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What to Expect From a Home Inspection  CapeGazette.com

MIAMI — Jung Hoo Lee had two hits, including a tying single in the seventh inning, and the San Francisco Giants overcame an early three-run deficit to beat the NL-worst Miami Marlins 4-3 on Monday night.

The Marlins fell to 3-14, and their frustration boiled over in the bottom of the eighth when plate umpire Laz Díaz ejected manager Skip Schumaker. Earlier, Schumaker emerged from the dugout and had a heated exchange with Díaz but wasn’t tossed. During Nick Gordon’s pinch-hit appearance, Schumaker again stepped out of the dugout and exchanged words with Díaz before he was ejected.

Kyle Harrison (2-1) allowed three runs in six innings. The rookie left-hander gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out two.

Down 3-1, the Giants rallied with a three-run seventh against relievers George Soriano (0-1) and Andrew Nardi. Patrick Bailey’s sacrifice fly made it 3-2 before consecutive RBI singles from Lee and pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores.

Tyler Rogers relieved Harrison and threw a scoreless seventh, and Ryan Walker got the first two outs in the eighth. Camilo Doval closed, throwing the final 1 1/3 innings for his second save.

Miami’s Edward Cabrera struck out 10 and allowed one run and five hits over six innings in his season debut. The right-hander had been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement.

Cabrera became the second Marlins starter to complete six innings this season. Max Meyer did it twice before he was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday to make room for Cabrera on the roster.

Avisaíl García’s leadoff homer and Bryan De La Cruz’s two-run double in the second put Miami ahead 3-0.

The Giants narrowed the margin on Michael Conforto’s RBI single in the fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: LHP Braxton Garrett (left shoulder impingement) experienced “dead arm” discomfort after his bullpen session, Schumaker said. … C Christian Bethancourt (illness) was not with the club.

UP NEXT

RHP Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.00 ERA) will start for the Giants on Tuesday. The Marlins will go with LHP Ryan Weathers (1-1, 2.57).

Burger placed on injured list

The Marlins placed infielder Jake Burger on the 10-day injured list Monday because of a left intercostal muscle strain, another setback for Miami during a nightmarish start to the season.

Burger leads the Marlins in RBIs with 15 and is tied for the team lead in homers with three. Miami is 3-13, the worst record in the NL.

“I think I feel kind of where I thought I was going to feel this morning,” Burger said before Miami’s series opener against San Francisco on Monday. “In the positive outlook, I don’t feel worse. Obviously, I wish I’d be feeling better. Now it’s just taking care of it and trying to get back as quick as possible. It doesn’t seem to be worse than what we thought.”

Burger first experienced discomfort while batting during Miami’s 9-7 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. In the third inning while playing third base, he made a long throw from the foul line on a grounder by Ozzie Albies, who beat it out for a single. Burger was replaced in the bottom half.

“I tried to play through it for an inning or two,” Burger said. “Any time I miss games it’s frustrating. I want to be out there for as many games as I can throughout the season. I trust the guys in this clubhouse and we’re going to turn this thing around.”

Burger was acquired from the Chicago White Sox at last year’s trade deadline and helped the Marlins reach the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2003.

Miami recalled infielder Otto López from Triple-A Jacksonville.

The horrific saga of a South Florida woman carjacked at gunpoint in Winter Springs last week and later found dead took a bizarre turn Monday when Seminole authorities linked the case to the recent arrest of an Orange County deputy and the brutal death of a tow truck driver, who was shot at least 100 times.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Monday that investigators are still searching for the people involved in the April 11 carjacking of Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, of Homestead. Her body was found late Thursday in Osceola County, inside the scorched remains of the white Dodge Durango she was driving when an armed, masked man kidnapped her in broad daylight at a busy intersection.

But one, unexpected arrest was announced Monday: that of Orange County Deputy Francisco Estrella, 33, who apparently leaked confidential information about the carjacking case and its key players to De Aguasvivas’ husband, Miguel. Neither Estrella nor Miguel Aguasvivas is thought to be linked to the carjacking itself, but Estrella faces multiple charges related to the leaks. He bonded out of jail and has been suspended without pay while his case proceeds in court.

“When you look at this thing, it’s right out of a television show,” Lemma said.

Lemma also revealed an earlier chapter in the twisted tale, which commenced on March 19 when a green, 2002 Acura sedan — the very same vehicle later used in the carjacking of Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas — was towed from an Orlando apartment complex for being illegally parked. The car lacked a tag or ownership title. It is not clear how the car made its way from that towing incident into the hands of the suspects.

But on April 10, the green Acura or a car matching its description showed up again, Lemma said, leaving the scene of the shooting of tow truck driver Juan Luis Citron Garcia on the 9600 block of 8th Avenue near the Orlando International Airport. Cintron Garcia was found surrounded by 100 casings, many of them 10mm ammunition.

A day later, De Aguasvivas was kidnapped at gunpoint at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in Winter Springs. She had driven early that day from Homestead, reportedly to visit family in the area.

A photo of Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, who is believed dead after she was kidnapped at gunpoint in Seminole County on Thursday, April 11, 2024. A car believed to be hers with a body inside was found on fire in Osceola County hours later. (Courtesy of Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)

Law enforcement officials have said they believe the green Acura followed the Durango purposely, though they have not publicly speculated why, or said for how long it followed the SUV.

Then on April 13, the green Acura was found illegally parked again, and was towed from an Orange County apartment complex. Investigators with Orange County Sheriff’s Office took possession of the vehicle after linking its identification number to when the car was previously towed, according to Lemma.

“We still have incredibly dangerous people out in the streets,” Lemma said during the afternoon press conference. “They should be perceived as armed and dangerous.”

Law enforcement officials are even more perplexed about the role of one of their own in the case.

According to an affidavit, Estrella twice called the lead Seminole detective on the carjacking case, using the alias “Francisco Archuela.” Estrella apparently decided to become involved because his wife was a childhood friend of Miguel Aguasvivas.

Estrella recorded the conversations with the detective and sent them to Miguel Aguasvivas along with a photograph from the detective’s driver’s license profile.

Suspecting something was not right, the detective confirmed Estrella’s true identity by checking the phone extension from which “Archuela” was calling. That led to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, who hired him in 2022. A search of Miguel Aguasvivas’ phone — which he allowed — revealed the recordings and the photograph, and deputies obtained a warrant for Estrella’s arrest.

“If he didn’t release the phone, I don’t know if we would ever know this,” Lemma said.

Estrella turned himself in to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility and was charged with illegal interception of communications, illegal disclosure of communications, disclosure of confidential criminal justice information, among other crimes.

In a statement, Sheriff John Mina said his deputy was accused of “very serious allegations.”

“It is completely unacceptable for any law enforcement officer to misuse the power and authority of their job,” Mina said. “At the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, we hold our deputies to the highest ethical standards, and we will not tolerate anyone breaking the law within our ranks.”

