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Friday marks the one year anniversary of a shooting that injured three people on the campus of Florida State University. Mike Vasilinda will be taking a look at what happened and how the university responded all week long. Tonight he speaks with President John Thrasher.

The gunman was already dead.The injured were being treated when FSU President John Thrasher got the call about one am. Just ten days on the job,  the new president  was in New York City on his first fundraising trip.

“Gosh, I was shocked. It was a heartbreaking almost surreal feeling….why, why is this happening on our campus at Florida State University” says Thrasher.

By ten in the morning, the new President was back on campus. Plans to heal were already being made, including opening Strozier Library…the scene of the shooting, the very next day.

“We try to not let that kind of thing pull the University down in away that would be a negative” he says a year later.

Thrasher credits his police chief and officers for minimizing the destruction and keeping students from being killed.

“Certainly the training the offices had. That was helpful. We know we’ve expanded that to other members of our police force.”

Safety is now a topic just about every-time John Thrasher talks to students, faculty, and staff. The FSU Shooter had been deteriorating mentally for months. Now mental health is part of the Presidents talks in safety.

“We have some places people can go for help, and get positive help. But we have to

Have some help sometimes to identify who those folks are. From Students, from roommates, from faculty” says the FSU President.

The shooting hasn’t kept people from wanting to come here to Florida State. Already, 30 thousand people have applied for six thousand slots this coming fall.

Overall, Thrasher says FSU is a safe place,

“I think we’ve healed to some extent, but we never forget” he added.

In the aftermath of the shooting, FSU has helped paralyzed from the waist down student Ronny Ahmed get an apartment on campus, a vehicle he can operate,a and

given him leeway in his attendance at the engineering school. Thrasher’s handling of the crisis earned him a raise and bonus.

An increase in officer involved shooting investigations and an increasing number of prison deaths is stretching resources at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Which as Mike Vasilinda tells us, is forcing FDLE to make hard choices.

Heroin deaths are skyrocketing in Florida. Up from 197 in 2013 to 408 last year….and eight times higher than 2010 when there were about 50 deaths.

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The increase comes as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which lost 360 people during the recession,  is being asked to investigate increasing numbers of prison deaths and officer involved shootings. FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen says the workload is stretching agents thin.

“You do have to prioritize, and I can tell you we are currently working, for example, 40 percent less drug cases than we worked five years ago” says Swearingen.

FDLE is still down more than 250 people since the recession.

The agency is asking for three point four million dollars. That will hire 26 new agents.

If approved, those agents will go to Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, where their primary roles will be to investigate prison deaths and officer shootings.

“We estimated, based on the numbers we had, that we would work about sixty of those a year. What we have found is that since January, we’ve opened about one hundred and fifty of those” says Swearingen.

The good news is that crime is at a 44 year low. But to keep it moving in the right direction: “We can prioritize, but as some point we need additional bodies.”

And that decision is up to lawmakers, who will also have to prioritize between public safety and a billion dollar tax cut sought by the Governor.

Low pay at FDLE has also resulted in more than 100 lab technicians leaving for higher paying jobs with local police agencies. FDLE is also asking lawmakers to increase their base pay, by ten thousand dollars a year, but that will still leave them making about 14 thousand below the state average.

As we honor Veteran’s around the state and around the country today, Matt Galka tells us about a panhandle location now known for its scenic views, but was once a tough training ground that would eventually help American soldiers prepare for World War II.

Wakulla Springs is a popular destination for Floridians and tourists.  It’s known today for its beauty, wildlife, and swimming spots.

It was a much different scene in 1941.  Soldiers from across the country came through and trained at Wakulla Springs which was part of Camp Gordon Johnston. Mike Horvath help’s run the camp’s museum in Carabelle, FL.

“They see the advertisements for beautiful, sunny beaches, lots of women, come down and have some fun! They get here and they’re in the North Florida swamps, but it was very valuable training for them,” he said.

Around three hundred thousand troops came through Wakulla Springs to train for the invasion of Normandy and battles in the Pacific.

Horvath and the Camp Grodon Johnston Association have dedicated themselves to recovering artifacts used by the soldiers who passed through the panhandle county.

“Some of the stuff we have is just priceless. We have letters from the sons to Mom, to the girlfriends, to their wives,” he said.

Down the road from where thousands of soldiers trained, many of the same men and women were honored along with other Florida veterans outside the state’s capital. Florida’s Veterans Foundation unveiled bricks in the Walk of Honor. A constant reminder to all about the men and women from Florida who served our country.

