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Your Florida Daily: Florida airport parking reaches capacity, wheelchair crashes onto Miami tarmac

Plus, a history of the Florida shopping mall

FILE - (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file) (Jenny Kane, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s the busiest travel weekend of the year so far and that means parking spots are few and far between at several Florida airports.

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According to AAA, Orlando is the No. 1 destination for tourists this holiday.

Saturday is expected to be the busiest day at Orlando International Airport, with more than 186,000 travelers passing through the gates, an increase of about 11% over this time last year.

Like Orlando, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport says its garages reached capacity this week.

This image provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2023, shows three recalled applesauce products - WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and variety pack, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches. The FDA is screening imports of cinnamon from multiple countries for toxic lead contamination after growing reports of children who were sickened after eating pouches of applesauce and apple puree. Cinnamon from a manufacturer in Ecuador is the likely source of high levels of lead found in recalled pouches of applesauce puree linked to illnesses in at least 34 children in 22 states, the FDA said Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (FDA via AP)

Several more children sickened by fruit pouches tainted with lead, FDA says

Certain applesauce products linked to lead poisoning in children are still being sold at some Florida dollar stores.

The FDA recalled the cinnamon applesauce pouches after reports of high lead levels.

So far, there have been 52 reports of young kids getting sick in 25 states, including Florida.

Dollar Tree says it’s working with the FDA on clearing all of the products from its shelves.

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, file photo, a pair of American Airlines jets are parked on the airport apron at Miami International Airport in Miami. Pilots at another big airline are rejecting a contract offer to seek bigger pay raises. The Allied Pilots Association said Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, that its board voted 15-5 to reject an offer by American Airlines that included wage hikes of 19% over two years. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Feds reviewing viral video showing wheelchair crashing onto airport tarmac

Video that’s gone viral online showing baggage handlers at Miami International Airport sending a wheelchair tumbling down to the tarmac is now being investigated by the feds.

The clip, which was first posted to TikTok, shows an American Airlines baggage handler pushing the wheelchair down a baggage chute.

@haez93 Dang, after i saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs i had to get it on film. That is not what id call “handling with care” for someones mobility device…. #AmericanAirlines #handlewithcare #mobilitydevice #wheelchair ♬ Oh No - Kreepa

It slides down the track, slams into a gate, flips over and topples to the ground.

Days later, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that his department will investigate the incident, calling it “totally unacceptable”.

Federal law requires airlines to accommodate disabled passengers’ needs.

Interior view showing the atrium and escalators at Mayfair in the Grove Mall in Miami, ca. 1980. (Florida State Archives)

Random Florida Fact

On this Black Friday, let’s visit the history of the Florida shopping mall.

Malls hit the scene in Florida in the 1960s. The Winter Park Mall arrived in 1959, and featured a garden of tropical plants with a 25-foot champagne glass fountain at its center.

Coral Ridge Plaza in Fort Lauderdale and Colonial Plaza Mall in Orlando were soon to follow, both built in 1962.

The Northwood Mall in Tallahassee, erected in September 1969, was the first mall built in the state capital, and offered a variety of clothing retailers, a luxury jeweler, a toy store, several restaurants and a Publix.

Interior of the Winter Park Mall with a fountain, Winter Park, Florida, ca. 1959. (Florida State Archives)
Interior of the Colonial Plaza Mall, Orlando, Florida, 1966. (Florida State Archives)

About the Author
Katrina Scales headshot

Katrina Scales is a producer for the News 6+ Takeover at 3:30 p.m. She also writes and voices the podcast Your Florida Daily. Katrina was born and raised in Brevard County and started her journalism career in radio before joining News 6 in June 2021.

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