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Opponents of immigration reform legislation are keeping their fingers crossed tonight… as the state legislature nears the end of session without a bill to crack down on illegal aliens.

At the start of the session 60 days ago an immigration reform bill seemed certain, but after weeks of protests from immigrants and their supporters… the immigration looks dead. Maria Rodriquez has spent the last three months organizing opponents of the bill. She’s not ready to celebrate just yet, but says the hundreds of people who begged lawmakers to change their positions have had an impact.

“It’s been a valiant effort from people who have to struggle with so much. The most humble hardworking people who come with callused hands to touch callused hearts,” said Rodriquez.

The victory won’t be solidified until lawmakers adjourn later tonight… but it’s unlikely legislative leaders will bring it up. And while the immigrants are celebrating the Tea Party is upset. Some organizers sent letters to GOP leaders say lawmakers failed to follow through with their promise of immigration reform, and they’ll pay at the polls.

The Florida Senate is sending a strong message to welfare recipients. Senators passed legislation today requiring Floridians receiving cash assistance to pass four drug tests a year to continue receiving benefits. As Whitney Ray tells us, the bill passed over objections from Democrats who say it’s not fair to only test welfare recipients.

100-thousand of the state’s poorest people are under suspicion of drug use. They’re the people in the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Thursday the State Senate voted to drug test them.

The bill’s sponsor says testing the recipients will make sure tax dollars aren’t spent on drugs… and keep kids away from drug abuse.

“This is also geared toward the wellbeing of children,” said State Senator Steve Oelrich.

But there’s no proof the people receiving cash assistance use more drugs than other group. So opponents of the bill suggested drug testing everyone who receives state money.

“It’s trying to say in effect that all welfare recipients are drug dealers and that’s not true,” said Senator Gary Siplin.

The plan failed. The legislation calls for four drug tests a year… at a cost of about 25 dollars a test. The original bill forced the welfare recipients to pay for their tests, but it was amendment to allow reimbursements for people who pass the test.

But people who failed wouldn’t just be out 25 dollars. They’d also be forced out of the program and if they couldn’t find someone to accept the money for their kids the state could take them away.

Governor Rick Scott says the bill protects taxpayer money.

“They’re paying the bill and they are often drug screened for their jobs. On top of that it’s good for families. It creates another reason why people will think again about using drugs,” said Scott.

Opponents of the bill say even if Scott signs the legislation into law, the battle won’t end there they expect lawsuits. Scott says he will sign the bill. The testing will begin July first.

The Governor, Lieutenant. Governor and legislative leaders are asking God for guidance.

They joined the faithful at the state capitol today to pray for the state at a worship service in honor of the National Day of Prayer. Governor Rick Scott says his Christian faith began at an early age.

“I learned to lean on Jesus Christ as a child thanks to my mothers lessons. Since those lessons of my youth, I rely on prayer in good times and when facing challenges. I’m proud and grateful we live in a country that defends our right to live and worship as we choose,” said Scott.

Scott and Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll prayed in front of a crowed of about a hundred. The Senate President and the leader of the Black Legislative Caucus also prayed for the crowd.

Governor Rick Scott is being asked to send a message to students who wear their pants low.

The House and the Senate voted to send Scott a bill that punishes kids who wear baggy pants to school. The bills sponsor Senator Gary Siplin says he got the idea for the legislation from people in his district who told him what baggy pants means behind bars.

“In prison if you are available for the night you will show your underwear to let another prisoner know you are available for sex that night, and that was very unappealing to my constituents.”

Siplin originally wanted people caught with their pants down to be charged with a felony. The legislation headed to the governor sets up a system of disciplinary actions for schools to enforce that would force kids with baggy pants to be banned from extra curricular activities.

After impassioned debate, the state senate voted to require pregnant women seeking abortions to pay for an ultrasound, while minor females seeking to avoid getting their parents permission for an abortion will have to do so closer to home. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the next decision is up to Governor Rick Scott.

As the national day of prayer was being celebrated in the Capitol Courtyard, an emotional debate in the Florida Senate was unfolding on changes to parental notification laws.

“Just because a young person has problems at home, is no excuse to allow them to be taken all across the state to have major surgery,” Sen. Alan Hayes (R-Umatilla County) said.

