David Fischer, Author at The Rapid City Post

Boxes of Valentine's Day flowers arrive from Colombia at Miami International Airport, on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/David Fischer)

Valentine flower imports increase at Miami airport, despite tariffs and higher costs, officials say

February 6, 2026

The magic behind millions of romantic Valentines Day bouquets happens in a cargo warehouse at a South Florida airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says agricultural agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport will process about 990 million stems of cut flowers in the weeks before Feb. 14. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles. Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, into Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada.

FILE - In this image released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Wesley Routh, a man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

Prosecutors seek life sentence for man who tried to shoot Trump at a Florida golf course

February 3, 2026

Federal prosecutors are asking that a man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump be sentenced to life in prison. Ryan Routh is scheduled to appear Wednesday in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida. He aimed a rifle through shrubbery as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach country club in 2024. Routh’s sentencing had initially been scheduled for December. The judge agreed to move the date back after Routh decided to use an attorney instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial. The attorney says a just punishment would allow Routh to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.

Florida congresswoman accused of stealing COVID-19 funds pleads not guilty 3 months after indictment

February 3, 2026

A Florida congresswoman charged with conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds has formally pleaded not guilty nearly three months after her indictment. U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was not present for Tuesday’s arraignment in Miami federal court, but her attorney, William Barzee, entered the plea on her behalf. He explained that she was in Washington, D.C., where Congress has been debating funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Cherfilus-McCormick is facing 15 federal counts that accuse her of stealing funds that had been overpaid to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, in 2021, before she was elected to Congress. The company had a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.

FILE - Fence and towers at the Baker Correctional Institution, Sanderson, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

Detainees pepper-sprayed on 2 occasions at Florida ‘Deportation Depot’ immigration detention center

January 29, 2026

Detainees have been pepper-sprayed on at least two occasions at a Florida immigration detention center, dubbed “Deportation Depot,” since opening this past September. Florida officials confirmed that the most recent incident at the former Baker Correctional Institution in northeast Florida occurred on Christmas Eve. Officials say several detainees refused orders to return to their bunks and began advancing on staff. One detainee became violent, striking an officer, so chemical agents were released. The confrontation came nearly two months after an Oct. 29 incident, when when detainees attempted to barricade themselves inside their housing unit while inciting violence and causing significant damage. Officials say guards eventually used pepper spray to regain control.

CORRECTS TO HEARING, NOT ARRAIGNMENT - U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., speaks to the media after a hearing in federal court Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 in Miami. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Another hearing delay for a Florida congresswoman accused of stealing COVID-19 funds

January 20, 2026

A federal judge in Miami has rescheduled a hearing for a Florida congresswoman charged with conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds. Judge Enjoliqué A. Lett granted U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick two more weeks to finalize her legal team, moving the arraignment to Feb. 3. Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, has pleaded not guilty to 15 federal counts, including theft of government funds and money laundering. She was arrested in November and released on a $60,000 bond. Prosecutors allege the funds were misused, including a purchase of a 3-carat yellow diamond ring.

CORRECTS TO HEARING, NOT ARRAIGNMENT - U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., left, speaks to the media as her lawyer David Markus looks on after a hearing in federal court Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 in Miami. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Florida congresswoman accused of stealing COVID funds maintains innocence

December 29, 2025

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has reiterated her innocence outside a Miami federal courthouse, where she faces charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds. Cherfilus-McCormick was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, but her attorney requested the proceeding be rescheduled to Jan. 20 so that she could finalize her legal team. Prosecutors didn’t object, and Judge Lisette Reid agreed to the new date. After leaving court, Cherfilus-McCormick reiterated that she did not steal any funds and that she’s committed to the people of Florida. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This undated photo provided by the Florida Department of Corrections shows Frank Athen Walls. (Florida Department of Correction via AP)

Florida man set to be executed for killing 2 during a home invasion

December 17, 2025

A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during home invasion robbery and later confessing to three other killings is set to be the 19th person executed in Florida this year. Frank Athen Walls is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. Walls was convicted of murder, kidnapping, burglary and theft. Court records show that Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of an Eglin Air Force Base airman and his girlfriend in July 1987, killing both of them. DNA evidence later linked Walls to a 1987 rape and murder, and Walls also admitted responsibility for two other killings.

