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CBS News
4 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
What Miami-Dade residents need to know as county faces $402 million deficit
Miami-Dade County is facing a $402 million budget deficit in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, according to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who unveiled her proposed budget amid what she described as "extraordinary challenges." The mayor said there are no proposed service cuts to Metrorail, Metrobus or Metromover, but fares for Metrorail and Metrobus will rise by 50 cents. The current $2.25 fare will increase to $2.75 beginning Oct. 1. "It's kind of bizarre for us to have to pay that much to be able to move around," Jose Carlos Ponce, a Metrobus rider, told CBS News Miami. Ponce said he began using the service a month ago while searching for a job. Levine Cava said the county will maintain its historically low property tax rate and does not anticipate a millage increase. However, cuts will be made to offset the deficit. "In [Miami-Dade] Parks, some programming will be reduced," the mayor said, adding that the specific programs affected will depend on whether a park offers amenities such as pools or sports activities. The Office of New Americans, which provides services for immigrants in the county, is also among the agencies facing cuts. Levine Cava said the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office requested a 14% budget increase for next year, but her proposal includes an 8.5% increase. County commissioners are scheduled to discuss the proposed budget on Wednesday. Public comments will be taken in September before a final version is approved.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Evil trick child rapist used against trusting girl, 11, to lure her into park bathroom where he assaulted her
A Florida man tricked an 11-year-old girl into entering a park bathroom, where he raped her until a group of good Samaritans intervened and held him down until the cops came. Antwan Johnson, 18, has been charged with sexual battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment after he lured the young girl into the restroom at Gwen Cherry Park in Miami on Tuesday. Johnson approached the girl around 7pm and asked her to get toilet paper from the women's restroom 'because there was no toilet paper in the men's bathroom,' according to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office obtained by local news outlets. He then allegedly followed her into the restroom, forced her into a stall and brutally attacked her, Local10 reported. He is also accused of covering the girl's mouth and choking her during the assault, the Miami Herald reported. During the horrifying attack, a person walked into the bathroom and then began shouting for help. 'The witness exited the bathroom and yelled that [Johnson] just raped the victim. Citizens at the park chased after [him] and detained him until police arrived,' the arrest report said. Video shared on social media showed citizens had surrounded Johnson, whose pants were down, and held him until police arrived and arrested him. 'He was jumping gates, got caught behind the house, and we cornered him at that point,' Mike Santiague, who was at the park that evening, told NBC6. 'When I locked eyes with him, I knew the situation was serious,' Santiague added, recalling that he heard a woman calling for help. '[She said] stop him. He just raped this girl.' He described witnessing the devastation on the face of the victim's heartbroken mother. 'She was very upset and hurt,' Santiague said. 'Words can't even explain the look on her face because it looked like she was not even there.' Johnson is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and his next court hearing is set for Thursday. Johnson could face the death penalty if convicted of the sexual battery charge. Police said in the arrest report that Johnson initially denied raping the girl, but then 'recanted and confessed.' '[Johnson] indicated he knew what he did was wrong and he was sorry,' the report said. Miami-Dade County Parks Director Christina White told local media that the department was 'deeply saddened' by the incident. 'Our hearts go out to the victim and their family, and we wish them a full recovery during this incredibly difficult time,' she said. White noted that the young girl was not involved in any of the county parks' summer programs at the time of the attack. 'The safety and well-being of all park visitors is our highest priority,' she said. 'We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and remain committed to providing safe, welcoming, and secure spaces for every member of our community.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Pediatrician Accused of Staging 4-Year-Old Daughter's Drowning to Cover Up Her Murder: Police
An Oklahoma pediatrician has been accused of staging an accidental drowning to conceal the murder of her 4-year-old daughter in Florida Dr. Neha Gupta was taken into custody in Oklahoma City and will be extradited to Florida, where she faces charges of first-degree murder, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office A June 29 autopsy called Gupta's story about her death into questionAn Oklahoma pediatrician has been arrested and will be extradited to Florida on suspicions that she is responsible for the murder of her 4-year-old daughter. In a Wednesday, July 2, press release, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office confirmed that Dr. Neha Gupta had been taken into custody in Oklahoma with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and the Oklahoma City Police Department and is set to be charged with first-degree murder. Gupta, 36, has been accused of murdering her daughter Aria Talathi, 4, and staging it to look like an accidental drowning, per CBS News. According to the sheriff's office press release, first responders from the Village of El Portal Police Department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to reports of "drowning child in a residential pool." The child was discovered "unresponsive" and taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police said Gupta and her daughter had traveled from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and were staying at a short-term rental at the time of the incident. The alleged drowning took place in the early hours of Friday, June 27, according to an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE from the sheriff's office. Gupta reportedly told police she and her daughter were asleep when she heard a loud noise around 3:20 a.m. She told the authorities that she woke up and noticed that the sliding door in the room was open, and once she walked outside she saw her daughter in the water. She allegedly said that she attempted to rescue her daughter herself before calling for help as she was unable to swim. The call was made around 3:40 a.m. First responders reported that Aria was "submerged in the deep end of the swimming pool" when they arrived. She was pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital around 4:28 a.m., according to the arrest warrant. A June 29 autopsy called Gupta's story into question. No water was found in Aria's lungs or stomach, which would have been evidence that she died via drowning. Instead, doctors found "cuts within the mouth and bruising within the cheeks" that were not related to life-saving services rendered after she was pulled from the pool. An official cause of death has not yet been determined; however, the arrest warrant reported that "the injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering." The autopsy also called Gupta's recounting of the previous day into question. She said that she and Aria ate dinner around 9 p.m. However, the girl's stomach was "empty." "Furthermore, 'the subject' attempted to conceal the killing of the 'deceased victim' by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property," the arrest document reads. Speaking to PEOPLE, Gutpa's attorney Richard L. Cooper said, "Dr Gupta was involved in a nasty divorce case but was otherwise compliant with court orders. My client had multiple opportunities to flee but instead stayed and cooperated with law enforcement, answered all their questions, etc. My client feels betrayed by the MDSO. We look forward to a thorough investigation and more facts/evidence to come to light which will hopefully show that there was no basis to arrest a grieving mother going through an inconceivable tragedy." In a statement shared with CBS News Miami, he slammed the "flimsy arrest warrant." "Let's assume for a second that my client is innocent: She has had the worst tragedy imaginable occur, and then she's locked up without bond and is missing her own daughter's funeral. Common decency would dictate that a little more than 1 day's worth of investigation transpire before making such a dramatic move." