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Attorney General Ashley Moody says Florida is now losing 17 people a day to opioid deaths, up from 14 a day last year.

Moody is convening a statewide task force to push for solutions.

Her plan is to take what is working in parts of the state and replicate success stories statewide.

“We have successes in Palm Beach County. They just announced they saw a forty-one percent reduction in overdose deaths. We are going to use those successes and build them and use economy of scale to duplicate those across the state. That’s the purpose of the task force,” said Moody.

The Attorney General is also continuing to push a lawsuit filed in June by her predecessor that seeks damages from drug makers over what is being called over zealous marketing of opioids.

House Speaker Jose Oliva says lawmakers will try and meet the Governor’s March 15th deadline to allow smoking of medical marijuana, but he says there are still more questions about how lifting the ban would apply to children, especially when it comes to dosage.

“Is one to believe that an eight year old child should be smoking marijuana, inhaling smoke into their lungs. I’ve been in the smoke business my entire life and I’ve never heard anyone say its good for you. So we that’s a legitimate concern. I think we have to fund a comprehensive study,” said Oliva. “That fact that is it an illegal drug federally, has given some pause to our major universities to study it in a way that it needs to be studied.”

Oliva also says many in favor of smokable medical marijuana are using the issue to push for recreational marijuana.

Air BNN became the first American company on the state’s scrutinized companies list Tuesday.

Airbnb got on the list for its de-listing of Jewish owned homes in the West Bank.

The Israeli Deputy General Consulate Guy Gilady, told the Governor and Cabinet the company’s policy is discriminatory.

“And my government will be taking action in protest of Airbnb’s discriminatory policies,” said Gilady.

Governor Ron Desantis offered a history lesson.

“They fought a war, coming right off World War II and the holocaust,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis argued even though Air BNB argues it is not part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), their actions automatically triggered Florida’s statute.

The company has 90 days to change its policy or face potential sanctions.

“What they have done is tied themselves in knots and you end up with a policy which really only negatively impacts one group of people in the world,” said DeSantis.

The statute prohibits the state’s massive pension fund from investing in Air BNB, but that’s of little consequence, since the company is privately held.

The bigger hammer is the Governor’s bully pulpit.

“It was a dumb policy,” said DeSantis. “I think they made a mistake, and sometimes you’ve got to look in the mirror, admit you made a mistake and move on.”

Airbnb had a representative at the meeting, but she did not speak.

In a statement relased later in the day the company said, “We unequivocally reject and oppose the BDS movement and are disappointed by today’s vote. There are over 20,000 Airbnb hosts in Israel who open their doors and showcase the best of Israeli hospitality to guests from around the world, which boosts local families, businesses and communities. Our community of hosts in Israel has already welcomed more than 1 million guests and we will continue to invest in Israel.”

The vacation home rental giant is the 65th company worldwide to be added to the state’s list of scrutinized companies.

Legislation that would create employment protections for LGBTQ individuals is causing controversy between some Florida Republicans.

The fight for equal employment protections for LGBTQ workers has been building since the Pulse Night Club Shooting.

Florida GOP Chair and State Senator Joe Gruters is coming under fire from some Republicans for sponsoring legislation with an openly gay Democrat, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, that would add employment protections for gender identity and sexual orientation.

John Stemberger, President of the Florida Family Policy Council, has called on Gruters to resign as GOP Chair, saying the bill would punish Christians.

The controversy comes just a few weeks after Governor Ron DeSantis was criticized by Democrats for leaving similar protections out of an executive order renewing the state’s nondiscrimination policy.

John Harris Maurer with Equality Florida expressed his disappointment during a pres conference the day after DeSantis took office.
Equality Florida

“We intend to reach out to the Governor’s Office to understand why our community was omitted from these protections,” said Maurer.

When asked why he didn’t include LGBTQ protections, the Governor shifted the blame to the previous administration.

“All we did was continue what had been in place before me, but I can tell you my workplace policy is really just one sentence,” said DeSantis. “You will be hired based on merit.”

Former Governor Rick Scott repeatedly ignored calls from LGBTQ groups following the Pulse Night Club Shooting to add the protections for state employees.

Breaking with previous leaders, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, a Democrat, adopted protections for LGBTQ individuals working for the Department of Agriculture.

When asked about the GOP controversy she hesitated to weigh in.

“Well I’m certainly not going to get involved in GOP Politics, but obviously my stance and my support for the LGBTQ community is steadfast,” said Fried.

Although some Republicans have come to Gruters defense, including Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Gaetz Tweeted, “He [Stemberger] has been out of touch for at least a decade.” And, “The key difference between God and John Stemberger is that God doesn’t think he’s John Stemberger.”

