FloriDUH
Heh... Florida seems to have more than its share of wierd news.
Two writers at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinal compile the good ones at their blog:
FloriDUH
One of the
tamer stories:
Accused turtle killer looks at possible 60-year sentence
Hesam Oddin Mirani bought a vacant Gasparilla Island lot in 2005 for $512,500 and wanted to build a home.
There was a problem -- gopher tortoises.
They're protected as a threatened species under state laws. For years, some Florida counties allowed developers to bury the tortoises alive for a fee. The state outlawed that practice in 2007. Property owners are now required to keep the tortoises on their property or relocate them to a suitable site.
But Mirani is accused of doing something different. Like killing them.
Cops have charged him with 12 felony counts of killing or wounding gopher tortoises, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Mirani pleaded not guilty and his case is about to go to trial in February in Punta Gorda.
And it is a big deal -- the maximum sentence for conviction on the charges is 60 years in prison.
60 years is lunacy -- the enviros have gone a bit overboard there...
Posted by DaveH at January 2, 2010 7:45 PM