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.
Florida
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.
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.
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.
With 3 Large Flagler Fires in 2 Months and 107 Burning in the State, Scott Declares Emergency
Gov. Scott’s declaration of a wildfire emergency comes in the wake of several large fires in Flagler County and more than 100 ongoing fires elsewhere. It will allow for swifter sharing of firefighting resources, including the use of the National Guard.
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.
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.
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.
Cops Out in Force on I-95 Over the Weekend as Part of Drive to Save Lives Campaign
Be warned: cops from Florida to Maine are out in force this weekend (April 8 and 9), pulling over, warning and ticketing speeders, careless, reckless and distracted drivers.
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.
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.
House Panel Votes 9-6 to End Vacation Rental Regulations in 3rd Straight Defeat for Flagler
Flagler County government had staked its chances on killing the bill in this particular committee because Rep. Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, sits on the panel and had pledged to do what he could to halt the bill’s momentum.
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.
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.
Flagler Unemployment Down to 5.3% As 1,150 More Local Residents Gain Jobs in 2 Months
Flagler County’s unemployment in February fell sharply again, to 5.3 percent from 6 percent the previous month, even as the labor force in the county surged for the second month in a row, to just under 46,000–a record–as did the number of residents holding jobs.
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.
Renner Seizes Reins for Flagler After Hutson’s Striking Disregard on Vacation Rentals
Rep. Paul Renner and County Commissioner Greg Hansen are organizing a town hall meeting in the Hammock Saturday, hoping to rally support against a proposed legislative retreat on vacation-rental regulations.
7-3 Vote Loses Flagler Another Round on Vacation Rentals In Hurried Senate Hearing
Flagler County government’s attempt to protect its vacation-rental regulations took another turn for the worse as a Senate committee today voted to advance a bill that would wipe out those regulations.
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.
In Stunning Move, State Attorney Ayala Won’t Pursue Death Sentences in Orange and Osceola
Ayala’s decision infuriated Gov. Scott, Attorney General Bondi and police organizations, but drew praise from others who see the position more in line with a growing national trend by courts, some governors and legislatures.
Flagler’s Hutson Files Amendment to Vacation-Rental Bill That Would “Eviscerate” Regulations
Sen. Travis Hutson had supported the 2014 law enabling Flagler County to regulate vacation rentals. His amendment, which he calls a “compromise,” would scale that back even though he sees no problems with local regulations or short-term rentals.
Senate Approves Stand Your Ground Change To Make It Easier For Shooters To Use Defense
The bill would shift the burden from defendants to prosecutors in the pre-trial hearings, vastly strengthening defendants’ ability to use the defense, but at significant cost to prosecutors.
Setback For Flagler as Bill Scrapping Vacation-Rental Regulations Advances on 9-6 Vote
A divided House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee was not swayed by a presentation from Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed as it voted to scrap county authority to regulate short-term, vacation rentals. The bill has several additional hurdles to clear.
Prohibition on Liquor In Grocery Stores Approaching Repeal as Bill Advances
The contentious bill, sought by Wal-Mart and Target and opposed by Publix and ABC, needs to make it through one more committee in the House and awaits a floor vote in the Senate.
Florida’s Lethal Injections Ready to Stab Again As Gov. Scott Signs Death Penalty Bill
Florida is again poised to begin executions and prosecute death penalty cases after Gov. Rick Scott signed a law Monday aimed at fixing flaws in the state’s capital sentencing procedure.
Flagler May Lose Vacation Rental Regulations Just 2 Years After Regaining Authority
After a three-year battle, Flagler County government regained the right to regulate short-term rentals in the Hammock, which had become disruptive to local residents. Now the state is poised to take that authority away–again.
Lopsided House Votes To Abolish Enterprise Florida and Economic Development Limbs
The House also voted 80-35 to approve a separate measure (HB 9) that would overhaul the structure and contract-reporting requirements of Visit Florida.
