Welcome to

State Lawmakers voiced their final arguments before passing legislation banning vaccine mandates and setting in motion a plan to create a state version of OSHA.

While Democrats didn’t have the votes to overcome the Republican majority, they made their opposition clear.

The day started with a debate on legislation that would set in motion a plan to create a state version of OSHA.

Democrats argued it gives to much flexibility to the Governor, who would be in charge of developing the plan.

“We’ve not provided any framework. We’ve not provided any guardrails,” said Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith.

Then the discussion moved to a bill stripping the Surgeon General’s authority to force vaccinations.

“The federal government still provided us all these vaccines without ever using this power,” said bill sponsor Representative Alexander Andrade.

Democrats again stood in opposition.

“Just because we have never used it does not mean it should not be available,” said Representative Tracie Davis.

The bulk of debate fixated on the feature legislation of the special session, which bans public employer vaccine mandates, limits private employer vaccine mandates and prohibits school mask mandates.

“This bill is about keeping peoples’ jobs,” said Representative Ralph Massullo, one of the bill’s sponsors.

Democrats criticized the $10,000-$50,000 fines businesses would face for violations.

“Our workers, are they gonna get the $50,000 if they come down with COVID?” said Representative Yvonne Hinson.

Despite Democrats’ best efforts every bill proposed this special session sailed through unchanged.

In a post session press conference Democrats called the past three days a waste of time.

“But the damage to public health will last for generations,” said Representative Evan Jenne.

But Republicans told us they believe the package of bills sends a message to the federal government.

“The federal government is now saying that they will use any power at their disposal because they believe the ends justify the means and I think that’s a real problem,” said House Speaker Chris Sprowls.

And the bills could become the law of the land as soon as Thursday.

As of 4:30 pm Wednesday the Senate was still in session, but the chamber is expected to vote on the bills before the day wraps and send the bills to the Governor.

Hundreds of Floridians opposing vaccine mandates were at the State Capitol Tuesday to show their support for the Legislature’s special session.

Many shared personal stories of how their vaccination status cost them their job.

Opponents of vaccine mandates filled halls of the Capitol and the seats of committee rooms on the second day of the special session.

Some of them, like Nikki Murphy, were healthcare workers.

“We do not consent. There are thousands of health care workers that are prepared to walk away,” said Murphy.

Others, like Stephen Davis, firefighters.

“This mandate, this is what ultimately has terminated my job,” said Davis.

They came to support the legislature’s proposed ban on vaccine mandates.

Private employers would have to provide exemptions for those with natural immunity or who have religious or medical reasons for not taking the vaccine.

Fines range between ten and $50,000.

“These mandates are acting as if this vaccine ends this pandemic. And I also want to go on record saying clearly it doesn’t,” said Senate sponsor Danny Burgess.

Outside, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez addressed a crowd of hundreds.

“People should be empowered. People, not government, to make their own decisions,” said Nunez.

And although those in the crowd generally support the Legislature’s proposal, some we spoke to said they believe it doesn’t go far enough.

Lou Marin, National Director of the Florida Republican Assembly, wants a blanket ban on mandates, not just exemptions.

“There should be no mandates regardless,” said Marin.

The legislation does include a blanket prohibition on public sector vaccine mandates.

It also prohibits mask and vaccine mandates for students in public schools.

For Davis, knowing the legislation will help prevent others from losing their job over the vaccine is good enough for now.

“There’s always room for improvement and that’s something we can get into play later on,” said Davis.

At the speed the Legislature has moved during the special session, changes to the legislation aren’t likely at this point.

We’re told lawmakers will likely gavel out on Wednesday.

Florida lawmakers are moving quickly to ban vaccine and mask mandates for employees and students.

They are expected to wrap up their five-day session in just three and some of the most heated debate is over a 20-year-old law that has never been used.

Following the attacks on the twin towers, Florida lawmakers meet in a special session like the one this week and approved a bill giving the Surgeon General the power to force people to be vaccinated.

State Senator Aaron Bean is leading the charge to to repeal the vaccine authority.

He painted a graphic picture of what the future could look like if it remains on the books.

“That picture will be there down the road somewhere in Florida of somebody being held down against their will and having a vaccine or whatever it is injected into their person,” said Bean.

Opponents argued that even though the power has never been used, it may be needed in the future.

“The idea is to protect the public,” said State Senator Audrey Gibson.

Activists testified the law didn’t go far enough.

