WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Read the top stories with the most-watched videos from this week.
Boca Raton nurse fired after graphic TikTok targeting Karoline Leavitt
BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — A labor and delivery nurse at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital is no longer employed after a TikTok video surfaced that appears to show her making graphic and violent comments about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who recently announced she is pregnant.
The video was posted by a woman identified as Alexis “Lexie” Lawler. In the video, Lawler says it “gives [her] great joy” to wish Leavitt would suffer a fourth-degree tear during childbirth — the most severe type of obstetric tear — using explicit and profane language.
Fourth-degree tears extend through muscle and tissue to the anal sphincter and can result in long-term or permanent medical complications.
The video, which was widely shared before being set to private, quickly sparked backlash online — not only because of the language used, but because it came from a healthcare professional who worked in labor and delivery.
Read the full story here.
Online marketplace meetup in Fort Pierce ends in mass shooting; 4 shot, suspect sought
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — Four people were shot Sunday afternoon after an alleged online marketplace transaction turned into a violent ambush in Fort Pierce, according to detectives.
The shooting occurred at 1:15 p.m. on the 3600 block of Avenue R in Fort Pierce in front of a vacant house, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, deputies secured the scene and rendered aid to the victims in coordination with St. Lucie County Fire Rescue.
A preliminary investigation revealed the incident may have begun as an attempted online marketplace transaction.
Read the full story here.
1,000-pound great white shark caught from shore along popular Florida beach
PENSACOLA, Fla. (CBS12) — Anglers on Pensacola Beach reeled in a rare 12 to 13-foot great white shark during a multiday fishing trip, an extraordinary catch that stunned even experienced shark fishermen.
Dylan Wier and Blaine Kenny of Coastal Worldwide were helping a group on a 48-hour shark fishing trip when the massive apex predator took the bait within the first 12 hours. The shark, estimated at around 1,000 pounds, put up nearly an hour-long fight before the crew brought it close enough to document and safely release it back into the water.
Video captured the intensity of the moment, with cheers erupting as the anglers realized what they had hooked.
Kenny said the magnitude of the catch didn’t fully hit the group until later. “A couple of them were like, ‘We caught a great white?’ It was pretty special.”
Read the full story here.
Martin County deputies, air unit locate out-of-town bicyclist using his phone GPS signal
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A bike ride went off course in Dupuis Management Area, prompting deputies to use cell phone GPS and air support to locate the lost bicyclist.
Deputies say an out-of-town visitor encountered difficult terrain, strayed off the trail, and was reportedly unable to find his way back.
Dispatchers say they were able to obtain GPS coordinates from his cell phone signal and relay them to responding crews.
Air 1 pinpointed the man and guided AG and Road Patrol deputies on the ground to his location.
Read the full story here.
Port St. Lucie homeowners question rising tax bills as city and county launch workshop
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Some Port St. Lucie homeowners say their property tax bills have jumped dramatically, putting new strain on household budgets and raising questions about how local taxes are calculated.
“I bought this home in June of 2024,” said Paul M., a Port St. Lucie homeowner. “The previous owner was paying about $3,200. I homesteaded, then got reassessed — and now my tax bill is $6,240. It’s the same house.”
Paul says that increase translates to more than $500 a month just in property taxes through his escrow account, on top of rising homeowner’s insurance costs.
“It truly is becoming an affordability issue,” he said. “Especially if you’re on a fixed income. When your taxes double, that’s a huge difference.”
Read the full story here.