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Snipers, choppers and machine guns occupied the state capitol today in celebration of National Guard Day. There are more than 12-thousand active guardsmen and women living in Florida. Lieutenant Timothy Blydenburgh is one of them.

“For me this is a lot of fun, especially with the kids and how excited they get, and just showing the community what we are capable of and what we actually do on a day-to-day basism” said Blydenburgh.

Guardsmen fight in foreign wars. They’re also on standby to respond in cases of Hurricanes or other emergencies in Florida.

Dozens of internet café owners and employees made the trip to Tallahassee today to fight for their jobs. The state legislature is moving to ban the sweepstakes businesses after a police investigation shut down 51 internet cafes and spawned the resignation of Florida’s Lieutenant Governor. As Whitney Ray tells us, before the bust, a ban on internet cafes was dead.

What a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday state lawmakers were in no rush to change Florida’s gaming laws. Now a bill is moving through the state legislature to close all internet cafes.

The quick action comes just days after investigators raided 51 internet cafes owned by Allied Veterans of the World. According to investigators, the charity made 300 million dollars, but gave just two percent to veterans.

By Monday morning the Senate Committee on Gaming was set to shut down all of Florida’s internet cafes.

Café owners and workers wore shirts asking senators to regulate, not eliminate their businesses. But supporters of the ban say quick action is needed.

“The time has come to terminate these and similar gaming operations around the state,” said Bill Bunkley with the Florida Baptist Convention.

“It’s not an ongoing gambling enterprise. It’s an ongoing criminal enterprise,” said Lobbyist Ron Book.

The owners, players and supporters of internet cafes testified for over an hour, but in the end they weren’t able to change even one vote.

After the vote, the bill’s sponsor told reporters, internet cafes are illegal right now, his bill would just clarify existing law.

“Gaming is illegal in the state of Florida unless it is otherwise carved out,” said Thrasher.

Friday the House Gaming Committee passed a similar ban. The bills could be ready for a floor vote by the end of the month.

The ban is effective upon becoming law, which means if both chambers pass it and the governor signs it, Internet cafes will be outlawed before the ink on the new law dries.

Days after a massive raid closed 51 internet cafes and led to the resignation of Florida’s Lieutenant Governor, state lawmakers are voting to ban the sweepstakes businesses statewide. As Whitney Ray tells us, the House Gaming Committee took quick action this morning. Too quick some say.

Just three days after a massive internet café bust, state lawmakers are taking action. Tuesday 51 internet cafes were raided and 57 people arrested.

The arrests stem from an investigation of Allied Veterans of the World. The group claimed its 290 million dollar internet café business was a charity, but investigators found just two percent of the processed were given to veterans.

Riding the coattails of investigators, a House Gaming committee sprang into action, amending a bill sponsored by Representative Carlos Trujillo to ban all internet cafes.

“I don’t think this is behavior we should encourage as a state, but it’s behavior we should punish,” said Trujillo.

Trujillo says the cafes, that run sweepstakes games that look a lot like slot machines, are already illegal. His legislation would simply clarify existing law.

The bill passed the committee with little opposition and just one no vote. The vote came from a House Democrat concerned that they were moving too fast.

Representative Jim Waldman says there wasn’t enough time to study the amendment. It was drafted Thursday night and voted on Friday morning.

“Yes it has parts of what are in other bills, but the reality is the stakeholders haven’t even had a chance to check in on this,” said Waldman.

Adult arcades would also be banned under the amended bill. An action Waldman says needs more vetting. The Senate Gaming Committee will take up a similar bill Monday.

Legislation to end permanent alimony and set stricter guidelines for other divorce settlements passed another House committee today. As Whitney Ray tells us, if the bill becomes law old alimony settlements could be reworked.

A wedding, a celebration of love and commitment. But what happens after the cake’s cut if the couple splits?

In Florida, depending on how long the couple was married and other factors, one spouse could pay the other spouse for the rest of their life. It’s called permanent alimony. And bill moving through the committee process at the state capitol would eliminate it.

Thursday, divorced man after divorced man stood in front of lawmakers and called permanent alimony a life sentence.

“I’ve been held in bondage by the state and forced to pay alimony against my will for the past 30 years,” said RC Lindsey, a 77 year old divorced man.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Ritch Workman, says the current system is outdated.

“Things have change in the family and so should alimony,” said Workman.

But opponents, like Elisha Roy with the Florida Bar, say the legislation would keep spouses from staying home and raising kids.

“Essentially what this bill says it, ‘you’ve got to go to work. You’ve got to work to your highest potential while you’re at work, cause if you don’t you are going to have a very short period of time, half the length of your marriage, to figure out a way to make back that social security that you sacrificed and make back that retirement income you sacrificed,’” said Roy.