“It’s still in other places,” said Boca Raton resident Nikki Celso.

Senator Jason Pizzo recounted George Washington once ordered his troops vaccinated, b history lesson didn’t sway anyone.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill on party lines.

Senator Darryl Rouson voted no.

“He should, or she, should have all the tools available to curtain a public health emergency in their toolbox,” said Rouson.

Senator Jeff Brandes voted yes, but he argued as long as the word ‘treatment’ is still in the law, the bill is useless.

“It does only that it takes out the word vaccine, but it doesn’t actually prevent them from forcing a treatment upon somebody,” said Brandes.

Because the Surgeon General reports directly to the Governor, some lawmakers believe that’s enough control over what treatments may or may not be ordered.

A final vote is expected Wednesday, and since the bill was part of the Governors call, there is little doubt he will sign it.

Newly filed legislation would require background checks for anyone buying ammunition.

The bill is dubbed “Jamie’s Law, for Jamie Guttenberg, who died during the Parkland massacre in 2018.

Jamie’s father Fred, has been fighting to restrict guns since his daughter’s death.

He said the checks would cure a loophole in state law.

“The problem: There’s no requirement for a background check on ammunition sales. So you can be someone who just stole a gun, illegally got your gun from some kind of trafficking or were in possession of it and you are intending a crime. You can walk into any store and buy the bullets and nobody is going to check. If we extend background checks to ammunition, we immediately save lives,” said Guttenberg.

If passed, a person illegally purchasing or selling ammunition would face a third degree felony, which comes with up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

While the majority of debate in the state Capitol during the special session on vaccine mandates will be focused on policy, some of the proposals also come with a price tag.

$6 million will go towards enforcing a mandate ban and creating a new statewide occupational safety agency.

With a statewide budget of roughly $100 billion, the $6 million lawmakers plan to commit this week to fight mandates is merely a drop in the bucket.

That has some Democrats like Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith questioning how serious Republicans are about these bills.

“Florida’s largest employers went forward with their vaccine requirement and all of those workers are now vaccinated. So this is all a stunt,” said Smith.

$5 million would go to the Attorney General to fund enforcement of the vaccine mandate ban.

State Senator Danny Burgess said those dollars are likely just the beginning.

“The reality is we’re going to be back in two months. So what we wanted to do was make sure that we dedicated enough money at this point in time to able to at least get us through that point in time,” said Burgess.

Lawmakers have also proposed $1 million to plan for a new state occupational health and safety agency.

The money would only start the process of creating a statewide OSHA replacement.

If a plan is actually carried out the price tag would be significantly higher.

“Probably somewhere between 20 and $25 million to staff it appropriately,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson.

The Governor would have to return a report on the creations of a statewide OSHA by January 17th of next year.

That report would detail timelines and costs associated with the creation of the agency.

Rich Templin with the AFL-CIO said he sees potential benefits to a statewide OSHA, but he has doubts lawmakers are truly committed.

“We just want to make sure that this effort is serious to improve worker safety and not just a political stunt looking to get headlines,” said Templin.

The state would also need approval from the federal OSHA… something it would be unlikely to receive under the current administration.

Florida lawmakers began their special legislative session called to push back on national vaccine mandates and protect workers from losing their jobs on Monday.

Legislation is also expected to strengthen the Parents Bill of Rights to clarify they are in control of whether their children wear masks in school.

Before lawmakers ever began Monday afternoon, several dozen central Florida firefighters were already at the Capitol supporting the ban on vaccine mandates.

Most worked through the pandemic and now believe they are getting kicked to the curb if they don’t get a shot.

“I was the 2019 Florida State Firefighter of the Year two years ago, and now since August, I’m fighting for my job,” said Orange County firefighter Jason Wheat.

The firefighters posted a new video online, explaining that they aren’t against vaccines, but believe it should be a personal choice.

“What’s going on right now is affecting firefighters mentally. Very much so emotionally wise, and also physically,” said Orange County firefighter Wendy Williams.

Inside the Capitol Florida Democrats held a press conference pushing back on the GOP agenda.

State Senator Janet Cruz called the session political and a waste of time and money.

“I really, honestly don’t understand why people would walk around unprotected,” said Senator Cruz.

GOP House Speaker Chris Sprowls expects quick approval of the bans on vaccine mandates.

“Can someone have a religious exemption, can that be possible? Yes. Should someone have a medical exemption, or testing, or if they just got COVID last week, should they have to be vaccinated this week? Does that make sense? If they are pregnant, should they have to get vaccinated? If they are willing to submit to daily or weekly testing, should they have to get vaccinated?” said Sprowls.

