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The Dozier School grounds have been padlocked since 2011. The state put the property up for sale a year later, and was set to open bids last October when relatives of some of those missing stopped the sale until the school grounds could be examined.

Bill and Valerie Alexson were one of two bidders. They have a dream of turning the 220 acre tract into something positive, a place for older foster children, and even the victims of abuse at the school says Valerie.

“And this place is perfect, it has a gym, it has school, it has dormitories. It’s just perfect” says Valerie

Bill Alexson takes pro basketball players worldwide as part of a motivational program. He wants to do the same thing at Dozier.

“And here’s these guys, they live a superficial life style, signing autographs and making checks. And when they retire everyone forgets about them. So here is an opportunity for them to mentor these kids” says Axelson.

But the plans will have to wait a while longer. 

The states already blocked from trying to sell the property until January but now one of the lawyers for family members say they will go back into court and try to extend that injunction until researchers finish their work.

The Alexson’s say they are disappointed by the delay, but say they will continue to pursue their dream for a positive outcome for Dozier.

Legislative support for sit in protesters at the Capitol is growing. Around two-dozen state lawmakers have submitted letters requesting a special session. But, the support may still not be enough trigger a constitutional call for legislative action.

It’s Day 23 for the Dream Defenders at the Governor’s Office.

Dream Defender Ahmad Abuznaid said, “We’ll continue to put pressure on legislators and lawmakers letting them know we’re willing to do their job or start doing their job for them.”

The reality of making changes to Florida’s Stand Your Ground law is closer now than ever. That’s because a growing number of Democratic lawmakers have shown their support for a special session.

Representative Alan Williams is in support of the special session and said, “This is also another step in making sure that we continue to bring attention to a much needed part of our state.”

Lawmakers have sent letters to the Secretary of State’s Office requesting a special session to address the stand your ground law. 10 more letters are needed to start the polling process.

If lawmakers hit the magic number of 32 letters supporting a special session of the legislature; senators and representatives would be polled to see if they’d support the session. If 96 lawmakers agree, they would meet in Tallahassee to discuss the controversial law.

“This letter right here is to specifically call for a special session around stand your ground,” said Representative Williams.

With the George Zimmerman verdict and requests to pardon Marissa Alexander being ignored after she received 20 years in prison for shooting a gun in the air while allegedly being abused by her husband, this has the Dream Defenders in a fighting mood.

“You know a guy can get off after a man kills an unarmed 17 year old and at the same time a young black woman fires, doesn’t injury anyone,” said Abuznaid.

The group will have national hip-hop artist Talib Kweli join the group Thursday to address changes they say are needed in Florida. The Dream Defenders say they expect to hit the magic number of 32 in the upcoming days.

The hunt for bodies at a state reform school will continue. Stymied by the courts and bureaucrats, researchers from the University of South Florida got the go-ahead to resume the exhumation of bodies at the defunct Dozier School for Boys. The search will be slow and painstaking.

The Dozier School for Boys closed in 2011 amid tales of abuse and even murder. University of South Florida Researchers have located dozens of unmarked graves. But their efforts to exhume those bodies have been thwarted. Until now. “We are not exactly sure what happened there, but we know it wasn’t good. And it’s something that we as Floridians cannot ignore,” says Pam Bondi, Attorney General.

“There is no shame in searching for the truth,” said Adam Putnam, Agriculture Commissioner.

Acting as the property’s owner, “Any comments or objects? Hearing on the motion carries,” says Governor Rick Scott and the State Cabinet voted to allow the USF to exhume the bodies.

Dozens for former inmates in the audience applauded.

“It was pure hell,” said one man.

Johnny Lee Gaddy was sent to Dozier in 1957. “I saw body parts of boys in different areas, in the hog pen,” said Gaddy.

The search for bodies will encompass an area near an existing cemetery and the former white section of the property where no graves are marked. Robert Strayley was sent to Dozier in the 60’s. “I say that there is 200 kids buried there, and they may not find them all,” says Strayley a former inmate from Clearwater.

Researchers hope to start what they are describing as slow and pain staking work by the end of august. “Well they’ve given us a year so we’ll take a year, and we’ll be doing field work and then continuing with the interviews,” says Dr. Erin Kimmerle, USF Forensic Anthropologist.

And for the families looking for loved ones who never came home, the search can’t begin soon enough.

Families to Learn of Loved Ones

Dozens of unmarked graves at the now defunct Dozier School for Boys in Marianna could be excavated beginning next week. The exhumation was turned down by a judge, then by the Secretary of State. But now the Governor and Cabinet are expected to approve the work at a meeting Tuesday. Jen Meale, is a spokesperson for Attorney General Pam Bondi  who led the effort to keep the project moving forward.

“If this is approved on Tuesday by the board of Trusties, what can then happen is University of South Florida can continue the excavation of human remains at Dossier and ideal return those remains to their families”.

Reporter: “How quickly could that happen?

“We hope as soon as possible” says Meale.

State lawmakers gave the University of South Florida two hundred thousand dollars to cover the cost of unearthing the graves. DNA analysis will be provided by the Federal government in an attempt to return bodies to their families.

Former Supreme Court Justice Art England has died at age 80.

England served from 1975 to 1981.  He is credited with pushing for cameras in the courtroom as a way to o[en justice to the public. He also created a program that funds legal services for the poor. Before becoming a Justice, England authored the state corporate tax, and consumer protection legislation.

Trooper Gets Bittersweet Ruling and His Job

Ruling to be appealed

State Trooper Charles Swindle was fired for cutting lawmakers a break and writing tickets for lesser offenses. Now an appeals panel says the punishment was too severe and is giving Swindle his job back with a three week suspension. The decision is bittersweet, because it gives the agency stronger grounds to fire Swindle in the future. Lawyer Sid Matthew says they will appeal because he never should have been found guilty in the first place.

“The decision is erroneous on it’s face, because we prove that there was an unwritten rule of the FHP, and that he followed it with his supervisor’s blessing, he should no be disciplined, and his record should not blotted with a finding that he’s guilting with just cause for violating an agency policy” says Matthew.

The appeal will be before three appellate judges and could take up to a year. Swindle should get his job back right away unless the agency appeals as well.

The appeal will be before three appellate judges and could take up to a year. Swindle should get his job back right away unless the agency appeals as well.

An education scandal in Indiana is prompting the highest educator in Florida to step down. As Matt Horn explains, teacher unions say this is another reason why Florida’s education system is not trusted.

In a crowded room, Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett stepped down from his role amid recent allegations of grade rigging. “It’s not fair to the children in Florida that I continue as commissioner and deal with the distractions,” said Bennett.

Bennett changed the grade of a charter school run by a Republican donor while he was Indiana’s school chief. All together 13 schools had their grade changed. Bennett says it was to make sure schools were being graded accurately.

“They were unfairly penalized for kids that they didn’t have in their school, that wasn’t rigging anything,” he said.

Published reports show emails from Bennett and his Indiana staff saying the grade of the charter school the donor owned needed to be changed.

After the news surfaced – leaders from across the state urged Bennett resign. “You can’t have a system of integrity when you change the rules and move the goal posts to suit a particular school,” said Florida Democratic Chairwoman, Allison Tant.

The Florida Education Association wouldn’t go on camera, but released a statement saying: “The resignation of Florida’s latest commissioner of education is another symptom of the mistrust parents, teachers and the public have in the state’s incoherent and unsound school reform and accountability policies.”

Bennett says people in Florida and Indiana should keep faith in how schools are graded.

Bennett was the fifth person to serve as Education Commissioner since since Governor Rick Scott took office 2 and a half years ago.