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BROOKSVILLE – A candidate for Hernando County Commissioner is under investigation for using her personal bank account to collect funds for a local nonprofit. Yesterday, a source who wished to remain anonymous provided a screenshot of a March 14, 2024, Facebook post showing County Commissioner candidate Pam Everett soliciting funds for the Hernando County Education Foundation (HCEF). The post reads: Need to build a team for the Hernando County Education Foundation. The team w...
BROOKSVILLE – A Hernando High School Paraprofessional is under investigation for allegedly using her personal bank account to accept payments for soap products during school-sponsored fundraisers. Her Ex-husband says she may have stolen the proceeds. The investigation began earlier this year during a divorce trial between Brooksville City Councilman David Bailey and his now ex-wife Robin Bailey. David says it was revealed during trial testimony that Robin used her Cash App a...
HERNANDO BEACH - A search is underway for a missing diver at the Hernando Beach Boat Ramp. Officials say a 59-year-old man dove underwater with only a mask and has not resurfaced. HCSO Dive Team is responding. Hernando Beach Boat Ramp Hernando Beach Boat Ramp...
ODESSA – An early morning crash claimed the life of a motorcyclist after he collided with a garbage truck. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, just before 7:00 a.m. this morning, a 35-year-old Spring Hill man was operating a Waste Management garbage truck traveling westbound on SR-54. At the intersection of Monmouth Drive, the driver attempted to make a left turn across the eastbound lanes and drove into the path of a motorcycle driven by a 51-year-old Lutz man. As a r...
WEEKI WACHEE – One person was injured in an RV fire that also burned a half-acre of brush, early Monday. According to officials, Fire Rescue responded to the 8700 block of Ostrom Way just before 10:00 a.m. after reports of an RV fire. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered the RV fully engulfed, among other items on the property. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire but not before it scorched a half-acre of the property. Officials say one civilian suffered injuries a...
HERNANDO BEACH – On Thursday, the Hernando Beach Property Owners Association hosted a political forum at the Hernando Beach Yacht Club, featuring candidates for County Commissioner, Sheriff, State Senate, and many others. Former County Commissioner Candidate Mike Fulford moderated the event, and it went off without a hitch. During the event, candidates were asked tough questions on issues like, property taxes, development, abortion, and the Second Amendment. Follow this L...
BROOKSVILLE - According to a statement released by Hernando County Government Officials, the majority of internal and external systems are back online and are fully operational. Officials say they will continue working on the issue until the County's systems are fully restored. They go on to apologize to Hernando County residents for the disruption in service. Officials declined to provide specific details about the investigation or confirm if the county paid the...
HUDSON – Body Camera video released just hours after a deputy-involved shooting shows an armed woman lunge toward two Pasco County deputies. Moments later, deputies opened fire, killing the woman. The incident took place just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of Denton Ave and Dane Lane. That's where Pasco County Officials say a passerby was flagged down by a woman who claimed she needed help and to call 911. After speaking with dispatchers, the witness passed the phone t...
JACKSONVILLE – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation to further strengthen Florida's protections for consumers, teachers, and employees from being forced to adopt ideologies or reflect a preferred political behavior. Governor DeSantis signed two pieces of legislation aimed at bolstering protections for consumers, by providing recourse for individuals who believe they have been de-banked for political reasons. The new laws will also protect teachers, by ensuring t...
DADE CITY – On this day two years ago, Hernando County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a shootout between two brothers on Jodi West Drive that left one brother dead and the other charged with murder. Today, detectives returned to the scene for yet another death investigation. Officials have not commented on the investigation, but according to court documents, the defendant in the 2022 homicide, 30-year-old James Francis Nulty, did not appear for a pretrial hearing on April 2...
HERNANDO COUNTY – There are three Hernando County Commissioners up for reelection this year and the stakes couldn't be any higher for one incumbent as he prepared to face off against three opponents in the General Election. District 3 Commissioner John Allocco (R) is running for a third term against two conservative candidates, Marvin Baynham (R), Burton Melaugh (NPA), and Democrat Luciano Vignali. Hernando County has long been a red county, with Diane Rowden being the last D...
BROOKSVILLE – Several Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) deputies will not face contempt charges or be forced to explain to a judge why they missed depositions in a homicide case being tried in Hernando County. In March, R News reported that Detective Kevin Keiper and Deputies Mitchell Vesper, Chelsea Reid, John Longobardi, and Craig Milne all failed to appear for depositions in reference to a 2023 homicide case. In addition to the HCSO employees, a State Medical E...
WEEKI WACHEE – Changes are coming to a portion of the Weeki Wachee River that is expected to help protect the river's ecology. Local and State Officials will be installing signage along a 5.61-mile section of the Weeki Wachee River, between Roger's Park and Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, designating the area as the Springs Protection Zone. The new state law prohibits anchoring, beaching, grounding, and mooring of vessels within the protected zone. Boaters could face a $...
