Welcome to

Outstanding gallantry in the apprehension of a suspect committing a criminal act is how the actions of a State Trooper were described earlier this week as he was being named Trooper of the Year. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, this story begins in Citrus County with a stolen truck and a thief who tried to run two deputies down.

The call for assistance came from Citrus County sheriffs deputies. They were in pursuit of of a stolen truck. 

“All I had to do was travel the opposite direction and meet up with them” trooper Curtis Vaughn told us. 

When they passed Vaughn did a U turn.

Speeds climbed. The suspect had been in a chase just six months before this April 2019 incident. He was able to keep the Trooper at behind him. FHP Director Gene Spaulding says shots were fired from the pickup.

“He fired at least three shots. One of them sticking the windshield of one of the backup patrol cars.”

Trooper Vaughn was watching the silhouette of the driver “After the shots were fired. I didn’t see the movement, I just suspected he was still trying to shoot at us.”

“Without hesitation, Trooper vaughn continued his pursuit” says Spaulding.

At speeds topping 80 miles an hour Trooper Vaughn attempts several PIT or Pursuit and Intervention technique. His problem. The F 250 truck far out weights the FHP Charger, so his target is the ten inch trailer hitch on the back of the pickup. Vaughn says he was in his comfort zone.

“I was doing something I knew I had confidence in  and I knew…just my ability was driving a car.”

 At the Cabinet meeting where he Vaughn was honored, his speech was brief….afterwards we asked how he felt the night it was all over. Suprisingly, he said: 

“Another day. Normal night. I try to keep myself down here for a reason.”

For Trooper Vaughn it was just another day at the office…on wheels.

“Well done.. god Bless” added the Governor after passing the resolution naming him Trooper of the Year.

Earlier this year, the driver, 24 year old Travis Lovett was sentenced to 50 years in Prison.

VO/SOT: Unemployment

Six hundred and fifty one thousand Floridians remained unemployed in November. The rate was six point four percent, the same as it was in October, and Department of Economic Opportunity Chief Economist Adrianne Johnson says some businesses are hiring.

“The good news is we are seeing people come back into the labor market, so our labor force is growing” says Johnson. “Businesses are creating jobs, so we are seeing things come back. We are seeing people engage in the labor market, which is what we want to see.”

A projection through 2028 by the department says nurse practitioners will be the fastest growing job in the state, followed by arts and entertainment, and hospitality.

Six hundred and fifty one thousand Floridians remained unemployed in November. The rate was six point four percent, the same as it was in October, and Department of Economic Opportunity Chief Economist Adrianne Johnson says some businesses are hiring.

“The good news is we are seeing people come back into the labor market, so our labor force is growing” says Johnson. “Businesses are creating jobs, so we are seeing things come back. We are seeing people engage in the labor market, which is what we want to see.”

A projection through 2028 by the department says nurse practitioners will be the fastest growing job in the state, followed by arts and entertainment, and hospitality.

Florida Law Enforcement officers have a new tool to help them spot PTSD in themselves and co-workers. The goal of the on line delivery program developed at Florida State is to help officers understand why  and when they are feeling abnormal stress and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, how to manage what they are feeling.

Few of us go to work and the first assignment is dealing with a dead body

But for cops, dead bodies, physical threats, and constant danger are the job.

Carrie Pettus-Davis is the founder of the FSU Institute for Justice Research and Development, and was instrumental in developing the training program Resiliency Behind the Badge.

“Rates of depression and trauma in law enforcement officers is five times higher than the general population” said Pettus-Davis during a virtual news conference. 

Unveiled Thursday, the three hour course seeks to help officers recognize PTSD in themselves and fellow cops. Walton County Sherif Michael Adkinson believes the program will save taxpayers.

“You want to mitigate use of force and you want better customer service for the citizens that we serve, the thing you have to do is provide healthier officers” says Adkinson. 

Another goal of the online program is to help officers understand why after multiple incidents, they can’t shake their anxiousness.

A portion of the training program, Resiliency Behind the Badge, explains why it might be hard to return to normal:

“After a period of extremely stressful experiences, or even one experience, your brain’s emergency response system may not reset, and allow yours body and brain to fully calm back down.”

