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Tired of trying to prove the oil spill hurt their businesses and worried about their financial future, Florida retailers are asking BP to sponsor seven sales tax holidays. As Whitney Ray tells, The Florida Retail Federation says if the oil giant doesn’t do something, tourism will suffer again this summer.

BP’s oil killed birds, poisoned fish, and knocked many of Florida’s tourism businesses into the red. Laurie Olshefski’s panhandle clothing and jewelry stores are among the businesses still reeling from a half a billion dollar drop off in economic activity.

“We saw decreases on our sales in our most busiest months at 30 percent,” said Olshefski.

Laurie, joined the Florida Retail Federation and Florida TaxWatch in a plea to BP… to sponsor seven sales tax holidays… to help fix the economic damage caused by the oil giant’s mistakes.

“It would bring people from all over to shop. It’s better to give tax free shopping than give a 50 percent discount. Don’t ask me why, it’s just the way it is,” said Rick McAllister.

Panhandle businesses make most of their profits during the summer. But this summer the oil spill kept the tourists away, even though very little oil landed on Florida’s beaches. Florida TaxWatch, a nonpartisan government research group, says eliminating the sales tax will slowly start to bring them back.

“As it goes through the economy it’s going to help kick start the entire economy, bring things up and we think it could actually decrease future claims that people have,” said Kurt Wenner.

If BP agrees to the plan, the sales tax holidays would be hosted one weekend every month from May until September. TaxWatch estimate the cost at 25 million. The way it would work is the state, cities and counties would wave the tax and BP would reimburse the government. No word yet from BP on the companies thoughts on the plan.

A group of children’s advocates are asking the governor-elect and legislative leaders to put more money into Florida’s kids.

This summer the Children’s Movement of Florida sponsored 17 Milk Parties to find out the most pressing issues facing children. The group has five recommendations for state leaders ranging from health coverage for all Florida kids to mentoring programs. Children’s Movement President David Lawrence says children without health insurance die at twice the rate of children with coverage.

“These children do not frequently get preventative care. Often do not receive treatments they need when they are sick. And when they finally enter a hospital, get this, they are twice as likely to die as other children. Wow how could you have this great of country and that sort of thing happening,” said Lawrence

Florida TaxWatch, a nonpartisan research group, says to improve the education and health of the state’s youth would cost 300 million dollars. They say the upfront cost would pay for its self in decrease costs to criminal justice, drug abuse, and Medicaid.

A day after a miraculous showdown at a Bay County School Board meeting where only the gun man was killed, talks of increased security for all Florida school boards is underway. President of the Florida School Board Association Wayne Blanton says boards will need more security to prevent copycats and angry citizens taking out their frustrations on the elected officials. The Bay County Superintendent who literally dodged a bullet yesterday says he doesn’t want to see an over reaction to yesterdays shooting.

State Inspectors are conducting random inspections to make sure pet stores are selling healthy dogs and cats. Last year the sting operations uncovered four Florida stores in violation of the state’s pet lemon law. As Whitney Ray tells us, people buying pets this holiday season should ask the seller for the animal’s paperwork and vaccination sheet.

Hopeful eyes and wagging tails greeted Eleanor Rogers Tuesday, as she shopped for a new pet. As Eleanor played with the puppies, inspectors from the Florida Department and Agriculture and Consumer services combed through the vaccination records of each dog and cat in the store.

Florida’s pet lemon law requires sellers to provide the buyers documented proof of a dog or cat’s medical history. The documents must be updated by a veterinarian every 30 days.

“The seller keeps a copy for one year after sell. The veterinarian is supposed to keep a copy for one year after his exam, and the purchaser gets the original copy,” said Dr. Sam Lamb, with he department.

Puppies and kittens must be at least eight weeks old before they can be sold, of the 275 pet store inspections conducted by the state last year, only four stores were in violation.

But be wary bird lovers, because the state’s pet lemon law only applies to dogs and cats. But no matter what animal peeks your interest this holiday season, pet store owner Carol Hoover of Carol’s Critters has some advice before you give a pet as a gift.

“You definitely need not to surprise someone with sort of thing. It needs to be a well though out choice that ya’ll make together as a family,” said Hoover.

And if anyone buys a cat or dog that gets sick or dies within two weeks, in Florida, they’re entitled to a refund and a reimbursement of medical bills. To report a violation of the state’s pet lemon law call 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435-7352) or (850) 410-0900.