Lemma told reporters the deputy’s actions had no effect on his agency’s investigation but questioned Aguasvivas’ motivation to get the information.

Before his wife was kidnapped, Lemma said she called Aguasvivas to tell him she was being followed. Aguasvivas told her not to leave the car but did not report the pursuit nor her disappearance to authorities.

Though Aguasvivas is not considered a suspect or a person of interest, Lemma said he found it strange that Aguasvivas did not call 911 if he believed his wife was in danger.

“I think that there’s a lot of blanks that he can help fill in about the circumstances involving this particular crime and, now, potentially other crimes,” Lemma said.

 

NAPLES — NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.

The cylindrical object that tore through the home in Naples on March 8 was subsequently taken to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral for analysis.

The space agency said it was a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal. The pallet was jettisoned from the space station in 2021, and the load was expected to eventually fully burn up on entry into Earth’s atmosphere, but one piece survived.

NASA probes whether object that crashed into Florida home came from space station

The chunk of metal weighed 1.6 pounds and was 4 inches tall and roughly 1 1/2 inches wide.

Homeowner Alejandro Otero told television station WINK at the time that he was on vacation when his son told him what had happened. Otero came home early to check on the house, finding the object had ripped through his ceiling and torn up the flooring.

“I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” Otero said. “I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”

After a daunting but failed weekend missile attack by Iran on Israel, a Boeing 787 operated by El Al Airlines arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday, inaugurating long-promised regularly scheduled air service between Broward County and the beleaguered Jewish state.

During a ceremony, complete with a fire rescue salute of the inbound plane named after the northern district city of Nof Hagalil, Israel’s consul general from Miami, airline executives and county officials gathered to mark the moment. A full flight of an estimated 240 passengers were aboard the wide-bodied jetliner, which docked at 4:29 p.m. at the airport’s Terminal 4, a conduit for most international flights which El Al has been using since last fall to operate seasonal trips to Tel Aviv pegged to the high Jewish holidays.

The plane was scheduled to make its eastbound run back to Israel a short time later at 6:30 p.m.

Late last week, El Al’s launch of regular twice-a week service appeared in doubt as Iran’s government engaged in sabre rattling about retaliating against Israel for its missile strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria that killed three high-ranking Iranian military officials. The threats became a reality on Saturday as more than 300 missiles and drones from Iran roared toward Israel, though most of them were intercepted by air defenses.

Dignitaries cut the ribbon celebrating El Al Israel Airlines year-round service to Tel Aviv, prior to the first flight from Ben Gurion Airport arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

By early Sunday, Israel had reopened its airspace and the national airport authority resumed operations at Ben Gurion International Airport, the end point for most flights arriving from overseas.

Israel-bound travelers have been long aware that their destination is at the center of a geo-political hot zone made dangerous by military operations, terrorism and civil unrest, according to American diplomatic authorities.

Last week, the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisories for the region, urging people to “Reconsider Travel” to Israel and to the West Bank due to “terrorism and civil unrest.” The department also maintained its “Do Not Travel” advisory for Gaza, citing “terrorism and armed conflict.”

Unity, determination amid somber feelings

But at the ceremony, the officials and Jewish religious leaders collectively hailed the airline as a unifying factor for a country and people in need. Top El Al officials said the new Fort Lauderdale service was never in doubt.

Simon Newton-Smith, senior vice president-The Americas, told reporters that both the Fort Lauderdale flight and all other outbound El Al flights made it out of Israel over the weekend as planned despite the aerial attacks.

“This as on track even as late as this weekend,” Newton-Smith told reporters. “We had people say, ‘Is this really going to happen because of what happened in Israel on Saturday evening?’ This is a reflection of the Israeli determination. This was the plan, this was the date that was set, and the team was committed to delivering the flight on the 15th of April.”

“Effectively, El Al has become a lifeline, not just (an) airline,” he said. “It’s huge. The Jewish community in South Florida is 230,000 strong. It’s the fourth largest Jewish community outside Israel. The simple fact is that you know anything happening in Israel is impacting a huge portion of the community here in South Florida and vice versa. An airline is about connecting people.”

Newton-Smith acknowledged that the mood among those traveling to and from Israel, as well as among those in the travel community, is “somber.”

“I think the mood is driven by that connection between the communities here,” he said. “Obviously there is a lot of concern. The community based here has got family and friends in Israel everybody is concerned about and vice versa.”

“It’s clearly a difficult time for everybody,” Newton-Smith added. “There is nobody that is not impacted by this in some shape or form. But again, in terms of air service, sometimes during this uncertainty it is important to have people and families connect. That’s why we do what we do.”

At the same time, Maor Elbaz-Starinski, the consul general of Israel based in Miami, warned of difficult times ahead with Iran.

“Somebody asked me if they were just trying to save face,” he told reporters. “Don’t be fooled. We know the nature of the Iranian regime. What happened is what we have warned for decades. Iranians are developing ballistic missiles. Iranians are exporting terrorism. And Iranians are developing nuclear weapons.”

All will someday be used against Israel and nations elsewhere, he warned.

Whatever lies ahead, Broward officials —vranging from Mark Gale, the airport president and CEO, County Administrator Monica Cepero, to Commissioner Mark Bogen, who said he has been an El Al customer since 2019, to Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale —  all vowed to support the airline and its newly inaugurated service.

Tel Aviv Pride, a weeklong series of events which occurs in early June as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month, will be receiving support from Visit Lauderdale, which is sponsoring the event, the first time her tourism promotion agency is going to Israel “to sponsor any event at all,” Ritter said.

“We are doing it because of your flight,” she said. “We recognize that with nonstop service to Tel Aviv from FLL, we have an entire new region that opens up to us with tourism and we cannot wait — we cannot wait to welcome the people from Israel to our destination.”

People watch as El Al Israel Airlines makes its inaugural visit on Monday for year-round service to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Even as his team was busy celebrating the conclusion of its spring football game Friday night, UCF coach Gus Malzahn couldn’t help but turn his attention to the future.

The second window for the NCAA’s transfer portal opens on Tuesday. While it’s not expected to be as chaotic as the December window, there is always the possibility of some significant movement.

“We’re in a good spot, but the portal is coming up, and [we’ve] got to get through that time,” Malzahn said. “We’re very hopeful of holding on to our guys, but you never know, so we’ll see what happens.”

According to ON3’s transfer tracker, as of Monday afternoon, 2,401 players have entered the portal this season, with 1,342 (56%) having already found new homes.

UCF spring football game spotlights several newcomers

UCF has used the transfer market and high school recruiting classes to add talent and address concerns about roster depth. The Knights signed 15 transfers in December, headlined by former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson.

Since arriving in 2021, Malzahn has brought in 57 transfers.

However, while the portal can provide much-needed help, in some cases, it can also take away players.

UCF lost seven players to the portal following spring camp last season, including backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who transferred to Boston College. Castellanos started 12 games for the Eagles, passing for 2,248 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

In 2022, the Knights lost receiver Jaylon Robinson (Ole Miss) and backup quarterback Parker Navarro.

