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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.

A group of college students and civil rights activists delivered their own state of the state today.

They lined the walkway from the House to the Senate and held signs demanding changes to state law. Before Governor Rick Scott’s State of the State speech the students held a news conference to call for gun control and immigration reform. Selma Ally is part of the protest group known as the Dream Defenders. Ally was brought to Florida from Trinidad by her parents when she was six.

“To say that we are illegal dehumanizes us and delegitimizes our existence and our experiences here in America. It took me 10 years to finally acknowledge that in front of all of you that I am undocumented,” said Ally.

The Dream Defenders formed after the shooting of Trayvon Martin last year. They’re goal is to advance the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.

Senate Democrats are promoting a seven step plan to fix Florida’s election problems. Some of the fixes are already being pushed by GOP legislative leaders, others, As Whitney Ray tells us, will have to be fought for.

Long lines, slow returns and absentee ballot problems plagued voting in Florida last November. To fix the problems, Senate Democrats are proposing a seven step plan.

On the check list are restoring early voting to 14 days, opening the polls the Sunday before Election Day, more precincts, and more inperson absentee voting.

“We had early voting lines that from the open of early voting to the end of early voting, all eight day, has a minimum of four hours,” said State Senator Oscar Braynon.

Many of these fixes were in place before Republican legislative leaders passed a 2011 bill to change Florida’s voting laws.

“If you have better ideas you shouldn’t have to cheat to win,” said Senator Jeff Clemens.

Senator Jeff Clemens says the 2011 bill was a GOP attempt to rig the election.

Reporter: Do you really believe Republicans cheated in 2011 with that elections bill?
Clemens: I think it was their intent to make it harder for people to vote.

Legislative leaders are promising to fix voting this year but Senate Democrats say they can’t support anything that doesn’t have all seven or their criteria.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith says his party will hold the line on voting reform.

“If those are not in the bill it would be hard for me to support that bill,” said Smith.

But Republicans have enough members to pass bills without Democratic votes, and so far their fixes fall just shy of the seven steps unveiled Monday.

The 2013 legislative session begins tomorrow but bills to fix voting problems have already been filed and have already been reviewed in committee.

The 2013 legislative session officially begins Tuesday, but lawmakers have been working on legislation since last November. State senators are already prepared to pass a sweeping ethics reform bill, but as Whitney Ray tells us, one Florida watchdog group says the reform package doesn’t go far enough.

After the prayer, the pledge and the gavel the first order of business for the Florida Senate on the opening day of the 2013 legislative session will be an ethics reform bill.

“Raising ethical standards, that’s job one,” said Gaetz.

In a one-on-one pre-session interview with Senate President Don Gaetz I asked what needs to change to curb corruption in Florida politics.

“We want to close the revolving door that exists between the legislature and lobbying,” said Gaetz. “The ethics commission now doesn’t have any teeth. We want to make sure financial disclosures are available online.”

All good things says Dan Krassner the President of Integrity Florida. Krassner has been pushing for ethics reform since he founded the watchdog group last year.

“Florida is on the cusp of history for ethics reform. It’s been more than 36 years since our state has had comprehensive ethics reform,” said Krassner.

Integrity Florida influenced the bill set for passage.

Reporter: Mission accomplished?
Krassner: The bill’s a little bit of a mixed bag.

The measure gives the state ethics commission the authority to garnish wages from people who don’t pay their fines, but it also lets politicians off the hook if they claim ignorance after being caught in the act.

“We want this ethics law to be stronger. We need it to have more teeth. We need to put ethics reform officers on the beat,”

Krassner is hoping the bill is strengthened before it’s voted on in the Florida House. The House bill aims to outlaw Committees of Continual Existence which raise funds for politicians and sling mud at their opponents.

When the 2013 legislative session begins next week state lawmakers will be greeted by civil rights groups demanding changes to voting laws. As Whitney Ray tells us, the activists say long lines and outdated laws are keeping people from voting.