House Speaker Chris Sprowls told this story on how one officer coped with the possibility he wasn’t going home that night.

“He walked up to the car and placed his thumb on the back of the car, on the bumper. And I asked him, why did you do that? What were you doing with your thumb on the car? And he said, it something happened to me, I wanted to be easily identifiable that this was the car that I had stopped” relayed Sprowls.

The program and went live today and will be free for Florida’s 34 thousand sworn sheriff’s employees.

The Sheriffs Association says the new program is expected to save tax payer money now going to medical care for physical and mental ailments caused by PTSD.

Florida’s Executive Clemency Board today granted a full pardon to a man who was convicted back in 1994. Other cases it heard at its quarterly meeting go back even further, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, those seeking the states mercy may soon find an easier path to normalcy.

On July First this year, there were 24, 400 people waiting for a hearing before the Clemency Board. Wednesday’s agenda had just 82 cases.

Which is why this announcement from the Governor comes as good news.

“But if we can crank out some of this stuff without having to have people come here, then I think that would be good and allow us to do more” DeSantis told fellow board members are he proposed a rule change.

The Governor then read 20 names. “So the cases I just read are denied.”

After than, the board approved relief for 11 others.

“Im grateful for your time today. Said applicant Michael Ross. He came asking for firearm authority after a 1994 marijuana conviction. He left with a full pardon instead.

Ross first applied for mercy twelve years ago.

It’s been a lot of wait, but now I feel the weights been lifted off of me. I’m very blessed and thankful” said the newly pardoned man.

Daniel Tatak of Bonita Springs came asking for a pardon after a 1996 drug conviction. He got it.

“So it’s taken twelve years for a full pardon.”

“How do you feel” we asked.

“I feel great” said Daniel. “You know, it does take a long time but these are things  that I was warned about before I committed them.”

The rule change will likely be voted upon at the Bards next meeting in March.

The coming change is music to the ears of Nikki Fried, who has fought for new rules since before being elected.

“So starting to see movement on the rules changes is going to be a big benefit to our state.”

The rules making clemency more difficult were first approved in 2011.

Amendment four giving non violent felons the right to vote was passed in 2018 over frustrations and delays getting before the Clemency Board.

The video of law enforcement serving of a search warrant at the home of a former sate data scientist last week has been viewed tens of thousands of times. Today, as Mike Vasilinda tells us,  the Commissioner of the Department of Law Enforcement defended his agents actions.

The Department of Law Enforcement says its agents waited for more than 20 minutes before Rebekah Jones, suspected of sending an unauthorized message on a state platform, opened the door for police to serve a search warrant. On body cam video she is heard to say “He just pointed a gun at my children”.

On twitter she has called them Gestapo, and attacked their motives. 

Today, FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen pushed back, saying “Nowhere in anyone of those videos did you see an agent pointing a gun at a child’s head.”

Now the Department of Law Enforcement is saying it is standard procedure for guns to be drawn every time a search warrant is served.

“During that 23 minutes, every hard drive in that apartment could have been wiped” says Swearingen. “They could have been arming themselves. They could have been barricading themselves.”

Fand Swearingen says Jones has a history of attacking police, citing a 2015 incident when she refused to leave her office at Louisiana State after being dismissed.

“When he advised her she was under arrest, she resisted. She kicked him in the groin.”

And Jones continues to fight a 2019 misdemeanor stalking charge over an encounter with a former lover.

The Governor today praising the way agents acted. “I mean, when they are smeared unfairly, that’;s not something that we want.”

Only Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who oversees FDLE as a cabinet member has doubts.

“And when there are children in the home, the highest level of concern needed to have been addressed” says Fried.

FDLE would not comment on the specifics of the case or what they have found on the computers they seized, saying only the investigation is on going.

Jones did not return our text or call seeking a response.

The Governor and Cabinet today chose Pete Antonacci from a field of six to run the states Division of Administrative Hearings. The agency settles disputes between people and state agencies in a quasi judicial hearing. Antonacci has served in the highest levels of state government for decades.

“And I spent over eight years of my life representing the State of Florida in criminal cases. I had another part of my career where I spent a lot of time in this building and learned how agencies work and interact with our Cabinet and each other. I served int he private sector. I spent almost fifteen years of my life representing clients” Antonacci told the Governor and Cabinet before being selected.

