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More trouble for Florida A&M University tonight. FDLE is launching another criminal investigation in to activities by school staff. The investigation is separate from the alleged hazing case in November that cost a band member his life, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the issue was uncovered as investigators were asking questions about hazing.

A day after FAMU alumni created a website to help heal their school’s tarnished image, FDLE is launching another investigation in to possible criminal activities at the school.

“There will be a second independent investigation which we have started and that investigation is classified as active,” said Keith Kameg, a spokesman for FDLE.

The investigation isn’t connected to the death of drum major Robert Champion, but was brought to light after FDLE began investigating hazing at the school.

“It will be conducted by the office of executive investigation and it concerns issues of fraud,” said Kameg.

Neither FDLE nor FAMU administrators are releasing details about the new investigation, but reports that the issue is connected to band finances are beginning to surface.

Investigators are asking the school not to take disciplinary action against staff until FDLE completes its investigation.”

While Champion’s death remains the main focus, side issues continue to surface. Tuesday three students were arrested for a separate hazing incident that sent a female band member to the hospital.

In letters sent to the FAMU and the University System’s Board of Governor’s FDLE wrote the investigation concerned fraud and or misconduct, but as of right now, no more details are being made public. We called the governor’s office to ask about reports that the investigation involved the band’s finances. They declined comment.

A Leon County judge kicked an proposed constitutional amendment off the 2012 ballot. Amendment 7 was put on the ballot by the state legislature. The Florida Education Association says it would have required taxpayer money to be spent on religious schools. But FEA’s attorney Ron Meyer says the ballot language approved by the legislature didn’t make that clear.

“If you are going to amend the constitution to require taxpayers to pay for religion and religious programs and religious institutions you should tell people that and be clear and unambiguous,” said Meyer.

FEA has won for now, but the state has plenty of options. They could appeal the judge’s decision, because of a new law they could have the Attorney General rewrite the ballot summery, or lawmakers could simply draft a new proposed constitutional amendment next session.

Three FAMU students have been arrested for a Halloween night hazing that resulted in a fractured leg for a FAMU freshman band member. The incident happened about three weeks prior to the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, lawyers for suspended band director Julian White point to the case as proof White should get his job back.

Bria Hunter was beaten at this off campus apartment on Halloween. Arrested are James Harris, Aaron Golson and Sean Hobson.  Harris’s roommate, Charles Ford, answered the door, disavowing any knowledge

Reporter: “Bria Hunter is a band member who had her leg cracked in a hazing incident at this apartment.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Ford said.

Reporter: “Did the police talk to you?”

“No,” Ford replied.

Bria Hunter first reported the case November 7th after she was taken to a local hospital with a fractured leg.

“Mr. Golson, you are here on a first appearance for hazing,” a judge at Golson’s court appearance said. “You’ve also got what looks like a felony charge, based on serious bodily injury.”

Bond was set at $10,000 for Golson and Hobson. Bond for Harris was set at $2500.

“In fact, the only evidence is that he stopped the attack,” a lawyer at Harris’s court appearance said.

Shortly after one, Aaron Golson bonded out of the Leon County Jail, dodging reporters.

A woman identified as his mother refused to any questions.

The victim’s parents have praised suspended band director Julian White for his quick action. White’s attorney says the arrests are proof the band director should be reinstated.

“Just looking at the fact that you have these arrests today, that is proof positive that Dr. White was being proactive and was taking his job seriously, with respect to reporting incidents of hazing within the Marching 100,” Chuck Hobbs, attorney for Julian White, said.

Attorney Hobbs defended five FAMU fraternity brothers who were charged with the state’s first case of hazing in 2006. Two of those frat brothers received two year sentences for injuries less severe than those in this case.

Julian White, the band director, was initially fired, but last week was reinstated and suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. White has repeatedly said he took every step possible, including suspensions, that were not followed up on by university administrators.

The state receives thousands of complaints every year about unlicensed businesses and contractors. Most of the complaints come after the customer has already been ripped off. As Whitney Ray tells us, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is launching an educational campaign to keep customers from becoming victims.

Customers line up, almost daily, at this food truck to buy fried chicken and waffles.

Reporter: Do you have any reservations about eating food out of a truck?
Danay DuBrey: No, it’s sanitary or otherwise they wouldn’t be able to do it.

The owners of the Cravings food truck display their business license on the order window for customers to see. Not only because it’s the law, but also to let their customers know, they have the state’s blessing.

“It’s not your typical grease trailer where we serve prepackaged goods, but this is actually gourmet or restaurant style food,” said Jonathan Sellers.