Long lines and problems with absentee ballots plagued the 2012 presidential election in Florida. Four months later, a fix is in the works. State lawmakers are vowing to change voting laws to shorten the wait time.

Crowded around a lectern in front of a voting office Thursday more than a dozen civil rights leaders laid out their election reform plan.

“We have a situation where whole segments of the population are disenfranchised from the voting process,” said Phelicia Steill with National Congress of Black.

The group wants 14 days of early voting, the right to vote on the Sunday before an election and automatic restoration of voting rights for former felons.

“The Dream Defenders believe that the voting system has been carefully constructed to disenfranchise young black and brown people,” said Ciara Taylor.

Most of what the group is asking for is laid out in a bill sponsored by Senator Oscar Braynon. Braynon drafted the bill in honor of a 102 year old Miami woman who waited six hours to vote.

Desiline Victor was honored during the President’s State of Union Address.

“She was told the wait to vote might be six hours. As time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say,” said the President earlier this month.

The Desiline Free and Fair Democracy Act would create a system of automatic voter registration. It would also allow people to change their voting information at the polls on Election Day.

An elections reform bill has already passed a House committee. The Senate is preparing to pass a bill giving supervisors of elections the authority to make their own early voting schedules. The civil rights leaders fear the flexibility would lead to voter suppression in some counties.

Want to keep up with the Florida House in this upcoming legislative session? Well there’s an app for that.

House Speaker Will Weatherford announced a new app to allow people to track bills, contact lawmakers and watch committee meetings from their phones.

“It’s going to increase people’s access to their government. So if they want to talk to their speaker, if they want to talk to a legislator they are going to have the opportunity to do that in better formats than they’ve ever had,” said Weatherford.

The app cost about 113-thousand dollars to create but it’s free to download. It will be available to the public next Tuesday, the first day of the 2013 legislative session.

One year after state law created Florida Polytechnic University the school’s board is considering a request for more tax money.

House Speaker Will Weatherford came out strong against the potential 25 million dollar request earlier this week. Today he clarified his statements saying he called the request a disaster not the school.

“My understanding of Polytech is that they made a request for money. What I said was a disaster was the fact that they were asking for more money. We are not in a situation where we can build out that campus with any more funds,” said Weatherford.

Polytechnic used to be part of USF’s Lakeland Campus but became the state’s 12th university last year.

Ever since Governor Rick Scott announced his support of the Medicaid expansion made optional under Obamacare his GOP credentials have been questioned.

The announcement spawned rumors in Tallahassee about a potential primary challenger in 2014. House Speaker Will Weatherford is one person whose name is being whispered in the capitol hallways.

Reporter: Will you rule it out?
Weatherford: I just said I don’t have any plans of doing anything like that. I think it’s funny that I’m being asked it. The governor is a friend. I think he is doing a good job.”

Weatherford says he respects the governor’s decision to support the Medicaid expansion, although he’s not yet sure it’s a good idea for Florida.

On Friday we told you about newly released license plates for Vietnam and Korean veterans. Information provided by the Department of Highway Safety was that the plates were free to veterans who could prove they served in one of the two conflicts.

That turns out not to be the case. What Department Spokesperson Kristen Olsen-Doolan meant to say is that there was no additional charge for the plates beyond the normal vehicle tag fee that is due on all tags.

So if you are a Vietnam or Korean veteran, there is finally a license plate for you. It just isn’t free.

Nearly two million dollars worth of ancient Florida artifacts are now evidence in a case of criminal conspiracy. Florida Fish and Wildlife Officers nabbed 14 people after a two year investigation into missing artifacts from state lands. Officers say the suspects were sneaking on to state property at night to dig and dive for the pieces of history. FWC Major Curtis Brown says the suspects were selling the items on the internet.

“Some of these items and they are displayed on these posters, they were for sale for 100,000 dollars. They were sold online, websites, Ebay, Craigslist, tradeshows and of course the black-market,” said Brown.

Some of the suspects are experienced divers and experts in Florida history. They had been operating for years. No one knows how many artifacts were shipped out of state.

