Digest

Dateline Florida

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 20, 2007

Compare Save Our Homes, 'super' plan

In January, Florida voters will decide whether to create a "super" homestead exemption designed to take a bite out of property tax bills. Homeowners with the current Save Our Homes designation would be allowed to choose the new option or keep their existing exemption. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office is offering a tax calculator on its Web site to help voters decide whether the "super" exemption would be right for them. Go to http://www.pcpao.org/ and follow the directions.

Fight in Disney line leads to felony case

An Alabama woman was extradited to Orlando this week to face a felony battery charge after authorities say she beat another woman for cutting in line at Walt Disney World. The altercation happened May 27 in the line for the Mad Tea Party spinning cup ride, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Victoria Walker, 51, was released Tuesday from the Orange County Jail after posting $4,000 bail. The other woman said she was diagnosed with a concussion, a herniated disc and post-traumatic seizures.

Giraffe's death brings more bad news

Sammy the giraffe was found dead in his exhibit Tuesday morning at the Zoo of Northwest Florida. A necropsy determined that the 10-year-old giraffe had died of an apparent upper neck injury, presumably from a collision the animal had with a post, the Pensacola News Journal reported. This is the same zoo where a young hippopotamus was killed by his father less than two weeks ago. In happier zoo news, a baby jaguar was born at the Brevard Zoo, a first for the zoo and the cub's mother, Masaya, Florida Today reported. The cub was born June 27, but zoo officials didn't announce it until Wednesday because they wanted to make sure it was healthy. It has not been named yet.

[Last modified July 20, 2007, 00:08:45]