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Florida’s Surgeon General is calling on the US Department of Health and Human Services to get out of the way and allow states to acquire more monoclonal antibody treatments.

The move comes as daily COVID cases reach record highs across the country.

In a letter to the HHS Secretary, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo ripped the agency’s recent decision to pause allocations of two monoclonal antibody treatments.

“This shortsightedness is especially evident given that the federal government effectively prohibited states from purchasing these monoclonal antibodies and serving their populations directly,” wrote Ladapo.

The decision was made after some evidence suggested the treatments are ineffective against the Omicron variant.

“What our Surgeon General is doing is asking for potential treatments that don’t work,” said Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani.

Eskamani noted there is one treatment that seems to hold up against Omicron.

“There is a third treatment that we do need to see an expansion of and I know the federal government is working on that,” said Eskamani.

But CDC data shows more than 20 percent of cases in the South are still from the Delta variant.

Ladapo argued in his letter the other two treatments shouldn’t be completely off the table.

“Florida can expand treatment options for patients by distributing therapeutics to providers working in areas with a low prevalence of Omicron or clinics capable of variant screening,” Ladapo wrote.

An HHS spokesperson told us in a statement that the federal government never stopped shipping antibody treatments to Florida. The state received 22,000 treatments last week alone.

“That’s in addition to the approximately 28,000 doses of product that they have on hand from their previous orders. In other words, Florida should have strong supply of product on hand – and more than most other states,” said HHS spokesperson Kristen Allen.

But considering the state just racked up nearly 47,000 new cases in a single day, there’s an apparent imbalance between supply and demand.

“[Governor DeSantis] has consistently urged the Biden Administration to ramp up supplies of these lifesaving therapeutics, and several months ago, he warned of a possible “winter surge” of COVID throughout the country. It is disappointing that the federal government has not heeded this advice and has neglected to promote treatment options at every turn,” said DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw in an Emailed statement.

Eskamani acknowledged more could be done by the federal government, but argued the Surgeon General’s letter won’t solve anything.

“It doesn’t help to point fingers at this moment. We need to work together to get out of this and keep our people safe,” said Eskamani.

Instead, Eskamani urged the state to put its focus on promoting vaccines, boosters and increasing testing.

“But none of that is happening. Instead the Governor is blaming Biden on antibody treatments and we don’t even know if they’re effective on Omicron,” said Eskamani.

If you are seeking monoclonal antibody treatment you can find a provider near you at floridahealth.gov.

As COVID cases surge in Florida, so too do the number of people seeking testing, which in some cases has resulted in multiple hour wait times.

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic Gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Fried is calling on the Governor to do more to meet the rising demand.

A testing site near the State Capitol saw a steady flow of cars all day Wednesday.

Many, like Tony Lasseter and his family, are coming as a post-holiday precaution.

“We were exposed around some people at Christmas, so we just wanted to make sure that we’re all good,” said Lasseter.

Thankfully wait times are at the site were low, but in some parts of the state Floridians are having to wait hours to get tested.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried came to the site get her booster shot and encourage others to do the same.

“Certainly if you’ve got family members in nursing homes and ALFs, unfortunately those numbers are really low as far as the boosters. So encourage those nursing homes to have the vaccine boosters available,” said Fried.

She has also called on the Governor to make testing more readily available.

“To please make sure that he’s coordinating with local officials, getting the resources. We know the Department of Emergency Management has financial resources that can be deployed to our local governments. Unfortunately that’s just not being done right now,” said Fried.

She said with the President recently declaring COVID response would have to be handled by the states, it’s incumbent on state leadership to step up to the plate.

“This is on us. So let’s show this leadership, let’s step up, let’s make sure that people aren’t waiting in line for hours. Let’s get some additional testing sites located,” said Fried.

Unlike Fried, who has received all of her vaccinations in the public eye, the Governor privately received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April.

His Office said it was unable to speak on the Governor’s private medical decisions when asked if he has or plans to receive a booster.

We also asked the Governor’s Office if the Governor intends to increase testing.

We were directed to the Department of Health, but didn’t receive a response in time for this story.

State lawmakers are hoping to make it easier for prosecutors to apply stiffer penalties to criminals who cross county lines to commit burglaries.

Heightened sentences have been in place for cross-county burglaries since 2014, but a bill moving through the Florida Legislature would lower the burden of proof required to make the enhanced penalties stick.

Currently, prosecutors must not only prove a burglar intended to cross county lines to enhance their sentence by one degree, but they also must prove the burglar did so with the intent of making it harder for law enforcement to track the stolen items.

“What burglar do you know goes up to the police and says, hey by the way, this is stolen?” said State Senator Gayle Harrell.

Harrell’s legislation would lower the burden of proof necessary to apply a stiffer sentence, requiring prosecutors only prove county lines were crossed intentionally.

“So that this statute that was put in place in 2014 can be enforced,” said Harrell.

Harrell said that in some counties like Martin and Pasco, more than 40 percent of burglaries are committed by people who traveled across county lines.