While the session is scheduled to go five full days, lawmakers have scheduled floor votes on Wednesday, which means they could go home two days early.”

The Governor was in Miami early in the day at the Freedom Tower, pushing a plan to restore the symbolic building.

He he didn’t take questions, but the underlying message was made clear by Lt. Governor Janette Nunez.

“The free state of Florida stands with you,” said Nunez.

Several bus loads of firefighters are expected at the Capitol Tuesday, as the full House takes the first vote on the package of bills in the morning.

A Jacksonville attorney kicked of what will be a six day run from Tallahassee to Jacksonville on Monday as part of a fundraising effort to help pay legal bills for pediatric patients and their families.

Mike Freed, the man behind the annual event, has raised nearly $2 million since 2016 when he first started.

He says he came up with the idea after he says he began to see the the country grow more divisive.

“I was trying to think of something that I could do that nobody would be against, everybody could be for and I decided to raise money for legal aid. And then I thought how could I get a lot of money out of peoples’ pockets instead of just a little bit. And I thought if I did something big then they would give big. And so I said I’m going to run across the state,” said Freed.

Freed is hoping to hit $2.25 million raised by the end of this year.

If you would like to help out the cause, visit freedtorun.com.

Lawmakers are gearing up for a special session on vaccine and mask mandates set to begin Monday.

Three key pieces of legislation are in play and what ultimately makes it across the finish line is still to be seen.

The biggest agenda item for the upcoming special session would require businesses to provide exemptions from any employee vaccine mandate.

Violations come with fines between ten and $50,000.

Employees would have to be allowed to opt out of an employer’s vaccine mandate for medical or religious reasons.

Employees could also prove they have existing immunity or opt for employer provided testing or PPE.

“There are significant portions of our population with actual health concerns about this,” said Representative Alexander Andrade is is sponsoring one of the special session bills.

Small business groups tell us their only concern is ensuring the law is clear.

“Easy for any business owner to understand of what constitutes a business vaccine mandate,” said Bill Herrle, Executive Director of NFIB Florida.

But Democrats like Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith take issue with the bill’s blanket ban on public sector vaccine mandates.

“COVID-19 is the number one killer of law enforcement in Florida,” said Smith.

There’s also a proposal to create the state’s own version of OSHA as a response to the federal OSHA vaccine mandate that spurred the special session in the first place.

“If OSHA is now gonna become this kind of, you know, enforcement arm of White House policies without any kind of Congressional oversight, absolutely the state should go assert its jurisdiction in that space,” said Andrade.

The third bill, which Andrade is carrying, would remove the Surgeon General’s emergency powers to require vaccinations during a health emergency

“Providing comfort to folks right now that no, the state’s not gonna force you to get a vaccine,” said Andrade.

Smith fears what that could mean for a future pandemic.

“Imagine a virus that has a 90 percent fatality rate,” said Smith.

Most uncertain is whether Republicans have the votes to impose the heavy handed fines businesses would face for violating vaccine exemptions.

They’ll have just five days to work out a deal.

Momentum is growing behind the possibility of the West Coast burger chain In-N-Out expanding to the Sunshine State.

It all began with a long shot offer from Florida’s Chief Financial Officer after hearing the company was fighting with local governments in California over COVID policy and now the highest levels of Florida’s government are involved.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has been getting a lot of attention on the Twitterverse since he suggested In-N-Out move to Florida.

“I never realized there were so many East Coast individuals that have enjoyed a West Coast burger,” said Patronis.

The buzz on social media caught the eye of the Governor, who held a call with the burger chain’s CEO Monday.

“Having the Governor onboard is definitely a game changer,” said Patronis.

The Governor’s Press Secretary was optimistic about the conversation, telling us one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is that the burger chain’s suppliers for its ingredients are located on the West Coast.

“Of course, Florida also has some of the best farms and cattle ranches in the country, and the governor discussed this with the president of In-n-Out. If they can identify suppliers for all their ingredients here, which we believe is possible, In-n-out could expand to Florida,” said DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw in an emailed statement.

As an added bonus, Geoff Luebkemann with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said the state’s uniform COVID policies have the potential to be a big selling point.

Especially after In-N-Out found itself butting heads with local governments in California over vaccine passports.

“Business loves consistency. The opportunity to understand what the rules are regardless of what county or municipality you might operate in is a huge advantage here in Florida,” said Luebkemann.