However, UCF isn’t the only team in the state that has experienced portal moves.

DJ Lagway is exciting, but UF’s future is in Graham Mertz’s hands | Commentary

Florida State lost nine players to the portal last spring but added former Michigan State receiver Keon Coleman, who would finish with 658 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-ACC honors. In 2022, the Seminoles added offensive linemen D’Mitri Emmanuel (Charlotte) and Jazston Turnetine (South Carolina) in late April. Both combined to participate in 1,720 snaps over the past two seasons.

FSU coach Mike Norvell has seemingly mastered the portal, adding 41 transfers over the past three seasons.

The Seminoles are expected to search for help at defensive tackle, tight end and receiver this offseason.

Florida added former Arizona State receiver Ricky Pearsall following spring camp in 2022. Pearsall led the Gators in receiving over the next two seasons, finishing with 1,626 yards and 9 touchdowns during his time in Gainesville.

Can UF coach Billy Napier strike gold again?

While receiver Tre Wilson is a bonafide playmaker for the Gators, the sophomore needs help, which could force the Gators to search for a receiver or two once the portal opens.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal is also expected to be aggressive in the portal market.

“We’ve been assessing,” Cristobal said, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Adam Lichtenstein. “What are the areas that need help? What are the ones that we’ve improved at? What can we do well? What maybe we should avoid? Those are the decisions, the conversations that are had, and they’re very open and transparent.”

The Hurricanes could need help at cornerback, safety, running back and wide receiver.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded blame before the United Nations Security Council for the attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said have put the world “dangerously close to a nuclear accident.”

Without attributing blame, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency has been able to confirm three attacks against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since April 7.

“These reckless attacks must cease immediately,” he told the Security Council. “Though, fortunately, they have not led to a radiological incident this time, they significantly increase the risk … where nuclear safety is already compromised.”

The remote-controlled nature of the drones that have attacked the plant means that it is impossible to definitively determine who launched them, Grossi told reporters after the meeting.

“In order to say something like that, we must have proof,” he said. “These attacks have been performed with a multitude of drones.”

Zaporizhzhia sits in Russian-controlled territory in southeastern Ukraine and has six nuclear reactors.

Fears of a nuclear catastrophe have been at the forefront since Russian troops occupied the plant shortly after invading in February 2022. Continued fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces — as well as the tense supply situation at the plant — have raised the specter of a disaster.

Ukraine and its allies on Monday again blamed Russia for dangers at the site, with the United States saying, “Russia does not care about these risks.”

“If it did, it would not continue to forcibly control the plant,” U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council, which met at the initiative of the U.S. and Slovenia.

Russia, for its part, said Ukraine was to blame for the attacks.

“The IAEA’s report does not pinpoint which side is behind the attacks,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “We know full well who it is.”

“Over the last few months, such attacks not only resumed,” Nebenzia said, “they significantly intensified.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., Sergiy Kyslytsya, called the attacks “a well-planned false flag operation by the Russian Federation,” which he alleged Russia had designed to distract the world from its invasion of its neighbor.

The Zaporizhzhia facility is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world. Fighting in the southern part of Ukraine where it is located has raised the specter of a potential nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986, where a reactor exploded and blew deadly radiation across a vast area.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine in recent months has been able to make significant advances along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line crossing eastern and southern Ukraine. Drones, artillery and missiles have featured heavily in what has become a war of attrition.

Russia and Ukraine have frequently traded accusations over the Zaporizhzhia plant.

The most recent strikes did not compromise the facility, which is designed to withstand a commercial airliner crashing into it, the IAEA said.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer)

Boeing is defending the integrity of the fuselages on two of its largest planes, which have come under criticism from a whistleblower who warns that panels on the outside of one of the planes could eventually break apart during flight.

Two Boeing engineering executives went into detail Monday to describe how panels are fitted together, particularly on the 787 Dreamliner. They suggested the 787’s carbon-composite skin is nearly impervious to metal fatigue that weakens conventional aluminum fuselages.

Their comments during a lengthy media briefing served as both a response to news reports last week about the whistleblower’s allegations and a preemptive strike before he testifies to a congressional panel on Wednesday.

The whistleblower, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, said excessive force was applied to fit panels together on the 787 assembly line, raising the risk of fatigue, or microscopic cracking in the material that could cause it break apart.

The Boeing officials described how sections of a fuselage are brought together, shims are added to fill gaps, holes are drilled and cleaned, and fasteners attached to apply “pull-up force” that 99% of the time results in margins no greater than .005 inches (0.127 millimeters) apart — the width of a human hair, they said. A gap problem was discovered in 2019 between two panels, which led to design and assembly changes, they said.

Boeing conducted testing replicating 165,000 flights with no findings of fatigue in the composite structure, Steve Chisholm, Boeing’s vice president of structural engineering, said. The average 787 makes 600 flights a year, he said.

The company said planes already in use are proving safe. Chisholm said 671 Dreamliners have undergone the intensive inspections for 6-year-old planes and eight have undergone 12-year inspections with no evidence of fatigue in the composite skins.

Cracks have been found on metallic parts, including a piece above where the wings join the fuselage, and Boeing issued inspection guidelines for those parts, the officials said.

The 787 Dreamliner is a two-aisle plane that has often been used on international flights since its debut in 2011. The composite material makes the plane lighter, contributing to better fuel efficiency.

A series of battery fires briefly grounded the planes. Deliveries of the aircraft have been stopped at times because of questions about gaps between fuselage panels that were wider than Boeing’s standards allowed, the use of unapproved titanium parts from a supplier in Italy, and flaws in a pressure bulkhead.

The Federal Aviation Administration must inspect and approve each 787 that rolls off the assembly line before it can be flown to an airline customer.

The whistleblower Salehpour claims that after he raised safety concerns about the 787, Boeing transferred him to work on an older widebody plane, the 777. He told the Seattle Times that he saw workers jumping on fuselage panels to get them in alignment, which Boeing disputes.

The New York Times reported that the FAA is investigating Salehpour’s claims. The FAA, while not commenting specifically on Salehpour, said it investigates all safety reports.

Boeing says it is “fully confident” in both planes.

Salehpour is the latest in a line of Boeing whistleblowers to come forward, often alleging retaliation for raising safety concerns. The company said it encourages employees to speak up about problems.

Lisa Fahl, the vice president of engineering for Boeing airplane programs, said employee reports have “exploded” — with as many reports in January and February as were filed in all of 2023 — “which is what we want.”

Lionfish, the James Beard Foundation-blessed, sustainability-themed seafood spot on Delray Beach’s buzzy Atlantic Avenue, permanently closed on Saturday night after 3 1/2 years in business.

