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Between WWII, Korea, Vietnam and more recent conflicts, the fate of more than 81,700 American servicemen remains unknown.

During the Vietnam War an awareness campaign was launched, producing metal bracelets with the names of soldiers missing in action and taken as prisoners of war.

Those bracelets are the inspiration behind a new addition to Florida’s Vietnam Memorial.

On the dome of the Old State Capitol, alongside the US and Florida flag, flies the POW/MIA Flag with the words ‘You are not forgotten’.

“From World War II to today it’s over 80,000 people,” said Joe West, President of the Big Bend Chapter 96 of the Vietnam Veterans of America

West, a veteran of the Vietnam War, has spent the last three years working to establish a more permanent tribute to the men and women whose fate on the frontlines may never be known.

“The stumbling block we ran into was the legislative process,” said West.

The monument, already built and currently stored in a Tallahassee business, is modeled after metal POW/MIA bracelets that date back to 1970.

“That bracelet is a reminder that there’s just a lot of people that never came home,” said West.

It wasn’t until a government consultant offered to help on the project that it finally got the nod from the Legislature.

“He pretty much said ‘hold my beer, watch this’ and he got done in six weeks what we failed to get done in three years,” said West.

The legislation ended up passing the Florida House and Senate this year with unanimous approval.

The POW/MIA Memorial will be added to the existing Florida Vietnam Memorial, and it won’t cost tax payers a dime.

The Big Bend Chapter 96 of the Vietnam Veterans of America are picking up the tab.

“The idea is for people 30, 40, 50 years from now to understand what my generation did to keep our freedoms and what it takes to keep a country free,” said West.

The Governor has yet to sign the Legislation authorizing the POW/MIA memorial, but West said he’s been told it’s just a matter of time before he does.

West told us the hope is to have the memorial in place by in September 17th, for an unveiling ceremony on National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

The Florida Supreme Court turned down a challenge to the state’s medical marijuana law, signaling it did not think a company owned by Tampa entrepreneur Joe Redner, who has so far been denied a license, would prevail.

Now the arguments over vertical integration will go back to the original trial court.

The constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana lists all of the things a medical marijuana treatment center must do, but the use of the word “or” instead of “and” opened the door to argue companies could do some, but not all of the the duties listed.

“We’re disappointed with the ruling,” said Florigrown attorney Jonathan Robbins.

After a three year legal battle, Florida’s high court overturned a stay that froze the current law in place, affirming the state’s seed-to-sale law.

“And the legislature effectively required full vertical integration that was something not required by the constitutional amendment,” said Robbins.

The court went on to say lawmakers did a good job in the nine months they were given by the amendment to get up and running.

“It really validates what the Legislature, the law they passed in 2017, and what the Department of Health has been trying to do ever since,” said Jeff Sharkey with the Medical Marijuana Business Association.

Because of the legal uncertainty, the state has delayed issuing new licenses that are required by the law because of a growing patient base.

In a statement the Department of Health told us it is pleased with the ruling and it’s actively being reviewed.

As many as 15 new licenses could now be issued.

“When they can issue those you’ll see better access for patients, more affordability and the industry will mature in Florida,” said Sharkey.

With the court already signaling it doubts Florigrown can win on the merits, the company must decide if it wants to go back to the trial court and fight for several more years.

Attorneys for Florigrown said they and client Joe Redner will decide if the case should start over in the lower court in the near future.

If new licenses are issued, one would have to go to a Black farmer and two others to citrus growers or processors.

A recent survey found one in five Americans have lost a loved one to COVID-19 and new research estimates roughly 40,000 children have lost a parent to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

The grief of losing a loved one, especially during such tumultuous times is difficult for everyone, but even more so for children.

However a new children’s book written by Florida authors is offering children dealing with a loss some hope in these trying times.

The Secret in the Clouds tells a story many Americans are all too familiar with, the beginning of the pandemic and the pain of losing a loved one in a time when it was often impossible to say a proper goodbye.

“The fact that you weren’t with them, you couldn’t hug them, you couldn’t have a funeral or a celebration of life definitely impacts this grieving process,” said author and licensed mental health counselor Gay Webster-Sachs.

Webster-Sachs and her husband, Tallahassee PR Guru Ron Sachs, told us the children’s book is based around a core philosophy, that grieving people want and need to be heard, not fixed.

“Just listening to them or coloring with them. And giving them permission to be sad, and then permission to have fun,” said Webster-Sachs.

