Wendi Grossman

The countdown is over. And the hunt is on! Florida's annual mini lobster starts a minute after midnight and ends just 24-hours later. The Coast Guard's Scott Szczepaniak [[sis-pan-ee-ack]] says you should also check all navigation lights before heading out, use dive flags and your engine cutoff switch when divers are in the water. You can catch twelve lobsters per person, per day except in Monroe County where the limit is six. The regular Florida spiny lobster season starts August 6th and ends next March.

South Florida foodies making reservations fast and furiously for Miami Spice and Dine Out Lauderdale. Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association's Rozeta Mahboubi says both programs run from August First through September 30th. She says summer is always slow for local restaurants waiting for the rainy season to end and the tourists to return. They did get a big bump this year, thanks to the World Cup.

A Venezuelan woman released from the ICE detention center in Pompano Beach Monday speaks about her experience more than two weeks after she was taken into custody from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International. Claudia Caglionone calls the conditions deplorable. The 28-year-old arrived to the U-S in 2017 on a tourist visa, applied for asylum and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023.That status has expired, but she says her case is still pending, and she should have never been intercepted at the airport.

School starts in Miami-Dade just one week from today and on Monday in Broward. Hollywood Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober says now is the time to get your kids back on a tight sleep schedule. If your kids are anxious about going back, talk to them and lookout for subtle changes that may signal a problem like withdrawing from activities or friends. He says you should still send them daily even if they complain.

Broward launches its Countywide relief drive for Colombian earthquake victims a week after the 7-point-4 quake. Commissioner Steve Geller says they're collecting all kinds of essential supplies and don't forget it's cold in the mountains there. They're collecting non-perishable food, hygiene products, baby items, pet supplies, tents and tarps. Colombians make up the third-largest population in Broward behind Cubans and Puerto Ricans. The death toll is nearing 300 with more than 4-thousand injured and roughly 140 missing.

It's Primary Day and South Florida voters are weighing in. Senator Rick Scott says forget everything you've heard about the polls and go vote -he was projected to lose his Primary in 2010 and won. Voters are sounding off on several key races like governor, senator, congress and local commission seats. Turnout is projected to be less than 30-percent, but that number is expected to skyrocket in November. Polls are open until 7 tonight.

Some leaders in Miami-Dade calling for the mayor to nix a reported plan to possibly rebrand Miami International Airport as "Vice City Airport" when the new Grand Theft Auto game debuts in November. Commissioner J-C Bermudez calls the idea appalling. He says this goes against everything the county stands for and will make it harder to attract businesses here. The game uses a fictional depiction of Miami centered on murder, carjackings and lawlessness. He says the county has spent 19-million-dollars on Peace and Prosperity programs to denounce this type of behavior.

The flight data recorder will shed light on fourteen data points including flap position and air speed to determine if a mechanical malfunction is to blame or human error. Retired airline Captain Reyné O’Shaughnessy says it looks like the plane was coming in way too fast and may have not settled into the landing phase. She says this explains why the plane appeared so wobbly.

Broward schools hosting the first of seven "Redefining Our Schools" workshops with ten schools on the possible chopping block. School Board Member Dr. Allen Zeman says the superintendent may expand the list. Six schools closed this year due to lack of enrollment. Experts say the low birth rate and immigration enforcement fears are to blame. Proposals will be finalized in November, with a final vote on tap in December.