Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
DeSantis ‘Czar' Used Alias, Private Email As Contractor Sought Migrant Flights' Deal
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
>
WATCH HEREAs his former client was seeking the contract to relocate migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “public safety czar” gave Vertol Systems Company CEO James Montgomerie a private “email channel to use,” according to records released Thursday by the governor’s office.
For three weeks after that Aug. 26 instruction, records show the two men exchanged invoice and proposal language as Vertol was about to win a contract that has so far paid it more than $1.5 million. None of that official state business was included in any of Larry Keefe’s state email records released so far.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
>
SIGN UP
Last month, Montgomerie testified in a lawsuit seeking all public records that his company had turned over “every single” record. But the company did not produce the emails sent to Montgomerie’s AOL account from “Clarice Starling,” Keefe’s Gmail alias, a nod to the FBI trainee played by Jodie Foster in the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”
Broward School Aide Accused of Inappropriately Touching Special Needs Students
Local
An aide at a high school in Pembroke Pines was arrested Tuesday for allegedly inappropriately touching two students with special needs under his supervision.
John Harrison Smith, 53, was charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under the age of 16, two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct and two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct by an authority figure, Pembroke Pines Police officials said.
Smith had been observed by witnesses inappropriately touching the female students, ages 14 and 15, both with mental disabilities and verbal delays, police said.
‘We'll Be Out in Force': Law Enforcement Aims to Prevent Impaired Driving During Holidays
Tis' the season for holiday parties and fun - but, Florida Highway Patrol troopers want to make sure you don't wreck the holidays.
FHP is spreading the message of "drive sober or get pulled over," a message not just for drivers but also boaters. With holiday celebrations in full swing, law enforcement will be working overtime to take drunk and impaired drivers off the road and out of the water through January.
FHP, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and both the Broward Sheriff's Office and Palm Beach Sheriff's Office have partnered together to focus holiday enforcement efforts on making sure you stay on the nice list this year - by keeping you off the road if you've had one too many drinks.
Dominatrix Group Demands $250K Dungeon From Fort Lauderdale Commission
To one dominatrix, some South Florida lawmakers have been misbehaving lately.
A dominatrix trio headed by their latex leader, only known as “Miss Cave," showed up to a city commission meeting in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday, and demanded the creation of a dungeon so local “Doms” and “Subs” can let loose their kinky selves.
The odd request happened as the city's commissioners were reviewing a nearly $1 million contract for a waste processing plant with Waste Management.
Is Your Airbag Under Recall? Check This Website to See
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging consumers to check for open recalls related to faulty airbags after the deaths of 24 people.
NHTSA told NBC 6 in November that there were anywhere between 10 and 12 million vehicles still out there with active recalls involving faulty Takata inflators. That same month the agency said someone driving a 2006 Ford Ranger — which was under a "do not drive" warning — was killed. Earlier in December, there was another death involving a ruptured airbag inflator in a 2002 Honda Accord.
Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Alina Machado.
Street Lights Installed on South Florida Roadways Are Wrong Color Due to Defect: FDOT
Have you noticed anything different while driving at night in South Florida? When you're driving on some local roads, you may look up and notice the roads have a different glow.
While the lights are supposed to be white, they are actually glowing the colors blue or purple.
Florida Department of Transportation officials told NBC 6 News the change in color is due to a manufacturing defect related to the filter in the light. The issue is related to a specific brand and model of LED fixtures. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6's Kristin Sanchez.