The story centers around young character Sunny Albright, who loses her grandmother Hope to the pandemic.

It follows her journey to recovery with the help of therapy and her imagination.

In the story, Sunny dreams of a fantastic land in the clouds inhabited by a group called ‘The Cloud People’.

They teach Sunny to create new beauty in the throes of a difficult time.

“We intend for everyone to kind of lift up their sights to the skies and see beautiful images in the clouds. Even in a hard time there’s beauty in every day, and even in a time of loss life is worth living,” said Sachs.

500 schools in the state have copies of the book so far and the authors are hoping to grow that number.

All of the proceeds from The Secret in the Clouds will go to hospice care organizations.

The book also includes a list of mental health resources and organizations in the back of the book.

The Secret in the Clouds is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Nobles’ websites.

More football fans will be able to watch Florida State and Florida A&M in person this coming fall.

Both Universities plan to open their stadiums at full capacity when the season opens.

We spoke with FSU Athletic Director David Coburn.

“With the CDC doing what they are doing and the Governor opening things up like he is doing, it was not a difficult decision at all. Virtually all the pro teams and all the major colleges are going in this direction, so no, it was not a tough call,” said Coburn.

We are also told the decision to open is not set in stone, but could change if the virus flares back up this fall.

FSU said it will follow CDC guidelines in place at the time.

More than a half million Florida school students in grades K-5 are eligible to receive a new book in the mail at least once a month under legislation waiting for the Governor’s signature.

The state’s first ever book distribution program is designed to help struggling readers.

Florida’s latest test results show four in ten third graders are reading below grade level, and that nearly half of all arriving kindergarten students aren’t ready to enter school.

It spells future problems.

“If you interview people in prison, you know, they don’t have reading skills. And so, good reading skills is really the lifeline to a productive life,” said early childhood educator Dr. Mimi Graham.

Enter the New World Reading Initiative, which passed both the Florida House and Senate with unanimous support.

Under the legislation, over a half million struggling readers are eligible to receive one hard cover book a month free of charge.

The first books must go out before the end of the year.

“What this will do is identify the underperforming readers,” said House sponsor of the legislation Representative Dana Trabulsy.

She likened the program to the weekly reader that arrived at home when most of today’s parents were kids.

“For a child its just exciting to know that something is coming just for you. So, hopefully, that’s going to spark their interest and make them want to dive into the book,” said Trabulsy.

There’s $200 million in the state budget this year to get the program off the ground.

After that, corporations will get a tax break for contributing.

One criticism of the program from educators is that it does not partner will local or school libraries.

Scott Mazur, President of the Leon County Teachers Association believes the program is a big step in the right direction.

“Early prevention is the key to making sure that students have access and are able to approach literature appropriately,” said Mazur.

A 2011 study titled ‘Double Jeopardy’ found that a whopping 88 percent of high school dropouts were already struggling with reading when they were in the third grade.

A former FSU student Senate President has settled with the university after he was ousted from his role in student government for expressing religious objections to the ACLU and the Black Lives Matter organization.

The agreement comes as legislation looking to protect freedom of speech and view point is awaiting the Governor’s signature.

“I never imagined I would be fired for being a Christian,” said Former FSU Student Senate President Jack Denton in a new video put out by the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Denton found himself the center of controversy after he expressed concerns in a private catholic student group text.

“One member of the group chat asked us to financially support organizations that advanced causes that were contrary to our Catholic faith,” said Denton in the video.

Denton told students in the chat BLM’s advocacy for transgender issues and the ACLU’s advocacy for abortion rights were at odds with the Catholic faith.

When the texts were leaked, they went viral on campus.

Denton was removed from his position in student government after a vote of no confidence last June.

Logan Spena is with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which helped Denton sue the university.

“They effectively created and enforced a religious test for office,” said Spena. “The constitution protects the right of every person, regardless of religion or expression, to participate in government this way.”

State Representative Spencer Roach said the incident highlights what he describes as an assault on diversity of thought on college campuses.

“There really does exist this sort of thought police and cancel culture,” said Roach.

He sponsored legislation passed this year that would guarantee due process to student government officers like Denton.

“To ensure that he gets fair and equitable treatment when he’s being canceled or silenced,” said Roach.

A late October decision by the Student Supreme Court reinstated Denton’s role as Senate President, which he held until his graduation in fall of 2020.