Florida retailers are asking BP to sponsor seven sales tax holidays to make up for the damage caused by the company’s oil spill. The Florida Retailers Federation, along with Florida TaxWatch, estimate the spill cost the state half a billion dollars in economic activity. The state lost out on 15 million dollars in sales tax collection. Laurie Olshefski (Ole-Chef-Ski), a panhandle gift shop owner, says her profits tanked.

“When the oil spill hit and the scare, people stopped coming. They canceled their reservations. They went to places where they were guaranteed to have a great vacation with their family, because family time is very important and they didn’t want to take a risk with not having a guarantee on their vacation,” said Olshefski.

President of the Florida Retail Federation Rick McAllister says stores owners don’t want a handout. They want their employees to be able to work.

“What we are looking for are incentives for people to return to the area to shop. We are asking for marketing dollars in those drive markets, you know the Atlanta, the Montgomery, the Birmingham, the Memphis areas, where most of the people come from that fly in for long weekends and weeks. There are driving markets in there that are very critical to us. We need those people coming back in for day trips, weekend trips, and day long stays,” said McAllister.

The federation estimates it will cost around 25 million dollars to sponsor the sales tax holidays.

There’s a hard freeze warning tonight for North and Central Florida and a freeze warning in South Florida. The governor has issued a state of emergency to help save orange and sugar crops. As Whitney Ray tells us, the weather has already caused millions of dollars in damage to vegetation and claimed the lives of several manatees.

Bill Osborne and a group of nature enthusiasts bundled up and headed outdoors Monday.

“I love being out in this type of weather and seeing the wildlife, because this is when you really get to see what really is here,” said Bill.

Bill watched manatees at Wakulla Springs fighting for their lives. The mammals hang by the headspring, where the water is warmer.

And rub their bodies together to fight off cold stress. So far this year the weather has claimed the lives of 600 manatees.

“It’s been a really bad year and now of course we are worried about it because it’s cold once again,” said Kipp Frohlich, with FWC.

Elsewhere in the state, farmers rush to harvest crops before temperatures in the low 20s claim them. Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency, allowing truck drivers to break weight restrictions to speed up the harvest.

“Whoever has product that can come out of the ground they are harvesting; they are getting the products to the destination and hopefully mitigating the damage,”
And at home it’s a good idea to cover your plants with a sheet or blanket, and it’s also a good idea to let the family pet sleep inside for a few nights.

Temperatures in some parts of the state are expected to break records. The national weather service is issuing a freeze warning for the entire state, and a hard freeze warning for north and central Florida. The staff at the state Emergency Operations Center is monitoring the weather and ready to activate if an emergency arises.

Despite a record high number of deaths in 2010, manatees are making a comeback in Florida. They’re also wintering farther and farther north. Today at Wakulla Springs State Park, 15 manatees could be seen from the edge of the water. The Florida Green Guide Association was on hand to videotape the mammals as they huddled near the spring head and each other to keep warm. Association member Kathie Mackie has never been so close to so many sea cows.

“It was really cool seeing them close up because as long as I’ve been association with the green guide program I don’t think I have ever got to see such a birdseye view of what I got to see today. They were actually that close. You could almost touch them.”

The Green Guide Association is a group of more than a hundred nature enthusiasts dedicated to teaching others about the environment and preserving the state’s natural beauty.

A ruling by a federal judge in Virginia today could have an impact of Florida’s challenge to the new health care laws. The judge called part of the new health care law unconstitutional. He says the constitution won’t allow the government to mandate its citizens buy health insurance. The mandate is part of a further reaching lawsuit filed by Florida’s attorney general and 20 other states attorneys general. Joe Jacquot, the Attorney General’s Chief of Staff, says what happened in Virginia bodes well for Florida’s suit.

“The judge in Pensacola is reading the briefs, reading the order of the judge in Virginia and visa versa. I’m sure the Virginia judge was looking at our Pensacola judge’s order as well on our motion to dismiss, but he will judge independently. He will look at our case which is both on the individual mandate and also on the Medicaid claim, which is a significant difference in the Virginia case,” said Jacquot.

Oral arguments in Florida’s case are scheduled for 9AM Central Time in Pensacola on Thursday. The hearing is expected to last two and a half hours.

The University of Florida took steps today to change the way students pay for their education. UF is moving to block tuition, charging students by the semester instead of the credit hour. As Whitney Ray tells us, block tuition will provide an incentive for students to graduate sooner, and for the first time, public universities statewide have the option to adopt the system.

