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Interest in growing hemp in the state is high following legislation legalizing the plant.

Floridians will get a say in the future of the hemp industry through participation in a series of workshops scheduled in June.

Hemp is expected to be a multi-billion dollar industry in Florida.

The Governor is expected to sign this year’s hemp bill into law.

When he does, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried will be tasked with filling in the blanks in the legislation.

“Having a licensing structure for growing, and the manufacturing side and different requirements. What are we actually going to ask for the testing standards to look like,” said Fried.

The Department of Agriculture’s Cannabis Director Holly Bell said she’s been fielding questions on a daily basis from people eager to break into the industry.

“They want to know how soon they can get a permit to grow, what it’s gonna cost, how they need to qualify, will there be a limited number of permits,” said Bell.

However, until the department completes its rule making process, many of those questions can’t be answered just yet.

The Commissioner and Cannabis Director will tour the state in late June, asking the public what they want Florida’s hemp industry to look like.

There will be three opportunities for public comment, June 20th near Miami, June 21st in Tampa and June 24th in Tallahassee.

“We’re making history here, and we want to make sure the citizens of our state are right there by our side, giving input, suggestions, ideas of things to cover in the rules,” said Fried.

Fried said the goal is to get rules in place as quickly as possible, in hopes of getting the first crops in the ground by 2020.

“This is why we’re having as open of a transparent conversation now. So we hear everybody’s opinions, we get everybody’s advice and suggestions so that we have a smooth rule making process,” said Fried.

Fried said the Department has also been in close contact with other states that have already established hemp programs to help guide the rule making process.

An investigation is underway into a fire at a prominent Catholic Cathedral in the state’s capital city.

Multiple chairs in the church caught fire Wednesday afternoon and were quickly doused by firefighters.

The State Fire Marshal said the fire appears to have been intentionally started.

“I am saddened to hear of an apparently intentional fire set at the St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral in Tallahassee yesterday. My arson detectives responded immediately to assist local authorities in determining the cause. Arson is a costly and dangerous crime, and my arson detectives will continue to assist authorities in any way to bring those responsible to justice, said Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis.

Rector John Cayer of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Thomas More was quoted as suggesting the fire was likely caused by arson.

No injuries have been reported.

The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigators, the Tallahassee Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are involved in the investigation.

A leading budget watchdog group is asking the Governor to veto $133 million from the state budget.

Florida Tax Watch says the recommendations are a blueprint to help Governor Ron DeSantis as he reviews the 2019 budget.

According to TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro, the recommended cuts are relatively small compared to past years.

“But it’s still a significant amount of money that could have been spent in areas such as early education,” said Calabro. “That $133 million could have been spent additionally in classrooms, whether it’s public or charter classrooms, hurricane recovery.”

Most of the 109 recommended cuts are local projects.

Calabro said many should be paid for by local governments , while others were added late in the budget process with little to no vetting.

“The process must be transparent and accountable and every appropriation should receive sufficient vetting, deliberation and public debate,” said Calabro.

Governor DeSantis has appeared more eager to trim the fat off of what could be the largest budget in state history.

It was only minutes after session ended that DeSantis mentioned vetos.

“It’s going to be under 91 when I get through with the budget don’t worry about that,” said DeSantis.

Calabro said he hopes the Governor uses a light touch.

“Vetoing a half a billion dollars will be more political then it would be justified,” said Calabro.

TaxWatch says in 35 years it has published the Budget Turkey Watch Report, about two thirds of its recommendations have gotten the ax.

The largest cut recommended in this year’s report is a local road widening project in Citrus County with a price tag of $13.3 million.

The State of Israel is growing food on what was once a desert and they are described by some as the US version of Silicon Valley on steroids.

Governor Ron DeSantis is banking on his recent trip to help make Florida a leading partner with Israel innovators.

At the Perez Center for Peace and Innovation, named for an Israeli prime Minister who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, the future is alive.

Director of the Perez Center Efrat Duvdevani showcased a new technology that allows a surgeon to get a first hand view of a patients organ.