CFO Patronis told us Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development arm, is excited to work to find suppliers for In-N-Out to make a move to the East Coast possible.

“I hope that between our efforts and the reach that the Governor has had with this we may be able to see an In-N-Out somewhere near you in the near future,” said Patronis.

Whether a deal can be worked out or not is still up in the air, but the chain has been moving further east in recent decades, making it as far as Texas.

We reached out to In-N-Out for comment on this story, but did not hear back.

Pope Francis has bestowed a newly created Guardian of Life award on a Tallahassee man for his work counseling those on death row and in solitary confinement.

The recipient gave up a lucrative Wall Street financial career after a near death experience.

Dale Recinella was a financial services lawyer in his early thirties…

“Making piles of money,” said Recinella.

Until one day in 1988, he ate a raw oyster he shouldn’t have.

“Where I contracted Vibrio vulnificus, a generally fatal flesh eating bacteria from a bad oyster,” said Recinella.

Since that near death experience, Brother Dale as he has become known, has counseled thousands of prisoners over the last 24 years.

“He’s come along at a great time to highlight the injustices that are inherent in our death penalty,” said Michael Sheedy with the Florida Catholic Conference.

His efforts were honored in September by Pope Francis with the first ever Guardian of Life Award.

“And the church is speaking for what it believes is god’s heart, that there is no reason to be executing people in our day and age,” said Recinella.

The award was the reason for a hundred-strong virtual recognition Wednesday, which included these words from exonerated Juan Melendez.

“Dale helped me believe in dreams,” said Melendez, who spent a total of 17 years on death row.

It has been 26 months since Florida has had an execution.

Brother Dale said that shows people are still safe.”

“Do we really have to kill them? And I don’t think we do. I don’t think we’ve ever been less safe for not killing anybody who we can incarcerate and protect society from,” said Recinella.

Death row’s population stood at 304 Wednesday morning, down more than a hundred from its peak.

Dale’s wife Susan, a psychologist, has been with him counseling inmates the entire time.

Florida has executed 99 people since 1979.

At the same time, 30 people on death row have been released.

Scott Maddox, the former Mayor of Tallahassee and his longtime business partner report to a yet to be disclosed Federal prison today after convictions for honest services and tax fraud in August. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, they enter prison the same day the man who paid them a hundred thousand in bribes is sentenced to three years in prison and a 1.25 million dollar fine in Federal Court.

Tallahassee Developer JT Burnette entered the federal courthouse facing  70 years on five corruption convictions.

The question, “Was it worth it?” Went unanswered as he entered the courthouse.

Burnette was convicted of bribing former Tallahassee Mayor and two time statewide candidate Scott Maddox and his business partner.

None of the convictions were likely without Erwin Jackson. He spent the last dozen years battling corruption in the state Capitol.

“And he decided he would rather write a check and gain an advantage over his competition, and that’s a problem with the business community.” Jackson told us before heading to the courthouse to see Burnette’s sentencing.

To draw attention to the corruption, Jackson handed out plies of real cash at a city commission meeting in September 2017. 

“I put on a visual display about what corruption is” Jackson told us at the time.

The FBI conducted at least two investigations and likely impacted the 2018 race for governor, when mayor Andrew Gillum faced off against Ron DeSantis. The GOP used the investigation to slam Gillum in TV spots across the state that said: ”Twenty FBI agents spent two yers investigating the city during Andrew gillum’s tenure.”

DeSantis won by four tenths of a percent.

Ethics watchdog Ben Wilcox says the Capital City continues to pay a price.

“Nobody wants to come to a community that’s known for pay to play corruption” said Wilcox, adding that everyone in the community is paying a “corruption tax” in fewer jobs and higher city spending.

Jackson’s day job is renting apartments to students, and his annual property taxes run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.” 

We asked Jackson why he cared so deeply for so long.

”Every time I see a dollar being stolen from the city, I think is my personal dollar” was his response.

 And while many in the city hail the sentencing as the conclusion of a sad time, Jackson says it ’s far from over.

And Jackson plans to present evidence of theft by a former city manager at the Tallahassee city commission meeting tomorrow, and believes more indictments are coming.

Guns made from 3D printers or manufactured by a person are legal in Florida and the US, but those in the business of manufacturing firearms are required to apply for a serial number and register the firearm. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Two Florida lawmakers now want to make manufacturing your own gun illegal.