Only Democrat Nikki Fried voted no, saying Antonacci has been a political appointee since 2012, arguing the best choice was one of the judges who applied that has served in the agency.

Florida cast its twenty nine electoral voters for President Donald Trump this afternoon in the State Capitol. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, it was a bittersweet moment for many of them.

Florida’s 29 electors come from all parts of state.

“28 electors are present. One elector is not present” chimed the reading clerk shortly after the two pm start and roll call.

The absent elector, Senate President Wilton Simpson tested positive Sunday. State Senator Jeff Brandes was elected to take his place.

“Obviously shocked” was Brandes’ reaction.  “Our prayers are with him, as he’s kinda going through this right now. I spoken with him today and he’s in good spirits.”

Each of the Electors here hand picked by the Republican Party of Florida.

“I was a surrogate for President Trump in the Jacksonville area” says state Representative and Elector Jason Fischer. “I was an RNC delegate for the President.” 

Fischer is proud to be one of the people making history today as he described his fellow electors.

“Some elected. Some people are grassroots activists, and some people who have been active in the party for a very long time” says Fischer.

And for many of the twenty-nine Trump supporters, todays vote was bittersweet.

Dr. Roy Hinman is an Elector from St. Augustine

“Well, as they say up North, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. I think that was Yogi Berra,, so I don’t think the fat lady has sung up to this point” says Hinman.

Each elector signed and certified their vote as required by the Constitution.

”Thank you for performing your constitutional duty today” said Secretary of State Laurel Lee after the votes were cast.

State GOP Chair Joe Gruters says even if the Presidents challenges fall short, he will still be a national force.

“Whether or not he starts preparing for the 2024 cycle. I think there’s as lot of people around the state that will continue to support him” says the GOP Chair.

The vote is now forwarded to the congress, that votes to accept or reject on January sixth.Only once in the nations history, 1824, has the US House chosen a President after no candidate got a majority. It elected John Quincy Adams over Henry Clay.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is touting improved wait times for those seeking concealed cary permits, despite the pandemic and record applications.

Even with the additional challenges the department is processing applications faster than the previous administration.

Back in January of 2019, a person applying for a concealed carry permit could expect to wait as long as 88 days for their application to process.

“The wait times were inordinately long,” said Charlie Strickland, owner of Talon Tactical Outfitters near the state’s capital.

Strickland said things have improved since then.

“People obviously want them to go faster, but it’s faster than it was a few years ago,” said Strickland.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said applicants can now expect to wait between 42 and 43 days, depending on whether they have a criminal history.

“I made a promise to the citizens of this state that one, I’d come in and make sure that we were streamlining it and we were being efficient and on top of it that we are going to have background checks,” said Fried.

The lower wait times come despite the ongoing pandemic and a record 305,000 applications in 2020.

“In comparison to 2018 that is a 62 percent increase,” said Fried. “We’ve modernized the department, we’ve uploaded different forms right onto our website, we’ve modernized the website for the entirety of the department. And this was a huge part of making sure that we were doing this right, we’re making sure that we’re accountable to the citizens of our state and that we’re doing it efficiently.”

The state and country saw record gun sales amid the pandemic and presidential election.

Those in the gun business don’t expect sales to slow any time soon.

“I can’t predict what’s going to happen with the Biden administration, but any time they mention gun control the numbers are going to go through the roof,” said Strickland.

And while Strickland said gun sales are up significantly this year, he did highlight that more people have also been taking training courses to learn how to properly use firearms in line with state law.

Fried is optimistic the demand for concealed carry permits will return to pre-2020 levels in the near future.

“We are excited for 2021 to come and everybody to start calming down. So we do anticipate that those numbers will drop back down,” said Fried.

Wait times aren’t back to their pre-pandemic average of between one and 25 days, but the department is hopeful it can get back to a similar speed within three to six months.

As many as 10,000 Florida teachers and principles are believed to have passed their certification exams using materials the federal government alleges were stolen from the state.

The Ft. Myers couple behind the prep course that used the materials face lengthy prison terms.

