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Brevard County deputy shoots, kills dog in front of toddler, family says
A Merritt Island family is looking for answers Monday after they say a Brevard County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed their family dog.
The sheriff’s office says they responded to the neighborhood after someone called 911 reporting a toddler was left unattended and wandering around near the street, but the family says the mother was in the car port and knew where the 2-year-old was the entire time.
“There is no reason why he should’ve done that. What he should’ve done is talk to the person in the car port that was 15 feet away. It was totally uncalled for,” said neighbor Josh Petelle.
According to the sheriff’s office, the dog was acting aggressive when the deputy approached the young boy, but family members say Brownie, a 5-year-old female pit bull, has always been protective of all 5 kids, especially the youngest, who witnesses say was just feet from where the deputy fired his shots.
When the deputy arrived, witnesses said the deputy walked up to the home with his gun drawn and fired two shots at Brownie, feet from where they 2-year-old boy was sitting in his stroller.
“The dog’s first thought is hey you’re walking up to me with a gun and the dog growls. The dog didn’t lunge at him, the dog didn’t do anything. The dog just growled and then he put two bullets in him,” said family member Robert Gringas.
The family says they’re relieved the toddler wasn’t injured, but are left wondering why the deputy felt he needed to pull the trigger, killing their family pet.
“It’s very sad because we had her for so long,” said 12-year-old Jordan.
The 2-year-old was not injured and the family says they will be filing a complaint with the sheriff’s office.
The deputy finished his shift and won’t be put on administrative leave, according to BCSO.
Full article: http://www.clickorla … /29ody9/-/index.html
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Florida’s leading red light camera company, ATS, spending big on politics
As efforts to reform Florida’s red light camera laws picked up momentum in 2013, one of the largest red light camera companies pumped more than a quarter-million dollars into political coffers.
Scouring state campaign records, 10 Investigates found private company American Traffic Solutions (ATS) and its subsidiaries made 56 donations to candidates, parties, and political action committees at the state level. The $258,000 in contributions do not include separate contributions to city- and county-level candidates.
While 39 of state-level contributions came in the form of $500 donations to legislative campaigns, the majority of the cash went to the Republican Party of Florida ($130,000) and the Florida Democratic Party ($55,000). All of the Democratic money came in 2013’s final months, while almost all of the Republican Party’s donations came in the first half of the year, prior to increased efforts by conservative lawmakers to repeal the technology.
ATS also donated more than $50,000 to various political committees, such as: $10,000 to the Florida Leadership Committee, a PAC run by State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater; and $10,000 to Innovate Florida, a PAC run by former State Rep. Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa.
Latvala was also among the 39 candidates who received direct donations from ATS. The majority are Democratic and moderate Republicans who support the use of red light camera technology in Florida.
Full article: http://www.wtsp.com/ … ding-big-on-politics