In its place will rise a restaurant that needs no sugarcoating: Sugar Factory, an American brasserie chain and celebrity magnet best known for crafting cocktails and couture lollipops endorsed by The Rock, Kendall Jenner, Pitbull, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart and Bruno Mars. Sugar Factory intends to debut “within 60 to 90 days,” Lionfish owner Craig Menin told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday afternoon.

Lionfish / CourtesySteamed striped bass from Lionfish, which closed on Saturday after 3 1/2 years in downtown Delray Beach. (Lionfish / Courtesy)

The coastal seafood sit-down, which served tasty preparations of one of Florida’s biggest coastal invasive species — lionfish — suffered no declining foot traffic or sales. In fact, its final service packed the house, according to Menin and members of multiple Facebook groups who dined there Saturday night.

But the fine-dining restaurant “with a $90-$100 check average” and high-end, locally sourced ingredients demanded too much of his personal attention, he said.

“It’s a very intense, full-time job running a restaurant and, frankly, I didn’t want to do it anymore. I wanted to go back to my roots,” said Menin, who’s also a veteran real-estate developer. “There are more important things than money. I’m glad I did it, but I prefer being in real estate than running restaurants.

“(Lionfish) was very profitable, but going forward, will it improve upon the community?” he added. “I wanted to give someone else a try.”

Menin, whose company Menin Development owns multiple buildings on Atlantic Avenue, in art-splashed Pineapple Grove and south of the Avenue, added a hospitality arm, Menin Hospitality Group, about five years ago, opening the Delray Beach Market food hall, The Ray Hotel and its restaurant, Akira Back. He also owns Johnnie Brown’s.

Lionfish, a San Diego-born eatery specializing in grass-fed meats, wild catches and lionfish dishes, debuted in September 2020, after pandemic shutdowns sidelined its opening more than six months. Lionfish co-owner Andy Masi, founder of Clique Hospitality, brought his sustainable-savvy eatery to the East Coast to evangelize the taste of lionfish, a beautiful but voracious species known for devouring large populations of reef marine life. Since 2017, the James Beard Foundation recognized Lionfish twice as a Smart Catch Leader.

“Believe me, if you have our lionfish ceviche, you realize how tasty (lionfish) are,” Masi told the Sun Sentinel in 2020. “Once you taste the flavors of the lionfish, you want to get it out of the sea and onto the grill.”

Masi could not be reached for comment despite two emails sent Monday morning. According to Menin, Masi sold his stake in the Delray Beach location to Menin two years ago to focus on his West Coast restaurants.

Menin said he began courting serious bids for Lionfish’s replacement six months ago from “10 operators who wanted to put their restaurant on the avenue.” Sugar Factory won out, he said, for “signing a very lucrative lease.”

“At the end of the day, it’s a great building on a great street,” Menin says. “I get to step back and collect a nice check every month, and I found that very appealing.”

Menin declined to say how far in advance his hospitality group had informed Lionfish’s 50 employees about the shutdown. He said he “encouraged Sugar Factory people to meet with” Lionfish employees, or for employees to apply at Akira Back and Johnnie Brown’s.

On Instagram, former executive chef Emerson Frisbie (of Palm Beach Meats fame) posted on April 7 that he was “looking for a new executive chef position. Any leads are greatly appreciated.”

Noah Fecks for Sugar Factory / CourtesyThe World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae, which includes 20 scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and plenty of candy, is one of several over-the-top desserts served at Sugar Factory, an American brasserie chain coming this summer to Delray Beach. (Noah Fecks for Sugar Factory / Courtesy)

Sugar Factory, with its Instagrammable flower walls, neon and over-the-top milkshakes, offers rainbow-colored pancake stacks for breakfast and brunch, birria pizza quesadillas, cheese-smothered burgers and tacos for dinner and “Insane Milkshakes” for dessert that include crushed Butterfinger pieces and rainbow whirly pops.

Sugar Factory operates 26 locations including in Miami Beach, Orlando and the Bahamas. Restaurant representatives could not be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.

This article will be updated. Check back for more information.

Staff writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @p.v.guide and X/Twitter @PhilValys.

The 28th annual Las Olas Wine and Food Festival will return to Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale 7:30-10:30 p.m. April 19, bringing culinary offerings from some of South Florida’s best-known restaurants as well as sips and samples curated by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, back for its second year as the exclusive festival wine and spirits provider.

The festival is hosted by the American Lung Association, with proceeds going to support the organization’s lifesaving mission in Florida and beyond.

“The Las Olas Wine and Food Festival combines the best of Broward’s food scene with an unmatched wine and spirit line-up,” says Hernan Millan, chair-elect of the American Lung Association’s South Florida Local Leadership Board. “We believe our attendees keep coming back year after year because they’re doing good while having fun.”

Millan says that 100 percent of the event proceeds go towards research, community-based support programs for the 2.7 million Floridians living with lung disease and advocacy efforts to ensure clean air for all.

Festival attendees will enjoy food samples from more than 40 local restaurants and sips of over 200 wines from domestic and international wineries. Participating restaurants include American Social, New River Café and Bakery, The Alchemist Café, Timpano Las Olas, The Wilder and Palm Room, with additional restaurants to be announced. There also will be entertainment, including live music, DJs, dancing and interactive experiences.

“This is one of the premier wine, spirits and food festivals in South Florida,” says Riley Burke, senior director of trade development at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the presenting sponsor of the event. “When we saw the opportunity to partner with a great charity like the American Lung Association, we felt like it was a great opportunity to give back.”

Sponsors include City & Shore magazine, the Las Olas Co., Memorial Healthcare System, Las Olas Association and the Blackstone Agency. Riverside Hotel is the event’s host hotel.

Jennifer Lett / Sun SentinelFestival goers wait in between pavilions to begin their wine and food tasting experience at the Las Olas Wine and Wine Festival in Fort Lauderdale Jennifer Lett South Florida Sun Sentinel

Tickets are $160 for general admission, which includes access to the main tasting pavilions and is all-inclusive of food and beverage, or $250 for VIP admission, which includes general admission benefits plus access to the VIP Kick Off Party at the Riverside Hotel from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; access to the main festival tasting pavilions starting at 7 p.m. and a new elevated wine experience. Tickets can be purchased at LasOlasWFF.com.

For information, call 954-727-0907 or visit LasOlasWFF.com.

By ANITA SNOW (Associated Press)

The one thing 9-year-old Cal Clifford wanted more than anything since he was a toddler was a pet octopus.

The boy’s family in rural Edmond, Oklahoma, humored him with toy versions of an eight-legged mollusk, but as Cal got older it became clear that only the real thing would do.

The child’s father, 36-year-old dentist Cameron Clifford, researched the possibility with a local aquarium store and before long Terrance the California two-spot octopus, also known as a bimac, was living in a watery enclosure at the family home southwest of Oklahoma City.

“We really like to encourage our children’s interests,” said the older Clifford. “It’s magical to see a kid embrace their dreams and bring them to fruition. Cal has been infatuated with the natural world and with marine biology since he was very little.”

