5 Things to Know in Florida for Aug. 11

MIAMI (AP) - Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

PROSECUTORS WILL NOT SEEK DEATH IN TAMPA NEO-NAZI SLAYING

Prosecutors announced the decision during a hearing Thursday in the case of 18-year-old Devon Arthurs, who faces two counts of first-degree murder. Arthurs took people hostage in a Tampa-area smoke shop in May, then led police to the bodies of his two roommates. He told police he killed 22-year-old Jeremy Himmelman and 18-year-old Andrew Oneschuk because they had disrespected his recent conversion to Islam. He later told detectives the men were members of a neo-Nazi group who were planning bombings.

CONFEDERATES FOR SNOOTY: SOUTHERN GROUP BACKS MANATEE STATUE

The only thing is, the Florida branch of Save Southern Heritage doesn’t want a Snooty statue to replace a Confederate war memorial. Snooty, the 69-year-old manatee, drowned last month after getting caught in a maintenance tube at a Bradenton museum. An online petition seeks to replace a Confederate monument at the Manatee County courthouse with a memorial to Snooty. Save Southern Heritage issued a press release Thursday saying it supports a Snooty statue, just not at the courthouse.

POLICE: PROSECUTOR FOUND DEAD IN FLORIDA KILLED HIMSELF

The Hollywood Police Department issued a statement Thursday saying detectives and the medical examiner determined that 37-year-old Beranton J. Whisenant Jr.’s death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Whisenant’s fully clothed body was found on a Hollywood beach in May. Whisenant, a father of three children, worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami in its major crimes unit after joining the office in January. Court records show he had been handling several visa and passport fraud cases.

QUOTA? TROOPERS TOLD TO WRITE 2 CITATIONS AN HOUR PER SHIFT

Maj. Mark Welch of Troop H in Tallahassee told troopers under his command via email that “the patrol wants to see two citations each hour” adding that it’s not a quota. He said it’s “what we are asking you to do to support this important initiative.” Under the SOAR - Statewide Overtime Action Response - initiative, troopers can make extra money by working the road. Welch noted the 5 percent pay raise the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott recently gave troopers, noting that it “has also increased your overtime rate.”

FLORIDA UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS FRATERNITY AMID RAPE ALLEGATIONS

Officials at the University of Central Florida sent letters to Alpha Tau Omega, accusing the fraternity of lying after the woman reported the rape to police last month. It’s unclear whether she’s a student. An Aug. 23 hearing is scheduled to determine whether the suspension stands. The Orlando Sentinel reports the letters state the fraternity withheld information or provided false, misleading, incomplete or incorrect information to university workers or police. The school also accused the fraternity of violations including disruptive conduct and underage drinking.