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More than 23,000 Floridian’s have signed petitions calling on the Legislature to spend more on public education.

The state’s largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association gathered the signatures.

FEA President Fedrick Ingram takes issue with a part of the House’s education package.

It forces counties that have passed local referendums to raise additional taxes for public schools to also share the money with charter schools.

“Stakeholders around the state have chosen to support their neighborhood public schools through local referendums, choosing to pay out of their own pockets to support our students and keep qualified educators the classrooms,” said Ingram. “The Florida House now wants take that money in yet another attempt to defund our neighborhood public schools.”

The union says it supports the Senate’s education budget over the House.

The Senate includes an additional $600 million in flexible funds that could be used for things like teacher pay raises.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers ran down the main street of the State Capitol Tuesday, carrying the torch for the 36th Special Olympics.

So far, more than $3 million was donated by Publix for this year’s games.

29-year-old Kami Downey has competed for 21 years.

“Special Olympics inspires all of us to try harder, play harder, be fit, eat healthy, have a good attitude. Cheer on our friends. And meet new people. It’s great,” said Downey.

The 2019 games will be held in the summer at the ESPN complex near Orlando.

The Florida Senate is refusing to hear legislation that would provide the age, county, and zip code of patients prescribed opioids to the Attorney Generals Office.

Attorney General Ashley Moody says she the information will shave years off a lawsuit she has filed against several pharmacies and opioid makers, and cost millions if she had to seek depositions to get the information.

Moody says she was surprised and disappointed the bill was not taken up, and blames it on misinformation.

“Privacy is not an issue,” said Moody. “I think some of the concerns voiced were that someone could identify a specify person, but the likelihood, according to our experts, of being able to link up an identification number with a patient from the information we receive is about the same as someone being struck by a meteor.”

Moody says she is working with Senators and House members to get the bill heard in the Senate.

More than 100 immigrants and immigrant advocates rallied at the state capitol Tuesday.

They’re standing in opposition to a bill that would ban sanctuary cities in the state by requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE detainer requests.

State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith says the move would have unintended consequences for asylum seekers in the state.

“There are no exemptions for asylum seekers, for example folks who have fled the Maduro regime in Venezuela who have not yet had their paperwork approved by the Trump administration. This would escalate deportation in mass in our state,” said Smith.

The Florida House is expected to give tentative approval to the bill this afternoon.

However it must first consider more than 50 amendments filed by Democrats.

Florida is one step closer to strengthening it’s texting while driving laws after the state House voted to approve legislation Tuesday afternoon.

The bill would make texting while driving a primary offense.

That means a law enforcement offer could pull someone over if they see a driver texting.

Keyna Cory with the Florida DNT TXT N DRV Coalition says unlike the House’s bill, the Senate would make using a wireless communications device in any capacity a primary offense.

However, under the hands free proposal using a cell phone with a bluetooth device would be allowed.

“The Legislature hasn’t had an appetite for this issue for a little while. So this year everybody seems like they’re on board of doing something and so now we’re down to horse trading and figure out exactly what’s going to be in the final bill,” said Cory.

Multiple attempts to strengthen the state’s texting while driving laws have died in the last minute in year’s past.

Less than two weeks are left in session for the chambers to come to an agreement.

Tobacco Free Florida is calling teen vaping an epidemic, and it’s launching a new campaign, hoping to discourage youth from using e-cigarettes.

in 2018, one in four Florida high schoolers admitted to vaping.

The staggering 58% increase among the youth, is contrasted by adult vaping rates, which have remained fairly constant around 4%.

“So this is a youth issue,” said Bureau Chief of Tobacco Free Florida, Laura Corbin.

Corbin says the same tobacco companies that marketed to teens in the past are now using the same methods to promote e-cigs today.

“Juul, the most popular brand among the youth comes in a variety of flavors,” said Corbin. “They have high amounts of nicotine. Nicotine exposure can be harmful to youth brain development.”

Beginning Monday, as part of Tobacco Free Florida week, the state Agency is launching a new digital media campaign called ‘E-Epidemic’.
Corbin says similar campaigns helped reduce smoking rates among the youth.

“Our message is simple, vaping is not safe for kids, teens or young adults,” said Corbin.

Health experts with the American Cancer Society says education is a good first step, but they’re also pushing to raise the age for purchasing vaping products from 18 to 21.

“People under 18 are still able to get tobacco products, but there are 18-year-olds in high school right? So seniors in high school can give the freshman, sophomores and juniors those tobacco products, but there aren’t a lot of 21-year-olds in high school,” said Matt Jordan with the American Cancer Society.

The Tobacco 21 Act, which would raise the age for both e-cigs and traditional tobacco products is moving quickly through the Legislature.

Jordan says there are some issues with the legislation in its current form.

The House includes preemption langue that could take away local governments ability to set restrictions on how tobacco companies can advertise in their communities.

