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Midweek rewind: Catch up on stories making biggest headlines in Coral Springs

By Edited by Mike Garbett. Story produced with AI assistance
Check out the stories that have been making headlines this week in Coral Springs.
Check out the stories that have been making headlines this week in Coral Springs. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

A busy start to the week in Coral Springs included public safety initiatives, community tributes, a record-setting sports bet and more.

Here’s a roundup of the top stories you might have missed:

  • Mental health role: The city plans to hire a community mental health manager to connect residents with resources and conduct follow-ups on non-emergency cases, freeing up police officers. The position will be funded through opioid abatement settlement money.
  • Soccer club selected: After months of debate, a Coral Springs committee selected Springs Soccer Club to run the city’s travel soccer program, citing community ties and local growth. Officials will finalize details before a May 6 City Commission vote.
  • Family seeks kidney donor: Henry Smith, a Coral Springs father of five and former youth football coach, has battled kidney failure since 2022 and now faces multiple organ failure as his family searches for a living donor. Free testing is available through Memorial Hospital’s transplant team.
  • Bowen indictment unsealed: An indictment was unsealed charging Stephen Bowen with the murder of his wife, Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer. Prosecutors allege Bowen fatally shot her April 1 and tampered with evidence.
  • $30 turns into $2 million: A Coral Springs bettor turned a $30.11 wager into a nearly $2 million payout on a six-leg MLB home run parlay. Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook called it the longest-odds seven-figure parlay payout in its history.
  • Honoring Nancy Metayer: Coral Springs honored late Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer at its annual Earthfest celebration by planting an Eagleston Holly tree in her memory at the Sawgrass Nature Center. A plaque bearing her name carries the phrase “Be like Nancy.”
  • New Wingstop coming: A new Wingstop restaurant is expected to open at 5972 Coral Ridge Drive near Heron Bay in late September or early October. It will be the second Wingstop location in Coral Springs.
  • Old fire station reborn: After six years of planning, the city has opened a new community center at 500 Ramblewood Drive in the former Fire Station 2 building. The $3.4 million project was funded in part by American Rescue Plan Act money and the Florida Panthers Foundation.
  • Soccer contract drama: Two contenders for the city’s travel soccer program contract are locked in a legal battle involving allegations of theft and a hostile takeover attempt over league licenses.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.