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Judges on the state’s five district appeals courts as well as the State Supreme Court would be limited to two, six year terms under legislation approved by a State House Committee.  As Mike Vasilinda tells us, some on the panel say there is an underlying motive for the proposal.

No one has railed more loudly against the State Supreme Court’s intervention in the Congressional redistricting case than Polk County Rep. John Wood.

Nat Sot: “It is a power grab” Wood said on the House floor back in August as the Congressional map was debated.

Now Wood is leading the charge to limit terms for Supreme and Appellate Court judges.

“Term limits will enhance the proper role of the judiciary in our constitutional government” is how Wood described his legisltion to a House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice.

The Florida Bar hasn’t taken a position on the idea of limiting judges to two, six year terms…at least not yet…but it did show up to at the committee provide information.

“Term limits is going to significantly increase the turnover of judges on Florida’s Appellate courts” Warren Husband told the committee.

St. Petersburg Rep. Dwight Dudley…himself a lawyer…questioned the motives behind the legislation.

“This is a shot across the bow of our judges. It’s the wrong thing, the wrong message to be sending” says Dudley.

But Wood defends the idea, says it would not apply to sitting judges, and says it isn’t payback for previous court rulings.

“The role of the judiciary is to interpret the constitution and our statutes and I think that we need people who say that’s what I believe in” Wood told reporters.

No other state imposes term limits on appellate judges. Three stats have tried it. It failed each time.

To get on the ballot, the legislation would need to clear the House and Senate by a three fifth’s margin…then 60 percent of voters would have to agree to put the limits in the Constitution.

The three state that voted and turned down term limits for appellate judges are Mississippi, Nevada, and Colorado.

One of the top polling GOP presidential hopefuls made his way to Florida’s capital Monday. Our Matt Galka was at Ben Carson’s book tour event in Tallahassee, and asked him about some of the bigger issues facing the state, including expanding marijuana access.

The line wrapped around nearly every aisle, and went outside of Tallahassee’s Books a Million store.  Everyone was waiting to catch a glimpse of Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson.  Deborah McQueen got to the store at 7 a.m. to get the first spot in line.

“I think he’s such a humble man, he’s such a brilliant man, that I think it’s important that we have that type of a person as a leader,” she said.

The GOP front runner arrived to a loud ovation from the large crowd. Carson’s team says more than a thousand people showed up for the signing.

We asked Carson about what’s expected to be a huge issue in Florida for 2016 – increasing access to marijuana.

“Medical marijuana when it’s done in the proper way and the proper form can be very beneficial, particularly with patients with seizure disorders,” he said.

But that’s as far as the retired neurosurgeon would go.  He said “no” to the idea of recreational use.

“Many studies have demonstrated that persistent regular use of marijuana by the developing brain can result in significant decreases in IQ. We already have enough people with low IQ’s, we don’t need to be generating more,” said Carson.

Florida has already legalized a yet-to-be-available medical marijuana for seizure patients.  There is more state legislation planned for expanding the drug, as well as a ballot amendment for full blown medical marijuana that barely failed in 2014.

Carson goes to Central Florida for the next two days before ending his tour in South Florida on Thursday.

Last week, FAMU President Elmira Mangum survived two votes by the University trustees to fire her. Today, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the President spoke with reporters for the first time since the failed voted.

No questions were off limits, but video was not allowed as FAMU President Elmira Mangum met with about a dozen reporters. Mangum said she was caught off guard by the move to end her Presidency..

“I was shocked, surprised, disappointed. All of that, but not deterred” she told reporters.

The showdown last week brought several hundred students to the Capitol in protest…Mangum called it:

“gratifying.

The initial grounds for dismissing her were questions about a newly constructed garage at the Presidents home and a new eleven thousand dollar front door. The President says she authorized neither.

“The garage was built. I didn’t commission a garage. It’s a university facility.”

The University System Board of Governors, which oversees and literally overlooks the FAMU campus has sent a message that if the Board and President can’t resolve their differences, they’ll solve the problem.”

In a weekend op-ed, Univeristy Governor Alan Levin said patience is thin at the Board of Governors, adding that everyone should be embarrassed by the showdown.

Pressed for a reaction, Mangum said she did not believe University leadership had become dysfunctional. “I don’t thinks it’s failed. I will say that. I don’t think our leadership has failed, and I think that was the words and term used. I think we are in the process of negotiating how we come to solutions of out differing points of view on how we move FAMU forward” she says

The board overseeing all universities meets later this week in south Florida.

The Board Chair seeking Mangum’s dismissal stepped down after the failed votes, but he remains a Trustee until January, when six of the 11 positions are up for reappointment.

The Florida House committee charged with redrawing 40 state senate districts passed a plan at the state Capitol vastly different than the plan passed by the Senate last week. The plan incorporates some of the changes sought by a bi-partisan group that originally challenged the districts on grounds they were drawn to protect incumbents. House Redistricting Chairman Jose Oliva of Miami says the changes result in a better map.

“One of the deficiencies that it has is that Senators didn’t have time to incorporate andy of the plaintiffs concerns into it because they didn’t receive it in time. And so I wanted to have that opportunity because I believe the Senate would have had that opportunity. It would have taken some of those into consideration. So I think that adding some of what the plaintiffs have done, provides a better map overall.”

In August, the House and Senate couldn’t agree on a congressional map, so now the courts will decide. Lawmakers have until Friday to agree on a Senate map or the courts will draw that as well.