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A chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws hoped to gather signatures for their petition to regulate pot like alcohol at state Capitol this morning, but failed to gather a crowd.

The group needs to Collect more than 700,000 signatures to get the proposed constitutional amendment put on the 2020 ballot.

Melissa Villar Lonzano is the President of NORML Tallahassee.

She says the legal status of marijuana has negatively impacted users in the state for too long.

“We would like to see locally sourced product. We need to end any type of arrest for possession. If we must have anything it’s going to be a simple ticket and that’s it. A civil infraction is it,” said Villar Lonzano.

Similar citizens initiatives have been attempted in the past. Three similar proposals that had tried for the 2018 ballot all have zero validated signatures according to the Department of State’s website.

Two of the 13 amendments slated for the November ballot have already been ordered removed by judges.

Now a group made up of former Florida elected officials calling itself ‘Save My Constitution’ is taking it one step further.

“Vote no on all CRC amendments,” former State Representative Jim Kallinger asked voters Tuesday.

The group says the 8 amendments put on the ballot by the constitution revision commission are misleading and force voters to accept controversial proposals in order to approve more popular ideas.

“When we see the voters of Florida being presented a multitude of confusing, misleading and politically bundled constitutional amendments that were promoted by special interest groups we resolve to stop it,” said former Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp.

Seven of the amendments approved by the CRC are facing challenges in the courts.

Including one by former state Supreme Court Justice that targets all but two of the amendments for bundling.

In response to the lawsuit Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi argues the constitution gives the commission authority to change multiple parts of the constitution in a single proposal.

Save My Constitution says it’s evidence the process itself is flawed.

“The Attorney General’s assessment was probably correct and that in and of itself is probably the best argument that we can think of to the need for changing,” said former State Representative Don Brown.

The group hopes to convince lawmakers next legislative session to pass tighter restrictions on the CRC.

“Things like single subject, about bundling,” said Brown.

To change the CRC though would require not only legislative approval but also approval of 60% of Florida voters in the form of a constitutional amendment.

The Final decision in all of the legal challenges to the amendments will likely come from the state Supreme Court.

The unearthed remains of 51 young men who died while in state custody at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna will soon have a final resting place.

The bodies were unearthed, some from unmarked graves, four years ago by USF anthropologist Erin Kimmerle.

The majority remain unidentified.

Under a contract signed by the state with two funeral homes, the remains of seven boys who were victims of a fire, will be returned to their original resting place at Dozier.

“They were never part of the mystery,” said Art Kimbrough, owner of Tallahassee Memory Gardens Cemetery.

Because of the raw emotions of local residents and anger from former wards of the school, the remains of the forty plus others will go to donated plots in Tallahassee

“To some extent the anger of being painted as a town of torturers,” said Kimbrough.

The most significant part of the contract with the state calls for the remains to be treated with dignity.

“The White House Boys, the ones who claim they were beaten and abused didn’t want to see these remains go back to the place where they’d been abused before,” said Kimbrough.

“They may never be identified, they’re still somebody’s loved ones and its our job to show proper humility and respect,” said Rocky Ezell, Lead Funeral Director at  Abbey Funeral Homes.

The first step is to reintern the remains, then transport them back to North Florida.

“Death is death. Burial is burial. There’s a finality to that that puts closure on things,” said Kimbrough.

If any of the unidentified remains  are ever matched with a family, the state says it will pay to move those remains to a location of the families choosing.

The contract calls for the reburial to be done within a year, but those doing the work say it won’t likely take more than 90 days.

The cost of reinterment of the remains will depend on several variables, but should come in around $300,000.

A monument to the boys will also be erected on the grounds of the State Capitol.

As voters head for early voting sites, those that haven’t studied their voters guide could be in for a surprise when they see who’s running for Governor.

Eight candidates appear on the GOP ballot and seven on Democrat’s ballots.

Bob Langford is one of the candidates appearing on the GOP primary ballot for Governor.

Never heard of him?

You’re not alone, but he and five other unknowns each plunked down $7,800 to get their name on the ballot.

Langford says his nine years as a state auditor is why he can be Governor.

“It taught me that I know Florida Government better than anybody that I know,” said Landford.

Perhaps the best known of the unknowns is Bob White.

White is the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.

He’s been vocal at pro second amendment rallies.

“And what I want people to understand is that our rights to life and liberty are secured by our right to keep and bear arms,” said White.

White is the only one who has raised real money.

$65,000 so far, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the more than $130 million spent by all of the top contenders.

Most of the unknown republicans running for Governor appear to be states rights advocates.

Democrat John Wetherbee says he is last on the ballot, but first for Flordia.

“My vision is to make sure our children are safe,” Wetherbee says in a campaign ad.

So how are voters dealing with the slew of choices?

“Don’t know who they are. Don’t know anything about them,” said Tallahassee resident Susan Foley.