The bill would also allow old alimony cases to be reworked.

“Essentially what we are doing is opening the flood gates to every divorce that has ever been decided in Florida,” said Roy.

After several amendments and a few objections, the bill passed. Workman says he’ll continue to amend the bill in an effort to gain support.

The bill has now passed two committees in the House and one in the Senate and could be ready for a floor vote before the end of the month.

The internet café raids are shedding doubt on the future of the sweepstakes businesses in Florida. As Whitney Ray tells, the sponsor of a bill to ban new internet cafes will now consider amending his legislation to shut down all internet cafes in Florida.

A federal investigation claims Allied Veterans of the World lied to customers by operating internet cafes for profit not to help soldiers. Tuesday a massive raid found just two percent of the nearly 300 million dollars the purported non-profit made was spent on veterans.

The bust shut down 51 internet cafes all over the state a location in Tallahassee. Five miles away at the state capitol the question is being raised should they all be shut down?

The Florida House answered the question last year, passing a bill by Former Representative Scott Plakon to ban all internet cafes. But the senate never took it up.

This year Senator John Thrasher is sponsoring a bill that would ban the expansion of internet cafes. In light of the raid, he’s now considering outlawing them all.

“Now I believe the evidence has come out that indicates these things were exactly what we though they were. They’ve been corrupted. There’s a problem with them. Counties and Cities are having problems. Law enforcement is having problems,” said Thrasher.

Daniel Russell is a Tallahassee attorney representing gaming interests in Florida. Russell says internet cafes only exist through a loophole in state law.

“It really is a policy call from the legislature. What do you want to do with these things. You’ve acknowledged there maybe a thousand operating today,” said Russell.

And for those still in business increased scrutiny is in the future as lawmakers look at how best to regulate the industry.

“They have to go justify their existence and I don’t think they can do that,” said Thrasher.

Paperless tickets are seen by many as the way of the future for live concerts and sporting events. But may be not in Florida. As Whitney Ray tells us, there’s a push at the state capitol to block electronic tickets that can only be transferred using the buyer’s credit card and photo ID.

Professional sporting events, concerts and plays; the cost of admission, one ticket. But what you do with your ticket after you buy it may be in jeopardy. Chris Grimm with Fan Freedom says the advent of paperless tickets has made gifting or reselling tickets nearly impossible.

“If I buy a ticket, I have to show up with the credit card I bought the ticket on and my photo ID and they are nontransferable,” said Grimm.

Grimm is supporting a bill guaranteeing buyers the right to resell or give away their tickets without having to lend someone their credit card or ID.

“It’s not the delivery method that concerns us, it’s the restriction on the ticket that we have a problem with,” said Grimm.

But venue managers and companies that sell tickets say the paperless movement protects against scalpers.

“Brokers scoop in, they actually try to sell the tickets before I even put them on sale,” said Ron Spencer who manages the Leon County Civics Center.

Spencer says electronic tickets keep scalpers from buying up all the good seats and inflating the price. He says that’s why some artists only offer electronic tickets for the best seats.

“It’s a very, very small percentage of the tickets sold. Only one tenth of one percent of all tickets sold are paperless tickets,” said Spencer.

But Grimm says it’s a growing trend.

“Right now it might be the floor and lower bowl are restricted tickets, but in the future it could be every seat in the house is restricted,” said Grimm.

How tickets are sold in Florida and what fan do with them could be decided this legislative session. The bill passed the House Business and Professional Regulation Subcommittee today. Its next stop is the Regulatory Affairs committee.

The Senate Select Committee on the Patient Protection Act today voted seven to four not to expand Medicaid to a million Floridians. The vote was along party lines. Governor Rick Scott had called for the expansion for three years. But the committee chairman, Sen. Joe Negron of Stuart says he wants a Florida solution to the problem of the uninsured.

“We don’t want Washington telling Florida how to provide insurance for people, and the traditional Medicaid expansion really puts people into a system that’s precarious. What I would like to explore is using available federal and perhaps state dollars to provide private health insurance for our fellow Floridians who work everyday” says Negron.

Advocate Karen Woodall from the Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy says she was prepared for the loss and sees hope that the discussion is not over. 

“But I think it was important the message was we are going to continue this conversation. We recognize we need to bring our federal tax dollars back into this state and we want to work on some alternative plans” says Woodall. 

 The Federal Government would have paid the total cost of the expansion for the first three years. After that, the states share would have been ten cents on the dollar.

Gay and lesbian couples in Florida are hoping this is the year state lawmakers legalize domestic partnerships. A bill creating a domestic partnership registry has stalled in its first senate committee. As Whitney Ray tells us, to get the bill moving again equal rights activists are speaking out.

Democrats, attorneys and gay rights activists gathered on the fourth floor of the state capital Monday trying to change minds about same sex couples.

