Welcome to

We all hate those unsolicited sales calls and more than half a million Floridians have placed their phone number on the Do Not Call List, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, even that isn’t stopping some marketers from calling when they shouldn’t.

So you’ve placed your number on the State’s Do Not Call list…but keep getting calls anyway…what do you do….Call here. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.n= Call Center employee Teresa Arnold says most callers are looking for a sympathethic ear.“A lot of them just want information,. They’ve been passed around so much, getting the run around” says the professional complaint taker.

Marketers who violate the Do Not Call list are currently the number one complaint of Florida consumers. We asked what happens when someone complains. Erin Gillespie  says there are several options. “Well, we can contact the company and determine if they have the most  updated list of phone numbers they’re not allowed to call. For violators who continue to violate the law, we will fine them” she says.

Tracy Grullon has heard it all. We asked: “What are people like when they call…are they anxious, are they mad? “

“Umm…we see a little bit of everything. Yes…we get people who are very mad sometimes” says Tracy.

The phones here ring forty thousand times a month,and one in every ten calls results in a complaint.

We found Christopher Hutchinson helping a caller file a complaint. “She was having trouble with a bill she received dealing with a dental problem or medical issue and she wanted to know if she could file a complaint with our office, and that option is available” says Hutchinson.

Besides do not call violators, differences from the posted price of fuel and the pump price and complaints about cable tv head the list of consumer complaints.

Last month the Department helped consumers recover six hundred thousand dollars in disputes with landlords and other merchants. To reach the call center the toll free line is 1-800-Help FLA. You can also go online to 1800helpfla,com.

Audubon Florida is warning beach goers to look out for nesting sea birds and not to trespass on marked nesting areas. They are also asking people not to shoot off fireworks, which could scare mother birds from the nest and cause the eggs to boil in the sun. Julie Wraithmell says sea bird nests are not what you imagine. “People think a nest is sticks in a tree, when in fact on a beach, a nest is just a shallow scrape in the sand. The eggs are speckled and the chicks are too. They’re adapted to freeze in the face of danger, so if people are trespassing in the posted areas, the chicks are vulnerable to crushing under foot. Sometimes people don’t even see them” says Wraithmell.

Twice last month, Audubon says nests were destroyed. In New Smyrna Beach, unleashed dogs attacked the nesting chicks, and motorcycle riders who ignored signs crushed multiple nests on Siesta Key.

More than 28 thousand petitions signed by Floridians seeking an end to gun violence were delivered to Governor Rick Scott and U-S Senator Marco Rubio today at the state Capitol. In addition to petitions, Mike Vasilinda tells us organizers came with personal stories of tragedy.

Richard Martinez is quick to tell you that he didn’t give gun violence much thought…until his 20 year old son Michael was gunned down at a Santa Barbara college just over a month ago.

Now Martinez is delivering thousands of petitions to policy makers at every level of Government. As he entered teh Governor’s office he said: “And if this isn’t enough, we’ll get more.”

28 thousand petitions  were delivered to Governor Rick Scott. Martinez spoke with the receptionist, telling her:  “My son goes to college…and he’s dead. I didn’t do anything until my son got killed, right? Well, I’m telling you, don’t wait till your kids get killed.”

Martinez isn’t alone. Erin Lafferty’s mom was the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary. “It’s not normal for a 47 year old woman to go to work in an elementary school and not come home from work.  She wasn’t a marine, she wasn’t a police office, she was an educator and a really good one” says Lafferty.

All together three dozen people participated. Christina Anderson is organizing the FSU chapter of Mom’s demand Action. She say their effort is young and will get stronger. “This is not going away. We’re not going anywhere” she says.

And as these survivors leave the capitol, they are leaving with the knowledge that this is a pro gun state.

Because of the 2014 legislature, gun owners who feel threatened can fire a waring shot. Kids can point their fingers like a pistol and not be expelled from school, insurance companies can;t charge you more if you own a gun, and applying for concealed weapons permits will be more convenient.

In addition to passing four gun bills, lawmakers also killed revisions to the controversial Stand Your Ground legislation.  And earlier today, the Florida Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a Palm Beach man who was denied the right to use Stand Your Ground as a defense.

Business groups including the Florida Farm Bureau are calling on state and national leaders to enact what they are calling reasonable immigration and visa reform. Agriculture is looking for a steady and predictable work force that immigration stability will provide. Grower Steve Johnson says if politicians don’t tackle reform soon, all us will be paying more for the food we eat.

“I think you can get prepared for higher food prices and things you don’t want to do. Nobody wants to pay four dollar for gas, but we’re all doing it. Well, reality is, we’re going to be paying seven, eight dollars for a hamburger at McDonald’s if we don’t do something” warns Johnson.

Agriculture interests face an uphill battle. The loss of a key Republican Congressman Eric Cantor over immigration and other issues has made politicians more weary of tackling the issue.

The first of July means new laws are kicking in. Matt Galka tells us about two traffic laws – one that passed – and the other one that was vetoed over safety concerns.

Aaron Cohen was a Miami cyclist who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver in 2012.  The driver who killed him admitted he was drunk but prosecutors couldn’t prove it. The case outraged the Mothers Against Drunk Driving

“80 percent of all hit and runs are DUI. That’s huge. We need to stop that,” said MADD advocate Helen Witty.

Legislation named for Cohen was passed and will be put into action now that the calendar has turned over to July.  Hit and run offenders who kill someone face a mandatory minimum of four years. Drunk drivers who flee will also see prison time bumped up to four years.  The Florida Highway Patrol says the law is the right thing to do.

“Now it enhances the penalties. When you leave the scene you’re making yourself a bigger criminal than you were prior. The message is, stay at the scene and you won’t go to jail,” said FHP Captain Nancy Rasmussen.

A bill also passed the legislature that would have allowed highway speed limits to increase to 75, but Florida’s Governor said ‘not so fast.’

“I’ve heard from sheriff’s around the state and other law enforcement asking me to veto the bill. I am going to stand with law enforcement. I want everyone to stay safe, I don’t want anybody to be injured,” said Gov. Rick Scott in May.

The speed limit increase bill was the only one to be vetoed by the Governor.  Highway patrol trooper Chelsea Richard was killed on I-75 the day after the lawmakers passed the proposal. Pleas from troopers at her funeral helped convince Rick Scott.