The bricks unveiled in the Capital Courtyard today are part of the “Walk of Honor,” an area at the state’s capital that will eventually lead to a new Veterans Monument being installed near the House Office building.

Florida criminals serving time are learning skills they can use in society with the help of some four legged friends. As Matt Galka tells us, a state program that pairs inmates with dogs is working for both groups.

You would never be able to tell now, but an energetic dog named Binkie running around Wakulla Correctional Institution was once near death.

Binkie had tested heartworm positive, but thanks to some Florida prisoners, she’s back on her paws and ready for a new home.

Binkie is part of a statewide program that pairs heartworm positive dogs with Florida prisoners. Inmates help with rehab and obedience training.  For Wakulla Correctional Inmate Bill Sands, it helps him feel free for a little while.

“It makes you feel like you’re still a part of the world, you know? That little bit of family that you lose when you come in here,” said Sands.

Five dogs graduated from Wakulla’s program Tuesday.  A new group of dogs will arrive in December. The hope is inmates use some of the skills they learn through the program on the outside.

Sergeant Jeanne Maddox runs Wakulla’s program.  She says the skills inmates learn through teaching the dogs are vital for reentry.

“They learn how to work well with others, they learn to appreciate teamwork and the value of that, they learn to appreciate what it really means to help other people,” said Sgt. Maddox.

The program has been running for four years in Wakulla.  Three of the five dogs graduating from this group have already been adopted. There are 16 similar inmate dog training programs at state prisons around Florida.

After surviving two votes to fire her in recent weeks, FAMU President Elmira Mangum told the Capitol Tiger Bay Club today she is confident of her future at the University. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the board that tried to fire her will itself face major realignment.

After surviving votes to fire her, Capitol Tiger Bay members present FAMU’s President with a helmet.

”And we hope you’ll keep your head in the game” exclaimed Mistress of Ceremonies Anita Favors Thompson.

A Whistle

“for just when you need a time out. Now try it” pushed Favors Thompson

And shoulder pads. Which brought laughter from the crowd.

Then, without mentioning her disagreements with her Board, President Elmira Mangum spent 30 minutes touting a bright future for her University, including a 38 hundred acre agricultural research facility recently transferred from the US Dept of Agriculture.

“We can help to provide solutions to our food safety and security” said FAMU’s President.

Not once did Mangum touch on her near firing and her boards refusal to give her a bonus. That task fell to retired Journalist Lucy Morgan, a Tiger Bay member.

“Do you feel more or less secure in your position as President, and why?” asked Morgan.

“Okay, I feel extremely secure, and the reason why is because I’m focused on the institution and its students” responed Mangum.

So afterwards we asked: Q;” You’re claiming victory and moving on after you beat the board?”

“I didn’t beat anybody. FAMU is moving forward. That’s all” responded Mangum.

And indeed, the President may be able to claim victory in her battle with her trustees. Six new members will be appointed in January.

Governor Rick Scott has four board appointments to the Trustees.. The Board of Governors has two.

FAMU’s President also confirmed that fundraising by the Univeristy has been hampered by the leadership clashes between the President and Board, but she suggested the troubles were just temporary.

An effort to find out how many rape kits in police custody in Florida that have not been tested is not yet complete, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the study has found almost 11 thousand untested kits sitting on shelves and the number is likely to grow.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement survey of untested rape kits is 84 percent complete. It found 10,900 kits in evidence lockers across Florida. Jennifer Dritt of the Florida Council against sexual violence says she isn’t surprised, but.

“We don like it, and most victim advocates don’t like it, but it’s really not surprising because there are a number of issues that lead to a backlog” says Dritt.

Reasons for not testing some kits include a change of heart by victims, arrests have already been made, prosecutors doubt allegations, or: “Does the jurisdiction, does the law enforcement agency prioritize sexual assault investigations?  Very often they don’t” says Dritt.

The Council Against Sexual Violence thinks every kit should be tested.

“Processing a kit can lead to removing someone from a pool of suspects, basically someone who is a suspect and should;don’t be. It can validate or verify a victims’s story.  It can link crimes to other unsolved crimes.”

Plans to our source some of the testing of the oldest rape kits ran into trouble this past week.”

Sen. Joe Negro worried the outsourced tests won’t stand up in court.

Costs remain an issue. Testing each kit costs between 750 and 900 dollars.

Q:“Do you think it will be worth the ten million or so it will cost?”

A:”Absolutely. I absolutely do.”

