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A house fire nearly took Demetrius Golletts life when he was 8 years old. "The house caught on fire and then the firefighters came and rescued me and they brought me out," Gollett said. The fire took the lives of both his great grandparents. He was the only one who made it out alive. After 11 years and 46 surgeries, Gollett and his family were proud to see him make it to prom in a tuxedo. "Oh it was fun," Gollett said. "Everyone said they liked the suit I had on." It brought us to tears because it was such a big deal for him, Gollett's grandmother, Delores Andrews, said. Its something he couldnt do before because of the severe burns on his skin. At first it was a challenge because I had sores like all over my body and I couldnt wear a lot of stuff," he said. His ability to overcome advers...

WPTV is highlighting the outstanding work that local law enforcement performs, culminating in the LEO Awards ceremony. NewsChannel 5 recently had a chance to meet the nominees in the K-9 Achievement category. When a suspect escaped from Lawnwood Hospital and made his way to Port St. Lucie in February, Officer Corey Krecic and K-9 Jaxson were on the case, tracking the man down in some thick brush. The team, now partnered for six years, is one of the two finalists for a LEO award in K-9 Achievement. "Just being partners with him has pushed me to a whole other level," Krecic said. "We just started integrating with SWAT, so that's something that's awesome." Krecic said there's no better bond when out catching bad guys, and he knew this was the path he wanted to pursue once he got into law enfo...

Wednesday was a pivotal day for women's abortion rights in Florida. The Heartbeat Protection Act is officially in place, banning abortions at six weeks, which is before many women know they are pregnant. There are some exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking, as well as fatal fetal abnormalities or to save the mother's life. The abortion debate really takes center stage at South 12th Street and Delaware Avenue in Fort Pierce. On one side of the street is the Birthline/Lifeline women's counseling center and on the other side is the Woman's World Medical Center where they perform abortions. Candace Dye has been running the Woman's World Medical Center for more than 30 years. She had strong words for the six-week abortion ban. "That's a crime right there to me. I don't understand ho...

Rapids Water Park is celebrating its 45th birthday by offering park goers $19.79 off admission tickets this weekend. The reduced admission will be offered on Saturday and Sunday in honor of when Rapids Water Park first opened in 1979, the water park said in a news release. The celebration will include a weekend full of giveaways, a scavenger hunt and free cupcakes for park guests in limited quantities, the park said. Other promotions and events in May include, free admission for moms Mother's Day weekend with the purchase of a regular priced admission for a kid, discounted admission for healthcare professionals during Healthcare Appreciation Week and an adults only luau on May 18. For more information on special discounts and events, click here. Read More

New data is revealing that only about 80% of the insurance claims filed in South Florida after Hurricane Ian have been closed, compared to closer to 95% on the west coast of Florida. According to new data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, after Hurricane Ian, there were 5,157 insurance claims filed in Palm Beach County, 6,917 in Broward County, 6,811 in Miami-Dade County and 3,160 in St. Lucie County. According to the data, 81.3% of the claims in Palm Beach County have been closed, 72.7% in Miami-Dade County, 76.2% in Broward County and 89% in St. Lucie County. Compare that to Sarasota County, 94.8% of the claims there have been closed. In Manatee County, it's 95.1% and in Lee County, which had the most claims filed in the state, it's 93.5%. "Our analysis indicates the big d...

The City is one of 12 nationwide cities selected this year to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) 2024 LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program. Read More

Melissa Reuther is a patrol operations officer at the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. She is the one behind the scenes making sure day-to-day operations run smoothly. I do almost everything, she said. Reuther issues weapons, orders protective gear for deputies, provides all the radios and makes all the schedules for those on the road and in the field. And a lot, lot, lot more, she said with a chuckle. Reuther has manned the desk for more than eight years, has earned her fair share of awards and even pulls extra shifts. Actually, this weekend, I worked an extra 15 hours, just trying to get all this radio stuff done, so I have time for my every day things, she said. That might burn out some, but Reuther takes her always on call agenda in stride. Youre always on your toes. Getting my steps...

Everything old is new again. West Palm Beach's downtown entertainment venue located along Rosemary Avenue has returned to its roots, changing its name back to CityPlace after a series of different appellations over the last few years. The announcement was made Wednesday on CityPlace's Facebook and Instagram pages. "We are extremely excited to reintroduce CityPlace," the social media post said. "The name reflects who we are as a brand as we continue to build on what weve established in downtown West Palm Beach." Located at 700 South Rosemary Ave., the district was previously named Rosemary Square and then shortened to just The Square. Some users on social media took the opportunity to make fun of the rebranding, saying they never stopped calling the area CityPlace. One post on Instagram by ...

Investigators in Indian River County are hoping that a recent homicide arrest will lead to the clearing of several other cold cases. The sheriff's office said Wednesday that Eugene Bain, 65, has been charged with killing Dave Schultz, 72, an Army veteran. Both men were homeless. Investigators said Schultz had received permission from the Stone Brothers Funeral Home in Gifford to sleep under its awning. It was there where detectives said Bain killed Schultz on Jan. 15 and then left the scene with his possessions, which was caught on surveillance video. The sheriff's office said Bain, who was born in Vero Beach, confessed to the killing on Tuesday. "He said, 'I snapped,'" Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said. "But we know exactly what happened out there. This guy, he's a killer. He'...

A Boynton Beach man who plead guilty to hitting and killing a pedestrian with his SUV in Lantana nearly two years ago was sentenced to state prison this week. Christiano Phillip Wyndham Castronova, 27, plead guilty on Monday to leaving the scene of a crash involving death and fleeing or attempting to elude. The judge sentenced Castronova to two years and 59 days in state prison, 11 years probation and a year on house arrest, according to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the crash occurred on July 15, 2022 at around 6:27 p.m. on Jog Road, just south of Lantana Road. According to a PBSO report, Castronova was driving a white BMW and was changing lanes several times to pass slower traffic, when he struck Lesly Ulysse, who was attemptin...