3 June 5–11, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ BROWARD CHECKERED PAST AIRBNB HAD A HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS PRIOR TO FATAL SHOOTING.BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN A Fort Lauderdale Airbnb at the center of a fatal shooting last month appears to have caught the attention of neighbors for loud parties in the months leading up to the incident. On Monday, May 19, at 4:30 a.m. Fort Lauderdale police officers responded to a call at 828 NW 16th Street to find 19-year-old Fort Pierce resident Myrah Zeigler lying in the middle of the road. In a news release, department spokesperson Sgt. Savid Soika said a group of adults was involved in a disturbance that escalated into a physical altercation. “An unknown individual produced a handgun and shot an adult female,” the release reads. “The victim was transported to the Broward Health Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.” Thirty-seven minutes before the police received a call about the fatal May 19 shooting at the property, the police “rendered assistance” for a call about a disturbance. Neighbors told NBC Miami that people and party guests regularly frequented the duplex. One neighbor reportedly witnessed a dozen people at the home that Monday morning, while another says the property “was mobbed” during the past Spring Break. New Times obtained records that reveal the duplex has been the subject of numerous noise complaints and police calls since it registered with the city as a vacation rental in late August 2024. According to police department records, at 11:21 p.m. on September 14, 2024, the police received a call about a noise disturbance at the property. The police received another call at 1:12 a.m. for another noise disturbance, where “assistance was rendered.” A month later, the police received a call about a potential vandalism. The record notes that a report was written. On November 28, 2024, the police did not respond to a non- emergency call. Two months before the shooting, the police visited the property on another noise complaint at 11:12 p.m. on March 16. Then, on April 24, the police did not respond to a non- emergency call about a reported suspicious incident. In addition to the police calls, there were code cases for loud noises at the duplex, according to the city’s LauderBuild portal. There were different reports of noise at the property on December 6, one of which noted that the loud music began at 9:30 a.m. On March 15, an individual reported excessively loud music and yelling at the Airbnb. A day later, another noise complaint read, “constant screaming. First group of guys screaming for a few hours. Now guys and girls screaming. Party seems to be growing.” A March 21 complaint notes that noise and loud parties have been an ongoing issue for neighbors. “Last week, I spoke with the neighbor in regards to a party that was making a lot of noise,” the code case reads. “The issue was resolved by the owner. This past Sunday, I had to call the police to quiet down the party after the owner didn’t respond to my text complaining about the noise. Last night, new occupants were outside drinking and talking loudly on the patio. This has been an ongoing issue.” The police have yet to make an arrest, as the investigation remains ongoing. In the meantime, the Airbnb listing is temporarily suspended. “Airbnb bans parties, and we condemn this senseless act of gun violence,” an Airbnb spokesperson tells New Times. “We suspended the account of the guest who booked this reservation while we look into the situation further, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.” Detectives encourage anyone who may have witnessed this shooting or anyone who has information about the suspect(s) responsible to contact Detective Saint-Jean at 954-828-5570. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS, COMMENTARY EVERY DAY AT MIAMINEWTIMES .COM/NEWS The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is still trying to find the gunman from the Monday morning shooting at a vacation rental. ▼ JACKSONVILLE RIP PADDY DOYLE ELDERLY FLORIDA MANATEE KILLED IN BOAT COLLISION.BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN O ne of the oldest manatees that regularly visited Blue Spring State Park in central Florida died last month. The nonprofit group Save the Manatee Club announced that a watercraft killed Paddy Doyle, one of the club’s oldest adoptees, in the St. Johns River near Jacksonville at the end of April. The manatee was in great physical condition at the time of his death, despite propeller scars on his back and tail. A news release estimated Paddy to be in his late 50s or early 60s, outliving the average lifespan of a wild manatee. A social, playful, and feisty fellow, people first spotted the manatee at Blue Spring in 1971, where an Irish researcher gave Paddy his “fighting Irishman” name. He received his official ID number and name eight years later, in 1979. He was already nine feet long and weighed 1,078 pounds at the time. Paddy was a regular winter visitor at Blue Spring, where researchers looked forward to his arrival. The club says he made numerous appearances at “roll call,” when researchers count the manatees present at the spring. He enjoyed spending time with other mantees, especially fellow adoptees Floyd, Doc, and Howie. He also enjoyed spending time in the center of the underwater camera. “Late one season, Paddy went out and ate so much fresh greenery that he was bloated with gas and could not submerge,” the club wrote in a remembrance post. The other manatees gathered around him, very agitated, as if in obvious distress, until Paddy finally bubbled and was able to submerge again.” Save the Manatee is confident that Paddy fathered multiple offspring, as he was typically part of mating herds in Lake Monroe, just south of Blue Spring. He appeared to have a particular fondness for Phyllis. As of May 23, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says 383 manatees have died since January 1. Watercraft caused 47 deaths, cold stress caused 28, and human-related causes were responsible for six. More than 150 have not been necropsied, and 24 were ruled undetermined, whereas 48 died of natural causes. Seventy-nine manatee deaths, four of which were watercraft-related, occurred in Brevard County in eastern Central Florida, while 77 took place in Lee County, where watercrafts have killed eight. Eight manatees have died in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties so far this year. “Paddy Doyle is leaving behind a lasting legacy,” Save the Manatee ended its remembrance post, “and will be sorely missed by so very many.” [email protected] Screenshot via YouTube/CBS Miami Paddy Doyle regularly visited Blue Spring during the winter months. Photo by Cora Berchem/Save the Manatee Club