This undated photo provided by Florida Department of Corrections shows Richard Barry Randolph. (Florida Department of Correction via AP)

Florida man convicted raping and killing his former manager is set to be executed

November 19, 2025

A man convicted of raping and fatally beating his former manager at a Florida convenience store is set to be the 17th person executed in Florida this year. Richard Barry Randolph is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke. Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft and sentenced to death in 1989. Court records show that Randolph attempted to break into the safe at a Palatka convenience store where he had previously worked in August 1988. After being spotted by manager Minnie Ruth McCollum, Randolph beat, strangled, stabbed and raped the woman before leaving the store.

Underwater sculpture park brings coral reef art to Miami Beach

November 2, 2025

A group that is pioneering underwater sculpture parks as a way to establish human-made coral reefs has deployed its first installation off Miami Beach. Last month, crews lowered 22 life-sized, marine-grade concrete cars into the ocean. The project was commissioned by the nonprofit group REEFLINE and will soon be seeded with 2,200 native corals that have been grown in a nearby Miami lab. It’s partially funded by a $5 million bond from the city of Miami Beach, but the group is trying to raise $40 million to extend the project along an underwater corridor just off the city’s 7 miles of coastline.

Gonzalo de Leon plays basketball at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, the site of proposed pickleball courts as part of a new luxury development, Oct. 8, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Community fights pickleball replacing basketball courts at South Florida beachside park

October 29, 2025

Basketball players who frequent a South Florida park feel like they’re being run off in favor of wealthy residents of a new luxury development. The city of Fort Lauderdale is planning to replace decades-old, beachside basketball courts with pickleball courts. It’s part of a deal with developers for a massive condo and hotel project. Local basketball players have generated a groundswell of support online, both locally and around the world, but city officials and developers have said the changes are part of larger improvement plan for the park that includes building new basketball courts several hundred yards away.

Florida man convicted raping and killing his neighbor in 1998 is set to be executed

October 27, 2025

A man convicted of the 1998 rape and killing of his neighbor is set to be the 15th person executed in Florida this year. Norman Mearle Grim Jr. is scheduled to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Grim was convicted in 2000 of sexual battery and first-degree murder in the death of Cynthia Campbell. Her battered body was found in waters off the Pensacola Bay Bridge by a fisherman in 1998. It would be a record 15th execution this year in Florida. The highest previous annual total of Florida executions in recent times was eight in 2014.

FILE - Jack Nicklaus waves before hitting the first tee for the honorary tee off before the first round of the Masters golf tournament, April 9, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus wins $50M verdict in defamation lawsuit against former business partners

October 21, 2025

Professional golf legend Jack Nicklaus has won a $50 million verdict in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida against his former business partners. A six-person jury in Palm Beach County on Monday found that the Nicklaus Companies had damaged the 18-time major champion’s reputation and exposed him to ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt. An attorney for Nicklaus says the golfer has spent his life helping others and earning a reputation as not just a great athlete but a great human being and they were pleased with the jury’s decision. Defense attorneys say Nicklaus Companies executives never tried to defame Nicklaus and argue the case was basically a business dispute.

Florida man convicted of killing 2 women whose bodies were found in a pond is set to be executed

October 13, 2025

A Florida man convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a rural pond in 1996 is scheduled to be executed. Seventy-two-year-old Samuel Lee Smithers is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Barring a legal reprieve, it would be Florida’s 14th execution in 2025, further extending the state record for total executions in a single year. The highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Smithers was was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1999. Two more executions are planned later this month and next in Florida.

Dr. Inaki Bent, right, talks with Jonas Richards, left, while working with the Miami Street Medicine team to provide medical services to homeless people, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

How a Miami health care group is meeting homeless patients where they live

October 3, 2025

A nonprofit group in Miami is helping reduce the strain on emergency rooms by providing homeless people with health care where they live. The organization Miami Street Medicine is part of Dade County Street Response, which also includes a free clinic. The teams of paid staff and medical school student volunteers aren’t just bandaging cuts and handing out aspirin. They’re providing follow-up visits for chronic conditions and working with specialists like dermatologists, neurologists and cardiologists. Altogether, the work helps homeless patients get medications other care they need to prevent their treatable conditions from becoming emergencies.

FILE - Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)

Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing married couple in 1990 robbery is set to be executed

September 29, 2025

A man convicted of fatally stabbing a married couple during a 1990 robbery in South Florida is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening. Victor Tony Jones is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. It would be Florida’s 13th death sentence carried out in 2025, further extending the state record for total executions in a single year. Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Jones was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 on two counts of first-degree murder.

