Best Elementary Schools, UCF Data Breach, Animal Abuse

Patch operates 23 daily news sites in Florida. The following are some of the top headlines from the past week from around the state:

Tampa Ranked 4th Best Place For Weddings

Tampa is the place to be if it’s time to say those wedding vows. In fact, the city was named the fourth best place in the nation to get married, according to WalletHub.

Watch: Woman Pulls Cop Over For Speeding

A Miami Dade Police officer with an alleged need for speed found the tables turned on him recently when a fellow motorist pulled him over for driving too fast.

Hillsborough Considers Animal Abuse Registry

People who are convicted of animal abuse in Hillsborough County may soon find their names on a registry accessible to the general public, much like those convicted of sexually related crimes. Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 5-1 Wednesday to have an ordinance drafted that would require convicted animal abusers and those convicted of animal neglect to sign up for a registry.

UCF Data Breach: 63,000 Social Security Numbers Swiped

The University of Central Florida announced a data breach Thursday that involves the Social Security numbers of an estimated 63,000 current and former students and employees. “UCF discovered the unauthorized access in January,” John Hitt, president, said in a statement. “University officials reported the incident to law enforcement and launched an internal investigation with the assistance of a national digital forensics firms.”

Florida 2016 Best Public Schools Named

When it comes to state test scores, student-teacher ratios and other important factors that help define quality, some schools simply perform better than others. To identify those who do public education right, the website Niche.com looked at such factors as student diversity, teacher quality, test scores and classroom size to develop rankings for public elementary schools across the country and state.

Bay Area Renaissance Festival Opens

Lords, ladies, knights and peasants have taken up residence once again at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival’s grounds at MOSI. The doors to the multi-weekend event officially opened this Saturday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m.

Convicted Cop Killer Wants Death Sentence Overturned

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that deemed Florida’s death penalty sentencing process unconstitutional has opened the door for a new appeal from convicted cop killer Donate Morris.

Restaurant Inspections: Roach On Ceiling, Bad Handwashing

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered emergency closures at six Tampa Bay area eateries last week when conditions inside didn’t meet guidelines for health and safety. Roach activity, dirty conditions and unsafe food temperatures were among the biggest reasons behind the temporary closings.

Bill Aims To Allow Use Of Military Force To Block ‘Invaders’

Florida Gov. Rick Scott would be able to call for the use of military force to block some refugees from entering the Sunshine State if a bill being kicked around in the House goes the distance.