Last year on May 26th, 2012 a homeless man was attacked by a man named Rudy Eugene at the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, Florida. At the time the 31 year old "Miami Zombie" attacker was thought to have been influenced by Bath Salts when he was chewing off the face of his victim. A medical report later revealed the only drug in the system of Mr. Eugene was marijuana. Police have stated that they suspect the Florida zombie had other types of undetectable drugs in his system. The attacker, Rudy Eugene was later shot by police after they could not subdue him. The homeless man who was attacked by Rudy Eugene was named Ronald Poppo. If you've been wondering what happened to the Miami Zombie victim, here's the update.

Ronald Poppo is 66 years old today and had asked his caretakers at Jackson Health System to update the public on his condition. The Facebook release from Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center said this about Ronald's current condition, "On May 26, 2012, Ronald Poppo was brought to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital after being attacked on the MacArthur Causeway. He spent nearly a month at Ryder, recovering from severe facial injuries, before being moved to Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center, a long-term care facility in Cutler Bay. Mr. Poppo, who is blind, remains at Perdue, where he is living happily and adjusting to his new life. In the past year, he has gained more than 50 pounds. He continues to work with an occupational therapist, who taught him how to dress himself, feed himself, shower and shave. He also was given a guitar, which he practices playing daily. He continues to see doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center to treat his facial injuries."

At the very top of this article you can see the photo of Ronald Poppo before the attack, a photo after the attack once Mr. Poppo's face started to heal and the current state of Mr. Poppo's face. Also above you'll see a clear picture of what the Miami Zombie victim's face looks like after extensive reconstructive surgery and healing. Other photos of the Miami Zombie victim are below as he lives a content life in the hospital. A video of Ronald Poppo was released as well with him playing a guitar and saying, "People in my predicament need to be helped out, and I'm sure there's other people also that have the same type of predicament. I thank the outpouring of people contributing, I'll always be grateful for that."

While Mr. Poppo seems fairly happy and thankful for all of the support and help he had with facial reconstruction surgery he still doesn't want to leave his room. The only people that see Ronald on a daily basis are his doctors and nurses. One of the nursing assistants named Patricia Copalko said, "He's a wonderful person, I couldn't ask for a better patient." Ronald Poppo has been told he can stay in the hospital as long as he wants. A past time of Mr. Poppo is listening to Miami Heat games and relearning to play the guitar. You can see the Miami Zombie victim play his guitar in the video released of him from the Jackson Health System.

A message from Ronald Poppo [video]

Ronald Poppo: One Year Later (from Jackson Health System)

Cannibal Victim Ronald Poppo's Speaks About His Attack!

Chronically homeless and recently blinded, Ronald Poppo calmly told detectives about the sudden savage assault that cost him parts of his face.

A man in a green shirt came out of a car he had hitchhiked in, grousing about not being able to score on the beach. The man seemed friendly enough at first, Poppo said. The stranger went from being in a "glad mood" to singing the 1960s tune A Lover's Concerto and saying "you are going to be my wife." Then, Poppo said, he "turned vicious after a minute or two, and he started to rip me apart."

"He attacked me. He just ripped me to ribbons. He chewed up my face. He plucked out my eyes. Basically, that's all there is to say about it," Poppo told Miami investigators.

In a recorded interview with Miami police obtained and first reported by Miami Herald news partner CBS4, Poppo is heard for the first time describing the May 26 assault by a crazed assailant who "must have had a bad day at the beach." It was the attack that catapulted Poppo out of his anonymous life in the city's shadows onto the front pages of newspapers around the world.

Jason Leon has caught the largest ever Burmese python recorded in Florida.

The 128-pound, 18-foot-8-inch python was caught on the evening of May 11 in the rural area of Miami-Dade County during an all-terrain drive. Jason Leon and his passengers spotted the giant snake in the road. When they pulled over, the snake was sticking three feet out from a bush.

While Leon was trying to pull the python out from the bush, the Burmese python began to wrap itself around Leon's leg.

"At one point it was wrapped around both my legs and one of my arms," Leon told the Sun-Sentinel. "I knew I had to keep it away from my neck. I wasn't scared. I had two other people right there. I knew if it came down to it, they would help me out."

His friends used a knife to kill the python, which turned out to be the record breaking 18-foot-8-inch female, as later identified by University of Florida experts.

"I certainly didn't want to kill the snake," said Leon, a marine biology student at Florida International University. "I just didn't have a big enough bag to bring it back."

Leon reported his capture to the commission, who then turned the snake over to its partners at the University of Florida Research and Education Center in Fort Lauderdale.