Restaurant owners, hair dressers and veterinaries are a few of the businesses required by state law to display their licenses. Construction contractors must place their license numbers on their advertising. Last year there were 17-hundred complaints about unlicensed construction workers.

State regulators say unlicensed businesses are taking customers from companies who follow the rules.

To spread the word about unlicensed companies, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is launching an educational campaign, posting 34 billboards throughout the state.

“We are missing out on licensing fees, but more importantly we are seeing our people harmed by their activities,” said DBPR Secretary Ken Lawson.

The push comes less than a year after state lawmakers tried to eliminate business licensing for interior designers, hair dressers and mechanics. The legislation failed but the deregulation efforts continue.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation says people should ask to see a business license when shopping around for construction work. They’ve also set up a hotline where people can report unlicensed contractors. The number is 1-866-532-1400.

A new Florida company is promising to make health care cheaper and faster. The HIE Network has developed a wireless information sharing network to help doctors, pharmacists and insurance companies work together more closely. The network includes the medical information of a million Floridians and eliminates redundant paperwork. HIE Network Co-Founder Dan Kaelin says if every health care business in the state joins the network, medical costs would drop by 70 billion dollars a year.

“Billions of dollars can be saved on efficient disease management once the infrastructure is in place to manage the data,” said Kaelin.

The state has developed its own information sharing network, but HIE claims their system is better and will be more cost efficient in the long

BP is expected to pay fines between five and 20 billion dollars for causing the biggest oil disaster in the country’s history. There’s debate in Washington over how that money should be spent. If the fines are used to restore and protect Florida’s coast it could mean hundreds of new jobs. As Whitney Ray tells us, a new poll suggests voters in Florida, both Democrat and Republican, want the money spent here.

Millions of dollars in gulf coast restoration projects are awaiting funding.

Some projects, like helping increase the population of Brown Pelicans, are connected to the 2010 BP Oil Spill.

Others, like restoring the natural barriers between the gulf and rivers, would help protect against future disasters. But the projects are on hold, because federal funding has been scaled way back.

A new source of funding may be found in fines levied against BP that could reach as high as 20 billion dollars. The Restore Act requires 80 percent of the fines to be spent restoring the gulf.

A poll released Monday suggests an overwhelming number of Democrats and Republicans in Florida support using the fines on projects along the coast.

“When we asked Tea Party Supporters, we expected them to be different, but they were. Also we expected Republican primary voters to be different,” said Hamilton Campaign Pollster Dave Beattie.

A Duke University Study claims every million dollars spent on restoration would create 20 jobs. Terry Hull, the President of an engineering firm that works on environmental projects, says those jobs would be high paying and go to Floridians.

“There are many critically eroding beaches in Florida and I think this act could help fund those types of restoration projects,” said Hull.

Supporters of the Restore Act say the recovery is as much about Florida’s economy as it is the environment… and the BP fines should be used to heal both. Supporters of the Restore act want Congress to hurry up. They fear the issue could get caught up presidential politics and become too political to pass.

The drive to bring mega casinos to Florida has already generated multi million dollar profits…for lobbyists in the state capitol. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, even Governor Scott is calling the casino push the full lobbyist employment act.

Governor Rick Scott isn’t sure what he thinks about full fledged mega casinos for Florida, but he’s sure of one thing:

“I think it’s the full employment for lobbyists act,” Scott said. “Every lobbyist seems to be working on it.”

Each meeting to discuss casinos brings a packed house. By one count there are 158 lobbyists working for casinos and other forms of gambling. Reports put total lobbying expenditures well over two million dollars for the year.

In addition to lobbying wars, there are ad wars on TV, aimed primarily at state policy makers.

Political scientists say all this debate over casinos may have a lot more to do with something in your refrigerator, milk and juice, than really trying to pass this legislation.

Peter Schweitzer, author of Throw Them All Out, says milker and juicer bills are not designed to pass quickly.

“The purpose is to simply have it in process, where the stakes are very high, and people have a lot of money at stake so they’re going to be motivated to make campaign contributions again and again and again,” Schweitzer said.

And the casino fight is not two-sided, but three-sided. The first is keeping the status quo, and that includes the Seminoles and no casinos; the second is the push for mega casinos; and in the middle, existing gaming facilities that just want a better tax deal. All are primed and ready to give up campaign cash.

Hundreds of thousands have already been given, most going to the party in power.

Florida Cities today called on state lawmakers to make police and fire pension reform a top priority for the 2012 session. A glitch passed last year is having the unintended consequence of requiring local pension funds to allow officers three hundred hours of overtime each year to be counted toward benefits. The goal last year was to reduce the amount of overtime. Kraig Conn with the League of Cities says the change is important because by counting the overtime, officers and firefighters can retire with significantly higher pension benefits.