HERNANDO – It's an election year, which means incumbents will be spending a lot of time gloating about their accomplishments, hoping voters will grant them "four more years" in their respective offices. Until last month, Sheriff Al Nienhuis was running unopposed. However, now that he has an opponent, Nienhuis is scrambling to highlight his achievements. Nonetheless, some residents argue that Nienhuis' priorities are not aligned with his constituents. Today, the Hernando C...
UPDATE: 4:33 p.m. - Immediately after publishing our article on the incident, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office shared details on the agency's Facebook Page. It is unknown why the information was withheld until we published our article. Here is the updated information: Deputies arrested 44-year-old Robert Alan Harper of 8416 Dora Street. Harper turned over an air-soft pellet gun (similar to a rifle) which was equipped with a green laser, stating that is what he pointed at...
BROOKSVILLE – Elected officials gathered at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport & Technology Center Air Traffic Control Tower (BKV) this morning to honor the late Gary E. Schraut for his years of service in business development. Ironically, earlier this morning an incident involving an aircraft may have turned tragic if not for the assistance of the Sheriff's Office Air Unit. According to officials, just after 1:00 a.m. this morning, Deputy Pilots Kling and M...
CRYSTAL RIVER – A Dunnellon man is behind bars on charges of DUI Manslaughter after a deadly crash on West Fort Island Trail claimed the life of a Citrus Springs woman. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 26-year-old Dexter Nicholas Landstrom was driving at a high rate of speed on West Fort Island Trail, when he lost control of his Chevy Blazer, struck several trees, and then overturned. Officials say Landstrom and a 23-year-old male passenger were both uninjured, but a...
HERNANDO COUNTY – We are just four months away from the Primary Election which will determine the outcome of the next Sheriff of Hernando County. The incumbent Sheriff Al Nienhuis will go head-to-head with his opponent Joe Puglia, who says the county deserves better. Yesterday, Nienhuis utilized the agency's Facebook page to claim crime in Hernando County has dramatically declined under his leadership. The post reads: Did you know that since 2011, the population of Hernando Co...
WESLEY CHAPEL – SR-56 is now clear after a Freightliner gravel truck overturned, dumping 40 tons of gravel onto the roadway. Officials say a pickup truck driven by a 78-year-old woman changed lanes and collided with the rock truck. The collision caused the rock truck to overturn, blocking the intersection at Cypress Ridge Blvd. Both drivers were transported to nearby hospitals with minor injuries. Click Here for Video of the Crash....
BROOKSVILLE – An arrest has been made in a deadly 2023 head-on collision that claimed the life of a Tampa man. Officials say on July 30, 2023, then-19-year-old Johnathon William Smith of Zephyrhills was driving a GMC pickup truck recklessly on US-301. Just north of Belt Drive, Smith crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Nissan Versa, killing the driver, 29-year-old Kyle Alexander Perkin Roman of Tampa. Smith was transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital where h...
HIALEAH GARDENS - Today, on the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1264, requiring a strengthening of Florida's education standards regarding the "dangers and evils of Communism". "The truth will set us free," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "We will not allow our students to live in ignorance, nor be indoctrinated by Communist apologists in schools. To the contrary, we will ensure students in Florida are taught the truth about the evils...
HERNANDO – Hernando County Government Officials say progress is being made with bringing systems back online after the recent cyberattack, but residents and business owners still have concerns. The cyberattack that occurred late last month on the Hernando County Government IT network resulted in major interruptions to real estate professionals and others who depend on accessing public records. Residents are also concerned that their private information is being sold to the h...
WILDWOOD – The Sumter County Sheriff's Office is reporting the arrest of an illegal immigrant who allegedly stabbed a male victim to death inside a hotel room. Sheriff's deputies responded to the Days Inn on SR-44 around 7:44 p.m. Saturday, after receiving reports of a stabbing. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the victim, 25-year-old Bilder Eulaio Pablowith, with stab wounds to the chest. The victim was airlifted to a trauma center where he later died. After a brief s...
HERNANDO – There are now two candidates vying for the top job at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office after former NYPD officer Joe Puglia (R) made it official last week. Calls for someone to run against the embattled incumbent Sheriff Al Nienhuis have grown due to concerns of corruption, lack of transparency, and fiscal irresponsibility. We sat down with Puglia for an exclusive interview to find out what drove him to join the race and take on Nienhuis in the upcoming e...
BROOKSVILLE – An arrest has been made in a 2023, hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of 38-year-old Shawn Michael Mullins. ORIGINAL STORY Mullins was walking on Jacqueline Road on the evening of October 16, 2023, when he was struck by a pickup truck. The driver of the truck fled the scene and did not report the incident to authorities. After the incident, R News learned from a family member of the suspect that 35-year-old Rhonda Sue Smith was responsible for the crash and...
