Public Safety · Miami Beach, FL
A Miami Beach Police Department Internal Affairs investigation reviewed over 13,000 messages across five WhatsApp group chats and identified six posts containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) sent between 2015 and 2023. Officer Eric Schultz sent CSAM on Dec. 14, 2018, while assigned to a security detail at Lehrman Community Day School in North Miami Beach; Officers Pedro Socarras and Hector Fernandez also sent or reposted such material. Neither federal nor state prosecutors pursued criminal charges, and the matter was resolved through a Feb. 15, 2024, settlement agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police under which the officers received written reprimands. Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez publicly criticized the department's handling of the scandal in mid-August.
Public Safety · Miami-Dade County
The National Weather Service issued Coastal Flood Advisories for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties through Thursday at 11 p.m., warning of moderate coastal flooding during high tide cycles. Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected to begin Saturday, Oct. 24, with potential totals of 5 to 7 inches in some areas. A new king tide cycle spanning Oct. 24 to Oct. 30 will peak on Tuesday, Oct. 27, increasing the risk of combined coastal and urban flooding.
Local Politics · Miami-Dade County
The Miami-Dade County Transportation Committee approved legislation allowing the Village of Pinecrest to install entrance features at two roundabouts in Southwest 136th Street intersections. The committee also recommended increasing the South Dade Transitway construction contract by $2.45 million to upgrade safety standards at the Southwest 168th Street Station garage. Additionally, a proposal was approved to make West Miami's Freebee on-demand service eligible for countywide transportation surtax funding. Separately, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that driver license data was accessed by a malicious actor in September.