At Colonial Williamsburg, actors put on a daily show for tourists, giving this warning first: ”Go ahead and cover your ears” before a cannon fires. 

During the revolution and afterwards, virtually every firearm was home made.

But now two Florida Democrats want to outlaw so called Ghost guns: Senator tina Polsky’s argument is that the law hasn’t kept up with technology.

“There was no such thing as a 3D printer ten or twenty yeas ago.  There was no such thing as Ghost guns that were assembled, purchased on the internet” Polsky said during her press conference to announce the bill filing.

Unlicensed frames and receivers, the two key parts of a gun, would be illegal starting starting in January 2023. Fred Guttenberg lost his daughter in the Parkland massacre, and has since become an advocate for stricter gun control.

“Ghost funs and there usage is exploding, especially in states where we do have stronger gun safety laws” says Guttenberg.

A check with FDLE found no ghost gun statistics.

So far, no Republican has signed on the to this legislation, and neither the police chiefs and sheriff’s associations have reviewed it or make a recommendation.

The NRA declined to be interviewed but did provide us a statement from their national headquarters, saying in part, “It’s still illegal for prohibited people to possess and those in violation are subject to ten years in prison.”

A first offense would be a misdemeanor; a second offense would be a third degree felony.  But first the legislation must has to be heard and passed. Lawmakers begin their annual session January eleventh.” 

Here is the NRA’s full statement:

“The NRA supports the Second Amendment right of law-abiding Americans to make their own firearms for personal use without the permission of the federal government. Firearms made by individuals are subject to the same rules and regulations as firearms manufactured by a company. It is still illegal for prohibited people to possess them and those in violation are subject to 10 years in prison. People have made their own firearms since before the country was founded and there is no valid reason any law-abiding person should be barred from possessing them. If federal, state and local governments are interested in making their communities safer, they should enforce the laws on the books and arrest and prosecute criminals who break the law.”

The State of Florida is fighting back against a new OSHA rule mandating vaccines or weekly COVID tests for all workers at business with more than 100 employees and the Governor’s likely Democratic challengers are split in their response to the suit.

Governor Ron DeSantis called the nearly 500 page OSHA regulation unconstitutional.

He said the state’s lawsuit is aimed at protecting Floridian’s right to work and combating federal overreach.

“The federal government can’t just unilaterally impose medical policy under the guise of workplace regulation and that is exactly what they’re trying to do,” said DeSantis.

Congressman and Democratic Gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist called the lawsuit a political move.

“He is only concerned about what is in the best interest of his political future and the Republican Party,” said Crist.

He said he not only believes the OSHA rule is constitutional, but that it’s the right thing to do.

“What is the President trying to achieve? He’s trying to save lives, okay? That’s a pretty admirable goal,” said Crist.

Somewhere in between Crist and DeSantis is Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried.

In a release, she said she doesn’t support mandates, but also criticized the Governor for calling on lawmakers to block businesses and local governments from implementing their own vaccine requirements.

Unclear is whether Republican lawmakers have the appetite to put businesses in a position where they’re stuck between a state vaccine mandate ban and the federal vaccine requirement.

The OSHA rule comes with the threat of $14,000 fines per violation.

We asked the Governor how he expects businesses to navigate a situation where state and federal policy conflicts on vaccine mandates.

“Well we are interested in using some of our resources to potentially provide a defense fund for some of these fines,” said DeSantis.

The OSHA rule will go into full effect on January 4th of 2022 and is expected to impact about 84 million American workers.

The lawsuit will head straight to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta, where the Governor said the state will ask the court to put the OSHA rule on pause as the case moves forward.

The Governor and Commissioner of Education are celebrating their first official victory following a slew of challenges to the state’s school masking and quarantine policies.

An administrative law judge has ruled in favor of the state and dismissed a challenge brought by school boards.

Some of the districts that challenged the Department of Health rule requiring a parental opt-out from mask mandates have since come into compliance, including Leon County Schools.

In late October we interviewed Superintendent Rocky Hanna about his decision to back down.

Even before the ruling he indicated he saw the writing on the wall.

“I fundamentally believe in local control, local autonomy, but at the end of the day you may win a battle and you lose a war. And if the forces are just so aligned against you with the executive branch of government, who is controlling the legislative branch of government and influencing the judicial branch of government, at some point you just have to wave the white flag and learn to fight another day. But the fight is worth fighting,” said Hanna.

The school districts could appeal the judge’s ruling, but no decision has been made so far.