“The doctor can see the heart, a hologram of the patients organs,” said Duvdevani. “And then he doesn’t have to open up all the body. He can see it an he can touch it, sort of touch it and see it. We want to showcase and bring to Florida, in how to make the dreams come to reality.”
Another technology Duvdevani highlighted was a chip that can be implanted in the retina.

The technology has been used to help a blind father seen his daughter for the first time.

Another set of glasses brings recognition to the sight challenged.

“For the first time I’m going to somebody and you tell me this is Jeff, and this is Jim and whoever, and the next time I’m walking over, and I’m completely blind, this will tell me Jim, Jack,” said Duvdevani.

Another product ready for market, is a sensor that can tell you if water is safe to drink in a matter of seconds.

Back in the states, the Governor is strong on the possibility of bringing the people behind the innovations to Florida.

“You know all the tech in Israel, they need markets for their innovation,” said DeSantis.

One of the things the Governor has made perfectly clear, unlike the past Governor, is that he’s not going to be paying any company cash to come and do business in the state.

What he is offering, is whatever assistance the state can provide.

“They were talking about specific companies coming over, and joining hands together and making the impossible, possible,” said Duvdevani.

Or in other words, dream big.

Former FSU Law School and Dean Sandy D’Alemberte was remembered Wednesday at the university he headed from 1994 to 2003.

He is also the person who brought the idea of cameras in the courtroom in 1979.

D’Aleberte served in the State Legislature in the late 1960’s and helped usher in the concept of one person one vote.

He served on the second Constitution Revision Commission as its chair.

His wife, Patsy Palmer called him an eternal optimist.

“If we each dare to dream one dream and do something about it. If we kept our eyes on the dream and not on the obstacles. And if we pursued it with wholehearted joy, then the essence of this of this splendid man might live on and on,” said Palmer.

D’Alemberte also served as the American Bar Association from 1991 to 1992.

Governor Ron DeSantis remained consistent in his belief that all fine, fees and restitution must be paid before felons have their civil rights restored.

DeSantis has supported the idea and indicated he would sign the Legislature’s proposed implementing bill for Amendment 4.

It includes the payment requirements before felons can have their right to vote restored.

In Wednesday’s Clemency Board meeting, some of those seeking pardons were granted their requests, on the condition they pay outstanding fines and fees.
“I just think that when you pay your debt that includes whatever you were sentenced to so if you’re willing to do that I’ll move to grant you a pardon, condition on you just paying the rest that you owe,” said DeSantis.

Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, the only Democrat on the Clemency Board, approved the pardons as well, but objected to the payment condition.

Members of the Florida Cabinet have joined the calls for State Representative Mike Hill to apologize for his response to a constituent who asked him to sponsor legislation to make homosexuality punishable by death.

The embattled Representative has blamed the media for misrepresenting the exchange.

At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried recognized June as Pride month.

Without saying his name, Fried took a jab at Representative Mike Hill.

“Despite recent hurtful comments against LGBTQ Floridians, know this: that does not reflect Florida,” said Fried.

Hill is facing criticism for his response to a constituent who suggested he sponsor legislation making homosexuality a crime punishable by death.

Hill defended himself and said he didn’t act inappropriately.

“I didn’t even make the statement. I was simply responding to an absurd statement that was made, and it elicited laughter from the audience. I kinda chuckled and said ‘no, let’s move on, like that’s gonna work’,” said Hill.

Governor Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis have joined other top Republicans in calling for Hill to apologize.

“Mike, look, sometimes we misspoke [sic], maybe you need to go just apologize,” said Patronis.

“I support Speaker Oliva’s comments and I trust the speaker to take whatever actions necessary,” said DeSantis.

Some Democratic lawmakers have called on Hill to resign.

They’ve also called on House leadership to either censor or oust the Pensacola Representative from the Legislature.

A rally was held yesterday in Pensacola, Representative Hill’s district and more than 75 people attended and demanded Hill’s resignation.

Governor Ron DeSantis’s was back at work in the State Capitol Tuesday, but his trip to Israel is being criticized on social media as a junket.

However, there have been some positive outcomes so far, and more are likely to follow with time.