Lawmakers are saying that the court granting the abortion must be close to the woman’s home. Opponents say the change will hurt young women.

“This serves as an obstacle, hurdle to young women,” Sen. Arthenia Joyner (D-Tampa) said.

Next the discussion turned to requiring a woman to pay for an ultrasound before having an abortion.

“It’s giving them more information,” Sen. Thad Altman (R-Brevard County) said.

As the debate continued, Senator Evelyn Lynn had had enough.

“I came up here this year, not to tell you what to do with your bodies,” Sen. Lynn said. “I came up here to help put food on their table. I came up here to get jobs.”

But Sponsor Rhonda Storms countered that decisions on life and death matters are exactly why lawmakers are meeting.

“Every vote that you take is a value that you have made,” Storms said.

Both bills went to the Governor.

There’s little doubt Governor Rick Scott will sign the abortion legislation.

The ultrasound legislation takes effect in July and changes to parental notification will take place in October.

Although the ultrasound legislation requires a woman to pay for the procedure, she is not required to view the pictures. Under the parental consent legislation, parental permissions must be in writing and notarized.

The House is poised to pass major property insurance reform legislation that would allow insurance companies to raise rates without state approval, decrease credits awarded to policyholders who strengthen their homes and deny some sinkhole coverage claims. But as Whitney Ray tells us, economists, business groups and environmentalists say even more reform is needed.

The state is in the insurance business, but instead of backing safe inland homes. Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance mostly takes on costal homes.

Citizens has 1.3 million properties and just half a billion dollars to pay claims.

Opponents say that’s not enough money because if a major storm hit a large Florida city… the state would owe Citizen’s customers 10s of billions of dollars… and if the state doesn’t have the money… all property owners would have to pay more through higher assessments on their home and auto insurance.”

By some accounts, each family would owe 14-thousand dollars and would have 30 years to pay it out.

A group of businessmen, economists and environmentalist are asking lawmakers to force Citizens to raise rates and drop customers. They want rates to increase more than 20 percent a year, and million dollar homes to be dropped. They also want members Citizens Board of Governors to step down.

“We are going to write a letter to the Senate President, the House Speaker and Governor. We’re going to ask that they ask all of their appointees to resign and give all of them an opportunity to put the right people there,” said Barney Bishop, Association Industries of Florida President.

In this case the right people are those not willing to take no more risk than they can afford.

Environmentalists say beefing up Citizens will discourage people from developing along the coast and damaging sensitive ecosystems.

“This is one way that uses market forces to strictly say if you don’t subsidize people they will not build in places where they shouldn’t build,” said Jay Liles with Florida Wildlife Federation.

Most of the changes proposed by the group are in legislation this year, the group is asking lawmakers to act quickly before the scheduled end of session Friday night.

Florida TaxWatch, a government watchdog group, is among the organizations supporting changes to Citizens. The nonprofit will release a study later this month outlining Florida’s risk.

The Florida House voted to repeal red light cameras on Monday… but the Senate refuses to take up the bill. The Senate Sponsor Rene Garcia isn’t going down without a fight. He’s working with chamber leaders to find a way to get his bill heard. The hang up is the price tag on removing the devices.

“I’m being cautiously optimistic. I’m working with the senate president, but really my big hang up is with (Senator) J.D. Alexander because of the 70-million dollar impact to the state,” said Garcia.

Meanwhile the House isn’t waiting on the Senate. They loaded up a Senate bill with provisions that would make it harder for cities and counties to install red light cameras. There are just two days left in the legislative session.

Dozens of immigration protestors were ordered out of the state Capitol today after they broke into song when legislation they dislike cleared the state Senate. Even with the passage of a watered-down version in the Senate, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the legislation’s future is very uncertain in the House.

With little explanation,

“Requires statewide career centers to use e-verify,” Sen. J.D. Alexander (R-Lakeland) said.

and absolutely no debate, controversial immigration legislation cleared the Senate.

Protestors broke into song.

When they would not be quiet, the Sergeant at Arms ordered them removed from the building.

“Take them out of the building. We’ve asked them not to,” Sergeant at Arms Donald Severance said.

As uniformed police escorted protestors onto elevators, Daniel Barajas told us getting kicked out of the capitol was a small price to pay for what lies ahead.

