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News Briefs — Kissimmee cop killer's death sentence upheld
Florida Supreme Court upholds Kissimmee cop killer’s death sentences The Florida Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the man sentenced to death in the 2017 murders of two Kissimmee police o ers, the News Service of Florida reported _ursday.
Justices unanimously upheld rst-degree murder convictions and death sentences given to Everett Miller, who fatally shot officers Matthew Baxter and Sam Howard on Aug. 18, 2017. Lawyers for Miller, 52, raised issues in the appeal including that the murders were not premeditated and that prosecutors were improperly allowed to inject issues about race and religion into the case that prevented him from getting a fair sentencing. Miller, who is Black, had made what the Supreme Court described as “anti-white” Facebook posts and had anti-law enforcement views.
“The state’s plausible theory was that Miller became radicalized online and adopted an extremist anti-government and anti-law enforcement belief system under which he came to view—and abhor— all law enforcement as the tyrannical arm of a racist and oppressive system,” Thursday’s opinion said.
“So much so that police officers, no matter their skin color, represented a constant threat to Black people, including Miller. _e evidence contextualized the things going on in Miller’s mind, with his anti-white posts being intimately tied up with his view of the police as institutionally racist. _e items presented could help show that Miller had anger and hatred that could lead to the very violence in which he engaged, and against precisely the victims he chose. Allowing the state to show that Miller acted on the hatred of law enforcement fueled by that mindset was not unfairly prejudicial.”
KUA receives safety award
Kissimmee Utility Authority has reported it was among 14 Florida public power utilities to receive a Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) Safety Award, recognizing utilities’ commitment to safety, at the Florida Lineman Competition awards banquet in Jacksonville.
“The safety of our staff is one of our top priorities at KUA,” said KUA Vice President of Human Resources Cindy Herrera. “To receive this statewide recognition for something that we strive for daily, is truly an honor.”
Line work is listed as one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs. In order to provide reliable power, Florida line workers and power crews are frequently engaged in challenging work that can place them at risk of serious or fatal injuries, which is why public power utilities place a significant emphasis on safety and training, KUA said.
Utilities are placed into categories based on their total worker hours and rewarded for the most incident-free records. The incidence rate used to judge utilities was based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses compared to the total number of worker hours during 2023, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). KUA received second place in the category with other similar-sized utilities.
Democrats of St. Cloud to meet March 20
The Democrats of St. Cloud meet the Third Wednesday of the month on Zoom at 7 p.m. The speaker on March 20 is Mary Jane Arrington.
If you have any questions or wish to become a member, call 407-572-6580, or check out its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/democratsofstcloud.