Ultimately, Denton settled with the university in Federal Court for $10,000 in damages and just over $1,000 in back pay.

In a statement the university said it “Remains committed to protecting the right of its students to hold and practice their religious beliefs free of persecution. Every student, no matter their religion, has the right to participate in student organizations and hold positions in student government.”

Florida’s tourism economy is showing signs of rebounding after taking a massive hit during the worst of the pandemic, but things aren’t completely back to normal just yet.

One of the biggest challenges facing the state’s tourism marketing agency is overcoming a slough of negative national press related to COVID.

Florida saw just over 26 million visitors in the first quarter of 2021, down 14 percent over the same period last year before the pandemic went into full force.

“We’re just really excited to welcome people back and to see that activity grow in the state,” said Samantha Padgett with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We’re not looking at what’s behind us, the negative that’s behind us. We are really looking forward to all the good things yet to come.”

One of the obstacles the state’s tourism industry has to overcome is a year of negative pandemic-related media coverage, that according to Visit Florida, was equivalent to a $107 billion ad campaign.

“107 billion is something we’ve never heard of and never experienced before,” said Visit Florida Chief Marketing Officer Staci Mellman.

Still, a recent April survey found Florida as the number one desired vacation destination.

“What it tells me is that our marketing is working,” said Mellman. “We’re showing them that you know they can come here and have an incredible experience.”

Another positive indicator, an ongoing survey found nearly nine out of ten respondents plan to travel within the next six months.

It’s the highest since the pandemic began.

But Mellman said ensuring Florida gets its fair share of those travelers now and into the future isn’t going to be an easy task.

“The challenge is really gonna be when our destination competitors are also putting a lot of money in the market. You know, California just got a $95 million budget,” said Mellman.

Lawmakers, recognizing the need to help market the state, boosted Visit Florida’s funding for the upcoming fiscal year by 50 percent, from $50 million to $75 million.

In 2020 the state saw less than 80 million visitors, 40 percent down from 2019.

State economists have said it could be as late as 2024 before the Florida tourism fully recovers, but Mellman told us it’s Visit Florida’s mission to beat that projection.

The FSU board of trustees has rejected an effort to derail the search for a new university president.

One trustee alleged the search process violated sunshine laws and was unfair to some candidates.

A memo addressed to the FSU Board of Trustees from Trustee Craig Mateer alleged secret votes and rules changes during the Presidential search violated the state’s open government laws.

Mateer made his concerns known to his colleagues before the final interviews with the top three candidates.

“You know the vote, you change the rules, now you’re changing the process,” said Mateer.

Virtually every step of the selection process has been subject to some level of controversy.

Again, it was Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s candidacy at issue.

Mateer’s support for Corcoran is well known.

“My three points should undo what we’re going to do here today,” said Mateer.

But others on the board pushed back against Mateer’s claims.

“There was enough space for people to bring up the discussion about different candidates and there was simply not enough votes for it,” said FSU Student Body President Nastassia Janvier.

Early in the process, Florida State’s accreditation was threatened if Corcoran didn’t resign from the Board of Governors, which has the final say on university presidential hires.

Ultimately the Trustees moved forward with the interviews.

“It is simply not true that this was done in some time of secret backroom deal,” said Eric Silagy who sits on the Board of Governors and was brought in to respond to Mateer’s allegations.

Matthew Lata, President of the faculty union at FSU hopes the controversy around the search is over and done with.

“They acknowledge that they did everything by the book. You know, there’s really only one person who was claiming that it wasn’t done right,” said Lata.

But nothing is truly over until the final vote is taken by the Board of Governors.

The Board of Trustees is expected to advance the final candidate to the Board of Governors for final approval Monday afternoon.

Three hundred dollars a week in supplemental unemployment payments is coming to an end for unemployed Floridians as of June 26th.

The state justified the change because hundreds of thousands of jobs are remaining vacant.

Help wanted signs are everywhere, but tens of hundreds of thousands of jobs are going unfilled.

Restaurants and lodging are the hardest hit.

“We’ve offered bonuses. I have members who have offered free cars,” said Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association President Carol Dover.

The lack of employees comes as Florida is quickly reopening.

“The people are flocking, but we don’t have enough labor to open the doors full fledged to let them in. We have hotels who are leaving forty percent of their inventory what we call dark,” said Dover.

At a bill signing in south Florida the Governor said the end of the additional $300-a-week unemployment payments, is to encourage people to go back to work sooner.