A popular TikTok saga was launched with the father narrating the tale of Terrance the cephalopod, using a faux British accent generated by the social media app. Eventually, hundreds of thousands of people were following.

Within weeks, the tale took an surprise twist when it was learned Terrance was actually a female as it laid some 50 eggs that the family initially assumed were unfertilized. Several weeks after that, teeny near-transparent octopus babies began hatching and were given names like Rocket Larry, Squid Cudi, Swim Shady, Jay-Sea and Sea-Yoncé

Cal had burst into tears at the family dinner table when his father first announced that the local aquarium store had told him adopting an octopus would be possible.

Father and son together researched what was needed, deciding on a saltwater tank and water cycling system and ensuring they would be able to source food for the soft-bodied sea creature.

The family’s younger son Lyle and mom Kari also joined the project in their own ways. A family friend who is a reptile scientist has provided support and advice.

While female octopuses usually die soon after laying their eggs, Clifford said Terrance remains alive four months later.

Clifford said the family has gained much from the experience.

“Aside from the physical, financial and emotional requirements of owning a species such as a bimac, you will learn a lot about yourself in the process,” the Arizona-born Clifford told TikTok followers in his app-generated accent. “There’s always some valve or seal that’s not completely closed, and your storm resistant carpet isn’t rated for gallons and gallons of seawater. You’ll learn that seawater and electricity don’t always get along.”

“You will learn new things and meet incredible people and will learn that wildlife is magnificent,” he added. “But most of all, you’ll learn to love a not-so-tiny octopus like Terrance.”

UCF had about 50 recruits on hand Friday night at the Knights’ annual spring game, and several local players expressed their interest in possibly playing at the Bounce House one day.

One of those interested onlookers was Ethan Pritchard, a standout linebacker at Seminole High who is currently committed to FSU.

“I’m 100 percent committed, but I’m exploring right now,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard, who is currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Sentinel’s 2025 Central Florida recruiting rankings, said it’s possible that he could consider joining the Seminole pipeline to UCF.

That pipeline has run quite freely in recent years, bringing in players such as new Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Gabe Davis and former cornerback Bam Moore  as well as current players in twin defensive backs Demari Henderson and Ja’Cari Henderson along with tight end Jordan Davis — Gabe’s brother — and linebacker Kam Moore, Bam’s brother.

“I could definitely see myself playing here [UCF],” Pritchard said Friday night. “I really like coach [Ted] Roof and how they rotate in the linebackers and everybody gets playing time. I’m really liking it.”

The Seminole pipeline is certainly intriguing.

“Of course. There are players here who I played with my freshman year, so most definitely it would be real fun to be playing with them,” Pritchard said.

He said the twins are in his ear quite often.

“Yeah, they don’t really pressure me or anything like that, but they put it out there every now and then,” Pritchard said. “They’re always saying, ‘You know where home’s at,’ stuff like that. … but they don’t really press me.”

He said staying close to home is certainly appealing.

“Yeah, I want everybody in my family to see me play,” Pritchard said.

A few other top targets for the Knights are a pair of 2026 linebackers in Kingston Shaw of Apopka, and Michael McClenton of Ocoee.

UCF target Kingston Shaw, a 2026 linebacker from Apopka, is going to be the next big thing for the Blue Darters. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

Shaw, with his size at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and growing, will likely end up as a rush end in college and has the speed and athleticism to play anywhere around the defensive edges, whether that is at defensive end or outside linebacker.

“I’m really liking UCF,” Shaw said. “It’s a nice, close proximity to home, a good environment and I have a couple of former teammates I played with who are now at UCF .. I feel good about it.”

Players like sophomores defensive end Kaven Call and cornerback Nikai Martinez.

“Yeah, Kaven has been saying things like, ‘So, you coming to UCF?” Shaw laughed. “I definitely could see myself here [at UCF]. All my family could come over. It would be really cool.”

Shaw missed two games last year, but had 56 tackles, six tackles per game. He is but a blip on the recruiting radar, but he is surely soon to blow up and is the next big star out of Apopka.

“Recruiting is going really well right now and it’s just about to ramp up come spring,” Shaw said. “The first thing, overall [coaches say] I pass the eye test. They like my size, my speed, the way I play on the field.

“I’m really looking forward to this next season. I’m really gonna have to step up as a leader. We have a really nice schedule and we play a lot of tough reams. I feel really confident, though.”

Being the next big thing for the Darters could place pressure on Shaw’s shoulders, but he shrugs it off.

“It’s not really pressure when you’re confident,” Shaw said. “I’ve already been prepared for it by people prior, so I have just developed as a leader. It’s really just passing the baton. That’s it.”

UCF target Michael McClenton, a 2026 linebacker at Ocoee, averaged 20 tackles per game last season. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel.)

McClenton, 6-foot, 220 pounds, has not been offered by UCF yet, but he is certainly interested in staying home. He said of all schools he would consider, UCF is at the top of his list.

Despite averaging 20 tackles per game, easily an Ocoee record, McClenton is not on the radar of most recruiting boards. His size will hamper him a bit as he tries to gain attention, and that lack of attention can sometimes be confusing, if not frustrating.

McClenton, however, says frustrated is not a word that would describe him.

“As long as you trust in God, he knows when my time is coming and he will let me know when that time is here,” said McClenton, who has one Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer from Marshall. “Right now I’m just an under-sized kid and that’s why a lot of schools look over me, but at the end of the day, it’s all about who plays football … who makes plays.

“Once they catch on to that, my recruiting will pick up.”

He said he could see himself playing at UCF and staying home would be nice, but being close to home will not determine his decision.

“It’s important, but it’s not a need. I really like [UCF] and I really like the coaches and the way they showed me love,” McClenton said. “I like the way they play their linebackers and their defensive scheme, and their coaching staff, the way they show the recruits, and love to me and my family. … and how together they are as a family.”

Chris Hays covers high school and college football, as well as college football recruiting. He can be found on X @OS_ChrisHays. He can be reached via email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.

MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra routinely stresses how his Miami Heat relish a challenge.

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They now have one, a Wednesday night NBA play-in road game against Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Win that, and it’s on to the first round of the NBA playoffs against the No. 2 New York Knicks. Lose that, and for the second year in a row there will be a winner-take-all game at Kaseya Center, this time on Friday night against the winner of Tuesday night’s Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks game.

That made Sunday about far more than the Heat’s 118-103 rout of the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center to close out the regular season.

“Looking forward to it,” Spoelstra said of the matchup against the 76ers. “It’ll be a great environment. Philly’s been playing fantastic recently. So we know what to expect up there. What we say is it’s for competitors only, and it should be a lot of fun.”

With some outside help Sunday, the Heat could have avoided such a challenging scenario.

Now there is the cold, hard reality for a team that played Sunday in the injury absences of Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson, and then lost Kevin Love in the first half with an arm injury.

“We’ve just got to win,” forward Jimmy Butler said of the opportunity to right an uneven season. “If you quiet the noise, everything else takes care of itself.”