In Israel, from daylight to dark, the Governor was on the move.

However, the twitter sphere has been taking him to task for the trip.

While most paid their own way, the Governor, three Cabinet members, and a staff of 20, including the heads of at least three agencies traveled on the taxpayers dime.

“I mean, we’ve been working hard,” said DeSantis last Thursday.

Dozens of agreements were signed between Florida Universities and Israeli institutions.

At a Chamber of Commerce meeting, 500 heard the Governor pitch Florida.

“I would say Florida right now in our country is second to none in terms of a place to build a business,” said DeSantis.

Minutes later he was behind closed doors meeting the CEO of Insightec Eyal Zadicario, an Israeli based company with a US headquarters in Miami.

“The company basically developed insidious neural surgery, transforming neural surgery to completely outpatient, no hospitalization,” said Zadicario.

“They want to really expand the footprint in Florida and I think we have an opportunity to link them with some of our universities,” said DeSantis.

Even Enterprise Florida’s Senior Vice President for International Relations Manny Mencina said its going to take time to know how successful this trip will be.

“I think what you are doing here is building an infrastructure that’s going to pay results for many years to come,” said Mencina.

The trips costs are still being calculated.

An advance security detail arrived in Israel a week before the Governor.

Those costs remain classified for security reasons for now.

Governor Ron DeSantis was lauded in Israel for his quick action back in January when he and the Cabinet placed AirBNB on the state’s list of scrutinized companies for refusing listings on the disputed West Bank in Israel.

The company relented in April, and on Tuesday, his first full day back on the job, the Governor and Cabinet took the company off the list.

“The key headliner here is that we’ve had a very positive outcome on the engagement with AirBNB in relation to the boycott, divest and sanction Israel movement. As you know we engaged them previously. They reversed their policy, and so we have removed them from the scrutinized list with your vote here today,” said Executive Director of the State Board of Administration, Ash Williams.

Had the company refused, the state pension fund would have been prohibited from investing in the company if it ever went public, and state employees could not have used AirBNB on state business.

The Governor and Cabinet adopted a resolution Tuesday morning and recognized the winners of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Annual Awards.

Four winners were recognized, including Jennifer Clark, a crime lab analyst in Tampa, whose forensic work led to the arrest of the suspect in the 2017 Seminole Heights killing spree.

Special Agent Jennifer Wolf, Officer Joseph Wyland and Research and Training Specialist Deborah McDonald were also recognized.

“The FDLE mission is to protect Florida’s citizens and visitors, and it is the mission that we are committed to each and every day, so on behalf of the award winners, we thank you for this opportunity and we thank you for honoring us today,” said McDonald, who was awarded FDLE Distinguished Member of the Year.

The winners beat out more than 200 members who were nominated for the 2019 awards.

Pensacola State Representative Mike Hill is coming under fire from Florida Democrats and some members of his own party for an exchange he had with a constituent who suggested Hill should sponsor legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by death.

While Hill didn’t agree with the suggestion, he’s been accused of not being critical enough and laughing during the exchange.

“A statement that just came out of the audience, I tried to brush it aside,” said Hill.

Hill said the exchange has been misrepresented.

“There was no way at all that I condoned or even said the words that gays should be executed,” said Hill. “That’s just absurd.”

Some Republican’s, including House Speaker Jose Oliva, took to Twitter and called on Hill to apologize saying in part, “I believe he owes his colleagues an apology and he owes the Republican caucus a better example of political courage.”

Representative Hill has not apologized.

Instead, he has said he’s the victim of a ‘social media lynching’.
“They know I’m a Christian,” said Hill. “They know that I am true to my convictions and they know that I am going to bring the heartbeat detection bill to this next legislative session.”

Democratic Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith said Hill should resign or be ousted from the Legislature.

“As a gay man who has survived anti-gay hate violence myself… this is completely unacceptable,” said Smith.

A rally has been scheduled in Pensacola Monday evening demanding Hill’s resignation.

Hill said he has received violent threats since the Pensacola News Journal first ran the story this weekend andhas threatened legal action against the paper if any of the threats come to fruition.