Kathleen and Jeremy Jasper face 108 counts of wire fraud and three counts of stealing trade secrets, in this case, the contents of the teacher certification exam and the executive leadership exam.

As the couple entered the court, we asked if they believed they had committed a crime.

“We’re not going to talk to you,” said Jeremy Jasper.

Once inside the courthouse they surrendered their passports.

“The defendants in this case are accused of breaching the conditions of taking the test,” said Assistant US Attorney Justin keen.

Keen, the lead prosecutor in the case, said the couple would take the exams multiple times.

“And they are accused of harvesting the exam questions. Basically memorizing the test questions and then brain dumping them,” said Keen.

The couple then sold what they learned through their company, Nava ED.

As many as 10,000 certified teachers and principles may have taken the courses.

“It isn’t simply that trade secrets that were stolen, which is a crime, but it’s the secondary direct impact it has on potentially compromising the integrity of the process by which the state of Florida tests, evaluates and certifies its teachers and principles,” said Lawrence Keefe, US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

After the Department of Education became suspicious, the couple was barred from taking the certification exam.

The indictment says an unspecified number of school districts, colleges and universities encouraged applicants to use NavaED.

Attorney Tom Finley who is representing the Jaspers, said the couple is innocent.

“A lot of those questions are already on the FDOE website, so how can they be trade secrets,” said Finley.

Combined, the coupe face centuries, not decades, in prison and millions in fines.

As the case moves forward, the couple is forbidden from using the materials in question, but may continue to operate their business to provide prep courses not related to teacher certification exams.

There is new video in the case of the former state COVID-19 data scientist.

This time from the State.

The Department of Law Enforcement is pushing back against claims that agents pointed their guns at children during the execution of a search warrant Monday morning.

In a video released late Monday by the former state Covid data scientist, Rebekah Jones, police can be seen pointing their guns up her stairwell after Jones told them her husband and children were upstairs.

“And pointing guns at my kids who were coming down the stairs,” said Jones.

Now the state is pushing back, releasing body cam footage from Tallahassee Police.

FDLE said it shows agents were more than patient, waiting 20 minutes for Jones to open the door.

A statement from FDLE Commissioner Rick Swerengen doesn’t deny guns were pointed at others but does say: “Agents afforded Ms. Jones ample time to come to the door and resolve this matter in a civil and professional manner. As this video will demonstrate, any risk or danger to Ms. Jones or her family was the result of her actions.”

In our Tuesday interview, we asked why it took her so long.

“They knocked on the door. They messaged my lawyer to say the police are here. And they told me to go downstairs, do what they said. I was in my nightgown, so I think I ended up putting on my husband’s sweat pants,” said Jones.

Since then, the case has taken a number of turns.

On Wednesday, prosecutors in Tallahassee withdrew a plea agreement Jones had negotiated in a 2019 stalking case.

She first used an expletive to describe why, then told us this.

“It’s just another hit to try and interrupt my life,” said Jones.

Florida Democrats also weighed in on the raid on her house.

“The raid prompted the resignation of a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission who sharply criticized the underlying warrant,” said State Senator Lori Berman.

Meanwhile, Jones’ legal defense GoFundMe account has topped $200,000.

When fired in May, Jones also created a GoFundMe account.

It totals more than a quarter million dollars, bringing the total she has raised to over a half million dollars.

Thursday was International Human Rights Day, commemorating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations following World War II.

Part of the declaration is a commitment to address the issue of human trafficking and Florida is preparing do just that, ahead of hosting one of the largest magnets for human trafficking for the second year in a row.

Last year during Super Bowl LIV in Miami, 20 trafficking victims were rescued and 42 arrests of johns and accomplices were made.

Human Rights Attorney Mark Schlakman said there are a number of reasons why the event is often a magnet for traffickers.

“It’s a global event and it’s a high dollar event,” said Shlakman.

In less than 60 days Tampa will host Super Bowl LV.

The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking heard how the region is preparing in a virtual meeting Thursday.

“The goal of the campaign is to increase human trafficking awareness in Tampa Bay. Teaching and reminding communities and businesses how to recognize the indicators and report suspected activity,”said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kimberly Overman.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said 333 people have already reached out to identify suspected human trafficking instances and local law enforcement have made multiple arrests as part of a two day operation.

