Welcome to

The state is preparing for the second phase of an investigation into the infamous reform school in the Florida panhandle.

The emotional wounds the Dozier School for Boys left on the men who were sent there throughout its century-long existence are still painfully raw.

“I have a hard time with it. So does a lot of other people,” said Roy Conerly who attended Dozier in 1961 and 1962.

The remains of 40 boys who are suspected to have died from physical abuse were uncovered in 2013.

Earlier this year, an additional 27 possible burial sites were investigated, but no remains were found.

The excavation that turned up the remains of the 40 boys behind me took almost half a year to complete.

The most recent dig was completed in only a few weeks.

Not even Dozier survivors were allowed access to the dig, leaving them with unanswered questions.

“The amount of anomalies that were actually dug up,” said Charlie Fudge who attended the school from 1960 through 1961.

“I’d like to have some answers on why it went so fast,” said James ‘Harley’ DeNyke, who was at Dozier from 1964 through 1966.

In a meeting Monday afternoon, lead researcher Dr. Erin Kimmerle, a USF forensic anthropologist, said the investigation was thorough.
“We ultimately excavated a very significant portion of this site, beyond just where the flags were,” said Kimmerle.

Now Kimmerle’s team will map the campus with LIDAR, a 3D imaging technology, to rule out other potential burials.

However, the technology has a significant limitation.

It can only map open spaces.
“The challenge going forward with this property of course is that today much of it is wooded,” said Kimmerle. “And much more of it than what what was wooded well basically until the 1980’s.”

It’s not yet clear how much of the 1,400 acre campus will be scanned when phase two begins next month.

Kimmerle noted some portions of the school grounds have been mapped previously by state agencies conducting routine surveying.

She said the team is currently in the process of compiling all of that information.

The White House Boys, a group of Dozier Survivors, tell us Secretary of State Laurel Lee has indicated she hopes to allow them to be present during the LIDAR scans.

For the second time in two months, a new poll shows two thirds of likely-voters agree with legalizing marijuana in Florida.

The poll of 800 registered likely voters shows 67 percent supporting legal marijuana for adults.

Just 29 percent oppose.

A new petition effort was filed on Friday to bring the question to the 2020 ballot.

Florida Medical Marijuana Business Associations’s Jeff Sharkey cautioned that the campaign has yet to begin.

“It will be interesting to see where public safety, sheriffs, police really come out on this,” said Sharkey. “When that starts to happen and any other real opposition, you may see some softening in that 67 percent.”

The poll also tested three likely arguments against legalization.

All three increased the likelihood of a no vote.

One of them could be Cannabis Advocate Josephine Krehl.

“I don’t see a way for people to grow their own plants,” said Krehl.

The poll was backed by Med Men.

It holds a Florida grow license and operates in six other states.

On the campaign trail, and again since taking office, the Governor Ron DeSantis has openly opposed legal marijuana.

In Tampa Monday, the Governor said he would carry out the voters will, but still opposes the idea.

“You look at Colorado, it’s been a really mixed verdict with how its worked with workforce, and some of the youth there, so we’ll see what happens,” said DeSantis.

Jeff Sharkey says legalization would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue.

“You’re talking about a $6 billion market for sales,” said Sharkey.

The campaign has until February to gather about a million petitions.

It was 99 years ago Monday that women officially got the right to vote under the 19th amendment to the Constitution.

Marking the anniversary of Women’s Equality Day at the State Capitol and around the state, women called on the Governor and lawmakers to push for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in the coming legislative session.

“Next year, we’ll be celebrating the one hundredth anniversary. Gave us the right to vote, but we want more. We want true equality guaranteed in the United States Constitution. So in the words of the Pointer Sisters, ‘the heat is on’. We only need one more state to ratify and we want if our state,” said Barbara DeVane with the Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women.

The amendment’s ratification deadline was originally set for 1979, then extended through 1982, but advocates believe a court battle could have the deadline thrown out.

They also believe that if one more state would vote for ratification, Congress would change the deadline.

Unwanted robocalls may soon meet their match.

Pushed by more than a dozen State Attorneys General, including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, land line and cellphone providers are about to employ a new technology designed to thwart the calls.

Robocalls are annoying.

“I don’t pick up the phone for those,” said cellphone user Nicole Ballas.

Callers often spoof a local number.

“It’s pretty disruptive,” said FAMU student Ashley Guy. “I get them in the mornings when I’m trying to sleep.”

But the people behind the calls may soon face difficulties getting through to your phone.

In an agreement with Attorneys General from around the country, providers have decided to crack down on robo callers.

“Most specifically, they are going to use an advanced technology not only to stop them, but to make sure we can identify where these calls are coming from,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Moody is touting the working arrangement in this social media video.

“Following these principles, voice service providers will help consumers block unwanted calls, label incoming calls as potential scams,” said Moody in the clip released Thursday.

There’s an old adage that says your strongest punch is the one you never have to throw.

That’s how the Attorney General describes the new move.

“We also have the ability to go after bad actors,” said Moody. “And so often times, we can come together and talk about what needs to be done. We can then as a group, sometimes that creates a little more interest.”