The complete survey is due by January first.

The Department of Law Enforcement declined to appear on camera for this story saying it wanted to wait until the survey was complete. Legislation introduced for the coming legislative session requires every new rape kit to be sent in for testing within three weeks of its receipt..and says backlogged kits need to be tested by June of 2017.

Former First Lady Rhea Chiles has died at the age of 84. Her husband, Governor Lawton Chiles died in 1998 just days before the end of his second term. Often referred to as his inner voice, Mrs Chiles was considered one of the keys to the longtime political leaders successes, advising on policy and political matters. Chiles himself credited his wife with coming up with the idea for the then unknown state senator to walk the state in what became a successful bid for the US Senate. Ron Sachs is a former aid to Governor Chiles,

“Well, the nickname “Walkin Lawton” was given to the Governor by the media.  In 1970 as a little known state senator he was running for the US Senate. They didn’t have any money to go on TV,  she suggested he walk across the state and it became the thing.  Media started to cover him. He vaulted up in the polls and obviously won three terms in the Senate as a result” says Sachs.

Mrs. Chiles is the only first lade featured in the official portrait of a Governor. She is seen in a mirror over Chiles shoulder in the painting.  is expected to be buried next to her husband next week on their property outside of Tallahassee.

The Florida Lottery and education in the state go hand in hand, with the department contributing more than 28 billion dollars to education trust funds since 1988.  As Matt Galka tells us, lawmakers think they can get that number to up with a bill that would make it easier for you to buy a ticket.

The Florida lottery is coming off a record breaking month.  More than $471 million dollars worth of tickets were sold in October.  $118 million of that goes to a state education trust fund.

A bill that cleared its first committee last week would authorize automated sales of lottery tickets. The sponsor says it’s a good way to increase revenues.

“I think the most familiar terminal you’ll see is at the gas pump,” said Sen. Garrett Richter (R-Naples).

One lawmaker said if the idea was to make money for education, why not open up the sales online.

“If you have a big prize you’ll get a lot of people from out of state,” said Sen. Gwen Margolis (D-Miami).

Margolis’ amendment was shot down under the idea that it might be seen as an expansion of gaming.

The idea for automated sales brings into play the state’s gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe under the Seminole Compact. The Compact prohibits a potential automated lottery terminal from dispensing winnings or revealing winning numbers.

“We’re going to actually take the specific language out of the Seminole contract and put it into this as definition,” said Sen. Richter.

Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) is worried that more people will be using their credit cards in hopes of a big pay day.

“I just see it as making it more accessible which I don’t think is profitable. I don’t think we need to make it more accessible. I think responsible people who want to get a lottery ticket here and there need to purchase at the gas pump, I don’t think it’s that big of deal to walk in to the store and purchase it,” she said.

The bill requires that if a person was using a credit card to buy the lottery tickets, 20 dollars in additional items, like gas or groceries, must also be purchased.

The idea for automated lottery terminals comes from a state study where it has been noted for two years in a row that ticket automation could increase revenues.

There are too many ucrimes, and not enough people coming forward to help solve them. That’s what one law maker is saying about his idea for a new witness protection bill. As Matt Galka tells us, the hope is to put an end to the “stop snitching” culture.

Florida is plagued with unsolved murders from the panhandle to the keys.

“We know people have seen things but they’re afraid to come forward,” said Rep. Ed Narain (D-Tampa).

Narain hopes his bill stops that.  He’s proposed a bill that would keep witnesses names and addresses exempt if they cooperate with police. He hopes it ends the “stop snitching” movement that prevents people from coming forward after a crime.

“That culture is keeping a lot of good people from coming out and talking to the police about things they may have seen, so the goal of this bill is to really try and stop that from happening,” he said.

Law enforcement in Narain’s home of Tampa urged the public to help just last week in four unsolved shooting deaths.  Ed Harris, Sr.’s  son was gunned down in May.

“I wake up every day with the sound of the gunshots and the car speeding off, knowing that tho

se individuals are still out there,” he said.

State attorneys say the lack of cooperation make cases difficult if they ever get to court.

“It makes it sometimes practically impossible, I think it happens sometimes because people are in fear of some type of retaliation if they testify,” said Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Willie Meggs.

Meggs thinks the proposal is good, but not flawless. Defense attorneys will be able to do whatever they want with the witness information once they get it. And the sponsor admits public records advocates won’t like it.

Information for witnesses would be available after trial if the bill were to take effect. The bill doesn’t have a Senate companion yet and has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.