“We’ll continue to do this as the Super Bowl approaches, during the Super Bowl, but more importantly following the Super Bowl,” said Chief Deputy Donna Lusczynski with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Also on Thursday in the state’s capital, the Tallahassee Mayor pledged to leverage the 1948 UN Human Rights Declaration to help fight human trafficking at the local level.

Schlakman said the international commitment could be used as leverage to combat trafficking during the Super Bowl as well.

“Clearly it could provide additional perspective, resources, mechanisms, visibility,” said Schlakman.

$150,000 in human trafficking awareness campaigns are planned ahead of Super Bowl 55.

It’s estimated those campaigns will reach more than 62.5 million people.

During the Human Trafficking Council meeting, state lawmakers on the council teased multiple legislative initiatives likely to come up in the 2021 session, saying next year is expected to be a big policy year for human trafficking.

Hospitalizations are on the rise as daily COVID case numbers continue to trend upward in Florida, but the Florida Hospital Association claims the medical system is better prepared for a surge now compared to where it was in the summer.

FHA reports there are about 4,800 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in the state.

It’s not nearly as many Florida saw during the summer surge, when over 10,000 were hospitalized.

“We’ve obviously learned a lot about the virus,” said FHA President and former Florida AHCA Secretary Mary Mayhew.

After speaking with hospital representatives across the state, Mayhew believes this time hospitals are better positioned to handle another surge.

“We’re not using ventilators as early on as we were back in March and April. So that has certainly helped to improve the treatment, the outcomes,” said Mayhew.

Part of the optimism is due to the promise of a vaccine, likely arriving within days.

“Incredibly important to have a strong workforce. Vaccinating that workforce will help to ensure we have capacity in the system to care for individuals,” said Mayhew.

Mayhew is also optimistic about new treatments for COVID-19, including monoclonal anti-bodies.

She predicts the combination of the treatment and vaccination of healthcare workers and vulnerable populations will keep hospitalizations at a manageable level.

Mayhew told us the biggest challenges facing hospitals now are the less visible effects of the pandemic.

Staffing fatigue is an ongoing issue.

There’s also the increase in mental health issues and substance abuse that often come in tandem.

“We can’t overstate the concern about the impact of the pandemic, the isolation that it has created and the loss of income, the impact that that’s having on families and individuals,” said Mayhew.

One silver lining Mayhew highlighted is the increase in Telehealth services, which has created greater and more timely access to healthcare, especially for those suffering from mental health crises.

Over the past week, Florida has added more than 65,000 new cases, averaging nearly 9,300 new COVID infections a day.

The new wave of infections is reigniting calls for a statewide mask mandate and the idea is now garnering bipartisan support.

Republican State Representative Mike Caruso has joined with Democrats who have been calling for a mandate since early on in the pandemic.

“The masks should have never been a political divider for our state and for our country,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried.

Fried, the top elected state Democrat, began pushing the Governor to issue a statewide mask mandate back in June.

“Leadership has got to start at the top. So hopefully Representative Caruso’s courage to come together and to really make this a nonpartisan issue is the first step to making those changes,” said Fried.

In recent days local governments have launched new efforts to encourage mask wearing.

Tampa’s ‘Choose Your Mask’ campaign is pushing a flier that implies the choice between a face mask or a ventilator.

But the local campaigns are only symbolic in nature.

The Governor’s latest pandemic executive order prohibits local governments from actually enforcing mask mandates.

Dr. Ron Saff, who serves on the board of the Florida Physicians for Social Responsibility, said any movement towards mask enforcement is a step in the right direction.

“And our political leaders in the House, in the Senate, they should have stepped up a long time ago to put the reigns on Governor DeSantis,” said Dr. Saff.

Representative Caruso has said he intends to push his fellow Republicans to enact a statewide mask mandate in the 2021 session, but a legislative mask mandate would have to survive the Governor’s veto pen.

The Governor’s Office told us it has so far not been contacted by Representative Caruso.

We reached out to Rep. Caruso for comment on this story, but did not hear back.

The home of a data scientist fired by the state for insubordination earlier this year was raided Monday by the Florida Department ofLaw Enforcement.