“They’re kicking the people out of the state. What’s worse than that?” Barajas said. “You can kick us out of the Capitol, it doesn’t matter. But you’re going to kick everybody out of the state?”

Outside the protestors consoled each other.

The removal raised thorny legal issues. Organizer Maria Rodriguez says protestors wanted to go back inside to try and keep the legislation from coming up in the state house.

“Whether it be through these walls or inside, we want to make sure that they know that this is a costly, non-solution,” Rodriguez said.

Because the immigration protestors are not an identifiable group and they change everyday, they will be allowed back inside the Capitol, but they will not be allowed anywhere near the state Senate chambers.

While immigrant coalition members lobby the House, time and procedure are on their side. The legislature goes home Friday night.

The legislation is considered “Arizona-light” but it would still require someone stopped for a traffic offense to prove they were an American citizen or in the country legally.

First time home buyers would get a huge tax break, businesses would know their property taxes could not go up more than five percent a year, and everyone else who owns a home would not see their taxes go up when the value of their homes goes down under a plan state lawmakers sent to voters today. The ideas are part of a constitutional amendment voters will see in November 2012. Sponsor Mike Fasano says passage will create jobs.

“Maybe the small businessman and woman, who were reluctant to go into business, will know that there is a cap and they will know that their taxes aren’t going to triple and force them out of business, even after their first or second year,” Fasano said.

A similar plan would have been voted upon in 2010, but it was removed from the ballot because it was misleading.

After weeks of pressure from Hispanics, the Florida Senate is watering down its immigration reform legislation. Original plans called for police to check the legal status of suspicious characters, and for businesses to use the e-verify program to prove their employees were legal. As Whitney Ray tells us, the bill has been weakened but opponents still aren’t satisfied.

For seven weeks and now for seven consecutive session days immigrants and their supporters have been asking lawmakers to stop immigration reform.

A rally in week two of the legislative session brought farm workers to the state capitol. Shortly before Easter, children of immigrant families prayed outside committee rooms.

Tuesday ROTC students marched in front of the State Senate to tell lawmakers the bill could keep them from serving in the US military. 17-year Oscar Guillen dreams of being a Marine. His family brought him here from El Salvador seven years ago.

“My dream is to defend this country even though I was not born here,” said Guillen.

Ralph Wilson is painting signs for the protestors. The message of the day… the bill will hurt tourism.

“What we are trying to do is be adaptive so today the message is more economic,” said Wilson.

Their efforts are beginning to produce fruit as the Hispanic Caucus is now unified against the legislation and the Senate’s bill is being watered down. The legislation began as an Arizona copy cat… where law enforcement officers would be allowed to question suspicious characters about their legal status. It became Arizona-lite where only people under investigation would be questioned. It’s changing again.

State Senator Rene Garcia says concerns over racial profiling are at the center of the changes.

“The issue of racial profiling that could potentially happen has real concern in the caucus and with myself,” said Garcia.

The House still has to vote on the bill but they’ve yet to schedule a debate. The bill, as amended, would now ask law enforcement to make a reasonable effort to verify the legal status of people in police custody. It would also ask Florida’s 24 workforce boards to use e-verify to check the status of jobseekers seeking help at the workforce centers.

Legislation to keep teens from being charged with sex crimes for sending nude pictures to each other unanimously passed the State Senate today.

The House passed the bill last week. The sexting bill comes in response to reports of Florida teens having to register as sex offenders after being caught with nude pictures of their friends on their phones and computers. State Senator Ronda Storms voted for the bill and asked members to warn their children about taking compromising photos.

“We have had incidents where children, teenagers and preteens have committed suicide because of what has happened to them with this so I just really encourage members and members of the audience and the general public to have the conversation with your children,” said Storms.

The bill now goes to Governor Rick Scott.

After weeks of telling the Governor there was no money for the corporate tax breaks he wanted, state legislative leaders have blinked and will decrease the number of corporations who are paying taxes. The compromise gives Scott only a small percentage of the break he wanted, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, many are saying this is the wrong time to help corporations.

Florida passed the corporate income tax in 1971 after then-Governor Reubin Askew bought a work shirt in Georgia, with a six percent tax, and paid the exact same thing for an identical shirt in Florida, which had no corporate tax at all.

