News Update for 1/17/25

A Lake Placid woman has been arrested on a warrant from Levy County. The warrant was issued after an investigation into Megan Del Castillo’s alleged mishandling of funds collected from fundraising activities hosted by the Chiefland Middle/High School Cheerleading team. Castillo, who was the coach, is accused of stealing over $11,000 dollars. The discrepancies were first discovered by school administrators in December of 2023, after deposits did not match expected earnings. Over the course of the yearlong investigation, it was discovered that Del Castillo had moved from the area and Levy County authorities were unable to locate her. A warrant for Del Castillo’s arrest for scheme to defraud was obtained in January of 2025. Del Castillo was quickly located in Lake Placid and arrested by the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. Her bond was set at $10,000.

More details are out on a drone incident that hurt a child in Orlando. The NTSB yesterday released a report on last month’s incident at Lake Eola. During a holiday drone show, a drone fell out of the sky and hit a seven-year-old boy. His mom says he had open-heart surgery but is recovering. According to the report, technical problems started happening shortly after the show got underway. That caused some drones to collide and fall to the ground. The NTSB says five drones landed in the lake and were not recovered.

It’ll be a tense few days for a Sarasota woman closely watching events unfold in the Middle East. Gillian Kaye’s stepson, Sagui Dekel-Chen, was taken hostage by Hamas over a year ago in Israel. Today, Israeli lawmakers will vote on a ceasefire deal that includes the release of some hostages. Kaye hopes Sagui is one of those who may be released as soon as Sunday. Until then, she may not know for sure if he’s even alive. Kaye says all she knows is he’s presumed alive, and this whole ordeal has been unbelievably painful and unfair.

Florida’s attorney general will be the state’s next senator. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday he has selected Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace Marco Rubio. Moody and Rubio are both Republicans. Senator Rubio is in line to be secretary of state in the Trump administration. DeSantis discussed the decision on Fox News last night. He called Moody Florida’s iron lady when it comes to fighting illegal immigration. DeSantis says she’ll be a strong voice in support of Trump’s agenda. He adds she earned this, and she’s going to do a good job for our state and the country. Earlier in the day, DeSantis also said his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, will replace Moody as attorney general.

Two local schools have started using metal detectors after the School Board approved the purchase of three units in December. Lake Placid High School and the Academy at Youth Care Lane are currently the only schools using the detectors. The portable floor-standing units were first used at some basketball games in early January after a training session for staff members was conducted by a Metal Detector company out of Missouri. Reports from the units will be utilized to help further understand how many people can get through the units without delays. The goal is to test and establish an effective process that can be used on a day to day basis as well as possibly expand to more local schools in the future.

A Central Florida boy’s death is leading to calls for change in Volusia County. An eight-year-old boy was killed by two dogs that attacked him Monday at Berry’s Ridge near DeLand. A resident says the dogs don’t live on the property, and they may have gotten in through the open gate or a hole in the fence. He says the gate is supposed to be closed, as it’s advertised as a gated community, but in almost 20 years there, he has never seen the gate closed. He also says he notified management over a year ago the fence was broken. He believes if the gate worked and there were no holes in the fence, maybe there would have been a better chance the dogs did not get in.

A Florida law requiring age verification for access to adult websites will remain in place. A federal judge made the decision to place a hold on a lawsuit challenging the legislation while a similar case plays out in the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court heard arguments yesterday in connection to a Texas lawsuit filed by an adult-industry organization, claiming the measure violated the First Amendment. Back in the Sunshine State, the law will remain in place until July 3rd or until the Supreme Court issues a ruling in the Texas case, whichever happens sooner.

Florida is being sued over its attempt to ban DEI on college campuses. The ACLU of Florida announced yesterday it filed a federal lawsuit challenging SB 266 on behalf of six professors. The law passed in 2023 bans colleges and universities from funding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. The ACLU says the law curtails academic freedom and violates the First Amendment. University of Florida Political Science Professor Dr. Sharon Austin is the lead plaintiff. She says the vague and overly broad language of SB 266 forces educators to self-censor and deprives students of a comprehensive education. She adds the lawsuit is about preserving the right to learn and teach without political interference.