The measure would allow patients to use vaporizers or edibles, but would ban smoking of marijuana products, something critics complain violates the spirit of the constitutional amendment.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Senate Approves Constitutional Proposal That Would Increase Homestead Exemption to $75,000
The homestead exemption proposal would go before voters as a constitutional amendment in 2018, would save homeowners money but cost local governments millions in revenue.
‘Click It or Ticket’ Laws Are Becoming The Norm. But Do They Work?
Not everyone is convinced the tougher laws reduce fatalities. And some opponents say the laws are another example of government interference and can lead to racial profiling.
Right v. Usurpation: State Defends Shifting Death Cases From State Attorney In Seminal Case of Authority
Central Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala sued Rick Scott after he reassigned 23 death penalty cases, setting the stage for courts to clarify which authority of duly elected officials prevails.
Senate Budget Details Yet to Emerge as House Pushes Potential $2.2 Billion Tax Cut
Lawmakers pushed back against the idea that a deal that many believed had been sealed Tuesday had fallen apart, while House leaders placed tax cuts ahead of more money for per-student allocations.
With Florida as Example, Charlie Crist Files Bill Seeking Seat Belts on School Buses Nationwide
School districts also are concerned about the estimated $7,000 to $10,000 cost of adding seat belts to a new bus, though Florida is already covered: seat belts on school buses is a state law.
House and Senate Move Close to Budget Deal But Visit Florida Would Be Cut
Gov. Rick Scott’s request for $100 million for Visit Florida appears a long distance from the $25 million lawmakers were working toward, absent a change of heart, as budget negotiations continued.
Senate President Joe Negron’s Shabby Response to Repeat Offender Frank Artiles
Even now Artiles doesn’t get it, and seemingly neither does Negron–they don’t understand how ugly racially charged language is to all people of good will, but especially when it comes from a state senator.
Embattled State Attorney Ayala Gets Big-Name Backers In Fight With Scott Over Death Penalty
Ex-prosecutors, former state Supreme Court justices, civil-rights organizations and families of homicide victims from across the country have filed briefs supporting Ayala in her legal battle with Gov. Rick Scott.
Trump, You Bombed Syria Because You Care. Now Get Rid of the Muslim Ban in Any Form.
Both versions of that order, now held up in the courts, would have indefinitely banned all migration from Syria — and suspended refugee resettlement from everywhere.
Secret Hospital Inspections Revealing Errors and Mishaps and May Become Public at Last
The federal government has proposed requiring that accreditors release reports on the problems they find during hospital inspections. Right now, the reports are secret.
Sen. Artiles Resigns as Senate Investigates Racist Insults to Black Colleagues and Others
Sen. Frank Artiles called his presence a “distraction” days after apologizing for a public tirade that included racially charged and vulgar expletives directed at Sen. Audrey Gibson and others.
Lawmakers Set to Enact Long-Sought Solar Energy Tax Break, But Concerns Remain
The House and Senate are working on the proposals to carry out a renewable-energy constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 4, that voters approved during August’s primary election.
Sen. Artiles Apologizes to Sen. Gibson After Cursing Her Out In Racist and Sexist Language
Florida Sen. Artiles unleashed racial and sexist slurs at Sen. Audrey Gibson, who at one time represented parts of Flagler County, in a tirade at the Governors Club near the Capitol Monday night.
No Bong Hits or Joints as Florida Lawmakers Roll Up Medical Pot “Compromise”
House and Senate refuse to allow marijuana products to be smoked despite repeated demands from patients, caregivers and others who insist that smoking provides some with the best type of treatment.
Governments Mull Way To Fight Prescription-Drug Crisis That Worked With Tobacco: Taxes
California, Alaska and the US Congress are considering taxing prescription drugs to raise money for treatment and discourage their use, but the amounts of the taxes would be relatively small.
A Suicide By Gunshot Jolts 911 Call as Sheriff Observes Flagler’s Dispatch Center in Action
A gunshot suicide took place live as a 911 dispatcher was on the phone Wednesday, while Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly sat in as a “trainee” to mark National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Taxing Satellite TV at Nearly Twice the Rate of Cable
Under state law, cable services are taxed at 4.92 percent, while satellite services are taxed at 9.07 percent, according to the Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the different rates.