“And I didn’t vote for either of those either,” said registered voter Bill Bodiford.

And when it comes to the long shots, one voter told us it’s good for Democracy.

There are five serious candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for Governor, and just two mainstream GOP Gubernatorial hopefuls.

Circuit Court Judge John Cooper ruled to remove Amendment 8 from the November ballot Monday morning.

The lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters argued the ballot summary and title failed to inform voters of the purpose of the amendment.

The League also challenged the bundling of three separate ideas into one ballot item.

Amendment 8 would require civics be taught in school, put term limits on school board members and take away the authority of a school board to control schools it didn’t establish.

“There’s a lot of language about imposing term limits, there’s a lot of language about requiring civic education, but there’s only a few words that don’t clearly explain anything that takes away the power of elected school boards to control all of the schools in the district. What the court found is that’s deceptive, that’s misleading, that’s hiding the ball,” said Ron Meyer, an attorney representing the League.

The ruling is likely to be appealed by the state. The League says it will request the case be expedited to the Supreme Court to ensure a decision in time for Election Day.

Democratic candidate for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried is an outspoken supporter of medical marijuana.

“That has been my primary motivation for embarking on this campaign,” said Fried.

Fried says that support resulted in her campaign’s checking account with Wells Fargo being canceled.

“These actions by Wells Fargo are totally unprecedented and crystallize the reason why I chose to run for office,” said Fried. “The failures of our laws, institutions, politicians to respect patients and doctors, the will of the voters.”

In an email exchange between a Wells Fargo representative and Fried’s team, the bank asked for Fried to clarify if she had or planned to receive any contributions from medical marijuana lobbyists.

Fried, a former lobbyist for the industry herself, confirmed and was notified her account would be closed.

While Fried says she was able to move her funds into a new account with BB&T medical marijuana treatment centers and other who do business in the industry simply don’t have that option.

“Their accounts are not longer accepted. They’re being put on notice and so a safe compliant banking system is needed,” said Taylor Beihl with the Medical Marijuana Business Association.

Although a west coast bank called GRN Funds is looking to fill the vacancy.

Fried says if elected, she’s interested in the possibility of helping the bank move in.

“I will certainly have a conversation with them and see what I can do to get them access here,” said Fried.

Fried says while she can’t say for sure if Wells Fargo acted illegally her team will be looking into the matter and may take legal action if they deem it necessary.

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew is taking to the road for a final push to earn the support of voters.

On Monday, in the state’s capital city Gillum held the first of eight rallies scheduled as part of his bus tour across the state.

The tour will travel from the panhandle as far south as Miami-Dade.

Gillum is an underdog in the race, generally fighting for fourth place in the polls, but he says he reaches an often overlooked demographic.

“We’ve been losing this race for governor repeatedly for the last 20 years, for the last five consecutive races because we have failed to nominate a candidate who has the ability to move more of our voters who typically don’t participate in midterm elections,” said Gillum. “Many of those voters are black voters, they’re brown voters, they’re poor voters and I honestly feel like I offer the best opportunity in November to win a general election. I believe we have the ability to move more of those voters to the polls than anybody else running.”

The tour’s last stop will be back in Tallahassee next Monday.

Gillum says he plans to stay with his family in the city on the day of the Primary Election.

A circuit court judge heard arguments in a case to remove amendment 8 from the November ballot Friday morning.

Amendment 8 would require civics be taught in public schools and put term limits on school board members.

The League of Women Voters argues those two ideas only seek to conceal a more controversial part of the amendment, which would take away a local school board’s authority over schools it didn’t establish.

“They take these two disjunctive things to distract you from the unintelligible part in the middle,” said the Leagues attorney Ron Meyer.

But the state says the choice for voters is clear.

“This constitutional change is really a very simple fundamental change and we believe that really the voters have a right to see this,” said the attorney representing the Secretary of State, Blaine Winship.

The League argues the change would allow the state to hand over control of charter schools to a state agency and eliminate local control.

It argues the language voters will see doesn’t fully explain what the amendment does and should therefore be removed from the ballot.

“The real meat of this amendment, the damage that’s being done to public education by it, it’s not explained anywhere,” said Meyer.

Both sides agree if Amendment 8 passes, the longterm effects are unclear and subject to the Legislature’s interpretation.

“This would be something that would presumably be up to the legislation that’s turned out by our elected Legislators and subject to judicial decisions,” said Winship. “You know in this state almost everything in this area tends to get litigated.”

Judge John Cooper says he hopes to issue a final ruling on the case by Monday morning.

Amendment 8 is also being challenged in a separate suit brought by a former State Supreme Court Justice.

That lawsuit is seeking to remove a total of six amendments from the November ballot for breaking the multiple subject rule.

A constitutional amendment appearing on the November ballot would ban off shore drilling in state waters if it receives 60% voter approval.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday is seeking to remove the amendment from the ballot because it also would ban vaping in the workplace.

