security” — despite no evidence of widespread problems. The House Public Integrity and Elections Committee on Monday would require 24-hour monitoring of ballot drop boxes — either by guards, elections officials during work hours or by surveillance cameras during off hours. It would also require voters to provide identification, such as their Social Security Numbers, to update registration information. Democrats and voter rights advocates say the election-related proposals before lawmakers would be costly and will make it harder for some Floridians to vote. SENT: 420 words.

AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:

-EXCHANGE-CIGAR CHURCH

TAMPA — A religious service has not been held in the 115-year-old First Congregational Church building for decades. But it still feels like a place of worship, with the deity being Arturo Fuente, the international cigar company rooted in Tampa. Fuente cigar labels are displayed on stained glass windows. Fuente family photos adorn wall space throughout the four-story, 8,000-square-foot building. Fuente ashtrays sit on tables. There are even Carlos Fuente, Jr. bobbleheads for sale. “In a weird way, I guess it does” look like a Fuente church, Steven Shlemon said with a laugh. “But we are all about cigars here, and Fuente is one of the greatest cigar makers in the world.” Shlemon is membership coordinator for Grand Cathedral Cigars, a cigar shop and lounge built inside the renovated historic church building. It opened in January. SENT:731 words. With AP photos

EXCHANGE-STUDENT SATELLITE STATION

MIAMI — Nestled in the heart of Little Havana, just a few blocks from Marlins Park, is one of the most unique radio stations in America. SLAM Radio is the first and only satellite radio station in the nation run by high school students. Broadcasting on Sirius XM-Channel 145, SLAM is on air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and features content produced and presented by 80 to 100 local high school students. The programming — much of it prerecorded — focuses on sports talk, current events, entertainment, and journalism, with some music mixed in. SENT: 1300 words. With AP photos

IN BRIEF:

IN SPORTS:

GLF--HONDA CLASSIC

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Matt Jones has a three-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round of the Honda Classic. Aaron Wise and J.B. Holmes are tied for second heading into Sunday. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 7 p.m.

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