With most of the Heat starters pulled in the third period, the Heat got 17  points apiece from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo and 15 from Butler. There also were 18 points apiece from Thomas Bryant and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

“I can sense this team is ready,” Spoelstra said. “That is all you can ask for.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:

1. Playoff race: Despite finishing with two more victories than last season, when they closed the record season in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, the Heat this time saw 46-36 only good enough for eighth place.

The Heat wound up closing Sunday in the same place they started the day, with the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers all winning. A loss by any of the three would have moved the Heat up the standings.

“It’s not ideal,” Herro said of entering the playoffs in eighth place, “but we’re here.”

So it will be on to Philadelphia for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. play-in game. The winner of that game will receive the No. 7 playoff seed and a trip to New York.

Should the Heat lose that game, they would host the winner of the Nos. 9-10 Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks in a Friday play-in game at Kaseya Center for the No. 8 seed and a best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the No. 1 Boston Celtics.

The Heat closed the season 2-2 against the 76ers, who finished one game ahead in the standings by virtue of Sunday’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

“We know what we’re stepping into,” Herro said. “It won’t be easy, but it’s a challenge us competitors we are looking forward to.”

The NBA announced Sunday that if the Heat win Wednesday, a first-round series against New York would open Saturday. If the Heat lose Wednesday but win Friday against the winner of Bulls/Hawks, the Heat’s first-round series against the Celtics would open Sunday. Times have yet to be announced.

2. Game flow: The first quarter ended tied 24-24, with a 43-point second quarter then pushing the Heat to a 67-46 halftime lead.

The Heat then pushed their lead to 26 in the third quarter before taking a 94-71 lead into the fourth.

The Raptors, with nothing to play for on Sunday, already locked into lottery seeding in what closed as a 25-57 season, were without RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, among others.

“I feel good about the group,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat winning seven of their final 10 games. “That’s all I wanted to see the last couple of games.”

So onward, with what Adebayo said is confidence.

“This is the time of the year, backs are against the wall, you start to find out who everybody is,” he said.

3. Moment seized: With the Heat down 35-34 in the second period, Butler apparently had seen enough.

He then scored on consecutive layups and a jumper for six consecutive Heat points, shaking out immediately afterward, with the Heat up five on the way to pushing their lead to 17 during that run.

Butler, who wound up playing 24 minutes, closed the first half with 13 points and five rebounds.

“I’m straight,” Butler said, when asked how he felt going into the postseason. “I’m good. We all are.”

4. Love leaves: Kevin Love went to the locker room late in the first quarter, after consulting on the Heat bench with trainer Wes Brown, eventually diagnosed with a game-ending contusion to his upper left arm.

With Nikola Jovic and Haywood Highsmith already with two fouls, Bryant then entered with 22.8 seconds left in the opening period, his first action in eight games.

Love closed scoreless in his 3:15, his only attempt an errant 3-point shot.

It was Love’s eighth game back after missing 16 with a bruised right heel.

“He got hit in the arm, like a stinger,” Spoelstra said. “So we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

5. Wright stuff: With the Heat’s wing rotation debilitated with the absences of Rozier and Robinson, Delon Wright got the call over Patty Mills in the rotation.

Wright closed with 11 points and five steals in 28:19, possibly to retain a rotation role if the Heat remain shorthanded on the wing.

“It takes the right pros to sign up for that,” Spoelstra said of Wright’s uncertain minutes. “And that’s why we like the guys that we have, Delon has been a shorter sample size, but he’s played winning basketball.”

MIAMI (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer off Tanner Scott with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat Miami 9-7 on Sunday to take two of three from the Marlins.

Atlanta wasted a 5-1 lead and fell behind 7-5 in the sixth when Jesús Sánchez hit a tying RBI single with two outs against Charlie Morton and scored on Nick Gordon’s two-run homer off Dylan Lee.

Ozuna hit an RBI double in the seventh against Anthony Bender. Then in the ninth, Ronald Acuña Jr. singled off Scott (0-3) leading off, Matt Olson walked on four pitches with two outs and Ozuna drove a slider with an 0-2 count to center for his seventh home run this season.

“I just wanted to make good contact and tie the game because Ronny was at second,” Ozuna said. “Any bloop or base hit I could get and Ronny scores and it’s tie game.”

Ozuna, who spent the first five seasons of his career in Miami, went 7 for 12, homered twice and had eight RBIs in the series.

“This is the place that I grew up and this is the team that gave me the opportunity as a professional baseball player,” Ozuna said. “This is basically my hometown. Every time I come here, I feel good.”

Scott retired Ozuna on a double-play grounder to close Miami’s win Saturday.

“I didn’t execute my pitch. I threw a bad pitch and it all falls on me,” Scott said. “I should have gotten the guy before him. That’s my mistake.”

Adam Duvall also homered for the Braves. A.J. Minter (2-1) pitched a perfect eighth and Raisel Iglesias got three straight outs for his third save.

“These guys are amazing,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “If you keep within a run or so, you’ve got a pretty good chance. It was a tough, well-fought game.”

Third baseman Jake Burger, who leads Miami with 15 RBIs, left in the third inning because of a left oblique strain. Miami dropped to 3-13.

“The way they fought was so encouraging because if they do that throughout the year, you’ll get more wins than losses,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “That’s tough. It’s going to eat at them tonight, no doubt.”

Morton gave up six runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts.

“I think they jumped me early in a couple of counts,” Morton said. “They got some pitches to hit and put barrel on the ball. There were a couple of mistakes that I made in counts and I paid for them.”

Jesús Luzardo allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. Bryan De La Cruz also homered for the Marlins.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: INF Tim Anderson entered in the sixth after missing two games because of an illness and struck out leading off the ninth. Anderson replaced Vidal Brujan, who exited because of right knee soreness.

UP NEXT

Braves: RHP Darius Vines makes his season debut at Houston after pitching 12 innings with a 3.75 ERA for Triple-A Gwinnett. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (0-1, 21.00) starts for the Astros.

Marlins: LHP A.J. Puk (0-3, 5.91) will start Monday’s opener of a three-game series against visiting San Francisco and LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.76).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

MIAMI -– Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday’s 118-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors:

– Because, yes, it’s always something.

– So this time Kevin Love lost in the first half with an arm injury.

– With the Heat already without Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson.

– And no clarity of when either of those two will return.

– Say all you want about the Heat’s depth, but that is a lot to be lacking entering the postseason.

– With all due respect to the energy of Thomas Bryant, he does not bring the spacing or rebounding that Love can deliver.

– The prime postseason difference this year might have to be Tyler Herro.

– Who was lost one game into last season’s playoffs.

– Where have you gone Max Strus and Gabe Vincent?

– If no Robinson, Love’s 3-point shooting grows more important.

– And it could again mean Nikola Jovic at backup center.

– And so like all things Heat this season . . . we wait.

– The injury report again nothing short of a Heat lifeline at this stage.