The Governor and Cabinet have sided with Polk County in a land use dispute over a solid waste composting company know as BS Ranch.

The four officials voted unanimously to overturn portions of an administrative law judges order that found the county exceeded its authority to regulate odors coming from the ranch.

BS Ranch officials could decide to appeal the decision to a district Court of Appeals.

More than two million pounds of dead and rotting fish have already been removed from Florida beaches.

On Monday, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for seven affected counties.

The declaration allows local governments to access additional funds to aid clean up efforts.

A half million will go to Visit Florida to help local businesses.

“There’s some money in there to help communities essentially deal with the mass of dead fish and dead organisms,” said Aliki Moncrief, Executive Director of Florida Conservation Voters.

But Moncrief says the order doesn’t do anything to prevent future outbreaks.

“It doesn’t go to the root of the problem, which is pollution in our water ways fueling these ever virulent algal blooms,” said Moncrief.

Scott and his opponent in the race for the U.S. Senate Bill Nelson have blamed one another for the environmental disaster.

While Nelson and Scott continue to point the finger at on another environmentalists say Scott’s cuts to water management districts outweigh any actions by Nelson.

Scott touted the cuts as a success in 2011.

“I took action on the proposed budgets of Florida’s five mater management districts. All together these budgets reflects a reduction of more than $700 million dollars over last year,” Scott said in his Weekly Video Update from August of that year.

“700 Million dollars,” said Moncrief. “Those are the agencies that are responsible for making sure that pollution is under control.”

When asked about the cuts Tuesday, Scott pointed the finger at the water managers.

“The water management districts decide their budgets,” said Scott.

However, the Governor appoints water managers and has final approval over their budget.

Every school must have at least one school resource officer starting this year.

It sounds simple, but Florida school districts say meeting the new requirement has proven a daunting task.

“Finding a way to pay for that, that really is the challenge,” said Andrea Messina with the Florida School Boards Association.

A lack of funding in the state’s new school safety law forced districts to fork out a large portion of the cash themselves or find creative ways to meet the requirement temporarily.

In the State’s capital city, the school district is allowing off-duty officers to pick up shifts at schools.

“Over 140 police officers volunteered to step up on their day off to help us in off duty capacity,” said Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna.

Hanna says the solution is cheaper than hiring and training new officers.

“Without that support from our sheriff’s department and Tallahassee police we would not be able to accomplish this,” said Hanna.

Other counties like Clay County have put a referendum on the ballot that would increase taxes to help cover the cost.

In the meantime, some aspects of the law like school hardening have been put on hold while schools work to make sure the resource officer mandate is addressed.

“Some of the money that could have gone to hardening is actually going into the SRO funding,” said Messina. “So we may see a delay in some of the physical hardening of facilities.”

Lawmakers and school officials say more funds will need to be allocated in next year’s budget to ensure all counties in the state have a way to hire permanent school resource officers for all of Florida’s more than 4,200 schools.

Starting this year students, faculty and staff will be required to take part in active shooter training once a semester.

In a case drawing national attention, a Tallahassee woman already charged with the planning, and murdering her husband was back in court this morning, charged with three counts of insurance fraud.

Mike Williams disappeared while duck hunting 18-years ago.

His wife, Denise collected $1,750,000 from several insurance policies.

Denise was arrested after her husbands best friend told police the two had conspired to kill Mike and collect the life insurance.

The best friend and Denise married five years after Mike’s disappearance.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a statement, “The insurance fraud charges are just one part of this case, and I assure the community we will work diligently toward a successful prosecution. Insurance fraud is a very serious crime, one that impacts every single insurance consumer.”

Denise has pled not guilty to all of the charges.

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson made the claims of Russian hacking twice in the last week.

“They’ve already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free reign to move about,” said Nelson.

When asked to elaborate, he called the information classified.

Now, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner has written a letter asking the US Senate intelligence Committee Chair to confirm if there has been any meddling, and if so where.

“We’ve got non-disclosure agreements in place for those kids of things so they should feel safe to tell us,” said Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Early.

Early says sharing that information with state and local officials is imperative.

“We’re trying to conduct elections,” said Early. “We want people to feel secure about their ability to vote and that their vote is safe and they will be able to have a good experience at the polling place whether that’s early voting or Election Day.”

Elections experts say the threat of hacking shouldn’t deter people from voting.

Instead, they say, if people have problems at the polls, they can help fight back by letting their local supervisor of elections know.

And if you do have an issue, insist on casting a ballot, even if it’s only a previsional one.

“This is critical. Instead of just getting angry and walking away from the polls and blaming the election system, which is quite frankly what the Russians want people to do, people need to become more active,” said former Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho.

The Department of State has reached out to Homeland Security, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

All three agencies say they have no information to back up Nelson’s claim of a breach.