Nadine Smith is the Executive Director of Equality Florida, a gay and lesbian rights group backing a bill to set up a domestic partnership registry.

“It enjoys broad public support. The business community has been one of the leading voices saying we need these protections,” said Smith.

The bill would allow same-sex couples to register their civil unions. The legal recognition would allow them to visit each other in the hospital, in prison and make emergency decisions for each other.

“In the moments when it matters the most, in case of an emergency, rushing somebody to the hospital, there’s no guarantee you’re going to be treated with the respect your family deserves,” said Smith.

The idea has already been vetted by senate committee but the bill’s sponsor pulled it fearing there wasn’t enough votes to pass the legislation.

State Senator Eleanor Sobel is the sponsor. She’s made some changes to the bill in hopes of getting it moving again.

“This bill now is what the committee will agree to,” said Sobel.

Opponents see the partnership bill as a step toward legalizing gay marriage but in reality voters have the final say. In 2008, a constitutional amendment was passed writing a gay marriage ban into the state constitution.

Domestic partnerships are recognized in many Florida cities and counties. Just under half of the state’s population lives in areas were they are legal. Supporters of the bill say the local ordinances have created a confusing patchwork and the bill will clear things up.

Florida seniors are facing a housing shortage.

Government money for low cost, low income senior housing has been nixed. In 2005, Florida received 650 million federal dollars for senior housing. In 2012, the state received zero. State Representative Mark Pafford is sponsoring a memorial asking Congress to send more cash.

“There are nearly 300-thousand seniors living in six thousand housing units in the nation, at least 10 seniors are on a wait list for each unit that becomes available,” said Pafford.

By 2030 one out of every five Americans will be a senior. Nearly half retire without a pension.

There’s a standoff at the state capitol over the Medicaid expansion. Governor Rick Scott came out first, asking the legislature to expand the entitlement program. Then House Speaker Will Weatherford fired back this week with a resounding NO. Whitney Ray spoke to the lone hold out today in Tallahassee, Senate President Don Gaetz.

All eyes were on Senate President Don Gaetz, Friday as he spoke to a crowd of business professionals. The question on everyone’s mind, will Gaetz side with House Speaker Will Weatherford or Governor Rick Scott on Medicaid expansion?

During the State of the State address Scott reasserted his support for a massive Medicaid expansion.

“I can not in good conscience deny the uninsured access to care,” said Scott.

A million more Floridians would qualify for coverage if state lawmakers accept the 20 billion dollars to expand the entitlement program.

But right now the expansion is dead. House Speaker Will Weatherford is opposing the governor over opposition from Democrats in his chamber and some Republicans.

“We are a donor state. The federal government wants to give us our money back. Let’s use those dollars to help the little guy and little girl,” said House Republican Mike Fasano.

“If we can help families and we can help them early, we can actually save lives,” said House Minority Leader Perry Thurston.

If the House continues to opposition the expansion, the senate’s decision won’t matter. But if Gaetz does move to accept the money, it could influence the House.

“I want to be very, very prudent about this. There could be alternatives to Medicaid expansion the way that Obamacare envisions it,” said Gaetz.

The only deadline Gaetz is putting on the Senate’s decision is before the end of session. Gaetz says there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the Medicaid expansion. He wants his chamber to try to get answers before moving forward.

New state employees would be locked out of the Florida Retirement System under a bill moving through the State House.

Today The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill, which is expected to save taxpayer 10 billion dollars by 2040. The decision was made over the objections of current and former state employees.

“This proposal was based on millions of assumptions. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’m rising in opposition,” said Amy Mets.

After the vote, we caught up with Senate President Don Gaetz who says paying pension is deflating the state budget.

“We are taking 500 million dollars out of general revenue this year to put in to the FRS. That’s money we can’t spend on health care, we can’t spend on education, the environment,” said Gaetz.

Democrats say Florida’s Retirement System is one of the healthiest in the country and there is no need to reform it. If the bill becomes law, state employees hired after January, 2014, would not be eligible for the state retirement system.

A state bill to ban smoking in parks and at beaches is moving early in session. It’s just the third day of the 2013 legislative session and already the ban has passed two senate committees. As Whitney Ray tell us, if the legislation becomes law, city and county governments would have more of a say-so over where people smoke.

It’s already banned in restaurants and on planes. The space where people can legally smoke is shrinking. A senate health committee passed a bill Thursday allowing local governments to ban smoking at parks and beaches.

“I think it’s important that people have a choice and voice in whether their kids are around smokers or not,” said State Senator Aaron Bean, the chairman of the committee that passed the bill.

This parkgoer agrees.

“I know just like I wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant and be around secondhand smoke I wouldn’t want to necessarily want it at a park,” said Tykena Buckner.