"Jason Leon’s nighttime sighting and capture of a Burmese python of more than 18 feet in length is a notable accomplishment that set a Florida record," said Kristen Sommers, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Exotic Species Coordination Section Leader.

"The FWC is grateful to him both for safely removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture," Sommers added. "This event highlights how the Exotic Species hotline allows the public to help us obtain more information about Burmese pythons, so we can improve management of this invasive species. It also reflects the cooperative efforts of the FWC and its partners to address python sightings by the public."

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the snake weighed in at 128-pounds and was not carrying eggs.

The previous record for the longest python caught in the wild in Florida was a 17-foot-7-inch, 164 ½-pound python caught in August in Everglades National Park.

Pythons are an invasive species in Florida, where researchers believe they are eating their way through populations of native mammals in the Everglades.

Florida prohibits owning or selling pythons for use as pets, and federal law bans importation and interstate sale of the species.

To report sightings of exotic species, visit IveGot1.org or call 888-IveGot1. There is also a free smartphone app: IVEGOT1.

Record-breaking 18ft python captured and killed in Florida

A Florida man caught and killed a Burmese Python which turned out to be the biggest on record.

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Zephyrhills, a small town in Florida of 13,337 people, all waiting in anticipation to find out who won the largest powerball jackpot in history of an estimated $590.5 million.

"We have had more winners than any other state that participates in Powerball. This would be the sixth Florida Powerball winner and right now, it's the sole winner of the largest ever Powerball jackpot," Florida Lottery executive Cindy O'Connell told The Associated Press. "We're delighted right now that we have the sole winner."

The lucky winner bought the winning powerball ticket at the local Publix supermarket.

Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said that there are a lot of rumors about who won, but the store doesn't know who it is. "We're excited for the winner or winners," she said.

It's being speculated that the powerball winner is a 26-year old woman.  If it is confirmed to be a sole winner it will be the biggest personal jackpot winning in U.S. history if they are not part of a syndicate.

Today was the earliest the winning ticket-holder could come forward since Florida's lottery headquarters in Tallahassee was closed for the weekend. Under state law, the winner's name, age and hometown will be made available to the public after turning in the winning ticket.

The powerball winner will get to decide whether he or she wants to take the annuity or a lump sum, which equals out to $370,896,780.54. The lottery withholds 25 percent to pay federal taxes, but there's no state tax in Florida, which means this winner will be walking away with about $278 million after taxes.

Zephyrhills is a small city in Pasco County, about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa. Once a rural farming community, now known for their skydiving, and the hometown to large retiree mobile home parks and it's Zephyrhills bottled water.

The winning powerball numbers for Saturday, May 18 were 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball of 11.

The odds of winning were at one in 175 million.

Who is $600M Powerball winner in Florida

Who is the Powerball winner?

Zephyrhills a hotspot over Powerball Win

The secretary of the Florida Lottery showed up in Zephyrhills on Monday, talking about what's next for the $590 million Powerball jackpot winner.

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Officers located a missing Ford Crown Victoria on Wednesday afternoon and followed the vehicle to the airport's rental car garage.

Jacksonville Sheriff Chief’s Tom Hackney said authorities witnessed the car "stopping in an odd position before its driver rammed it into two sheriff's vehicles and escaped the garage by speeding in reverse."

One of the officers, identified as SWAT member Edward Rogers, shot the car three times with his AR-15 rifle as they drove off, said Chief Tom Hackney.

When Rogers opened fire, the vehicle's occupants tried to flee. That's when police shot a 17-year old suspect in the ankle.

The decision to shoot was made because of the danger and intentions of the suspects.

Police told Action News Jax that when officers approached the car, the driver tried to run over police officers. "Their fear of the detectives at the scene was this is a subject that had already attempted to strike two other officers."

"The public safety was at risk. This is a dangerous man -- these detectives felt this enough that they used deadly force,” Hackney said. He added it was not clear if those in the car were armed with guns.

Tracking the vehicle led officers to the Monaco Arms II apartment complex near Highlands Elementary School, which was placed on lockdown as a precaution.

The 17-year-old who was shot in the ankle, and a 27-year-old were arrested at the apartments, Hackney said. Their names have not been released.

Police say they are still looking for 20-year-old Rodney Lorenzo Addison, who is wanted in the May 7 car theft in Northwest Jacksonville.

Flights at JIA were not affected by the incident.

Summer is right around the corner and proper protection from the sun is essential in preventing skin cancer, damage and as well as premature skin wrinkles. However, can you understand sunscreen labels.

The latest statistics say 20% of the population will develop a skin cancer sometime in their life and that will include the most deadly skin cancer of all, melanoma.

