Odd, strange, or bizarre news stories from Florida

A Florida inmate who was among 100 prisoners freed last month to help slow the spread of coronavirus was back behind bars Monday – taken into custody in connection with a murder that happened one day after his release, authorities say.

Joseph Edward Williams, 26, was linked to a shooting death in the Progress Village section of Gibsonton, Hillsborough County, about 11 miles southeast of Tampa, FOX 13 of Tampa reported.

Williams had been inside the Orient Road Jail on drug charges when he was released along with the other prisoners as part of efforts to protect inmates, civilian employees and law enforcement officers from the virus, also known as COVID-19, the report said.

A Florida shop owner is planning to sell face masks made from the skin of a Burmese Python that may eventually provide some coronavirus protection to people in the U.S. who may also get a kick out of wearing the unique accessory.

Brian Wood, the owner of All American Gator Products in Dania Beach, told the Miami Herald, “People are going to have to cover their faces, and unfortunately the situation may last longer than we imagined."

Masks made from an invasive Florida python snake are seen in Brian Wood's workshop in Dania, Fla on April 8. Wood, the owner of All American Gator Products in Dania Beach, is crafting decorative mask coverings from the skin of the Burmese python, the infamous invasive species wreaking havoc on the native wildlife of the Everglades. (Charles Trainor, Jr./Miami Herald via AP)
Masks made from an invasive Florida python snake are seen in Brian Wood's workshop in Dania, Fla on April 8. Wood, the owner of All American Gator Products in Dania Beach, is crafting decorative mask coverings from the skin of the Burmese python, the infamous invasive species wreaking havoc on the native wildlife of the Everglades. (Charles Trainor, Jr./Miami Herald via AP)
The python skin doesn't protect people from becoming infected with the virus, although he said the masks may eventually come with a filtration system similar to N95 masks -- which blocks small airborne particles.

Wood said he's in talks with filter suppliers and is considering using cloth, as certain materials are in high demand by health care professionals in the U.S. He's also planning on making some of the masks from alligator and crocodile skin, according to the paper.

“The designs are still in the early stages and I want to take advantage of the supply we have here not only of python skin, but also alligator and crocodile,” said Wood.

He said the skin prices are "reasonable" at about $20 to $40 with additional manufacturing costs. Wood added that alligator skin would be more expensive, declaring it "the diamond of leathers."

A 10-foot snake could make as many as 10 masks, according to Wood.

“People are telling me they want to buy 5, 12 of these masks, so I’ll definitely be buying snakes from local hunters," he told the Miami Herald.

The Burmese Python is an invasive species currently disrupting wildlife in the Everglades -- as the coronavirus impacts life for many Americans.

A 42-year-old Alabama man was arrested on Thursday at Disney World's Discovery Island, telling deputies he was unaware he was trespassing. He called the island a "tropical paradise," according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies noted there were numerous "no trespassing" signs posted.

Authorities charged him with one count of trespassing, a misdemeanor. He was also banned from all Disney properties.

According to the arrest report, the man "stated that he had made entry to the island to go camping on Monday or Tuesday and had planned on staying on the island for approximately one week."

Disney security first spotted the man camping on the island, which has been closed to the public since 1999. Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office searched for him with helicopters, boats and on foot.

Health officials in Florida have sounded the alarm over the discovery of a rare, brain-eating amoeba in the county that encompasses Tampa and several other cities. The Florida Department of Health announced the news Friday that a person in Hillsborough County had suffered a confirmed infection of naegleria fowleri, a single-celled living amoeba that can lead to a dangerous infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Such an infection “destroys the brain tissue and is usually fatal,” health officials warned.

miniature black leopard

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miniature black leopard

Oooh! Picture? Please.