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. According to the arrest warrant, Gupta and her ex-husband were in the middle of a custody battle and the girl's father didn't know she was visiting Florida and staying at the rental home where the alleged drowning happened. PEOPLE has reached out to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, the U.S. Marshals Services, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Village of El Portal Police Department for comment. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Female pediatrician arrested after tragedy struck 'when she let daughter play in backyard pool at 3am'
An Oklahoma pediatrician was arrested in connection with the death of her young daughter, who drowned in a backyard pool at a rental home in the middle of the night. Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, of Oklahoma City, is accused of killing her four-year-old, Aria Talathi, who was found unresponsive in a residential pool around 3am last month while the family was vacationing in El Portal, Florida, according to a press release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO). Gupta now faces a first-degree murder charge following a weeks-long investigation and is currently awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County. Just after 3.30am on June 27, El Portal police responded to a 911 call reporting a child drowning at a short-term rental in the 100 block of Northwest 90th Street - the home where Gupta was allegedly staying with her daughter during their visit to South Florida. When officers arrived, they found four-year-old Aria 'floating in a pool' behind the home, completely unresponsive, as reported by NBC Miami. Paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue performed CPR at the scene before transporting her to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead. The tragedy was initially described as a 'horrible accident,' according to Gupta's attorney, Richard Cooper, who emphasized the shock and heartbreak surrounding the overnight incident, as reported by Local 10 News. 'I've been with her the whole morning,' Cooper told the outlet at the time. 'She is very sad, very distraught.' However, perspectives on Aria's drowning began to shift after the MDSO took over the case from El Portal police, prompting investigators to take a closer look at the child's mother. 'The fact that a four-year-old at 3 o'clock in the morning would be outside is, to me, a little bit alarming,' a neighbor, identified only as Barbra, told Local News 10. Officials said that, 'through investigative efforts and in consultation with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office,' an arrest warrant was issued for Gupta on a charge of first-degree murder. With the combined efforts of multiple agencies - including the MDSO, the Oklahoma City Police Department's Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service - authorities were able to locate the 36-year-old mother in Oklahoma City and take her into custody. Authorities have not yet released an arrest affidavit or provided further details regarding Gupta's alleged involvement in her daughter's drowning. In a statement to Cooper said: 'My co-counsel, Michael Mirer, Esq, and I are upset to learn of this arrest. I've never seen an arrest for murder before toxicology reports are in.' 'We look forward to learning more as we conduct our independent investigation,' he added. 'All I know is a mother missed her daughter's funeral. It is one unimaginable tragedy on top of another.'
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Video shows woman dragged out of Miami-Dade commission meeting after objecting to ICE agreement
A Miami-Dade County Commission meeting on Thursday morning turned chaotic after a woman was dragged out of the chambers after objecting to the board's refusal to vote on an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and county jails. According to CBS News Miami's partners at the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade County Sheriff's deputies dragged out a woman who allegedly ignored an officer who told her not to speak after Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez explained he would bar future public comments on the issue if any person chose to speak at the meeting. The woman, whom the Herald identified the woman as 36-year-old Camila Ramos, was seen on video colliding with a sign as multiple deputies dragged her out of the chambers and was allegedly pushed to the floor of the lobby before being brought to a commission office. The incident prompted other small scuffles with law enforcement during the confrontation outside the chambers at the Stephen P. Clark Center in Downtown Miami. According to the Herald, Thursday's incident marked the "most chaotic" moment at the commission chambers since the board agreed in 2017, during the first weeks of the first Trump administration, to extend jail time for local inmates sought by ICE for deportation. What led up to the chaotic chambers Earlier this year, Miami-Dade County approved a formal cooperation with ICE for the county jail system, which are now mandated by Florida state law. The item on the agenda was a modification of that agreement that included reimbursement provisions for local inmates held at county jails when sought for deportation. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recommended approval, the Herald reported. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert asked to defer the vote indefinitely because Cava had already signed the agreement before the scheduled vote. Rodriguez agreed and told the audience they could still speak on the item, but if it came up for another vote, there would not be another opportunity for anyone to speak in the future. According to the Herald, Ramos was already near the dais and waiting for her chance to speak. That's when she asked for Rodriguez to clarify his instructions when a plain-clothes deputy told her to be quiet. Ramos objected and was forcibly removed from where she stood. Audience members immediately objected to the situation, where multiple people were seen following Ramos and the deputies outside the chambers, which prompted orders for people to stand back as she was pushed to the ground by deputies. The modification of a cooperation agreement that Florida law mandates for all jails brought warnings of ICE being able to "disappear" inmates whose names would otherwise be listed on a public website for loved ones to search. However, county officials denied that and said the disputed restrictions on public records in the new agreement already exist under federal, the Herald reported. Cava's administration told the Herald that the agreement on the agenda is required by Florida law. "This is not something about which I have a choice," Cava told the Herald. "This is the law... It doesn't mean it is the wish of this body."
