TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush suspended the mayor of Opa-locka on Tuesday because she is facing federal charges of tax fraud.
Myra Taylor is accused of diverting money from a charter school she and her husband run and using it for personal expenses, then failing to report it as income.
Taylor and her husband, the Rev. John Taylor, own and operate Vankara Academy charter school in Opa-locka. A federal grand jury has alleged they took money from the school to use for mortgage payments, taxes on personally owned real estate, utility bills, home repairs, car purchases, college tuition and school-related expenses for their children. Taylor's sister, Elvira Smith, is also charged.
Taylor, a former city commissioner who was elected mayor in 2003, has denied the charges and denounced the indictment as a racist attack. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The Taylors face up to five years each in prison if convicted.
2-year-old slips out of house, drowns in pool
PEMBROKE PINES - A 2-year-old girl drowned in her family's pool Monday night, officials said.
Olisha Narcisse fell into the pool after walking through the sliding-glass door of her home. A brother and cousin, both 6, spotted her at the bottom of the pool and called her 12-year-old sister, who dived in and pulled her out, said police Cmdr. Dave Golt.
A visiting friend performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the girl died at Hollywood's Memorial Regional Hospital.