“They would essentially be receiving a 15 or 16-month, a payment based on 15 or 16 months for one fiscal year period,” Kahn said. “So it can increase the cost of the pensions by easily one-third of what they normally should be.”

Governor Rick Scott has made the overtime provision one of the few pension changes he will tackle in 2012. Pensions are based on an average of the last five years of salary. When overtime is also allowed, it drives up benefits and reduces the soundness of the plan..

Opposition to Florida’s controversial new election law continues to grow. Former Republican State Senator Nancy Argenziano filed her own lawsuit today, saying the new law takes away her right to run for congress as a Democrat. As Whitney Ray tells us, the law requires politicians to change their registration 17 months before the General Election.

Less than seven months before the 2010 General Election, Governor Charlie Crist left the Republican Party to run for Senate as an Independent.

By switching parties Crist avoided a primary against GOP favorite Marco Rubio. Crist ultimately lost, but his move to avoid the difficult primary, ticked off Republican lawmakers so much they changed the law.

Before this year candidates in Florida could change their party affiliation six months before the General Election. But in a 71 page bill, passed last session, the deadline to switch was moved to 17 months.

Caught in the mix is former Republican State Senator Nancy Argenziano. She wants to run for Congress as a Democrat, but it’s already too late. Friday she filed a lawsuit against the secretary of state, claiming the new law violates her rights.

“It’s a constitutional right that I believe I have, as well as you have and as well as the next guy,” said Argenziano.

Her predicament could have been avoided. In May of last year, Argenziano registered with the Independent Party, thinking she was registering with no party affiliation. If she were an NPA, switching wouldn’t be a problem.

“So what I decided to do, which I though was my right, is I would move to the Independent Party as a place holder,” said Argenziano.

The party switching provision is just one of 80 election law changes made by the legislature. And once it passed, candidates were given just two weeks to decide which party is theirs.

The provision is one of 76 in the new law already been cleared by the Department of Justice.

The nation’s most popular fake news cast, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has spent the last two days in Tallahassee taking government officials to task for efforts to drug test state employees or welfare recipients. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, both Governor Rick Scott and Attorney general Pam Bondi are soon going to be the subject of a nationwide comedy sketch over drug testing efforts.

Rick Scott was in the middle of answering questions about his 66 billion dollar budget when someone stood up in the back row with an unusual request.

“So, would you be willing, to uh, pee into this cup to prove to Florida taxpayers that you’re not on drugs?” he asked.

Scott seemed un-phased.

“I’ve done it plenty of times,” the Governor replied.

And even appeared to be willing to accept the cup.

“Sure.”

The questioner was no Capitol Press Corps regular, but Daily Show Correspondent Aasif Mandvi. The segment has yet to air, but this was not the first time the fake news program has poked at Scott.

The program poked fun at Scott’s attempts to test both state employees and welfare recipients.

Legal actions have put both drug testing schemes on hold.

“How do we know its you urine? How do we know its not just apple juice?” Mandvi asked.

The crew also confronted Attorney General Pam Bondi…who played along and gave them a fake sample.

“It’s apple juice,” she said.

The crew also confronted Attorney Pam Bondi, suggesting she had given them a bogus sample.

Scott says he didn’t know the questions were coming

“You know, what doesn’t make sense to me is that people aren’t worried about these poor children. that’s where the money is supposed to go,” Scott said. “Its not supposed to go to a parent that’s using drugs.”

An estimated two and a half million people watch the fake news show each night.

The Crew did convince several state lawmakers to give them urine samples, presumably not on camera, though.

Opponents of expanded gaming are getting a big boost tonight. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are joining their fight. As Whitney Ray tells us, General Bondi and Commissioner Putnam says if the state opens the doors to mega casinos an increase in violent crime will follow.

Surrounded by law enforcement officers and business interests, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam plunged into the casino battle.

“This is an insidious threat,” said Putnam.

“We need less gaming, not more,” said Bondi.

General Bondi spent weeks talking to police and prosecutors, and believes if Florida expands gambling, then violent crime will follow. Bondi says gangs are already using the Hard Rock Café Casino in Tampa to cover their tracks.

“This is a prime way to launder money,” said Bondi.

Earlier this week several construction and business groups came out in favor of the plans to bring three resort casinos to South Florida.

While politicians and organizations continue to line up on each side of the gaming issue, some state senators are holding out to see what they can get in exchange for a yes vote.

At a Senate Committee meeting, lawmakers discussed loading the bill with new games for parimutuals, a forth resort in Tampa Bay and regulations on internet cafes. Before the bill is ready for a vote a lot of concessions will have to be made. The bill’s sponsors say their legislation would actually rein in gaming because it sets up a regulatory department. But both Bondi and Putnam argue that lawmakers could regulate the industry without the three new resort casinos.