“We’ve got almost a half a million job openings in the state of Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

Unions and workers advocates argue the change isn’t going to force people back into jobs, but into food lines.

Karen Woodall of the People’s Advocacy Center told us the change will leave many people with nothing.

“People who have been out of work for most of 2020 and all of this year, and have used their savings if they had any. Who have borrowed money, who are behind on their rent. Who are behind on their car payment, who are struggling. Yes, it makes a huge difference,” said Woodall.

The end of the extra cash follows a state edict requiring those receiving or applying for unemployment to prove they have been looking for work.

The requirement was waived during the pandemic, but it goes back in force this Friday.

Workers advocates say Florida’s work requirements for unemployment are so strict, fewer than 15 percent of those out of work qualify.

Efforts to increase benefits and add additional weeks failed during the legislative session.

Florida TaxWatch found 116 projects in the state budget totaling more than $157 million that is argues did not follow the standard budgeting process.

TaxWatch is calling on the Governor to also take a hard look at more than 300 other member projects on what is called a ‘sprinkle list’ that got added at the last minute.

Those projects total more than $350 million.

“Unless there is a process that allows you to complete and say here is a proper role for the state to play in restoring county court houses, or restoring important cultural and arts facilities, or water projects, or roads. Unless there is coordinated, thoughtful, competitive process, it’s really willy nilly. It’s not vetted. It’s not really well thought out,” said TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro.

The $175 million being recommended for vetoes is relatively small, in a year which the state budget increased by $9 billion.

Governor Ron DeSantis has received the implementing legislation for the new 30-year Seminole Compact and is expected to sign it into law in the coming days.

While lawmakers passed the compact, not everything they had attempted to achieve in the three-day special session crossed the finish line.

An effort to legalize and regulate fantasy sports stalled out.

Lawmakers proposed allowing Floridians aged 21 and up to compete in fantasy sports leagues for professional, but not college teams.

The industry wanted to include college sports and set the age limit at 18 and up.

“There are hundreds of thousands of 18, 19, 20-year-olds in Florida who are playing fantasy sports legally, happily, enjoying it, having a good time. You pass this bill and they would not be allowed to do it anymore,” said Scott Ward, a lobbyist for Draft Kings.

In the end, a deal couldn’t be worked out.

Even without the legislation, an estimated three million Floridians currently compete on fantasy sports leagues.

State Senator Travis Hutson, who sponsored the fantasy sports bill, is worried with the passage of legislation creating a statewide gaming commission, fantasy sports operators could now find themselves at risk.

“You now have a fantasy contest happening that’s not licensed under the state. So I’m worried the gaming commission could go in there and shut them down,” said Hutson.

He said it’s an issue he plans to address in the next legislative session.

“If the commission in 2022 decides to look at unlicensed activity, this could fall within it. It’s a loophole that I want to try and close,” said Hutson.

In testimony before the Senate appropriations committee this week, Ward was asked if Draft Kings was concerned about potential persecution from the new gaming commission.

The lobbyist responded that fantasy sports are not gambling, so the company feels it’s operating within the law.

Lawmakers have been trying for at least six years to legalize fantasy sports in Florida.

The failure to pass legislation this year again, leaves them in a legal gray area.

Seven states have outright banned the fantasy leagues.

Florida lawmakers are on their way home after approving a massive, 30-year Indian Gaming Compact for the Seminole Tribe.

The approval came despite concerns about its length and the payout.

Democrats tried unsuccessfully to shorten the 30-year deal to 15 or 20.

“It’s too long!” Said State Representative Joe Geller.

And several argued the Seminoles were getting off cheap with a guaranteed $2.5 billion payout for the first five years.

“This deal feels like we came to the table with the Seminoles from a position of desperation,” said Representative Omari Hardy.

The deal gives the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to sports betting, which is illegal in Florida.

“Now we’re having a conversation about servers,” said Representative Michael Grieco.

Some argued that having the servers on Indian land does’t circumvent a requirement for voter approval.

“It is an expansion of gaming,” said Grieco.

Even supporters expect legal challenges.

“If the sports betting goes away, the compact still goes forward. We still get every dollar,” said Representative Randy Fine.

The vote wasn’t even close with 97 voting in favor compared to just 17 against.

Under the deal it will be a lot harder for the Tribe to stop paying the state.

The Tribe stopped paying $350 million a year in 2019 after a judge ruled the state had violated the previous compact.

