Rebecca Petit
Reporter at WFTS-TV (Tampa, FL)
TV News Reporter @abcactionnews in Tampa • Covering Polk County • @SyracuseU alum • @HowardU alum • #NABJ • Miami Native • Haitian• Christian • RT ≠ Endorsement
Articles
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1 week ago |
abcactionnews.com | Rebecca Petit
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Three times, in as many weeks, Polk County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a suspect who attacked or threatened them. “I’ve been with the sheriff’s office my entire adult life and I've never seen what we’ve experienced in the last three weeks,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Watch full report from Rebecca Petit Three Friday in a row Polk deputy-involved shootings The first happened on April 11, when the sheriff said a man was breaking into homes in Lake Wales.
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1 week ago |
abcactionnews.com | Rebecca Petit
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Fire crews are working diligently across Polk County to keep fires from spreading amid a county-wide burn ban. Johnny Carter has been running Carter’s BBQ and Soul Food on State Road 60 in Mulberry for more than two decades. “Normally, we would be getting a little rain this time of year, and we’re not getting that,” said Carter.
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2 weeks ago |
abcactionnews.com | Rebecca Petit
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Mother’s Day 2024 is a day Dawn Chappelear will never forget. “He flew out on May 12, which was Mother’s Day. It was one of the greatest gifts that I've received for Mother’s Day,” said Chappelear. The young man from Haiti, whom she considers her son, was granted temporary protection status and could finally live in the U.S. with her family. "We waited almost four years for him to come home and be with us.
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2 weeks ago |
abcactionnews.com | Rebecca Petit
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is providing a new opportunity for wildlife to cross I-4 in hopes of giving species a chance to expand. I-4 is bustling as people move to Polk County in droves. However, it's making it extremely dangerous for animals to cross the interstate. “I-4 is a barrier to wildlife movement.
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3 weeks ago |
abcactionnews.com | Rebecca Petit
LAKELAND, Fla. — Madalynne Brooks was one of Polk County's most influential crusaders for civil rights. Soon, a park will be named after her. As a member of the local NAACP, Brooks played a prominent role in ending segregation in Lakeland during the 1960's. Her daughter, Beverly Boatright, vividly remembers being at the sit-ins and demonstrations her mother organized.
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A memorial is growing in front of UCF’s School of Communication. This is where Dylan Lyons’ enthusiasm for journalism grew. The young Orlando reporter was among three people shot and killed in a violent spree Wednesday. https://t.co/RmfFT4bbhZ
Allegations of severe abuse surrounded the Dozier School for Boys for more than a century. After it was shut down, researchers found 55 unmarked graves. Today the state unveiled a memorial to recognize the boys who lived and died at Dozier. https://t.co/29Z7gFSUl3
Civil rights groups are demanding Lakeland police officers be criminally charged, after cellphone video shows officers repeatedly punching a man in the face during a December arrest. https://t.co/z49Udsk9zl