Civil liberty groups are asking the president to veto a bill they say would end of our free society. The National Defense Authorization Act has already passed the US House and Senate.

If the president signs it, soldiers could arrest US citizens; throw them in military prisons with no trial and no attorney. In many cases they would never have to let them out. Julie Ebenstein a spokeswoman for the ACLU says with his signature, President Barak Obama could eliminate due process and the right to a trial laid out in the constitution.

“One of the basic principles of our society is that people can not be arrested and detained without charges and held indefinitely. Once people lose the ability to challenge that activity on part of the government we are no longer living in a free society,” said Ebenstein.

Both of Florida’s US Senators, Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, voted in favor of the bill. It’s tied to military funding and supporters argue the military needs more power to protect the country from terrorists.

Eighty-six Fs and five Ds… those are the grades being given to state lawmakers who voted for insurance bills last session.

Today Florida Policyholders released its first report card grading lawmakers. Not every lawmaker ended up in the Policyholders’ principal’s office… the consumer advocacy group awarded two lawmakers with awards. The groups founder, Sean Shaw says the fight continues.

“We are starting to see these very anti-consumer bills that are somehow called pro-consumer. I don’t understand how a bill that allows people to be sucked in to a unregulated company is pro-consumer,” said Shaw.

Republican Senator Mike Fasano and Democratic House Member Evan Jenne were the two lawmaker honored today. Members who received failing grades say the bills they voted for will bring more competition into the state’s insurance market and in the long run that’s better for consumers.

Law enforcement officers trying to stop PIP or Personal Injury Protection fraud have more work than they can handle. They’re asking state lawmakers for help. As Whitney Ray tells us, undercover officers were at the state capitol telling lawmakers what needs to be done to stop PIP fraud.

Masked men were in the state capitol today concealing their identities because they investigate the fastest growing insurance fraud in the state.

These sheriff’s detectives have been undercover investigating how criminals abuse personal injury protection or PIP insurance to steal millions of dollars

PIP is mandatory for all Florida drivers. It pays up to 10-thousand dollars in medical costs from auto accidents regardless of who is at fault. Criminals know this and stage wrecks to get big payouts.

“In my participations I’ve been both. I’ve been either the driver of the struck vehicles, the driver of the striking vehicle or I have been the passenger,” said Jose Morales, with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Jose Morales infiltrated a ring of PIP fraudsters and participated in the staged wrecks and false medical bills that followed.

“The clinic will get 10-thousand dollars from my insurance for the service,” said Morales.

The detectives say there are entire medical clinics dedicated to ripping off insurance companies. They are called PIP mills. Detectives say the only way to shut them down is to pass stricter regulations on doctors who own clinics.

“There names are not even on the bank accounts. How can you own a clinic and not have your name on the bank account,” said Detective Ronnie Cooper.

Insurance companies paid out 2.7 billion dollars in PIP claims last year. That’s up 900 million dollars from a year ago. State leaders have vowed to fix the problem in next year’s legislative session. The detectives also say that some of the fraudsters stage anywhere from eight to 14 accidents per year, since the $10,000 payout is per incident.

Governor Rick Scott today proposed spending about one hundred dollars a year more per student and paying for it by closing prisons and slicing benefits for medicaid recipients. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, even with the additional school funding, schools will still have less than before Rick Scott took office.

Governor Rick Scott says he has been listening to Floridians and they’ve been telling him they want more money spent on schools. He’s proposing a billion more. That works out to just about a hundred dollars a year more per student.

“I will not sign the budget if it does no significantly increase the funding for education,” Scott said.   “Now, I know this will require difficult choices.”

With the crime rate at a 40 year low, Scott would pay for the additional school stipend by closing several prisons, and drastically limiting how much the state will pay hospitalsfor treating the poor.

“Medicaid growth is at 180 percent,” Scott said. “General revenue growth is 30. You can’t do that.”

Scott is asking every agency of government to trim their belts by four percent. And the state would shed 1700 vacant, and 2800 jobs that are filled. Some health insurance benefits would cost more. Scott says funding for Universities will remain flat.

“With level funding of the universities, they shouldn’t be increasing tuition,” Scott said.

Even if Rick Scott gets everything he wants for education, Florida’s schools will still be 300 million dollars shy of where they were when he took office.

Advocates for children like the increase for schools, but still worry.

“Is he making the same investments in the child’s life outside the classroom?” Roy Miller with the Children’s Campaign said.

State lawmakers have the final say on spending.

Scott is sending an early signal that he wants the cash for schools or lawmakers may find themselves in overtime.