Increasing amounts of threats against first responders around the country and here in Florida are causing lawmakers to act. As Matt Galka tells us, lawmakers want to make sure they’re protecting first responders in case tragedy strikes.

Nearly one year ago, Leon County deputy Chris Smith was ambushed by a man who had anti-government belifs.  A fire was intentionally set in order to lure first responders, and Smith was killed.

Now lawmakers are using Smith’s story and many others as an example as to why new protections are needed for first responders.  Rep. Elizabeth Porter (R-Lake City) filed a bill that would make it a hate crime to target an officer.

“Sometimes it’s just unfortunately a demented way to get attention.  But before they conduct these attacks, these ambushes, that they plan to or comes on them at the spur of the moment, I want them to have to think twice about what they’re going to do,” said Rep. Porter.

A separate piece of legislation would make it a crime to threaten a first responder on social media.

“If you make a credible threat against people like first responders and others, you should be liable for your threat,” said Rep. Jimmie Smith (R-Inverness).

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco cited a social media post of a man holding a rifle saying he was going to shoot up the town as a need for new legislation.

“These people with social media are going online, they’re stating ‘I’m going to shoot up a school,’ really from law enforcement’s perspective, all we have is a misdemeanor,” said Nocco.

The postings would be redefined as ‘terroristic threats’ under a new legislative proposal.  Anyone convicted could face penalties such as paying for the emergency response to the threat.

The third bill in the trio of first responder legislation unveiled Thursday would increase the monthly benefits a surviving spouse receives if their loved one is killed in the line of duty.

Who should pay the sales tax when you order Flowers online for delivery in another state…the buyer, the recipient, or no one? That’s a question the state Supreme Court is wrestling with tonight, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us the decision could have implications for all internet transactions.

When the first sales taxes started appearing in the 1930’s…Florists pushed lawmakers to decide who should pay. Legislatures settled on the Florist who sells the flowers…but now an online retailer is taking the question to the state Supreme Court. Attorney Michael Sloan represents the Florist.

“The flowers at issue never enter Florida. They’re not grown in Florida. They’re not stored in Florida. And they’re not delivered in Florida” Sloan told Justices.

“But the interest they say is not the flowers, it’s the sale” Asked Justice Ricky Polston.

A trial court sided with the state saying the tax is due when the flowers are sold. An appeals court ruled the law unconstitutional. The State Department of Revenue, through Assistant Attorney General Allen Winsor, says to collect the tax any time but when they are ordered would not make sense.

“Everything this business does, it does in Florida. Every transaction it participates in, it does in Florida” says Winsor.

What the online retailer was arguing is that whomever gets the flowers should pay the tax. That’s exactly opposite of what happens today. The state told justices if they buy the florists argument, who pays the sales taxes could get complicated.

“If you say we’ll put the burden on the recipient, now all of a sudden, then grandmother has to go pay tax on the flowers she just received.. There’s plenty of policy reasons to do it this way” said Winsor.

Justices were animated, asking dozens of questions.

Through all those questions, none appear to be buying the florists arguments. We tried to talk with the Florists attorney afterward, but he wouldn’t stop to talk.

“You don’t think it went well, I take it?” we asked. The response: “I have no comment.”

At state for the online retailer is more than a hundred thousand in back taxes. A ruling for the florist, though, could send the state tax code into chaos.

The court could rule at any time, although it generally takes at least several months to issue ruling.

Two Florida 14 year olds who went missing after taking a family boat on the water sparked a massive search but were never recovered. As Matt Galka tells us, one of the boy’s fathers is hoping a new bill proposal will prevent it from happening in the future.

Blu Stephanos says his son Austin loved the water.

“He learned how to swim at a very young age, and uh it’s the way of life for a lot of kids who are fortunate enough to be out there and enjoy it in Florida,” said Stephanos.

14 year olds Austin Stephanos and friend Perry Cohen took their boat from Jupiter Inlet in late July and never returned.  A massive search ensued, but only their capsized boat was found.

The terrible accident has now sparked legislation aimed at increasing boater safety.

“While we can’t undo what happened, Blu and other supporters have chosen to take this very tragic event and find something redemptive,” said Sen. Joe Negron (R-Stuart).

Any Florida boater who purchases an emergency location device would be eligible for up to 25% off their boater registration fees. The devices can cost anywhere from $250 to $2,000 dollars.