With sunscreen labeling being so confusing and people not understanding what type of sunscreen is best for protection and how it should be applied, the FDA has set out to require more accurate labeling of products.

The FDA is requiring more accurate labeling of sunscreen products so that the public will know exactly what amount of protection that they are getting with their sunscreen and how the sunscreens should be applied.

"Sunscreen has always been an important tool in the fight against skin cancer, and these new regulations will greatly improve the consumer's ability to make smart decisions, at a glance, about a product's effectiveness simply by reading the label," dermatologist Dr. Zoe Draelos, a consulting professor at the Duke University School of Medicine, said. "Everyone, regardless of skin color, can get skin cancer, which is why it is important for people to properly protect themselves from the sun's harmful rays."

To reduce the risk of skin cancer, consumers should regularly use sun protection measures including:

• Use Broad Spectrum sunscreens with SPF values of 15 or higher regularly and as directed
• Reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, more often if you’re sweating or jumping in and out of the water.
• Limit time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are most intense.
• Wear clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun; for example, long-sleeved shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brimmed hats

"In order to get the term ‘broad spectrum’ on your sunscreen, you have to have a proportional amount of UVB and UVA protection,” said Dr. Darrell Rigel, Dermatologist.

Ultraviolet-A rays age the skin; Ultraviolet-B rays burn it. The FDA said new products that are not labeled broad spectrum or have an SPF of 14 or less must have a warning label to alert consumers that they're at risk.

The FDA is also considering to cap out the maximum SPF on sunscreen labels to 50-plus, saying there isn't enough evidence to prove that higher SPFs offer any more protection.

"It's a little bit controversial. There's advantages and disadvantages to having a high SPF on the label. The argument against the cap is that people do not apply sunscreen in the rated amount,” said Dr. Rigel.

The ABCs of Sun Protection

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Sun Safety: Save Your Skin

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How Sunscreen Works

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work to reduce the risk of sunburn, early skin aging and cancer.

Sunscreen: Stronger Rules, Better Protection

The FDA is taking to protect consumers from a dangerous hazard of summer: sunburn and its damage to the skin. The new measures clarify the effectiveness of sunscreen products and help ensure their proper labeling and manufacture.

An 80-year old woman accidentally swallowed a diamond worth $5,000 while attending a charity event.

Miriam Tucker was among one of hundreds of women drinking champagne at Fashionollia on April 20, staged for the 65th year by the Tampa Woman's Club raising money for the Champions for Children, Kids on the Block charity, which teaches children about abuse.

Andrew Meyer and Joy Pierson, owners of Continental Wholesale Diamonds wanted to support the cause, so they poured around 400 flutes of Champagne and placed a cubic zirconium diamond lookalike in all but one of the flutes. One of the lucky champagne glasses would have a real 1.03 carat diamond and the lucky holder of that flute could keep the round, brilliant cut diamond appraised at $5,000.

One glass of champagne could be bought for $20, with all the proceeds going to the charity.

When the charity event ended, Meyer and Pierson said they couldn't find the diamond anywhere. "We knew the winner had to be at one of two tables," Pierson said.

"There were 300 people there, so we had a lot of CZ’s to look through to find the real diamond," Meyer said. "After 40 years of doing this, I should be able to tell the difference between a diamond or a CZ, but then I started doubting myself. Could I have missed it? I mean, everything goes through your head."

Miriam Tucker, a retired real estate broker said, "I thought I'd drink a bit of champagne so I didn't have to stick my finger so far into the glass. We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing."

Tucker said she assumed the organizers would announce the winner at any minute so she decided not to discuss the fact she swallow one of the stones.

The room was nearly empty and they hadn't announced anyone as a winner, so she confessed.

"She said she swallowed what was in her glass," Pierson said, "but as luck would have it, she was scheduled for a colonoscopy in two days."

Miriam went to a local hospital to see if the diamond would show up in an X-ray, but it was not visible. So, Tucker continued to prep for her colonoscopy in a couple of days. She told her Dr. to be on the lookout for the missing diamond.

Sure enough, Dr. Bruce Edgerton found the $5,000 diamond lodged inside of Miriam's large intestine.

With the stone in a bio-hazard bag, Tucker's daughter drove to the jewelry store. The jewelers confirmed it was the real thing. She took her prize home, cleaned, polished, sparkling.

Florida Woman Swallows $5K Diamond

Miriam Tucker, 80, of Tampa had an embarrassing faux pas involving a 1.03-carat diamond.

Florida teachers have filed a lawsuit in Federal court over teacher rating evaluations based on student test scores.