The Senate also includes a carve out for cigars.

The bill is ready for a floor vote in the House and gets its final committee hearing in the Senate Tuesday.

To learn more about the Tobacco Free Florida campaign, visit tobaccofreeflorida.com/Eepidemic for statistics, data and information on how to quit.

Florida lawmakers are heading into the final stretch of their annual session with most major legislation unfinished.

Just 9 days remain unless overtime is needed to finish the budget and lawmakers are showing no sense of urgency as the clock is ticking.

In seven weeks, Just 26 bills have been sent to the Governor.

Most are inconsequential, but the final nine days are likely to see marathon sessions.

“The most dangerous days in all the Florida calendar, the last few weeks of the legislative session. A lot of things can happen, probably will happen very quickly in the next few weeks,” said Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Time frames for filing amendments are greatly compressed.

Committee hearings can be called in two hours.

In the 1990s, the legislation that ultimately led to Florida winning billions from tobacco companies was described as a technical change in the late hours of the final day.

There’s an old adage that no one’s life, liberty or property are safe when the legislature is in session.

That’s even more true in the final days.

This is a time when bills come back to life says author, lawyer and lobbyist, Pete Dunbar.

“A bill dealing with the lottery, where we have some advertising disclosures being required. Apparently very important to the Speaker, never heard in the Senate, but all of a sudden it has popped up and moved very quickly,” said Dunbar.

We asked State Senator Aaron Bean if he was worried about nefarious lawmaking over the final days.

“One man’s nefarious is another person’s this is the greatest thing ever, so it’s session,” said Bean.

The crush has already started.

Last week, a Senate committee passed five bills, each averaging a hundred pages, in five minutes.

Lawmakers are on pace to pass fewer bills than in any other session since the legislature began meeting every year in 1968.

Arguing that Florida is the state most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, a coalition of environmental groups calling itself Florida Clean Energy for All has sent a letter asking the Governor to take real steps to reduce greenhouse gases.

Calling Ron DeSantis the most powerful voice in Florida, they want him, “to take immediate and decisive action to accelerate the pace of Florida’s transition to a clean-energy economy.”

Susan Glickman says the state could win on two fronts if it greatly expanded solar.

“And one point we make in the letters is that about fifty billion dollars a year goes out of state, out of Florida, other places to bring in fuel from elsewhere. So if we keep those energy dollars here in the state, Not only can we avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but we can create high paying jobs here at home and keep those energy dollars working her in our local communities,” said Glickman.

The letter calls the threat to Florida agriculture and tourism “dire”.

A historic civil war era shipwreck in the St. John’s River was discovered in the late 1980’s and excavated in the 90’s.

The team that was responsible for the discovery got a chance to revisit many of the artifacts for the first time Friday, since they removed them from the mud nearly 30 years ago.

In 1865 a The Maple Leaf, a steamboat carrying supplies for the Union army hit a mine in the St. Johns river and sank into the muddy waters below.

“And the hull is in an intact U-shapped time capsule,” said Dr. Keith Holland, President of St. Johns Archeological Expeditions.

With the help of a team of divers, the wreck was discovered more than 100 years later, and researchers were able to recover more than 6,500 artifacts, mostly personal items, that were trapped inside.

“It was just literally grope and feel. Where we would reach into the mud and find an object,” said divert Larry Tipping.

The items inside were preserved almost perfectly.

“Even letters that were received and written. It’s just a human element that’s there and there’s not another site like it anywhere,” said Holland.

Now, primarily stored in this state archive in Florida’s capital city, the original team returned for the first time to visit the artifacts since they were brought up from the mud in the 1990’s.

“I think it’s important to know our history and you know, of course looking at the artifacts that were part of history really just kind of continues that,” said Tipping.

It’s believed the excavation in the 90s only scratched the surface of what remains on the ship.

The items recovered represent only 0.1% of the ship’s cargo.

The discovery of the Maple Leaf was so significant the site of the wreck is now designated as a national historical landmark.

Dr. Holland says, ensuring the wreck and its cargo are still around for future generations, is a responsibility shared by all in the state.

“And we’re going to do everything we can to educate students and people of all ages about Maple Leaf and not let her just drift back into obscurity,” said Holland.

If the site is protected properly, divers say it will keep open the possibility of future excavations to recover some of what is still buried in the mud.

While the items in the state archive are not readily accessible for viewing by the public, many of the artifacts recovered from the Maple Leaf ship wreck are loaned out to museums across the state, including the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville and the Museum of Florida History in the State’s Capital City.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday that Hurricane Michael has officially been upgraded to a Category Five storm.

NOAA found the Hurricane had average sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, exceeding the baseline for a cat five storm by three miles an hour.

State Senator Bill Montford represents counties impacted by the storm.

He hopes the announcement will help the state secure Federal relief dollars.