Goons With Guns, Sheriff Edition
A Florida sheriff’s ISIS-like video warning to drug dealers and the brutalizing of Dr. David Dao on a United flight in the same week are no coincidence, but symptoms of a re-emerging authoritarianism.
With Rising Death Toll From Opioids, Florida Still Gropes For Effective Answers
State officials have few responses as the death rate from synthetic opioids other than methadone increased 72.2 percent from 2014 to 2015, to 3,228 deaths by overdose in Florida.
Thursday Briefing: Protesting Home Rule Violations, G.W. Carver Auction, Wetlands in Flagler Beach, Taxes
Hammock residents plan a protest of their own Senator (Travis Hutson’s) position on home rule, the Carver Center Foundation holds an arts auction at Hammock Dunes Creek Club.
Wednesday Briefing: Matanzas Construction Tech Program, Kids’ Town Hall With Provencher, Staly as a 911 Dispatcher
The sheriff marks his 100 days in office by being a 911 dispatcher for four hours, Flagler Beach Mayor Linda Provencher holds a kids’ town hall, builders inaugurate a program at Matanzas.
Another Bear Hunt? Florida Fish and Wildlife Readies to Look at Latest Numbers
Florida game officials are getting an update on the state’s growing black bear population, a discussion animal-rights supporters contend is a first step toward holding a hunt later this year.
As Washington Piddles, Liberal California Forges Ahead With Universal Health Care Ideas
Organized labor and two lawmakers are leading the charge for a single, government-financed program for everyone in the state. Another legislator wants to create a commission that would weigh the best options for a system to cover everyone.
Florida House and Senate In Duel Over Shifting Stand Your Ground Burden to Prosecution
The two chambers have approved different versions of a proposal (SB 128) intended to shift a key burden of proof in “stand your ground” cases from defendants to prosecutors in pre-trial hearings.
Trump Steps Up Bombing in Iraq, Civilians Die
More U.S. coalition strikes are now causing civilian casualties than strikes by Russia, which was loudly and appropriately accused of war crimes for its bombing of Aleppo, Syria last year.
Florida Senate Wants 81% Increase in Aid for Poorer College Students, and Boost For 1st-Gen
Florida student assistance grants would grow by $121 million. Senators also want to double the state’s matching grants for “first generation” college and university students to a total of $10.6 million.
Florida Colleges Decry Legislature’s Budget Cuts of Up to $85 Million
The Senate budget includes a $55 million reduction in remedial education funding and suspends $30 million in performance funding for the colleges. The House cuts similar amounts to other programs.
Education, Medical Pot, Guns, Death Penalty and Budget: Legislature Hedged at Midpoint
Halfway through Florida’s 60-day legislative session, almost all major issues remain unresolved. That’s not unusual, but lawmakers are not going at a pace that suggests they’ll be done by the scheduled end of the session on May 5.
In Unprecedented Move, Gov. Scott Shifts 21 Death Cases Away From State Attorney Ayala
Scott said he removed Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala “in the interest of justice” following her decision not to consider capital punishment in any case.
Vacation-Rental Bill Hearing Rescheduled Just as Key Senate Committee Begins Debate
Sen. Tom Lee, the seasoned chairman of the Community Affairs Committee, didn’t ant the bill rushed through debate, as had been the case on a previous occasion before Sen. Travis Hutson.
Senate’s Spending Plan Is $2 Billion Higher Than House’s as Budget Negotiations Begin
The $2 billion spending gap provides fresh reasons for skepticism that lawmakers will complete a spending plan by the scheduled May 5 end of the legislative session.
Pranksters, Hackers, Swatting and Service Failures: 911 Systems Need an Upgrade
A rash of disruptions in antiquated 911 emergency-response systems points up the urgent need for new technology to save lives in the wireless age. But money is lacking.
The Legislature’s Mullahs Threaten
Religious Freedom in Florida Schools
The Florida Legislature is about to approve a bill that would give religion preferential treatment in public schools, destroying a balance between secular rights and already inviolate personal expression.
Florida House Votes Against Corporate Welfare For Stadiums Like Daytona Speedway
The bill is part of an effort by House leaders to limit public assistance to private companies, reflecting a broader philosophical gulf from the Senate on business incentives.