A pickup truck decorated in support of President Donald Trump sits parked outside the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse, after the start of jury selection in the trial of Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Trial starts for a man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump

September 10, 2025

Opening statements are set to begin for the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year, when he was campaigning for a second term. A panel of 12 jurors and four alternates was sworn in Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. The trial is expected to run another two or three weeks. Ryan Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent stopped his attempt to shoot Trump. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He is representing himself, with court-appointed attorneys on standby if needed.

A jury is selected in the trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump

September 10, 2025

A jury has been selected in the trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year, when he was a presidential candidate. The panel of 12 jurors and four alternates was chosen on Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. Ryan Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent stopped his attempt to shoot Trump. Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He is representing himself, with court-appointed attorneys on standby if needed.

A police car drives past the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse as jury selection began in the trial of Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Potential jurors return for the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 9, 2025

Jury selection is underway for the trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year. On Tuesday, a prospective juror was dismissed after revealing he was present at the arrest of Ryan Routh, the defendant. Another was excused for knowing someone on the witness list. By Tuesday evening, 96 of 180 potential jurors remained in the jury pool. Routh, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of attempting to kill a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. The trial begins nearly a year after the alleged attempt.

FILE - In this imaged released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump,Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

What to know about the trial of the man accused of trying to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 6, 2025

A federal trial begins next week for a man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida. Jury selection is expected to start on Monday and take three days, with opening statements planned for Thursday. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed in July to let 59-year-old Ryan Routh represent himself. Routh will be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but he will not have free rein of the courtroom. Prosecutors have said Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

Final preparations for trial of man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 1, 2025

A man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump last year in South Florida is set to represent himself during a pretrial conference, as final preparations are made for trial. Barring any delays, jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Fort Pierce federal court for the case against Ryan Routh. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off on Routh’s request to represent himself in July but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel. The trial will begin nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted Routh’s attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf.

Florida man convicted of killing a woman abducted from an insurance office is set to be executed

August 18, 2025

A man convicted of kidnapping a woman from an insurance office in the early 1980s and killing her is set for execution in Florida. Kayle Bates is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke. It would be Florida’s 10th execution of 2025 and further extend the state record for the number of executions in a single year. Previously the annual high was eight executions in Florida in 2014. Bates was convicted of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, killing of Janet White in the Florida Panhandle.

Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump returns to court and hopes to represent himself

July 23, 2025

A man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course will return to court to once again explain why he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself. Ryan Routh previously made the request earlier this month during a hearing in Fort Pierce before U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. Routh is set to be back in front of Cannon on Thursday, a day after his court-appointed federal public defenders asked to be taken off the case. Routh is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf.

Dogs are seen at Animal Care and Control on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The shelter is educating the public on how to protect animals from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)

Keeping animals of all sizes, from cats to horses, cool during record heat

July 17, 2025

With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. But keeping an animal the size of a small car cool isn’t as easy as bringing it inside to the air conditioning. That’s why Alicia Grace, owner of Pink Flamingo Stables, has to take extra steps to keep her horses safe and healthy in South Florida’s hot and humid climate. And while house pets are easier to keep cool, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spokeswoman Arielle Weinberger says pet owners still have to remain vigilant during the summer.

Florida man who killed 2 people outside a bar is scheduled to be executed

July 14, 2025

A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman outside a Florida bar as part of an attempted revenge killing is scheduled to be executed. Michael Bernard Bell is set to receive a lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison, barring a last-day reprieve. He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the 1993 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. Bell would be the eighth person put to death in Florida this year. A total of 25 men have already been executed in the U.S. this year, tying last year’s total.

Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump wants to represent himself in Florida case

July 10, 2025

A man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump says he wants to fire his lawyers and represent himself. Ryan Routh asked a federal judge in court Thursday to let him serve as his own attorney. U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon questioned Routh for about 30 minutes but did not rule during the hearing. Cannon said she will issue a written order later. Prosecutors have said Routh plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as Trump played golf in September at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh has pleaded not guilty.

Florida set to execute man convicted of raping and killing a woman outside of a bar

June 23, 2025

A man convicted of raping and killing a woman near a central Florida bar is scheduled to be executed. Barring a reprieve, 51-year-old Thomas Lee Gudinas is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted in the killing of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen at a bar called Barbarella’s shortly before 3 a.m. on May 24, 1994. Her body was found in an alley next to a nearby school hours later. A school employee who found McGrath’s body later identified Gudinas as a man who was fleeing the area shortly before the body was discovered.

David Fischer.