News Update for 5/8/25

A Sebring man is behind bars after a dramatic standoff following a shooting at Dave T’s Burgers. Police say 41-year-old Gene Andrew Phillips fired shots at a man trying to leave the restaurant on May 2nd, then fled the scene in a friend’s SUV. Officers later found him hiding in a nearby home’s attic, where he resisted for two hours until pepper balls and a phone call persuaded him to surrender. Phillips, a convicted felon, faces multiple charges including attempted murder and armed burglary—crimes that could land him in prison for life.

A peaceful evening at Lake Reedy Park in Frostproof turned dangerous on May 3rd when gunfire erupted near a boat ramp. Deputies say a man fired shots toward a boat carrying an adult and two teens, narrowly missing them. The suspect, 69-year-old James Robert Fatout, was later arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a firearm. He initially claimed he was shooting at birds but later admitted, “At least I got a shot at ‘em.” No injuries were reported.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is identifying a 61-year-old Davenport woman as the victim of Tuesday’s deadly alligator attack in Lake Kissimmee. An FWC spokesman says the woman and her husband were on a 14-foot canoe when the gator thrashed, throwing her into the water. She landed on top of the alligator and was bitten, with her husband trying to fight it off. Officers later recovered the woman’s body and removed two alligators from the lake, each measuring ten to eleven feet in length. The FWC notes the gator likely reacted defensively after being bumped by the canoe.

Governor Ron DeSantis continues to push for property tax relief in Florida. During a roundtable event in Tampa, the Governor promoted his plan and criticized a House proposal to roll back sales taxes by a quarter percent. He says that would benefit tourists