Friday morning, FSU Sophomore Kenneth Grubba strolled to his last final exam of the semester. Kenneth has yet to pick a major. He’s taking 12 hours a semester.

“I am an exploratory scientist; trying to figure it out,” said Grubba.

Twelve hours is the minimum number of credits needed to be a fulltime student. The recommended class load is 15. Kenneth is confident he will graduate in the traditional four years, once he decides on a major.

“Yes I am on a four year plan, hopefully. Find something to do; economics maybe,” said Grubba.

But with four year graduation rates falling, the Florida University System’s Board of Governors is allowing the state’s 11 public schools to up the ante. A plan called block tuition would require every full time student to pay for 15 hours.

Supporters of the plan say block tuition would provide the financial incentive needed to encourage students to graduate on time. The plan would actually save Kay Brinkworth money. Kay is a senior. She has taken 15 hours or more most of her semesters at FSU.

“It would safe a lot of money, especially if you are paying out of pocket,” said Brinkworth.

So far, the University of Florida is the only state school moving toward block tuition. UF trustees gave the plan approval Friday, but postponed the start date until 2012.

The average cost of one credit hour at a state university is 165 dollars, which means every hour a student takes over the 15 paid for in block tuition, there’s a direct savings of 165 dollars.

There’s a crisis tonight facing the beloved Florida manatee. The cold weather is being blamed for nearly doubling the average number of deaths per year. From January through December 5th, nearly 700 manatees died in Florida waterways. The current cold spell is expected to claim more lives. Kipp Frohlich with Florida Fish and Wildlife’s Imperiled Species Management Section says the manatees are making a slow comeback, but not fast enough to account for the high rate of death.

“It’s not due just because there are twice as many manatees. They’ve been growing, but they’ve been growing slowly. So this has been a bad year and now of course we are worried because it’s cold once again, unusually cold,” said Kipp.

Manatees swim upstream to get near the warmer head springs when the temperature drops. Wildlife experts are asking boaters to keep a safe distance from sea cows, so they don’t scare them out of the warmer water.

Rock icon and Doors lead singer Jim Morrison was pardoned today by the Florida Executive Clemency Board. Morrison was convicted of exposing himself and being profane during a 1969 concert in Miami. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the pardon was not without controversy.

There are no pictures of Morrison exposing himself at this 1969 concert in Miami. Ed Moore was 17 when he attended the concert. He says he saw nothing but a drunk on stage who wasn’t worth the money.

“Jim Morrison shows up hammered, totally hammered,” Moore said. “He was so inebriated he didn’t know where he was. It was just really a bad concert.”

In offering the pardon, Governor Charlie Crist pointed out that since Morrison died while the case was on appeal, the law at the time would have allowed the family to have the case thrown out.

“At the time of Morrison’s death, a convicted defendant who died before the appeal was heard, was entitled to have the conviction dismissed so that he was again presumed innocent,” Crist said.

The pardon was not without controversy.

Opposition came from a retired Miami police officer who was here to protest the pardon. He was not at the concert or even on the force at the time, but he did bring a letter from the arresting officer.

“Eventually his drug use killed him in a Paris bar bathroom from a heroine overdose,” Officer Angel Lago said. “This is the wrong message to send our youth.”

In the end, the other three members of the Clemency board made it clear they weren’t retrying the case and that their’s was a vote of mercy.

Forty years after the arrest, the pardon was approved unanimously.

Morrison was one of more than a handful of pardons granted today. Others included a sex offender and a drug addict.

Florida Freedom Fighters beaten and jailed in St. Augustine during the civil rights movement now have clean records. About a dozen black and white civil rights activists who were arrested for protesting segregation were at the capitol today asking to have their records expunged. As Whitney Ray tells us, one of the civil rights activists arrested during the 1963-64 race riots was Dr. Martin Luther King.

June 25th, 1964. Civil rights activists marched on St. Augustine Beach in an attempt to shine a light on the injustice of segregation. A news reel stored by the Florida memory project captures the moment. Purcell Conway was there that day. He was 15.

“Besides being beaten and nearly killed trying to integrate a beach, I guess that’s about it. Arrested a number of times,” said Conway.

For two years in St. Augustine, hundreds of freedom fighter were beaten, shot at and arrested during protests and sit-ins. 66 year old Barbara James was poked with a cattle prod. She was 21 at the time.

“I was grown so I knew what I was doing. I knew what I was fighting for. I want better for my kids and my grandkids,” said James.