Florida Senate Backs Unanimous Juries in Death Sentences
Thursday’s Senate vote — on the third day of the 2017 legislative session — would ostensibly fix the weaknesses identified by the majority of the Florida Supreme Court with the current law.
Lawmakers Back Secrecy for Murder Witnesses
Witnesses’ identifying information would remain secret for two years after the date of the incidents, except to prosecutors and police.
In State of the State, Gov. Scott Takes Fight for Economic Incentives to House Speaker
The speech to open the 2017 legislative session came just two days before the House is expected to take up legislation that would abolish the economic-development agency Enterprise Florida and restrict tourism-marketer Visit Florida.
Felons Seeking to Regain Right To Vote Look to Constitutional Amendment
The constitutional change, if approved, could open up voting rights for more than 700,000 Floridians, although fewer than 300,000 could be expected to apply, at least initially.
Remembering John Hankinson Jr., Towering Force in Environmental Protection in Flagler and Elsewhere
John Hankinson Jr., a long-time resident of Summer Haven just north of Marineland, had been an EPA Regional administrator and had headed a post-Deepwater Horizon spill task force. He was a frequent performer in the local musical scene as Johnny Matanzas.
Rideshare South: Why Way Fewer Teens Are Bothering With a Driver’s License
The drop has been sharpest in the South, where the share of high school seniors with a driver’s license fell from 88.6 percent in 1996 to 71.2 percent in 2015.
Gov. Scott Names Political Loyalists To Constitutional Revision Commission
Scott’s selections included a number of Republican political allies, including influential insurance lobbyist Fred Karlinsky, a major Scott political fundraiser, and Brecht Heuchan, a key player with the governor’s “Let’s Get to Work” political committee.
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Ban On Openly Carrying Guns in 4-2 Ruling
Justices, in a 4-2 ruling, said the state law “regulates only one manner of bearing arms and does not impair the exercise of the fundamental right to bear arms.”
Florida’s Fractured Republican Leaders Heading Into Contentious Legislative Session
A philosophical schism is plaguing a fractured Republican Party leading up to what insiders characterize as potentially one of the most contentious legislative sessions in modern history.
Guns at Florida Airports, Colleges, Government Buildings: House Speaker Says “Let’s Try It”
Some 39 bills, resolutions and resolution-like memorials have been filed in the Legislature so far that include language that would make gun possession and carrying more permissive in Florida.
From Pot to Guns to Health Care, 10 Big Issues to Watch During 2017 Legislative Session
Florida lawmakers are poised to return to Tallahassee for the March 7 start of the 2017 legislative session, with a series of bills that have divided House and Senate, or the governor and the Legislature.
Legislating Free Speech on Florida’s College Campuses? Not So Fast.
A Legislative committee pondered on proposed legislation called the Campus Free Speech Act. Stanley Kurtz, a conservative academic, told lawmakers the measure would defend the right for people to speak their minds at the state’s universities.
In Victory for Local Governments, FPL Loses Appeal Over Having to Bury Power Lines
The state Supreme Court on Friday turned down an appeal by Florida Power & Light in a case about whether the utility could be required to install underground transmission lines.
Should The Poor Be Barred From Buying Junk Food With Food Stamps?
Lawmakers in at least five states, including Florida, introduced bills this year to ask the USDA for permission to ban the purchase of certain kinds of food or drinks, such as candy and soda, with food stamps.
Proposal to Kill Economic Agency and Trim Visit Florida Budget Clears House Committees
Palm Coast’s Rep. Paul Renner continued to defend the proposals, which would cut Visit Florida’s budget to $25 million, as the House bill heads for a floor vote in march, but still without viable Senate support.
Rep. Renner Takes Another Beating, This Time From Palm Coast Council Over Slew of Bills
The Palm Coast City Council excoriated Rep. Paul Renner over several bills he’s introduced, saying the proposals would hurt Florida Hospital Flagler and end the city’s ability to regulate local business, among others.