– With Rozier and Robinson again out, the Heat again opened with Bam Adebayo, Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Herro and Caleb Martin.

– Herro extended his personal-record streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 34 games.

– With his fifth rebound, Adebayo surpassed his previous single-season high of 735 that he had in 2019-20.

– With RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, among others, sidelined for Toronto, the Raptors opened with a lineup of Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, Kelly Olynyk, Gary Trent Jr. and Javon Freeman-Liberty.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. was first off the Heat bench.

– Haywood Highsmith Jr. followed, when Jovic was called for his second foul with 4:29 left in the first period.

– With Love (briefly) making it eight deep.

– And then Delon Wright finishing off the primary Sunday rotation.

– Again playing ahead of Patty Mills.

– Eventually the primary rotation went 10 deep, with Bryant entering when Love went to the locker room late in the opening period

– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame he did not plan on scoreboard watching.

– “I don’t even know whether they put the other scores,” he said, with Kaseya Center lacking an out-of-town scoreboard.

– Spoelstra added, “The good thing I like about this is everybody’s playing at one o’clock. That’s the way it should be. We’ll know by the time we get out of here and into the South Florida night, we’ll know what our scenario is.”

– Of whether his team is ready for the postseason and a potential repeat of last year’s underdog run to the NBA Finals, Spoelstra said, “We’ll find out. The playoffs always let you know. We’re excited about it. You always think that we have a great opportunity in front of us.”

– The Heat ended the season 11-0 when Duncan Robinson scores 20 or more.

– Adebayo addressed the crowd pregame, saying, “Thank you for coming out to every game and supporting us, and continue to support us.”

By ZEKE MILLER and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Sunday highlighted its role in helping Israel thwart Iran’s aerial attack as President Joe Biden convened leaders of the Group of Seven countries in an effort to prevent a wider regional escalation and coordinate a global rebuke of Tehran.

The U.S. assisted Israel in shooting down dozens of drones and missiles fired by Iran on Saturday in what was the first time it had launched a direct military assault on Israel. Israeli authorities said 99% of the inbound weapons were shot down without causing any significant damage.

U.S. officials said that despite the high interception rate, Iran’s intent was to “destroy and cause casualties” and that if successful, the strikes would have caused an “uncontrollable” escalation across the Mideast. U.S. officials said Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to contain tensions, that Washington would not participate in any offensive action against Iran, and the president made “very clear” to Netanyahu “that we do have to think carefully and strategically” about risks of escalation.

The push to encourage Israel to show restraint mirrored ongoing American efforts to curtail Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which is now in its seventh month, and to do more to protect civilian lives in the territory.

While the U.S. and its allies were preparing for days for such an attack, the launches were at the “high end” of what was anticipated, according to the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

At one point, at least 100 ballistic missiles from Iran were in the air simultaneously with just minutes of flight time to Israel, the officials said. Biden and senior officials monitored the firings and interception attempts in real time in the White House Situation Room. The officials said there was “relief” in the room once they saw that the missile defense efforts had succeeded.

The Pentagon said U.S. Central Command and European Command forces destroyed more than 80 attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen.

“At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said in a statement late Saturday. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”

Administration officials said the call demonstrated that despite differences over the war in Gaza, the U.S. commitment to Israel’s defense was “ironclad” and that the U.S. would mount a similar effort again if needed.

The officials rejected the notion that Iran intentionally gave Israel and the U.S. time to prepare for an attack, but said they took advantage of the time Iran needed before it was ready to launch the assault to prepare their response. The officials said Iran passed word to the U.S. while the attack was unfolding late Saturday that what was seen was the totality of their response. The message was sent through the Swiss government since the two countries don’t have direct diplomatic ties.

Biden, in a Saturday evening call with Netanyahu, urged that Israel claim victory for its defense prowess as the president aimed to persuade America’s closest Middle East ally not to undertake a larger retaliatory strike against Iran, the officials said.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks — sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Biden said in his statement after the call.

Biden had a call Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in which the king said any “escalatory measures” by Israel would lead to a broader conflict in the region, according to the Royal Court. The White House said the situation in Gaza was discussed, and the leaders reaffirmed their cooperation “to find a path to end the crisis as soon as possible.”

The president also spoke with some of the U.S. forces involved in shooting down the Iranian drones.

Later Sunday, Biden spoke with the leaders of the House and Senate, emphasizing the urgent need for the House to pass additional wartime funding for Israel and Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Sunday with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to underscore the “importance of avoiding escalation and coordinating on a diplomatic response,” a department spokesman said.

After the G7 videoconference Sunday, the leaders issued a joint statement “unequivocally condemning in the strongest terms” the direct attack by Iran while expressing “our full solidarity and support to Israel” and reaffirming “our commitment towards its security.”

The group of advanced democracies — the U.S., Italy, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Canada — also said that Iran, “with its actions, has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.” They said their nations “stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives.”

A senior U.S. administration official said some of the countries discussed listing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and unlocking further sanctions against Tehran, though no final decisions were made.

The Israel-Hamas war was referenced in the G7 statement, with the leaders saying they will bolster “our cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, and deliver increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need.”

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the attack. “Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said. “Now is the time for maximum restraint.”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan called the attack “an unprecedented escalation,” while Iranian Ambassador Saeid Iravani said, “Iran’s operation was entirely in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense.”

After the meeting ended without any council action, U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said, “There has to be a Security Council response to what happened last night.”

The U.S. and Israel had been bracing for an attack for days after Iran said it would retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including two senior Iranian generals in the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the White House for “leaking it to the press” that Biden told Netanyahu to take the win and not retaliate.

Rubio told CNN’s “State of the Union” that it was “part of the White House’s efforts to appease” people calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

__

AP writer Michael Weissenstein at the United Nations contributed.

MIAMI — With the absence of Terry Rozier now continuing for a week, the Miami Heat guard moved forward with imaging on what has been listed as neck spasms.

Initially believed to be the result of travel and sleep, concern with the neck grew to the point where the guard acquired in January from the Charlotte Hornets underwent additional testing.

Sunday’s season finale against the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya marked the fourth consecutive game missed for Rozier, who initially was limited by the neck issue in last week’s critical road loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The current approach with Rozier, who has moved beyond much of the discomfort, is a course of anti-inflammatories, as the Heat turn to postseason mode amid the uncertainty.

Still in question is the timing for a potential return.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Rozier remains day-to-day.

“We will give you an update when we get one,” Spoelstra said before Sunday’s game.

The Heat also remained without guard Duncan Robinson, who on Sunday missed his fourth consecutive game due to the recurrence of the back issue that previously had him out five games before he returned for five games.

Robinson had been upgraded to questionable prior to Sunday’s change in status.

Of Rozier and Robinson, Spoelstra said, “It’s been good for both of them. Both those guys, their bodies will let us know. They’re making progress. I know how bad both want to be out here right now. But we’ll just continue to treat them.”