Thursday at the state capitol, about a dozen of the St. Augustine freedom fighters were honored for their bravery. Governor Charlie Crist and the state Clemency Board ordered the arrest records of the civil rights activists expunged. Barbara is thankful to have a clean record, but she says the fight isn’t over.

“We still not getting treated like we should. It’s not over,” said James.

Many of the freedom fighters arrested during the St. Augustine Riots have died; among them Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King and the other deceased will also have their records cleared. King was arrested and jailed in St. Augustine on June 11th, 1964. 15 Jewish Rabbis traveled to St. Augustine to pray for King. They too were arrested.

Panhandle businesses are still reeling from the BP oil spill and they’re asking Floridians to help them recover.

The Florida League of Cities is launching a statewide advertising campaign… asking Floridians to take a mini-vacation along the Emerald Coast. The 30 and 60 second ads feature three panhandle mayors. Destin Mayor Sam Seevers is one of them. Seevers says the commercial will help spread the message that the Gulf Coast is open for business.

“It’s over and we need to put a nail in the coffin on some of the myths that have been happening. Our beaches are beautiful, our water is clear, it’s safe to eat the seafood and we really really encourage you guys, the Floridians, to come up to our area and understand why we are one of the top beach destinations in Florida and in the United States,” said Seevers.

One indicator of travel is the bed-tax charged on hotel stays. In July the bed-tax in Florida fell 21 percent compared to a year ago. The commercials will begin running this month through May 2011.

Rock icon Jim Morrison would have turned 67 today had he survived. The Doors lead singer died at age 27 in 1971. He is expected to be pardoned for two misdemeanor crimes by the Clemency Board in Tallahassee tomorrow.

Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Jim Morrison the 47th best singer of all time in 2008. Ironic, in that his father wrote in 1970 that he told Jim not to go into music because he had no talent

Morrison was arrested and convicted in Miami in 1969 of indecent exposure and open profanity, both misdemeanors.

No pictures exist from the Dinner Key Auditorium to prove the allegations.

Three of the four members of the Executive Clemency board must approve the pardon. Governor Charlie Crist will initiate the offer.

“If you truly believe that an injustice has been done, how would you be able to stand by and look yourself in the mirror and try to address it and correct it,” Crist said. “We have a duty, to a degree, to try to right a wrong.”

Charles Bronson has been in the yes column since the pardon surfaced. CFO Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum have been question marks.

But on Wednesday, and what would have been Morrison’s 67th birthday, Sink confirmed she would be the third and deciding vote for granting the pardon.

“I reviewed the file, I’ve been listening to the music this afternoon on the web, while I was doing my work and I’m inclined to do it,” Sink said.

Only Bill McCollum has not tipped his hand. His office says he will make his decision at the Thursday morning hearing.

The news is going from bad to worse in Tallahassee, where lawmakers just found out the two billion dollar budget deficit could swell to 3.5 billion. As Whitney Ray tells us, tough choices will have to be made to fill the gap.

Roads, schools, and police protection: just a few of the services your tax dollars buy. But unemployment, foreclosures and the BP oil spill have slowed tax collection. Now state lawmakers are left with some tough decisions.

“There’s going to be some tough choices to make as fare as reforms of certain services that are being done right now,” said Rep. Erik Fresen.

The target is on state employees and Medicaid. There is a push by Republican leaders to privatize parts of the entitlement program that eats up one in three and a half tax dollars. Governor-Elect Rick Scott wants to cut 5-thousand state jobs.

Florida TaxWatch has it’s own list of ways to save. The nonpartisan government watchdog has released a list of 125 cost savings ideas, estimated to save billions.

“We are really looking at multibillions of dollars that Florida is going to need and this reports going to help the legislature and new governor get there,” said Robert Weissert with Florida TaxWatch.

TaxWatch is working closely with lawmakers to push their plan. The burden falls heaviest on Republicans who have a supermajority in the House and Senate.

Even though they are outnumbered, Democrats are optimistic they can have an impact on the budget process. House Democrat Alan Williams is extending an olive branch across the aisle.

“We can work together. There are things that we all want to accomplish to make this state better,” said Representative Williams.

Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda wants make it easier to collect taxes already owed, but not collected on online purchases.

“There are other ways for getting revenue that are fare that we need to be looking at and it’s not just cuts,” said Rep. Rehwinkel Vasilinda.

While tough decisions will have to be made, legislative leaders say tax increases are off the table. There has also been talk of cutting a billion dollars from the Department of Corrections. The Florida Police Benevolent Association says a cut that drastic could result in an even more dangerous work environment for correctional officers.