A second recession, that’s what’s at stake according to a Florida research group. Florida TaxWatch says if Congress can’t reach a deal to avoid the sequester then the economic recovery would halt. As Whitney Ray tells us, Florida has more on the line than almost any other state.

Our military in the crosshairs. Automatic spending cuts slated for March first heavily target military spending in Florida. More than a 100-thousand Floridians are active or reserve soldiers.

Teachers are also in danger of the sequester. An estimated 750 Florida teachers could lose their jobs if Congress doesn’t act fast.

Reporter Does Florida have more on the line than other states?
Parrish: Yeah, I think we do.

Jerry Parrish, the chief economist at Florida TaxWatch says Florida stands to lose more than most because of our tourisms hot spots and military bases.

“We have a big defense industry. They are going to see cuts. All federal employees will see a cut in their pay and possibly have to take furloughs. It will also affect (U.S.) Customs and Boarder,” said Parrish.

TaxWatch released this report just days before the looming deadline. It claims the sequester could set off a chain reaction hurling Florida into a second recession.

“Continuing contractions because of the lack of investment and continued consumer spending certainly could head us toward a recession again,” said Parrish.

Governor Rick Scott came out strong against the automatic spending cuts Monday comparing Congress to school children in a game of chicken.

“It’s disappointing that the federal government can’t do what we’ve done in our state,” said Scott.

While many agree the federal government needs to break its spending addiction, Congress remains divided on when and where to cut. If the stalemate holds the decision will be made without them.

And here are the areas where Florida would be affected the most. Schools could lose 80 million dollars, environmental projects could lose six million federal dollars and about four million dollars used to provide meals to low income seniors would be cut.

Ninety percent of Florida’s oysters are harvested from the Apalachicola Bay, but there’s trouble in the water. As Whitney Ray tells us, droughts, storms and damns are killing the oysters.

Times are tough on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. A water war with Georgia, the BP Oil Spill, Tropical Storm Debbie and recent droughts are killing its world famous oysters.

Scenes like this where oystermen rake in a boatload of rocks are few and far between. Today the oysters are smaller and harder to find.

Monday Governor Rick Scott announced plans to help save Apalachicola Bay, the area where 90 percent of Florida’s oysters are harvested.

“We will work to clean this ecosystem so it provides clean water for our oysters,” said Scott.

Currently Scott has launched state efforts to move oysters from dangerous areas to safer waters. His new three million dollar plan calls for half a million dollars to be spent studying the problem and finding a solution.

“I’m putting money in my budget to make sure that we deal with trying to improve the number of oysters that can be harvested here and making sure that we get people back to work,” said Scot.

Here in Franklin County the main concern is jobs connected to the oyster industry but people around the state and across the nation are more concerned about the price and availability of the slimy seafood.

“Quiet frankly it won’t be a question of the price of the oysters. It will be a question of can we even get them,” State Senator Bill Montford said.

Montford was on hand for the governor’s announcement. Montford represents the Forgotten Coast and says the oyster problem is cause for concern statewide.

“We owe it to the people of Florida we owe it to the people of this country to be able to preserve what we have,” said Montford.

While most of the problems facing the oyster population are known, the study hopes to better define how storm water runoff and damns upstream have impacted the oysters’ natural environment.

Florida’s oyster prices have been on the rise since the BP Oil Spill and are up about 30 percent since the disaster.

Governor Rick Scott has a message for President Barack Obama and Congress, grow up.

In a written statement on sequestration released by Scott this afternoon the governor said “It is the responsibility of our federal leaders to administer spending reductions thoughtfully and rationally, not in an elementary school game of chicken.” We caught up with Scott this morning before his office released the statement.

“It’s disappointing that the federal government can’t do what we’ve done in our state. We’ve made tough choices and it’s worked. Now we have a projected budget surplus for the first time since 2008 – 2009,” said Scott.

And that surplus could be needed. If congress can’t reach a deal by the March first deadline Florida could lose 276 million dollars in federal spending with the military taking the biggest hit.