House Panel Approves Restrictive Medical Marijuana Measure, Including Ban on Edibles
The proposal would prohibit smoking of cannabis products, as well as edibles, and would ban all but terminally ill patients from using vaporizers to consume medical marijuana.
For Florida’s Troubled Death Penalty, Prosecutor’s Refusal to Enforce It Is Latest Challenge
Recent studies have provided additional evidence to bolster criticism of the death penalty in Florida, which leads the nation in Death Row exonerations.
A 2-for-1 for Racists: Post Hateful Fliers, and Revel in the News Coverage
Nationalism evident since Trump’s rise–calls for mass deportations, Muslim bans, economic nationalism–intensified intense media coverage of emboldened white supremacists, attention the groups seem to be enjoying.
GOP Rep. Cary Pigman, Chairman of House Health Subcommittee, Arrested for Drunk Driving
With a blood-alcohol level nearly double the legal limit, state Rep. Cary Pigman was charged with drunken driving after a traffic stop on Florida’s Turnpike several hours after a House session Thursday.
Bill Vastly Diminishing Separation of Church and School Passes Florida Senate, 23-13
The proposal would allow religious speakers and messaging at school-sponsored events, and would allow students to engage in organized prayer groups during the school day and with the participation–though not the sponsorship–of school personnel.
GOP Plan Scraps Individual Mandate Only to Create New, 30% Penalty For Laggards
The GOP approach is called a “continuous coverage” penalty. It increases premiums for people who buy insurance if they have gone 63 consecutive days without a policy during the past 12 months.
No, Attorney General Sessions, Pot Is Not “Only Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin
Pot is a relatively mild and harmless drug compared to deadly, addictive heroin. Treating users like criminals is a threat to their safety — and so is perpetuating the lie that some drugs are no less harmful than others, writes Jill Richardson.
Lawmakers’ Letters to Constituents on Health Care Are Full of Lies and Misinformation
As the GOP tries to rewrite–or “repeal and replace–the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers in both parties are incorrectly citing statistics, making false claims and leaving out important context in letters to constituents.
Wednesday Briefing: Bob Cuff, Scout’s Hero, Guns in the Courthouse, Kasparov on Trump, McCarthyism
Palm Coast City Councilman Bob Cuff is honored by the Boy Scout Council, the Legislature takes up a bill that would allow carrying guns in courthouses, McCarthyism explained.
Ousted In Cop Case, Prosecutor Who Won’t Seek Death Penalty Challenges Scott
State Attorney Aramis Ayala is accusing Gov. Scott of abusing his authority by ousting her as prosecutor in the case of alleged cop-killer Markeith Loyd.
Tuesday Briefing: Vacation Rentals, Superintendent Search, Food Truck Tuesday, Patriot Award, Philip Roth
Palm Coast Fire Chief Mike Beadle, Deputy Chief Jerry Forte, and Battalion Chief Ron Petrillo get a Patriot Award, the school board looks over applicants for superintendent, vacation rentals are up for another Senate hearing.
Flagler Tourism “Promotions” Slush Fund Jumps 76% in 3 Years, And We’re Counting Pennies For Beach Repairs?
Paying for critical repairs to Flagler County’s beaches is hostages to a tourism budget’s scandalous and unaccountable promotions spending, which the county administration wants to increase despite the emergency.
Monday Briefing: County Commission Triple-Header on Land-Swap and Tourism Tax, Unspoken STDs, Kolyma
The Flagler County Commission meets three times to discuss an increase in the tourism sales tax, a land swap to benefit building a new library, and numerous other issues, the trial of James Taylor, accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl, Henrik Ibsen’s birthday.
As 1st Brick In Wall Goes Up, An Accounting of the Cost of a Single Installment ($2.8 Billion) to U.S. Taxpayers
That first $2.6 billion will not go toward the permanent wall Trump has committed to (that’s forecast to be around 10 times the $2.6 billion) but to a bunch of smaller walls and patch holes in the assortment of fences that now exist.
Weekend Briefing: Down Syndrome’s Buddy Walk, NCAA Sports Clinic, Art Show At Veterans Park, Judi Wormeck
It’s Down Syndrome Buddy Walk time, an NCAA Youth Sports Clinic at Indian Trails Sports Complex, Artist of the Year Judi Wormeck’s show opens in Flagler Beach, remembering John Updike and Rabbit Angstrom.