“It didn’t make sense for us to not have it,” Askew said.

From the beginning day of the legislative session, Governor Rick Scott has insisted on tax cuts for corporations.

Scott proposed cutting the rate from 5.5 to 3 percent. Lawmakers have steadfastly said the state couldn’t afford any tax cut. Until now.

For weeks Rick Scott has said he was unwilling to compromise when it came to tax cuts and lawmakers finally took him at his word.

Lawmakers have agreed to raise the number of small companies not paying the tax. That will cost the state about 30 million. Scott is claiming victory.

“First of, it will immediately impact almost half of the businesses in the state,” Scott said. “On top of that, it sends the message to businesses in all these other states that we’re clearly open for business.”

But unions, who will be paying more for their pensions, say it’s wrong for working Floridians to finance the tax cuts.

“So it is literally taking money from teachers and firefighters and giving it to the corporations that have already done superbly well,” Rich Templin, with the Florida AFL-CIO, said.

And when asked if the deal included a promise not to line-item veto some pet legislative projects, Scott responded, “I don’t think that’s in my best interests.”

Scott’s original proposal would have cost the state over 400 million the first year. He calls the 30 million dollar cut a good first step.

Yesterday, the Florida House passed a bill to put an end to all red light cameras in Florida knowing the Senate would not take the bill up. Today the House amended a Senate bill to prohibit people who make a right turn on red from being ticketed because of a red light camera. Sponsor Richard Corcoran of Port Richey says it was a strategic move to try and get something from the Senate.

“Well, what I think a lot of people raised about, what they don’t like at all about red light cameras, even if they support red light cameras, is ticketing people if they turn right on red.” Corcoran said. “That wasn’t what they believed the bill was for. So all we’ve said is that from now on you can’t ticket right on reds.”

The legislation also says that no city or county can install a red light without first having a study of the intersection to determine whether the camera will make the intersection safer or not.

America’s Public Enemy Number One is dead and Florida’s leaders are celebrating. But they’re also reflecting on the security changes brought on by the September 11th attacks. As Whitney Ray tells us, even though Osama bin Laden is dead the changes brought on after September 11th, 2001 are here to stay.

Hours after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, Florida’s state capitol was shut down. The president’s brother Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor at the time. There were concerns about his safety.

“Clearly if there was a target in the state it would be the capitol,” said Bush on that day.

Florida’s current governor Rick Scott was on a business trip in New York that day.

“I heard some crash, but I didn’t know anything was going on,” said Scott.

10 years after the worst terrorist attack in US history, Scott and millions more are celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden, the man who took credit for the 9/11 attacks.

“People I worked with had friends that died. Friends of my kids has parents who died,” said Scott.

US Senator Bill Nelson shares Scott’s sentiment.

“It’s been incredible, the intelligents operation gathering information,” said Nelson.

President Barack Obama was praised on the Senate floor Monday, for bringing down bin Laden.

“I also want to applaud our Commander in Chief Barack Obama. Job well done,” said Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Obama picked up where former President George Bush left off, fueling the war on terror and searching for bin Laden. The Patriot Act is still in effect and security screening at airports have been intensified.

But the attacks not only changed national security, they changed state security as well. These barriers were paid for by the Department of Homeland Security to keep terrorists from driving up to the capitol and inside metal detectors and police officers have been added.

But even in death, bin Laden continues to spread fear. The US is on alert from the state department to watch out for terrorists mourning their lost leader. Governor Rick Scott says local and state law enforcement officers are on heightened alert just in case bin Laden’s death motivates terrorism.

One House Democrat says the pension plan goes too far because it collects more money than needed and gives the excess back to taxpayers in the form of property tax cuts. Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda held a news conference today to call on budget negotiators to nix plans to have state employees contributing to their retirement plans. She was joined by firefighters, state workers and economists. Karen Woodall, the director of the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, says the legislature’s pension plan will hurt millions of Floridians.

“We are asking teachers, firefighters, police, state employees, we are asking the medically needy, we are asking children through the tax cuts in education over and over again to share the pain,” said Woodall.

Rehwinkel Vasilinda and the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy are asking state lawmakers to close corporate tax loopholes to fill the gap. They say if just some of the loopholes were closed, money could be raised to keep state workers from contributing to their pensions.