“Keep in mind, if I’m not mistaken there’s only been four Hurricane 5’s that’s ever hit the United States and it hit a very pristine, very unique part of our state. So again, this validates what we’ve been saying all along and hopefully this will spur Congress to do their job,” said Montford.

Senator Montford is sponsoring the State Legislature’s Hurricane relief package. He says negotiations for how much the state will be able to spend on panhandle recovery will begin next week.

A bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers is celebrating the passage of a bill that would allow victims of domestic violence to receive unemployment.

The bill was approved unanimously in the Florida House earlier this week.

It allows victims of domestic violence who are forced to leave their jobs to escape their abusers to qualify for unemployment benefits.

Jasmen Rogers-Shaw with the Miami Workers Center says the protections will help survivors escape their abusers.

“There are women who have been killed at work because of course their abusers know where they worked, and of course they knew their work schedule, and of course they would do everything they could to keep power and control at home and their survivor’s place of employment. Allowing survivors to safely leave their abuser with some shred of financial security is a game changer for millions of people in this state,” said Rogers-Shaw.

The bill is now awaiting approval from the Florida Senate.

If signed into law, Florida would join 41 other states that already have similar protections.

Hemp cultivation could be a multi-billion dollar industry in Flordia, but first lawmakers have to legalize the plant in the state.

Legislation would do just that passed its final House Committee Thursday morning and is now ready for final votes in both chambers.

“This bill will provide jobs and commerce for our state,” said House sponsor Rep. Ralph Massullo.

Massullo, a practicing doctor, says the bill aims to ensure quality and safety of the products.
“And we want people to know when they’re buying something they’re going to get what they’re basically being sold,” said Massullo.

Despite hemp products like CBD regularly being sold in the state at the current time, they’re stuck in a legal gray area.

Jeff Sharkey with the Florida Hemp Industries Association says if the bill becomes law it will allow businesses, some of which have been raided by police, to breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s legal at the Federal level, but we still have this little problem with the Florida criminal code that this bill fixes,” said Sharkey.

The Department of Agriculture will play a major role in rolling out the proposed hemp program, and Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried says they’re already preparing.

“We have so many of our farmers who are itching to get their seeds in the ground,” said Fried.

Commissioner Fried says its important to get the program up and running as soon as possible because hemp is likely to become a supplemental crop for Florida farmers, a possible saving grace for those in the panhandle who suffered heavy losses after Hurricane Michael.

“We want everybody who wants to be involved with the hemp program to have access to it so there wont be the barriers like we saw in the medical marijuana world. This is going to be an opportunity for everybody,” said Fried.

Fried says if all goes smoothly, the goal is to have the first hemp plants in the ground by the end of 2019, but adds a current part of the House’s bill that specifies the state’s program would be submitted to the USDA could delay implementation until next year.

Fried expects the language to be removed before final passage.

Lawmakers at the State Capitol are celebrating the importance of STEM and technology in the state today.

Booths showing off some of the latest and greatest in technology like flight simulators and virtual reality were displayed throughout two floors of the Capitol.

James Taylor, CEO of the Florida Technology Council says Florida is home to 27,000 tech companies, but finding Florida residents to fill open positions has been a challenge.

“And it costs a great deal of money bring someone to Texas or California or Michigan or another state and bring them here and we shouldn’t have to do that. We simply need to have STEM education be taught in a way that students can step into those jobs and I am happy to say we are headed down that path now,” said Taylor.

Keeping with the theme of technology, lawmakers today heard bills that aim to regulate driverless cars and expand Telehealth services in the state.

The Senate made a major change to its legislation that would do away with Certificates of Need in the state before passing it through its final committee stop.

Under current law hospitals that want to set up in a community have to prove there is a need not being met by existing providers.

The Senate’s proposal initially would have required new hospitals to provide charity care and have an emergency room if they had over 100 beds.

In a surprise strike all amendment the requirements were removed, but a two year grace period before certificates of need are abolished for general hospitals was added.

Senate Sponsor Gayle Harrell says it will give lawmakers time to revisit the issues.

“To allow time for transition, to allow time for market forces to work and also allow us as legislators time to look at licensure,” said Harrell.

The Senate’s bill also would delay the removal of the certificate of need requirement for specialty hospitals for five years.

The need for Hurricane Michael relief dollars brought together two of the most unlikely rivals together at the state Capitol this afternoon.

Former University of Florida Football Coach Steve Spurrier and Florida State University Assistant Football Coach Mickey Andrews joined panhandle lawmakers, calling on the state and federal Governments to pass disaster relief packages.

They say it’s an issue that crosses party lines and college loyalties.

“I think we all agree, this is something we need to do together and we can fight it out, and we can argue about late hits and all that stuff another day, but right now lets help those people in the panhandle, Bay and Gulf County,” said Spurrier.

Lawmakers highlighted the growing crisis in the panhandle, pointing to statistics that show the number of homeless children has tripled and the amount of children who have been baker acted has quadrupled since the storm hit.