Criminal justice reform advocates argued in the bill’s first committee hearing imaginary lines shouldn’t dictate the severity of a crime.

“Burglary should carry the same sentence no matter where it occurs,” said Kim White, who came from Orlando to testify.

But Committee Chair Senator Jason Pizzo noted the law isn’t aimed at unsophisticated criminals.

“We can do things that result in people going, I had no idea that was the case. This is not to trap unsophisticated individuals. This is for people who are organizing, planning and scheming,” said Pizzo.

Notably absent from the bill’s first committee hearing were criminal defense attorneys.

It was a point highlighted by the chair, who suggested even if this change passes, proving a burglar intentionally crossed county lines will still be an incredibly difficult task.

The legislation has already cleared its first committees in the House and Senate ahead of the official start of session on January 11th.

State lawmakers are looking for creative alternatives to prison time for certain first time low level offenders.

One bill filed for the 2021 legislative session would provide the option of serving in the military instead of behind bars, but even if passed, the idea is likely to run into obstacles.

A first time offender, 25 or younger, who is facing convictions carrying up to four years in prison would have the option of serving in the military in lieu of prison time under the legislation.

Vietnam veteran Joe West told us back during the war, military service instead of jail was a fairly common option for judges to provide.

“And they were not any different than my other brothers,” said West.

He said in his experience, those who took military service were better off than those who didn’t.

“It made a lot of good people out of people that may have gone a different path had they not had that option,” said West.

Barney Bishop with the Florida Smart Justice Alliance told us he believes the idea has merit, especially for non-violent offenders.

“Even though it is a violent profession, because we’re trying to help nonviolent offenders have another alternative,” said Bishop.

The legislation would still require those who opt for military service to pay back and fines or fees tied to their sentence within the first term of their enlistment.

But even if the legislation passes the option might not work in practice.

That’s because most branches of the military now explicitly prohibit service as an alternative to criminal conviction.

“The military has much higher standards now for entry than we had in the late 60’s, early 70’s. I mean back then if you had a pulse you’re physically capable of being in the military,” said West.

But supporters of the military option said congress would have more authority to make the idea a reality.

West said he thinks it would be in the best interest of the country.

“I think it would help them understand our country better and I think it would give them a love of country that a lot of them these days are lacking,” said West.

The bill has been filed in both the Florida House and Senate. Lawmakers begin their annual session January 11th.

A legal battle between backers of a citizen initiative to expand casino gaming and groups with ties to the Seminole Tribe is heating up.

In recent court filing, the defendants accused Grassfire LLC, a plaintiff in the case, of paying its employees based on the number of petitions they collect.

It was just two years ago state lawmakers outlawed the practice.

Under the 2019 law, paying petition circulators based on the number of signatures they collect is first degree misdemeanor.

Representative Mike Beltran was a co-sponsor.

“We don’t allow people to do that because it corrupts the process. Then people have an incentive to fabricate or doctor additional signatures in order to make additional money,” said Beltran.

The new court filings the legal battle between supporters and opponents of a casino gaming citizen initiative suggest the practice hasn’t stopped.

A sample employee contract found on Grassfire LLC’s website offers bonuses for employees as they reach petition benchmarks.

“They say they want core values and the courage to do the right thing and on the face of the document they’re violating the law,” said Beltran.

Rep Beltran argued the intent of the law is clear.

“It doesn’t say if you pay them an hourly wage you can give them a bonus. It doesn’t say that you have to pay them a base hourly wage. It doesn’t say anything… It says you may not compensate them based upon the number of petition forms gathered,” said Beltran.

In the court filing, it’s claimed whistleblowers have reported Grassfire LLC to authorities.

We reached out to the Secretary of State, Attorney General and Florida Elections Commission regarding the accusations, but our inquiries have gone unanswered.

The Governor’s Office declined to weigh in on the specific allegations, but highlighted the Governor’s push for lawmakers to create an election integrity unit in the upcoming legislative session.

“The Governor is absolutely committed to legislation that would empower the Department of State with the resources and personnel to aggressively investigate election-related crimes,” said the Governor’s Press Secretary Christina Pushaw.

We reached out to Florida Voters in Charge, the group sponsoring the citizen initiative Grassfire was collecting signatures for, and received an emailed statement.

“The Defendants’ allegations are meritless, and are nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from their aggressive attempts to prevent Florida voters from having the opportunity to vote to end the Seminole Tribe’s monopoly over Florida casino gaming,” said attorney Jim McKee.

The casino gaming initiative has collected just over 300,000 valid signatures, but that’s still roughly 600,000 shy of the 891,589 signatures needed by February 1st to make the ballot.

Every year since 2009, Florida homeowners have been paying to shore up the state’s hurricane fund.

Now experts in the industry are making the case the fund is sound and the charges amount to annual hurricane tax.

Lowering the collections could slow rising rates, which are expected to be one of the coming legislative session’s top issues.