Roster copacetic

The Heat did not make any additional moves by Sunday’s final NBA personnel deadline.

That will have the same 15-player standard roster in place for the postseason.

That, in turn, made Sunday the final day of eligibility for two-way players Cole Swider, Jamal Cain and Alondes Williams. Players on two-way contracts are ineligible for the postseason.

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Swider, Cain and Wiliams will become restricted free agents this summer if the Heat exercise qualifying offers. All three are on expiring contracts.

That leaves the Heat with a playoff roster of Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro,  Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love, Caleb Martin, Patty Mills, Duncan Robinson, Orlando Robinson, Delon Wright, Rozier and Josh Richardson, who is out following season-ending shoulder surgery.

The long road

Spoelstra was asked before Sunday’s game whether his team’s path from Game 1 to Sunday’s Game 82 had prepared his team for the postseason.

“The playoffs will let us know,” he said. “But we’ve certainly experienced a lot together, that’s for sure. It’s been an eventful season and many different things have happened.

“But I think as long as your team approaches all those experiences the right way, you’re gaining something from it and developing some collective grit and toughness. And all of that, it definitely can be a benefit. And we’ll find out.”

Veteran experience

Spoelstra also spoke pregame of roster continuity and having the presence of playoff-tested veterans on his postseason roster.

“I think, in general, our overall experience is high, and that’s one of the positives with this group,” he said, “We have a lot of corporate knowledge of how we want to play and we’ve had a lot of playoff games together, with our core guys.

“Those guys have been in a lot of playoff moments, home and away, that tends to matter in this league. It doesn’t guarantee anything, obviously. But you can turn to that when you have a lot of moving parts during the regular season, you know that the core group has been together for a long time.”

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB (Associated Press)

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel early Sunday marked a change in approach for Tehran, which had relied on proxies across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. All eyes are now on whether Israel chooses to take further military action, while Washington seeks diplomatic measures instead to ease regional tensions.

Iran says the attack was in response to an airstrike widely blamed on Israel that destroyed what Iran says were consular offices in Syria and killed two generals with its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard earlier this month.

Israel said almost all the over 300 drones and missiles launched overnight by Iran were shot down by its anti-missile defense system, backed by the U.S. and Britain. The sole reported casualty was a wounded girl in southern Israel, and a missile struck an Israeli airbase, causing light damage.

Still, the chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard called the operation successful.

Iran has managed to strike a balance between retaliating publicly for the strike in Damascus and avoiding provoking further Israeli military action leading to a much wider conflict, said Mona Yacoubian, vice president of the Middle East and North Africa center at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

“Both (Iran and Israel) are able at this point to claim victory and step down off the precipice, particularly since there were no Israeli civilians killed,” Yacoubian said.

The world was still waiting, however, for the result of an Israeli War Cabinet meeting on Sunday. Israeli hard-liners have pushed for a response, but others have suggested restraint, saying Israel should focus on strengthening budding ties with Arab partners.

“We will build a regional coalition and collect the price from Iran, in the way and at the time that suits us,” said Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet.

Analysts say Iran sent a message that it would be willing to escalate and change its rules of engagement in its shadow war with Israel.

“It’s a warning shot, saying that if Israel breaks the rules, there are consequences,” said Magnus Ranstorp, strategic adviser at the Swedish Defense University.

Iran’s attack has further stoked fears of the war in Gaza causing regional havoc.

But Iran maintains that it does not seek all-out war across the region. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Iran has “no intention of continuing defensive operations” at this point unless it is attacked.

Iran stressed that it targeted Israeli facilities involved in the Damascus attack, not civilians or “economic areas.”

After Israel began its offensive in Gaza against Hamas, Iran-backed groups were involved militarily while Tehran sat on the sidelines. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fired rockets into northern Israel. Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked Western ships on the Red Sea. An umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias attacked U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria.

Now, Tehran is “willing to up the ante” without relying on proxies, said the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, Maha Yahya.

Still, Iran only went so far.

“They gave enough warning that this was coming, and I think they knew that they (the drones and missiles) would be brought down before they reached Israeli territory,” Yahya said.

She also noted that the recent mounting pressure on Israel over its conduct in Gaza has now shifted to deescalating regional tensions instead.

Israel taking further military action does not seem popular among its allies including the United States, said Eldad Shavit, who heads the Israel-U.S. Research Program at Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told NBC that President Joe Biden does not want an escalation in the regional conflict or a “wider war” with Iran, and is “working on the diplomatic side of this personally.”

Urgent meetings of the G7 — the informal gathering of industrialized countries that includes the United States, United Kingdom, and France — and the U.N. Security Council were being held Sunday.

G7 meeting participants in a statement unanimously condemned Iran’s attack, saying “we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives.”

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Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Amir Vahdat in Tehran and Thomas Adamson in Paris contributed to this report.

GAINESVILLE — Sam Alexis of Apopka will transfer to Florida from Chattanooga as third-year coach Todd Golden begins to rebuild the Gators’ roster following a 24-12 season.

Joe Tipton of On3.com first reported Alexis’ plans on the heels of a breakthrough sophomore season with the Mocs. A 6-foot-9, 225-pound power forward, Alexis averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds, shot 55% and blocked 70 shots to earn a spot on the Southern Conference All-Defense team in 2023-24.

Alexis will arrive with two seasons of eligibility and the opportunity to make an immediate impact as Golden pushes to replace veteran Tyrese Samuel, a Seton Hall transfer who averaged 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds while recording 11 doubles-doubles — second most in the SEC — during his final season of eligibility.

Apopka player Sam Alexis (with ball) shoots against Windermere High at an Apopka High School varsity basketball game Jan. 25, 2022. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Sophomore Aleks Szymczyk, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward, also will transfer, according to Jacob Rudner of 247 Sports. The native of Frankfurt, Germany broke his foot during the offseason after he averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds and 7.8 minutes in 14 appearances in 2022-23.

Meanwhile, 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten faces a long recovery period after he sustained a compound fracture of his lower left leg against Auburn March 17 during the opening minutes of the SEC Tournament title game.

Golden also must replace Cal-Riverside transfer point guard Zyon Pullin, who set a single-season school record with a 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Riley Kugel, a former Dr. Phillips standout who transferred to Kansas after a disappointing sophomore season.

Leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. announced he’ll explore his NBA options but has until June 16 to decide whether to remain eligible for the draft — scheduled for 10 days later.

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. transferred from St. Johns in 2023 to join the Gators, who finished 24-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior from Lake Wales led the team with a 17.6 scoring average, the most since Anthony Roberson averaged 17.9 in 2003-04, and closed with season-high 33 points during a 102-100 loss to Colorado on March 22 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Gators reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021 after Golden added nine players last offseason.

Shooting guard Isaiah Brown of Orlando Christian Prep committed to the  Golden’s 2024 class. The 6-foot-5 Brown, helped lead his team to a state runner-up finish in 2023-24.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com