The current system was adopted in 2011 and says teachers can be evaluated based on the performance of students they don't even teach, or at times, subjects they don't teach either.

Seven Florida teachers, with backing by the National Education Association and Florida Education Association, are suing the state Education Commissioner Tony Bennett and the state Board of Education for deploying something they consider to be an 'unfair evaluation system.'

“The state approved formula for measuring student growth on [the state standardized tests] is being stretched far beyond the limited purposes for which it was designed,” the suit argues.

"It's a huge flaw in the law," said Karen McCann, president of the Alachua County Education Association.

FEA lawyer Ron Meyer says some teachers' rights are being violated since they're being assessed based on students who sometimes aren't even in their classrooms. "The system is flawed and collapsing. And the victims here are the children and the teachers who are teaching these students and trying to do the best jobs they can," he said in a statement.

The suit says this evaluation method violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"This lawsuit highlights the absurdity of the evaluation system that has come about as a result of SB 736,” said FEA President Andy Ford. “Teachers in Florida are being evaluated using a formula designed to measure learning gains in the FCAT math and reading tests. But most teachers, including the seven in this lawsuit, don’t teach those subjects in the grades the test is administered. One of the teachers bringing this suit is getting evaluated on the test scores of students who aren't even in her school.”

In 2011, Florida lawmakers passed a measure overhauling teacher evaluations. The law requires all teachers to be judged in part on the progress of their students. Senate Bill 736, as it's called, makes student math and reading test scores 40% to 50% of a teacher's evaluation. This growth formula was developed for teachers in those subjects in which the state administers standardized tests: grades 4-8 in math and 4-10 in reading.

As of July 1, 2014, teachers’ salaries will be based on the evaluations.

Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett noted in a statement that current bills before the Legislature "would make improvements to the Student Success Act, including ensuring that teachers are evaluated only on the students and subjects they teach."

"The legislation would also provide that teachers could not be eligible for a performance pay system until an appropriate assessment for their students and subjects is in place," Bennett said. "We look forward to working with teachers, administrators and Florida families (on an) assessment that best rewards the success of our great teachers."

Florida Teachers Say Value-Added Model (VAM) Needs to Be Reevaluated

The use of VAM has caused a great deal of concern among teachers who say VAM is not useful in identifying competent teachers. On Tuesday November 20, gathered in Tallahassee to tell their stories and share the flaws in the system.

Florida Teachers File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Evaluations: Bethann Brooks

Bethann Brooks is a Health Science teacher. The FCAT does not directly relate to the course she instructs, but her evaluation was based on students she does not teach and based on subjects she does not teach. Federal lawsuit challenges the evaluation of teachers based on the standardized test scores of students they do not teach or based on subjects they do not teach. The lawsuit is brought by seven accomplished teachers in Alachua, Escambia and Hernando counties.

Several job listings were posted by Apple for Orlando, Florida. The job listings surround the developments and testing of processors.

Seven positions available for Orlando by Apple are related to developing and testing processor hardware, while another Orlando-based job seeks candidates who can develop drivers for graphics processors, noted by Apple Insider.

One of the available positions requests a reference model engineer that would specialize in "modeling GPU hardware." While another mentions running the iOS platform on "pre-silicon platforms."

In the Apple job listings they also seek two individuals who would be involved in design verification. According to the Apple job post, employees would "develop verification plans, create verification test bench components, generate tests, run simulations, and debug design issues."

Apple has also been hiring positions for their Melbourne Design Center after the acquisition of fingerprint sensor firm AuthenTec.

While it's unlikely that any of these Orlando-based jobs are related to Apple's acquisition of AuthenTec, a maker of fingerprint scanning technology headquartered in Melbourne, Florida which is located about an hour south of Orlando on Florida's Space Coast.

Analyst Ming-chi Kuo of KGI securities, who is always predicting Apple's future product plans, reported in January that Apple plans to release their iPhone 5S this coming year with the anticipated fingerprint sensor featuring AuthenTec's technology.

According to Kuo, the sensor will be located under the home button and it will allow users to bypass password entry and potentially authenticate e-wallet transactions.

Either way, connected or not, Apple's presence is growing in Florida.

Analysts believe Apple may use Orlando to create it’s next generation A-series processor for iPhone and iPad enabled devices.

"It's possible that Apple may be working with AMD, which has an R&D and design facility in Orlando, in some capacity," reports Mac Rumors. In one job listing for a summer internship, Apple refers to the location as its "Orlando Design Center".

Florida is battling the growing infestation of a giant African land snail.