“Your cell phone won’t work out there…the only thing that’s going to work is one of these devices. And in that time it’s more of the rescue, not the searching, and for that, can you put a price on it,” said Stephanos.

The tragedy has also sparked separate legislation that would raise the minimum age for operating a boat. Stephanos isn’t backing the proposal that would raise the age limit to 16.

“My son was 14 years and old and could drive a boat better than the majority of people out there,” he said.

There are more than 850,000 registered boats in the state that could be eligible for a discount.

The bill calls for a $5,000,000 dollar appropriation from the budget and the bill sponsor’s say they intend to make it an annual reduction.

One of the arguments for allowing concealed carry permit holders to carry on college campuses is that campuses are not save. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, required reports show arrests for 28 illegal weapons on Florida campuses last year.

Concealed carry supporters told lawmakers the idea of campuses as a safe haven is a myth. FSU Student Shayna Lopez-Rivas says she knows first hand.

“Opposition has pushed in the past that campus are safe, but as someone who was brutally attacked and raped at knifepoint, I saying I don’t feel that way” Lopez-Rivas told lawmakers.

Reports show there were 28 arrests or referrals for illegal weapons on the 12 state universities last year. 61 over the last three years.

“It’s simply about our safety”

One by one opponents of concealed campus carry said they were worried about safety, but no one crystalized the thought better than FSU Senior Daniela Fernandez.

“Students will be less inclined to debate to learn if guns are allowed on campus.”

Q:So you are afraid that discussions get heated and someone pulls out a gun?”

“Yeah.”

On the other side, military veteran and now USF student Joshua Knezinek brought his wife and two children to the hearing. He told lawmakers he wants to go home at night.

“It is after hours. I do have a drive. I want to be able to have my weapon on campus, on myself. That way I can defend myself. That way in the event something happens, I get to go home to my family”  says Knezinek.

Sponsor Greg Stube reiterated that concealed carry permit holders seldom commit crimes. “Permit holders are convicted of misdemeanors and felonies at rates less than a sixth of the rate that police officers are.”

Guns currently aren’t allowed in here, in legislative meetings, but the bills sponsor also want to change that.

The legislation is expected to easily clear the House again this year, but it appears to be stuck in the same Senate Committee that refused to take up campus carry earlier this year.

A House committee spent more than an hour this morning questioning publishers and educators what they are doing to hold down the cost of college text books. Publishers said digital and web only apps have dropped overall costs to students by as much as 20 percent, but University of Florida Provost Joe Glover said students could save as much as half on books if lawmakers let Universities require students to buy books and make them part of their fees.

“If we can actually require all students to purchase a text book in a course, then in fact we have an assured volume of sales. And at that point you can go to a text book company and on the basis of an assured volume of sales, you can negotiate substantial discounts. Often times in the order of 40, 50, or 60 percent off the normal price” says the Provost.

Glover said UF had negotiated several good textbook deals for students but was told by the state that he had no legal authority to require students to buy books. Lawmakers encouraged him to help write language to change the law.

Two controversial gun bills moving through Florida’s legislative process have ruffled the feathers of some police officers around the state. As Matt Galka tells us, law enforcement officers turned legislators are speaking out.

Florida could be getting a lot more gun friendly.  Two bills, one allowing concealed carry permitters to openly carry, and another allowing those same license holders to pack heat on college campuses, have been making waves throughout the Capitol.

But a group of Democrats and police officers aren’t happy. Four former law enforcement officers who are now state legislators say both bills will create a dangerous situation for residents.

“We’d be in a situation where a student on one of our universities or colleges could literally walk down the center of that campus with a gun in their hand and it would be perfectly lawful,” said Rep. Dave Kerner (D-Lake Worth).

“As a cop, would you want to go to a scene, where you have a suspect who had a gun shooting, and you have 30 or 40 other people with a gun on their hip,” added Alachua Democrat Clovis Watson.

The bill’s supporters say that opposition is based on ‘what-if’ scenarios.

St. Petersburg Democrat Dwight Dudley says there’s no outcry for college students to carry weapons.

“We keep promoting and fostering the gunshine state instead of the sunshine state, people come here for the sunshine not the gunshine,” said Rep. Dudley.

The bills also have stiff opposition from the Florida Fraternal Order of Police.

“Hours and hours of training and weapons retention that the public doesn’t have, I think it just puts guns in the wrong hands,” said FOP President Jim Preston.

Both the open carry bill and and guns on campus bill have already cleared some early committees.

The guns on campus bill will be heard in its second House committee Wednesday morning at 8 am.