5K-Mile Seaweed Blob, Animal Cruelty, Fatal Canyon Hike: FL Top News

FLORIDA — Law enforcement is investigating two hate crimes this week after homophobic slurs were scrawled across the window of an LGBTQ bar in St. Petersburg; gators were removed in several communities; Ukraine officials invited Gov. DeSantis to visit as they fight Russia; and a white man tried to intimidate six Black men who were surveying land in Cedar Key.

Plus, the drummer for Def Leppard was attacked by a spring break visitor,

See these stories and more on this week's Florida Patch sites.

• Man Wrote Homophobic Slurs On LGBTQ Bar’s Window: St. Pete Police
• Ukraine Invites FL Gov To Visit After His Comments On Russian Invasion
• 5,000-Mile-Wide Seaweed Bloom Threatens FL’s Gulf Coast
• Electric Wire, Zip Ties Embedded In Neck Of Dog Abandoned
• Def Leppard Drummer Attacked By South FL Spring Breaker: Report
• Mannequin Hand In Water Mistaken For Human Remains: Lee County Sheriff
• 2 Tampa Men Die While Hiking Utah Canyon: Police
• Orlando Park Dismantles Ride Responsible For Missouri Teen's Death
• MA College Offers To Take In New College Of FL Students, Match Tuition
• ‘Best Cry That I Ever Heard’: Boy Saved From Car Submerged In FL Canal
• 2 Florida Men Found Guilty Of Storming Capitol On Jan. 6: DOJ
• Angry Gator Tied Up, Dragged From South FL Backyard By Trapper: Watch
• Florida Man Faces Hate Crime Charges After 'Racially Motivated' Attack: DOJ
• March Madness 2023: 2 Florida Teams To Play In NCAA Men's Tournament
• Cannibal Gator Snacking On Smaller Gator Caught On Camera In Orlando
• 10-Foot Gator Removed From St. Pete Neighborhood: Police
• FL Teen Recovering From Brain-Eating Amoeba Returns Home
• Red Tide Clean-Up Underway In Sarasota Parks: City
• FL Boy, 8, Accused Of Cutting Child's Throat, Choking Him: Reports
• Pregnant Cat Thrown Onto Tierra Verde Bridge Breaks Legs, Pelvis
• Woman Charged After Making False Rape Claim: Hillsborough Sheriff

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