Litter is another reason senators are quickly moving the bill through the legislative process. Cigarette butts are dirty and are easily found at almost every park and beach in the state.

“There are hundreds of cigarette butts buried in the sand,” said Sobel.
\The bill has bi-partisan support gaining votes from Democrats and Republicans at every committee stops.

“I think this helps our cities, helps our counties and it’s a good bill and I think we should let our local governments decide if they want to pick up this law now,” said Sobel.

“I’ve heard that from constituents and others who say hey, ‘why do I have to be at a park where there are kids involved and have to stand next to somebody who is smoking.’ So this gives the cities local control. If that’s a city park it lets cities set the parameter,” said Bean.

As the bill moves through the process, state lawmakers are considering changes to make sure restaurants with outdoor smoking areas aren’t negatively impacted.

The bill has one more committee stop before its ready for a vote on the Senate Floor.

Florida Democrats unveiled legislation today to require background checks on all gun sales. The background check bill targets gun shows and personal sales. As Whitney Ray tells us, the NRA says the real intention behind universal background checks is to eliminate the second amendment.

There’s a showdown forming at the state capitol. At high noon Wednesday Florida Democrats took the first shot. A bill requiring background checks before all gun sales.

“If you want to obtain a gun in Florida you need to undergo a background check,” said Representative Lori Berman.

Sponsors of the bill say 40 percent of guns sold in the US are sold without a criminal history or mental health check. Many of the sales take place online or at gun shows.

“We need to begin this discussion and this discussion must begin today,” said Sen. Maria Sachs.

But the legislation will be a tough sell here at the state capitol where the house, senate and governor’s office are controlled by Republicans and the NRA is king.

Defending the 2nd Amendment is former NRA president and Tallahassee insider Marion Hammer.

“I think it’s just more of government intrusion into our private lives. Traditionally people have been able to sell, give and lend firearms to friends and relatives,” said Hammer.

Supporters of universal background checks say the bill is a step in the right direction.

“So this is one small step. It’s a responsible step. It is a very common sense step,” said Shelly Vana.

“This is not a first step, this is a second or third step to the ultimate goal of banning guns,” said Marion Hammer.

The bill’s sponsors admit it’s a tough sell, but say they’ve got to do something to try to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, people with mental heath problems and veterans who’ve been dishonorably discharged.

Opponents of the bill say if a criminal wants a gun they won’t go through legal channels. They’ll just buy one on the black market.

One is 10 Florida kids is a victim of identity theft.

Criminals target kids because it can take years before they check their credit scores. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Adam Putnam invited a group of kids to the Florida State Capitol Wednesday to announce legislation to protect their credit. Putnam told the story of a Zephyrhills girl who fell victim to identity theft.

“She was only five when their phone rang at their home from creditors seeking out that five year old. When her dad pulled her credit report he found eight credit cards had been taken out under her name,”

Putnam is backing a bill to allow parents to open a credit record for their child and then freeze it. This would prevent fraudsters from opening credit card accounts in their child’s name.

Residents in a Tampa area neighborhood where a sinkhole swallowed a man and destroyed a house are worried tonight. A second sinkhole has been discovered nearby. As Whitney Ray tells us, the tragedy has homeowners concerned about who will pay if their house is damaged.

Sinkhole insurance, the name can be misleading because you don’t need it if your house is swallowed up by a sinkhole.

Residents in this Tampa area neighborhood are getting a solemn course in sinkhole coverage. Last Thursday a hole opened up under this home and killed one man.

Now a second sinkhole has been discovered nearby and residents are worried about their homes.

What homeowners need to know right now is, if they have a policy and their house is swallowed up they’re covered under what is known as catastrophic ground collapse coverage. It used to pay for smaller damages caused by sinkholes but here at the state capitol in 2011, lawmakers changed that.

State Representative Mike Fasano was one of the biggest opponents of the changes.

“If you have property insurance then you are going to be covered because that is a catastrophic ground cover collapse. However many of those homeowners throughout the Tampa Bay area no longer have property insurance because they can’t afford it,” said Fasano.

Now if homeowners want coverage for minor damage caused by sinkholes they need to purchase extra coverage, coverage that’s getting more and more expensive.

“Many of those who want sinkhole coverage now, with the 10 percent deductible, premiums going up 30 to 40 percent if you want sinkhole coverage, homeowners just can’t afford that there’s no way our senior citizens, our working families can afford to come up with that kind of money,” said Fasano.

Florida has more sinkholes than any other state in the nation. Which means insurance issues surrounding the coverage will remain a hot topic in Tallahassee for years to come.

and the extra sinkhole coverage fluctuates depending on where you live. There was an outcry last year when Citizen explored raising sinkhole insurance rates more than 100 percent in some areas.