Those we talked to were hopeful.

“That sounds great,” said Guy.

But also skeptical.

“I think there’s a lot of different people who’ve tried a lot of different things, and they haven’t been very successful, apparently,” said Roger Casavant.

As part of the agreement, the dozen companies have to reach out to customers and tell them what’s available and when, so look for a notice from your provider in the months ahead.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says 18 companies were fined just over a million dollars this past year for violating the state’s do not call list.

Florida ranks 43rd in the nation for access to mental health care. It also spends nearly $2.2 million a day to house an estimated 35,000 inmates who suffer from mental health issues.

Nearly 2.8 million Floridians struggle with mental health problems.

61% receive no treatment.

In any given year, more than 130,000 will be arrested and booked into Florida jails.

“We are in this world,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Addressing the growing intersection of mental health and corrections was the top of a roundtable discussion led by Attorney General Ashley Moody and judges from Miami-Dade and Sarasota Friday.

The two counties have seen major reductions in recidivism and homelessness with their innovative mental health programs.

Since implementing their mental health programs, Sarasota saw a 50 percent reduction in homelessness.

In Miami-Dade, 11th Circuit Judge Steve Leifman saw the homeless population drop from 8,000 to only 1,000.

“Treatment works and we really have two choices in this state. We can continue to release people from the criminal justice system without treatment or we can release them with treatment,” said Leifman.

Less than half of Florida’s 67 counties have mental health courts.

Currently there are only 27 in the state.

Mental health courts can help divert those suffering towards treatment, instead of prison.

“Recovery rates for people with mental illnesses are actually much better than for people with heart disease and diabetes,” said Leifman.

Moody said another key issue is deciding when to bring someone into the criminal justice system in the first place.

“Are those that are urinating in public, do those need to be arrested… or is it better to get them stabilized within the community,” said Moody.

The ideas discussed in the meeting will not only help other judges implement their own mental health programs, but also help lawmakers craft policy to improve mental health care and funding in the state.

Home fireworks displays around the holidays are common in Florida, but still illegal.

Fireworks are openly sold in the state using a loophole that allows their sale for agricultural purposes, but bills filed in both the House and Senate for the upcoming 2020 legislative session could fully legalize fireworks on three major holidays.

In Florida the only legal way to perform big fireworks displays, like the ones put on by Craig Dennis with Ashley Pyrotechnics, is with ATF clearance.

“We get lots of requests from the public for fireworks,” said Dennis.

But Dennis declines those offers.

“We don’t play this game of having people sign a form that says they’re going to use fireworks for agricultural purposes,” said Dennis.

However, some retailers do, selling fireworks to Floridians using the legal loophole.

But new legislation would make fireworks 100% legal on Memorial Day, Independence Day and New Year’s Eve.

The idea has some in the fire safety field like former Director of the State Fire Marshal’s Office Buddy Dewar concerned.

“The fire service community are concerned about the safety of the public,” said Dewar.

Last year there were an estimated 9,100 fireworks injuries across the US.

To fire safety advocates, more fireworks means more accidents.

“Kids with missing hands and fingers, facial injuries, burns,” said Dewar.

In the rare case the current law is enforced, a person could face a year in prison and a $1,000 fine for home fireworks displays.

A glance at the night sky on the holidays however, makes it clear the existing penalties do little to deter many Floridians.

“I hear that all the time that we’re going to fill the trauma centers up if we legalize this,” said Dennis. “Well folks, those fireworks are being sold under the counter already in this state using this charade of an agricultural exemption.”

Companies like Dennis’, that try not to bend the current rules, believe the holiday exemption would simply put them on a level playing field with those currently exploiting the agricultural exemption.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says it’s currently reviewing the legislation, but specified its top priority remains fire safety.

The state’s chief economists are required by law to determine how much state and local governments as well as private businesses would gain or lose from a proposed assault weapons ban.

How big or little the impact it may have seems to have come down to a single word.

The AR-15 is what comes to mind when an assault weapons ban is discussed, but gun dealer Alex Folmar believes the proposed constitutional ban working to get on the 2020 ballot would go much farther.

“This proposed legislation would include most of the guns you see up on the wall up-here,” said Folmar. “Anything that is semiautomatic and accepts a magazine or has a tube feed capacity.”

The amendment does not ban high capacity pistols.

However, some shot guns, while designed to hold five rounds, can cary many more by extending their tube feeder.

That would make them banned under the proposal.

Because the ban is so encompassing, state economists charged with putting a dollar figure on the ban, said it all comes down to the amendment’s use of the word capable at a meeting Thursday.

“That hinges on what sales you are prohibiting, what sales will no longer be allowed in Florida,” said Amy Baker with the Office of Economic and Demographic Research.

Supporters of the ban from Moms Demand Action sat on one side of the room.

Opponents like NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer on the other.

“If you professions can’t agree on what capable means in this context, how on earth do you expect average citizens to understand it,” Hammer asked the panel of economists.

Only one proponent of the amendment, retired Dr. Tom Enoch, spoke briefly.

“We can regulate guns for hunting but we can’t regulate guns for saving people’s lives? That’s all I have to say,” said Enoch.

