Fort Lauderdale has fired back a legal response in the turf war over a tiny piece of land south of the New River, saying the tree-dotted parcel is not a park but a public thoroughfare.

The incident occurred on Monday at approximately 430 a.m. at 828 Southwest 16th Street in the city of Fort Lauderdale. The victim has been identified as Myrah Zeigler, 19, of Fort Pierce.

Ptak is part of Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Animal Crimes Unit, which launched in April 2024 and has already rescued roughly 100 animals and conducted investigations resulting in 26 ...