The Cooler

Because voting is the big story in this morning's news, we're going to give you the other news of the day in this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: Because innocent people always flee and go into hiding.

Saying he was afraid he was about to be beaten, Wonder reached for his gun.

“I went into some kind of panic mode,” Wonder said, “I had never shot anybody.”

After killing Pettit, Wonder got back into his car and left.

He mailed his letters from another post office and went home. He later tried to get dialysis but was turned away because his pulse was too high.

As the day went on, Wonder saw news helicopters buzzing over the post office scene and heard on the news that the man he had killed was a federal agent. He said he became as scared as he had ever been.

“I figured they were looking to gun somebody down,” he said, later adding “I was scared to death.”

He dismantled the Colt and put it in a plastic bag, although he denied Monday that he was trying to hide it. Wonder said he never threw away anything related to the shooting.

But he did rent an SUV to drive around instead of his own car.

B- Herald: Thank a Rick Scott voter.

TALLAHASSEE -- As millions of Floridians head to the polls on Tuesday, about 175,000 homeowners will face another stark choice: Stay with Citizens Property Insurance Corp., or allow a smaller private company to take over their policy.

Homeowners across the state received “takeout” offers from private insurers last month, giving them 30 days to either opt out, or be automatically shifted out of state-run insurance.

[...]

The large takeout is part of an aggressive plan — championed by Gov. Rick Scott — to reduce risk and the possibility of financial liability for taxpayers if the state-run insurer runs out of money during a catastrophic storm.

C- Herald: Zehr Gut!

Rick Case Automotive Group said Monday that it will build a new, eight-story Volkswagen dealership on I-75 next to the Cleveland Clinic in Davie, which it says will be the largest and tallest Volkswagen dealership worldwide.

D- Palm Beach Post: This from a guy who says he hates Federal money.

On Thursday, Rick Scott asked President Barack Obama to declare that a “major disaster” exists as a result of the storm – a move that would allow government officials in Palm Beach County and six other Florida counties to recoup at least 75 percent of the money they spend repairing the damage. Statewide the storm caused more than $67.2 million, according to the estimate.

E- TC Palm: A little too much compassion.

FORT PIERCE — A female employee of the state Department of Juvenile Justice has been fired after being accused of having sex at her home with a 15-year-old boy who had been in state custody.

Tarneisha Thomas, 30, of the 100 block of Carol Susan Lane, Fort Pierce, was jailed Saturday on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior with a youth between 12 and 15 years old.

[...]

Before his release, police intervened and questioned him. They quoted him as saying he had been at Thomas' residence several times and spent the night with her.

F- TC Palm: Life in South Florida.

PORT ST. LUCIE — An 80-year-old woman drove a Honda into a sport utility vehicle in a parking lot Monday before crashing into an Arby's restaurant, lodging her four-door vehicle several feet inside the fast-food eatery known for its roast beef sandwiches and horsey sauce, police said.

G- WPLG: The Vagabond gets a 2nd life.

More recently, developer Avra Jain drove by a run down Vagabond Hotel and saw potential.

”When you look at the building from the outside, it looks abandoned, but actually inside it is much better than what you would think,” said Jain, who bought it for $2 million.

Jain has done loft conversions in New York City and restorations in Miami's Midtown area.

"Our concept is to do really a 4-star design but keep it more like 3-star service because we want it to be affordable,” said Jain.

H- WPLG: Southwest to Key West.

DALLAS - Southwest Airlines Co. has begun flights to the southernmost city in the continental United States.

Dallas-based Southwest on Sunday began service to Key West International Airport.

I- WPTV: Palm Beach County biking improvements.

The signs of improvement are everywhere. There are increasingly more bike lanes in the county, and last year, the county adopted a bicycle master plan designed to make cycling a viable form of transportation in the county. Cities are putting in more bike racks. Plus, there's more emphasis on bicycle safety.

"It has improved," said Bernie Kite, a member of the Boca Raton Bicycle Club, recalling five years ago when his club was in a battle with the state to include bike lanes on State Road A1A. "We've gotten more official bike lanes — they're marked."

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