“In the old compact, what we did was there were rules in place that breached what our compact was. So that’s why we also set up a gaming commission to oversee the rules and set policy. And the gaming commission has to look at the confines of the compact, so they can’t set a policy that’s in conflict with the compact,” said State Senator Travis Hutson.

There’s no doubt the Governor will sign the legislation, then send it to the US Secretary of the Interior and Indian Gaming Commission.

If approved the money will again start to flow.

Federal regulators have 45 days from the date it receives the gaming deal from the state to accept or reject it.

If approved, expect lawsuits to quickly follow.

Florida State University has narrowed down its Presidential candidates to three.

Notably, Florida Education Commission Richard Corcoran isn’t one of those, after the university’s accreditation was threatened over his candidacy, but some are now calling for the search to be halted.

Because Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran also serves on the Florida Board of Governors, which has the final say on university presidential hires, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges sent a letter warning the Board that FSU’s accreditation could be put at risk if Corcoran were chosen.

It was an issue raised during Corcoran’s interview Saturday.

“I think what SACS is doing, SACSCOC, in many ways is in and of itself undue influence,” said Corcoran.

Corcoran didn’t make the list of finalists, which didn’t make sense to State Representative Randy Fine who severed under Corcoran’s time as House Speaker.

“Richard has shown that he is a transformative leader,” said Fine.

Alan Levine, a member of the Board of Governors, has called for the presidential search to be halted.

In an email sent to the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida he argued the letter from SACSCOC tainted the process.

Fine agreed with that assessment.

“It is not appropriate for an outside entity to look for some technicality for someone like Richard Corcoran not to be able to serve,” said Fine.

The union representing faculty at FSU told us it doesn’t see a problem with the SACSCOC letter, but acknowledged the controversy it’s causing could mean Corcoran is still in the running.

“At the trustee’s meeting they could say we’re starting over, they could say we’re adding another candidate,” said Mathew Lata, President of the FSU Chapter of the United Faculty of Florida.

The President of SACSCOC told us in an email, the initial letter sent to the Board of Governor’s ‘wasn’t directed to Corcoran personally’.

She stood by the stance that members of the Board should resign if they’re seeking a job that the Board will make the final hiring decision.

We reached out to the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida and were sent a copy of his response to Levine’s request to halt the search.

In it, Chancellor Marshall Criser declined.

“As a Board of Governors’ member, you should be equally proud that despite Dr. Wheelan’s letter, the search committee recognized the responsibility inherent in narrowing a field of president applicants and conducted itself with integrity at all times. An action by our Board at this time is counter to the integrity of the process,” said Criser.

Gambling opponents from across the state rallied at the State Capitol Tuesday against the new Seminole Compact awaiting approval from the Legislature.

Opponents argued the new deal is unconstitutional and must go before voters.

The proposed compact with the Seminole Tribe brought one of the largest gatherings of Floridians to the State Capitol since the start of the pandemic.

But they didn’t come to show support.

“We do not want to be the destination casino state,” said John Stemberger, President of Florida Family Action.

The gambling opponents call the deal an expansion of gaming, which under a 2018 constitutional amendment requires voter approval.

“It was a law to bind the hands of the very legislators that are now ignoring that,” said Stemberger.

The main constitutional issue highlighted by gambling opponents is the fact that under the compact Floridians would be permitted to place sports bets on their phones, even if they’re not technically on tribal land.

Opponents also make the case that while the extra $500 million a year to the state might sound appealing, they say it’s the poor who will pick up the tab.

“To make the kind of money that’s going to be churning here you have to have a whole lot of losers,” said Bill Bunkley, President of the Florida Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

The opponents broke off after the rally to bring their message directly to their elected leaders.

“This is not just for the protection of me and her, but it’s families that are out there that are struggling and the last thing we need to do is put them further down,” said Nathaniel Bloodgood, who traveled from Tampa with his wife to lobby lawmakers.

The coalition is focusing on the Florida House, where they believe there may be a chance to kill the deal.

“And I think if enough Democrats and Republicans peel off and are just willing to stand alone and say, Mr. Speaker we don’t want this, I think we can stop this thing,” said Stemberger.

The Governor has argued that because any sports betting in parimutuel facilities or online will be run through servers on tribal land, the gaming compact does not expand gambling in Florida.

Earlier in the day representatives from the tribe made it clear, even if the sports betting aspect of the compact is found to be unconstitutional, payments to the state will continue.