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Commissioner of Agriculture and GOP candidate for Governor Adam Putnam is under fire tonight after an employee overlooked disqualifying information for more than 300 concealed weapons applicants and issued permits to them anyway. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, even with the permits, another background check would have kept the person from getting a gun.

Information on people buying a gun in Florida is run through three databases. Gun dealer Mark Folmar says a concealed carry permit does eliminate a waiting period, but not background checks.

“They would have to pass a criminal background check before we could give than a gun, even if they had a concealed weapons permit” says Folmar.

For more than a year and employee at the Department of Agriculture overlooked disqualifying information. New background checks were run on 365 people. 291 were disqualified and had their permits revoked.

“The person responsible was fired, and the Department says safeguards are in place.”

The NRA sent out a weekend alert, explaining the problem to its membership.

“One point eight million license holders had doubt cast upon them, and we needed to clear the record” says former NRA President Marion Hammer.

In a rare Saturday news conference, Putnam said the original story was wrong.

“The headlines and the stories that say there were no background checks for a year is inaccurate and misleading.”

But Mom’s Demand Action Spokesperson Kate Kile says the problem is an agency too eager to push permits out the door.

“What we believe is that there should be an abundance of caution, and we should look through every piece of information that’s relevant” says Kile.

Following the Parkland shooting, Putnam dropped plans to expedite concealed carry permits when background checks were inconclusive.

Two Democratic State Senators, one who represents Orlando where the  Pulse night club shooting took place, and the other Parkland, today called for an investigation into the permit mishap.  In recent years, the state has lowered the cost of a concealed carry permit and made it easier for people to apply by allowing local tax collectors to handle the paperwork.

A circuit court judge has once again told the state to make medical marijuana available to patients in a smokeable form, and this time, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, she set a deadline for Monday of next week.

30 year ALS survivor Cathy Jordan told the court that smoking marijuana is the only reason she haas survived after being told she had three to five years to live.

“It just makes my live a lot more bearable” 

A second patient, Diana Dobson, testified smokable marijuana was twice as effective as other delivery methods.

“I have used all forms of Cannabis” she said under oath.

Circuit Judge Karen Geivers said both women would face irreparable harm if her order allowing smokeable medical marijuana remained on hold.

Jeff Sharkey of the Medical Marijuana Business Association says the judge put patients first.

“If your doctor says this is what works for you and you have a significant medical condition like cancer, like ALS, you should be able to do that if it helps.”

Attorney John Morgan, who filed the suit on behalf of the two women, has been relentless in his calling for the Governor to drop his appeal. Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum is making the same ask.

Sot: Andrew Gillum

“He’s dragging his feet and preventing badly needed health care from getting to people who need it most in the form that they choose it” says Gillum. 

The judge gave the state until Monday, June 11th to come up with a plan to make smokeable marijuana available to patients.”

Unless the Governor decides to drop the case, the next likely step for the state to seek a stay of the newest ruling, just as it did with the original order.

In court, the state told the judge it would take sixty days or more to develop rules for dispensing  smokeable medical marijuana…and it argued it would likely take suppliers at least that long to bring the product to market.

A fifth candidate has entered the Democratic Primary for Governor, and like our current Governor, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, he has the personal resources to finance the campaign himself. 

Palm Beach Billionaire Jeff Green became an official candidate Monday. But unlike most campaigns…Green has been stealth. No announcement, no statements, yet.

“Good afternoon. This is my wife” he said as he introduced himself in 2010.

Green ran in and lost the Democratic Primary for the US Senate in 2010.

“I’m a jobs creator. An outsider who’s not taking any special interest money. My whole life I worked in the private sector, created thousands of jobs. I understand how to get results” Greene told reporters on the eve of the primary.

Greene made a fortune betting on the housing collapse. As unemployment soared, It made him an easy target. The entire Democratic establishment was against him.

A campaign ad from a group called “Florida’s not for Sale” took him to task.

“He made hundreds of millions on Wall Street, betting we couldn’t pay our mortgages, profiting on suffering.”

Jon Ausman advised Greene in 2010.

“He actually carried the majority of the counties.  Thirty four out of sixty seven in Florida. He got killed in the larger counties.”

Rick Scott spent more than 70 million of his own money to get to the Governor’s Office. With three billion in the bank , Greene had said if he became a candidate, he’d spend what ever it takes. Now he’s a candidate.

Rick Scott spent more than 70 million of his own money to get here. With more than three billion in the bank Green said before becoming a candidate he would spend whatever necessary if he got in the race. Now he is. 

Ausman said he was hard to get to know.

Q:“What was he like one one one?”

“It’s hard for him to go one one one, frankly, he’s shy.”

And his fortune makes him an instant contender in what so far has been a lackluster race.

In 2010, Green was criticized for celebrity parties on his 135 foot yacht. He has since established a school in Palm Beach County and has pledged to donate his wealth to charity after his death.

The legality of medical marijuana patients using smokable medicine remains in legal limbo tonight after a hearing in the State Capitol. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the state wants smokable marijuana put on hold after a judges ruling, while supporters want patients to get smokable marijuana as soon as possible.

Circuit Judge Karen Geivers ruled ten days ago that smokable medical                    marijuana was permitted by the constitution and isn’t prohibited by the law the governor signed. The decision was automatically put on hold when the state appealed.

“All rise”

Monday, lawyers were back in court arguing the stay should be lifted and smokable marijuana should be available as quickly as possible.

Jon Mills is the Amendment 2 author. “There is a high prevalence in the state of Florida and risk to those with debilitating medical conditions who are denied access.”             

The state pushed back, with Senior Assistant attorney General Karen Brodeen arguing allowing smokable pot would send the wrong message.

“People will read it different ways and subjectively say, now I can smoke marijuana because I have of these triggering conditions. Even though they never went to a doctor.”

And the lawyers for Amendment two say the states fear that everyone will start lighting up if the ban is lifted just isn’t reasonable.

“That could seen as blowing smoke. But you can’t…you have to have a certification”Mills said afterward.

Attorney John Morgan who bankrolled the marijuana initiative immediately took to twitter to urge people to call the Governor.

“Smoking marijuana for medical purposes is vital for our veterans” Morgan said in a recorded video aimed at Governor Rick Scott.

And a final decision could be a year or more away if the case is appealed to the State Supreme Court. The big question. Will smoking be allowed during the appeal.”

The judge did say she would delay implementing her order for a week so that state lawyers could prepare an appeal if the judge rules against them.