Photo courtesy of A&E TV - a scene from the TV show the Glades

The NE 14th St. Causeway Bridge in Pompano Beach will be closed by the Florida Department of Transportation to all vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles from 7:00 p.m. Friday, July 14th, to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, July 15th for filming of The Glades television show.

Also, the bridge will not open for boats from 9:00 a.m. Friday, until 5:00 a.m. Saturday. 

Please seek alternate routes at the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge to the south or Hillsboro Boulevard Bridge to the north.

Originally, “The Glades” was slated to film July 7th and 8th, but had a last minute change due to the weather.

Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that more than 105,000 pills were surrendered at 24 locations during a statewide compliance operation conducted by the Department of Health, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and five of Florida’s Regional Drug Enforcement Strike Forces.  The inspections were conducted pursuant to the Department of Health’s declaration of public health emergency made on July 1.

“Earlier this year, I made a promise to crack down on pill mills and stomp this scourge out of our state. The results we’re seeing this week show we’re making good on that promise,” said Governor Rick Scott. “I thank the law enforcement and public health professionals who are making our multi-faceted approach a success and a model for the nation. By shutting down pill mills, we are saving lives and making our communities safer places to live.”

“One of the most effective ways to stop prescription drug abuse is to cut it off at the source,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. “It was gratifying to accompany the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the South Florida Strike Force and see them quarantine prescription narcotics and prevent the easy access that had long exacerbated this epidemic.”

The number of pills surrendered or returned to the distributor in each region is as follows:

• Miami Regional Operation Center:                       48,406.5 pills
• Orlando Regional Operation Center:                   52,322 pills
• Tampa Bay Regional Operation Center:             4,698 pills
• Fort Myers Regional Operation Center:               153 pills
• Pensacola Regional Operation Center:              None

In March 2011, Governor Scott announced a Statewide Drug Strike Force, headed by FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey, to combat the criminal distribution of prescription drugs in Florida. With support from Attorney General Pam Bondi and state and local law enforcement leaders, the Strike Force is charged with stopping the flow of dangerous drugs into communities by disrupting the major illegal supply points.

On Monday July 4th, Deerfield Beach celebrated Independence Day with a fantastic display set up by Zambelli Fireworks.  ObserverTV was granted exclusive access to the firing area that Zambelli Fireworks set up at the end of  the International Fishing Pier. Also, ObserverTV interviewed people and asked them what “independence” means to them.  See what people had to say by clicking on ObserverTV to view.

The special City Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 7 in Deerfield Beach has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies in Deerfield Beach are experiencing a spike in vehicle burglaries where suspects are targeting valet keys. Valet keys are normally supplied by vehicle manufacturers and can be found in the back of the owner’s manual in the glove box. Their purpose is to allow vehicle owners to supply valet parkers with a key that only unlocks the door and starts the engine. These keys are difficult to copy. Burglars target unlocked vehicles, steal the valet key, then return at a later time to steal the vehicle. If you have a valet key please secure it in a safe place. Lock your vehicle doors and do not leave items of value inside. Call 911 if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

In addition, this was also sent out by BSO deputies:

BSO deputies worked throughout the night to solve multiple auto thefts and vehicle burglaries in the Cove Area.  A month long proactive initiative, coupled with alert patrol deputies, lead to the arrest of one suspect and the identification of another who had just stolen two vehicles from the area.  The suspects targeted unlocked vehicles for property and valet keys.  The investigation is continuing.  Please lock your vehicle doors and do not leave items of value inside.  If you see suspicious activity call 911 immediately.

The special City Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 5 will now be held on Thursday, July 7. The meeting will be held at City Hall, 150 NE 2nd Avenue, at 7 PM.

Once again a man was killed and another rescued during a fishing trip Thursday afternoon when an 18-foot Bayliner capsized about a mile off the Hillsboro Inlet.

Fishermen in another vessel rescued one of the men, and Broward Sheriff Fire-Rescue brought the other ashore, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is the second case of a boat capsizing that involved a fatality off the Hillsboro Inlet in the last few weeks.

On June 20, a 15-foot Cobia open fishing boat began taking on water around 10 p.m. and quickly sank. Kenneth Williams Sr., 36, of Deerfield Beach, drowned.

The two men aboard the Bayliner were caught in a thunderstorm that kicked up quickly offshore Thursday, bringing high winds and rain, said Rick Macher of Fort Lauderdale, one of five fishermen aboard the Dig It who plucked the man from the sunken boat.

As the men aboard the Dig It pulled in their lines to return to Hillsboro Inlet, they noticed the Bayliner flipped over with one man clinging to the bow, said another fisherman on the boat.

The Dig It circled the sunken boat, and the fishermen threw the man a life preserver. As they pulled him aboard, the man indicated that he had a friend on the Bayliner.

“We said, ‘Where’s your friend?’ and he said, ‘I don’t know, he went down,’ ” Escamilla said. “We found the friend and pulled him in and did CPR.”

Coast Guard crew members boarded the Dig It and also tried to resuscitate the second man, but when he was taken ashore, he was pronounced dead.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatality, but it appears to be an accidental drowning, said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jim Leljedal. He said the Sheriff’s Office would not release the identities of the two men aboard the Bayliner Thursday night.

The rescued man said the Bayliner’s anchor was to small.