Economists expect to put a dollar figure on the ban right after labor day.

Then it will be up to the Florida Supreme Court to decide if the amendment misleads voters.

Florida Democrats are calling for a Special Session on gun issues in response to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.

This isn’t the first time Democrats have attempted to bring the Legislature back to Tallahassee to discuss guns, but the move will require all of Florida’s legislators to go on record, which could be used in the 2020 campaign.

For the third time in six years Florida Democrats are calling for a special session on gun control.

The first attempt in 2013 came after George Zimmerman was acquitted for shooting Trayvon Martin.

“Specifically to call for a special session around stand your ground,” said then-State Representative Alan Williams, who participated in a sit-in at the Governor’s Office demanding the session in 2013.

The effort failed to gather the necessary three-fifths support to trigger the session.

So too did a call for a special session in response to the Pulse Night Club shooting back three years later.

“Suspected and known terrorists should not be able to possess firearms in the state of Florida,” said then-State Senator Darren Soto at a 2016 press conference calling for the session.

This time Democrats want to discuss multiple gun proposals including private sale background checks and banning high capacity magazines.

However, both the Senate President and House Speaker have come out against the renewed calls, making the prospect of a 2019 special session unlikely.

On Twitter, Speaker Jose Oliva highlighted the fact committee meetings begin in only a month.

During those meetings he said he expects, “Robust discussions about our Second Amendment rights, mental health, and their importance in our society.”

Still, Florida law requires the state to poll all 160 members of the Legislature on whether to hold the special session.

In the wake of both El Paso and Dayton, Democrats may hope to use that vote in 2020 campaigns.

“We care a lot about the safety of our communities and our children and we’re watching our legislators and what they’re doing and how they’re responding,” said Kate Kile with Moms Demand Action. “We are responding to the violence we’re seeing in our society. We would hope that our elected officials would also respond in kind.”

Legislators have until next Tuesday to respond, but in the past some have chosen not to go on record when the outcome seemed clear.

The Department of State will be providing daily updates on the vote count.

The first total is expected to be released around 5 pm Wednesday.

Forty years ago, on May 25, 1979, Florida ended a 15-year hiatus on executions.

Public protest over executions has quieted considerably since they resumed in 1979.

Gary Ray Bowles has killed at least six people.

All were violent.

He clearly fits the criteria set by Governor Ron DeSantis for using the ultimate penalty.

“I’m supportive of it for the most serious offenses,” said DeSantis in March.

Unless stopped, Bowles death Thursday evening will be the state’s 99th execution since the death penalty was reinstated.

“There are specific concerns with this case,” said Ingrid Delgado with the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Catholic Conference has called on the Governor to stop the execution, arguing Florida is safe with Bowles behind bars.

Testimony also shows the 57 year old was abused.

“He suffered extreme violence at the hands of his step fathers,” said Delgado. “When he escaped that violence, he was a victim of homelessness and child prostitution, and we know that through neural scientific research that adverse traumatic experiences do affect future behavior.”

While it has taken 40 years for the state to get to its 99th execution, it did execute nearly twice as many, 196, between 1924 and 1964 when it went on a hiatus.

In 1979, the Capitol was awash in protests for over a week pending the first execution in a decade and a half.

But unlike 40 years ago, fewer than a dozen are expected to protest the execution and pay their respects to the victims when they gather in the Capitol rotunda Friday.

First Lady Casey DeSantis has cancelled a Thursday appearance at a Women for Trump Rally in Tampa.

The Governor’s office said the appearance was cancelled out of respect for the victims.

Florida continues to see record breaking tourism numbers, but with all that travel comes the potential for carbon emissions and damage to the environment.

The state’s tourism agency is trying a new approach, targeting eco-tourists.

At the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab about 30 miles southwest of the state’s capital, co-founder Jack Rudloe told us the whole operation would be in serious trouble without a key element.

“Volunteers are critical to Gulf Specimen,” said Rudloe.

Some volunteers are local.

Others travel as far as Canada.

“It’s a vactation for them and also in the winter time the snow birds get out of the freeze,” said Rudloe.

With a record 68.9 million visitors coming to the Sunshine State in the first half of this year alone, VisitFlorida, the state’s primary tourism agency, has launched a new initiative that could help organizations like the marine lab.

Its new online portal aims to attract eco-tourists, steering them towards volunteer opportunities like the ones at the Marine Lab

“VisitFlorida is finally moving a little bit off the center of Disney and all of the other great big attractions and Mickey Mouse, to what we really have here in Florida,” said Rudloe.

For those who aren’t ready to commit their vacation time to volunteering, VisitFlorida’s online portal also highlights eco-tourism destinations and tips for reducing your vacation’s carbon footprint.

Conservationists like Aliki Moncrief with the Florida Conservation Voters point out when the environment is healthy, so too is Florida tourism.

“Most people come to Florida with an expectation of spending some time outside, spending some time in nature,” said Moncrief.

And teaching green lessons to Florida visitors spreads the ideas across the world when vacationers return home.

To learn more about eco-tourism destinations in Florida, click this link.