When the Florida Department of Agriculture first discovered the outbreak in Miami-Dade County, they found "massive amounts of these snails at every property we visited," said Mark Fagan, a spokesman.

Fagan estimated officials have captured more than 120,000 snails since September 2011. The largest reported shell was 6.1 inches.

"We have a staff of 50 that's dedicated to nothing but snail hunting," Fagan said. They examine the areas with the most target for the giant snails, spread bait and cart the snails they find back to the lab for a freeze death and further testing.

Even though the work is hard and very time-consuming, the bait mixture and removal methods are paying off, Feiber said. "We're still collecting 400 to 500 (snails) a week," Feiber said, "but the good news is, more and more are deceased when we find them."

Giant African land snails carry the parasitic rat lungworm, which the Centers for Disease Control said is the most common cause of human eosinophilic meningitis.

According to Fagan, the snails can produce 1,200 eggs at a time and live more than 8 years. They also flourish in the area because they do not have any natural enemies to fend off. "They're a trifecta,” Feiber said. "They're a risk to property, health and agricultural resources and landscapes."

People can spot giant African land snails in their backyards and on the sides of homes. Not only do the snails eat leaves, they also eat stucco and concrete searching for calcium content they need for their shells.

"If you spot one in your backyard," Fagan said, "don't smash or otherwise destroy it. Call an agricultural official to dispose of them." He added that officials are making headway in their battle against the giant African land snail.

It can be hard to tell the difference between a giant African land snail and other kinds of snails, it gets easier as they grow larger. "The stripes on their shell are a dark, caramel brown, with vertical rather than horizontal stripes," Fagan said. "They have a definite spiral."

So far, the species hasn't advanced to other metropolitan areas like Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers.

Giant Snails Invade Miami

Florida state officials confirm that the giant African land snail has taken hold in South Florida and may pose a threat to human health as well as agriculture. Now they are going door to door to try to eradicate the snails.

Giant, Rat-Sized Snails Invade South Florida

South Florida is being invaded by the giant African land snail, an invasive and destructive species that can grow as big as a rat. The snails can eat through plaster and concrete walls of houses, and lay 1,200 eggs a year, making them a menace to the sunshine state.

Attack of the Giant African Snails

They're every gardener's nightmare: giant snails the size of a man's hand that eat up everything in sight, leaving only a slimy trail. South Florida is battling an invasion of the African species, one gross gastropod at a time.

Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda are recalling nearly 3.4 million vehicles because of airbag problems.

Toyota said it was recalling about 1.73 million vehicles produced between November 2000 and March 2004, including 580,000 vehicles sold in North America and 490,000 vehicles sold in Europe.

The Toyota models covered by the recall include the Corolla, Tundra, Yaris and Camry.

Honda said it was recalling around 1.14 million vehicles worldwide. The Hondas being recalled are 2002-3 CR-V models, 2001-3 Civics, and 2002 Odyssey minivans.

Nissan Motor Co said it was recalling about 480,000 vehicles and said the number of vehicles under recall might increase. The Nissans in the U.S. being recalled are the 2000-4 Nissan Maxima, Infiniti FX, Infiniti QX4, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Sentra and the Cube.

Mazda Motor Co said it was recalling 45,500 vehicles worldwide which include the 2003-4 Mazda 6 and 2004 RX-8.

This is the largest recall ever for airbags made by Takata, the world's second largest supplier of airbags and seat belts. "We will fully cooperate with the carmakers in replacing the parts by sharing some cost burden," a spokesman said.

With the flawed airbags, during an accident, the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator, the companies said. Because of this, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured.

In a news release Thursday, Honda said it was not aware of any injuries related to the airbag defect, but in 2011, Honda acknowledged 18 injuries and two deaths linked to two million vehicles recalled because of a problem with the driver’s air bag.

Toyota said it had received five reports of air bag problems, three in the U.S. and two in Japan, but there have been no injuries.

A statement issued by a Toyota spokesman in the US said: "The involved vehicles are equipped with front passenger airbag inflators which could have been assembled with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. Improperly manufactured propellant wafers could cause the inflator to rupture and the front passenger airbag to deploy abnormally in the event of a crash."

Toyota will exchange the faulty airbag inflators for new ones, a fix that is expected to take about an hour to two-and-a-half hours for most models, Toyota's spokesperson said.

Japan carmakers to recall 3.4m cars over airbag defect

Japan's top four carmakers are recalling a total of 3.4 million cars over a defect in passenger airbags.

Toyota, which is recalling 1.73 million cars, said the vehicles had a defective part which "could cause the airbag inflator to rupture and deploy the airbag abnormally in a crash".