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State officials received a reprieve from a Federal Appellate court just hours before they were to begin re-writing the states rules for clemency after a lower Federal judge declared the system unconstitutional. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, organizers behind a felons rights amendment on the November ballot are happy to see the court suit on hold.

The appeals court decision sites the 14th amendment, which specifically says the right to vote can not be abridged or denied “except for participation in rebellion, or other crime.  Renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump says the court overlooked the obvious.

“The fact the one out of five black men in the state of Florida can not vote” says Crump.

The last minute order effectively leaves the clemency process intact.

“Has he ever threatened you?” Asked Governor Rick Scott at one Clemency meeting.

At least until November, when voters could decide to restore voting rights to anyone who has completed their sentence. 

The organizers behind the felons rights amendment, Amendment Four, are pleased there’s not going to be a court battle, while they’re pushing the campaign.

A spokesperson told us they worried a competing court suit would confuse voters.

Clemency expert Mark Schlakman disagrees. 

“The opinion raises awareness about what’s in play in Florida today. Many people are unaware” says Schlakman.

The court ’s opinion did leave open the possibility of finding the state’s process discriminatory. One way or the other, Democratic Gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum says the policy has to change.

“If I’ve got the ability to be Governor of the State of Florida, we’re going to do it through executive order. However, I think the most sustainable solution is a constitutional amendment” says Gillum. 

Felons rights will likely be more of an issue in the GOP Gubernatorial primary that in the Democratic primary. 

It is unlikely the federal appellate court will hear the states appeal until after the November election, which means voters will have spoken on the felons rights amendment and elected a new Governor and Cabinet.

The Pro Life Susan B. Anthony List staged a protest in front of US Senator Bill Nelson’s office in the State Capitol. Some two dozen, mostly women protestors, held signs decrying Nelson’s support of Planned parenthood funding. Jill Stanek, the National Campaign Chair for the organization said because of Nelson’s votes, the US is one of only seven nations that allow later term abortions in some cases.

“It puts us in the same camp as China and North Korea. Senator Nelson wants us to stay in this campaign. His shameful extremism has no place in Florida, or in Washington, and we will defeat him on elections day, right? Stanek told the crowd.

In a statement, Nelson says “While I am personally opposed to abortion and believe it should be rare, I support a women’s right to make decisions about her health with her doctor, without interference from the government.”

The rally was held in front of a Federal Courthouse where judges have overruled several state attempts to restrict abortions in Florida. 

Florida’s Governor and Cabinet will hold a rare meeting later tonight sitting as the Executive Clemency Board. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the meeting comes just hours before the Board faces a Thursday deadline set by a Federal Court Judge.

On March 28th, Federal Judge Mark Walker Declared Florida’s Clemency process unconstitutional because if left too much up to the Governor and Board members. 

“I move to grant restoration of civil rights” Scott said in one case. He has the ultimate say, because without his vote, no one gets their rights back.

Desmond Meade, the organizer behind a November rights restoration ballot question has previously told us the process takes far too long. 

“And once they apply, what we’ve seen is a processing time upwards of ten years.”

The Judge set April 26 as the deadline for the Board to submit a new plan. 

A week later, the state appealed, asking a higher Federal court to stay the order. 

The Clemency Board has virtually nothing in the weeks since it asked a higher Federal Court to stay the judge’s order. Now they risk being in contempt.

The Board set a meeting for 9:30 Wednesday night. Now Veteran clemency watcher Mark Schlakman says the Board is scrambling.

“It suggests they didn’t take the court seriously” Schlakman told us Wednesday.

Asked about the meeting Wednesday morning in Tampa , Governor Rick Scott had only this to say: “Well, we’ll be reviewing that tonight. We’ll be reviewing exactly what the courts have decided and we’ll make a decision on how we go forward.”

Under the plan the current Governor and Cabinet adopted in 2011, about 5 thousand former felons got their rights back…that compared to more than 155 thousand who were processed by the previous administration in half the time.

Tonights meeting, unless it is cancelled because the Federal Court issues a stay before it starts, will be held via phone. The public is invited to speak to an empty Dias in the State Capitol.

As two Gilchrist Sheriff’s Deputies were laid to rest after being ambushed at lunch last week, Mike Vasilinda tells us, training for future law enforcement officers continued as scheduled at the largest law enforcement academy in the Southeast.

Flags were at half staff in honor of the slain deputies at the Florida Public Safety Institute 25 miles west of the State Capitol

But at the academy, it was training as usual.

This defensive tactics class teaches officers to gain compliance from suspects

using pressure points of pain.

The fact two officers were laid to rest as they trained was not lost on the class.

Jonathan McCall is a Tallahassee Police Recruit. “It makes you reflect on the…on the seriousness of the job, but that’s where we come in here and get the training that we did” he told us.

Many recruits like Jonathan have military backgrounds. They know the pay is low, the danger high. Still, they want to serve.

“I just finished a 25 year career in the military and so I wanted to serve in a different capacity at my community level” recruit Alexander Perea told us.

Recruits here will spend anywhere from eight hundred to a thousand hours learning their trade.

The Highway Patrol trains recruits for seven months here. Together, 60 state and federal agencies train at the 1500 acre academy.

Florida Public Safety Institute Director E.E. Eunice says “We replicate the real world as much as possible.”

By the time these cadets leave, they will have the skills to be a cop. Whether they have the temperament to withstand the dangers is something they will find out on their own once they’re on the street. 

Over the course of their seven month training, the Highway Patrol will spend about 7500 dollars per recruit feeding and housing new hires. Recruits themselves earn just over 3100 dollars a month while in training. 

Two Gilchrist sheriff’s deputies, gunned down as they ate lunch last week will be laid to rest tomorrow. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the deaths, along with two more deputies fired upon this weekend, has law enforcement on edge.

In Collier county, a deputy responding to an alarm early Monday morning was shot at as he arrived on scene. A suspect is in custody.

In Marion County, a deputy trying to clear a gathering crowd at two am Saturday took cover behind his squad car as shots rang out. Marion County Sheriff Bobby Woods posted pictures of the car on Facebook and wrote: enough is enough…all my people are on edge.

Police Benevolent Association executive Director Matt Puckett says the same is true across Florida and the nation.

“It’s certainly dangerous other there right now. It seems more dangerous.”

Q:”Is this hurting recruiting?”

“Yes. That a big problem on why we are not filling the ranks right now. The danger and the lack of manpower.”

The Florida Highway Patrol has seen a thousand troopers leave since 2010.

“The academy was a tough one, but I made it through” chimes a newly minted trooper in an FHP recruitment video.

The PBA says a second disturbing trend is emerging. People quitting training before they finish.

“They are just making a conscious choice to say, even though I’m near the end, I’m done. I’m not going to complete this” says Executive Director Puckett.

Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell grew up in a law enforcement family. He says threats aren’t new, but the violence is concerning.

“We need to recognize that killing somebody because of who they are or what they do is totally anti-American” Campbell told us.

The FHP did not respond to A request about hiring and their vacancy rate. 

The Patrol also declined to make recruits at its training academy available.