In 1993, Florida set up its catastrophic hurricane fund following Hurricane Andrew.

The fund is a reinsurance asset to help companies pay claims after big storms.

“The Cat Fund has cash, lots of cash,” said Security First CEO Locke Burt.

In 2009, lawmakers added a rapid cash buildup feature to the fund.

Burt, called the cash buildup an annual hurricane tax on homeowners that has outlived its purpose.

“There is enough cash in the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to pay a hundred percent of all of the claims paid by the Cat fund since it was created in 1993,” said Burt.

Eliminating the rapid cash buildup could save every policy holder in the state $150 a year.

State Senator Jim Boyd pushed through insurance reforms last session.

He told us tackling Cat Fund changes may be too much for lawmakers this year, but he called the 20, 30 and 40 percent rate hikes seen buy consumers unsustainable.

Instead Boyd told us lawmakers are working on language to go after unscrupulous contractors who incentivize consumers to file claims.

It was a change made last year that is being challenged in court.

“I don’t think businesses that are kind of deceiving the public and using bribes, if you will, to get things done should be protected by that,” said Boyd.

Both the Insurance Company CEO and the State Senator said they believe changes made last year are starting to bear fruit by reducing the number of lawsuits being filed.

Boyd indicated we’ll likely see small changes to insurance regulations this coming year, not a major insurance overhaul.

At the same time, the rising premiums are starting to become a building issue for Democrats who want to be Governor.

The 52 private insurance companies writing polices in Florida lost a total of $847 million through the end of September, causing them to raise rates by 50 percent or more.

That’s forcing homeowners into Citizens, the state’s insurer of last resort, but if the state approves, those already in Citizens will also see double digit rate hikes.

With a Monday vote Citizens, the insurer of last resort in Florida, moved forward with across the board rate hikes of 11 percent for anyone who renews after August 1st 2022.

Citizens would then raise rates 12 percent across the board for renewals after January first 2023.

“The private carriers are non-renewing policies across the state. They are raising rates, high rates,” said Michael Peltier, a Citizens spokesperson.

Peltier told us lawsuits are driving the increases.

“Florida represents about 8 percent of the property insurance market across the country. However, at this time, we represent about 76 percent of all lawsuits relating to property insurance,” said Peltier.

Even with the hikes, Citizens’ own study shows it’s the cheapest alternative 97 percent of the time.

Legislative changes earlier this year require a homeowner to accept a private insurer as long as it is no more than 20 percent higher than Citizens’ rates.

But even with the new criteria, Citizens policies are mushrooming.

“Since January, Citizens policy count has risen about 38 percent,” said Peltier.

Under the legislation passed earlier this year, rate hikes can grow one percent a year, up to a 15 percent across the board in 2026.

“Trying to do what they can to bring Citizens rates more in line with what the private market charges,” said Peltier.

And the 11 and 12 percent hikes approved by the Citizens Board for next year and the year after must still get the okay from the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation.

Lawmakers are expected to make tweaks to insurance regulations when they meet in January, but any changes could likely take a year or two before consumers see any relief from rising costs.

Democratic State lawmakers have called on the Governor to declare a state of emergency to help address Florida’s affordable housing crisis.

Regions of Florida have seen rent hikes of 14 and 20 percent since January.

Tampa has seen rents skyrocket 24 percent just since July, which is the highest increase in the nation.

“This has been a crisis many years in the making,” said State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith.

Smith joined 23 other Democratic state lawmakers who signed a letter to the Governor requesting he declare a state of emergency.

They want him to direct the Attorney General to consider any rent increases higher than 10 percent price gouging.

“This is a tool that is often used by the Attorney General, for example during a state of emergency with a hurricane,” said Smith.

When asked about the letter Friday, the Governor put the blame on the federal government.

“We should forward it to Joe Biden and the White House because things are more expensive because of his policies,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

The Governor also highlighted his budget proposal, which includes $355 million for affordable housing.

Mark Hendrickson with the Florida Association of Local Housing Finance Authorities told us the Governor’s proposal would be a substantial investment.

“It’s the biggest appropriation in 15 years,” said Hendrickson.

Democrats reject the idea the federal government is to blame.

Smith argued the money the Governor is proposing to spend is too little too late.

“That’s not enough. We need to be able to take bold action to substantially invest in affordable housing,” said Smith.

Last year state lawmakers committed to split doc stamp tax revenue between affordable housing and resiliency projects.

The upcoming legislative session will be the first test to see whether they follow through with that promise.

Even if lawmakers follow through with the Governor’s proposed spending plan, experts we’ve spoken with agree the affordable housing crisis isn’t ending anytime soon.

“We will continue to pursue our legal options to expose and seek damages from those that have intentionally and aggressively attempted to thwart the constitutional signature gathering process,” said Bascom.

They also claim to be on track to make the 2022 ballot, despite only having validated roughly 255,000 of the nearly 900,000 required signatures as of mid-afternoon Monday.