Twenty one states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico all have adopted laws that protect gender identity and sexual orientation in both the private and public sector.

Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried toured one of the cities hardest hit by Hurricane Michael, Monday.

Despite more than three months passing since the storm made landfall the city of Marianna still looks like a war zone.

Tarp covered roofs dot the landscape, debris litters the ground and some structures are in total ruin.

“It’s our jobs to come here, see and bare witness to what’s happening here,” said Fried.

Fried joined panhandle lawmakers to hear from state and local officials after spending the morning surveying damage.

Fried says hurricane recovery is a top priority.

“They need our help every day for the recovery efforts and I’m committed to seeing this through,” said Fried.

Fried’s main focus will be on the agricultural industry, helping farmers get back to work and restoring the local economy.

“Cost sharing for efficient new irrigation systems and sales tax exemptions for equipment and materials to rebuild these farms,” said Fried.

Fried also wants to secure state funds to back low cost grant programs to offset the cost of lost crops for farmers in the panhandle.

Recent figures show public donations to help Hurricane Michael victims are shockingly less than other recent storms.

State Senator George Gainer says the lack of attention is disheartening.

“We’ve got a lot of help from Tallahassee, but we need a lot more,” said Gainer.

The clock is ticking for recovery to speed up.

Florida Forestry Service Director Jim Karels says there’s between 10 and 20 times more debris on the ground now than normal.

All that debris is fuel for wildfires and with the dry season rapidly approaching it could set the area up for another disaster.

“The threat’s up significantly if it stops raining. Smoke will be a huge issue,” said Karels.

Commissioner Fried says she’s working with lawmakers on a Legislative package for disaster relief, but is also considering the option of opening up emergency funds through the Governor and Cabinet.

The Florida Commission on ethics has found probable cause former democratic candidate Andrew Gillum accepted gifts from an undercover FBI agent and lobbyists on a trip to New York City and Costa Rica.

It’s the first official action supporting allegations Governor Ron DeSantis used against Gillum during the campaign.

In a closed hearing the Florida communications on ethics heard allegations brought against former Democratic Gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum.

When the doors opened less than an hour later, Gillum’s attorney Berry Richard was blunt.

“They found probable cause,” said Richard.

The commission found probable cause on five of six allegations.

They all center around two trips Gillum took to Costa Rica and New York City with lobbyists and an undercover FBI Agent, where Gillum allegedly accepted gifts from in the form of travel expenses, a boat ride and the now infamous tickets to the hit broadway show Hamilton.

Erwin Jackson filed the complaint more than a year ago.

“They clearly stated in there, the facts are he didn’t pay for a dime,” said Jackson.

The only allegation the commission threw out was a complaint over the hotel Gillum shared with his brother in New York City, because the cost didn’t break the $100 threshold for a gift to break state ethics codes.

While the commission agreed there was probable cost to suggest Gillum excepted the gifts, it noted there was not enough evidence to show Gillum promised or did anything in return.

Gillum’s attorney says he’s confident the former mayor will have his name cleared.

“Based upon my belief in the fact that the system of justice that we have almost always works out right,” said Richard.

Jackson, says he hopes the findings act as a warning to all politicians.

“Hopefully the word is getting out that we expect our elected officials to act ethically and honestly and represent the public instead of continuing to represent themselves,” said Jackson,

The next step in the case will be in evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge.

That’s likely at least a month away.

If found guilty, Gillum will likely face a fine of a few thousand dollars, but the damage to his reputation would likely haunt his future political career.

Today, January 24th, marks the 30th anniversary of the execution of one of the nations most prolific and intriguing serial killers.

Mike Vasilinda had a front row seat to the Ted Bundy saga from the beginning, and now an exclusive interview with the man who put Bundy on death row.

Ted Bundy’s path to execution began here, at this Sorority house early on the morning of Super-Bowl Sunday, 1978.

“Well over two hundred calls a day are coming into the co-ed murder command center,” Vasilinda said in a news report in 1978.

Two were dead, three injured, the viciousness shocked a sleepy little city.

“I’ve got new locks on every door on the house,” said one resident at the time.

Three weeks later the fear level skyrocketed.

12-year-old Kimberly Leach disappeared from her middle school 90 miles away in Lake City.

Bundy fled the area, was stopped and arrested in Pensacola.

Found in the stolen VW, murder indictments followed.

“I plead not guilty right now,” Bundy said to the court.

Bundy negotiated a plea deal that would have saved his life, then dropped it.

During a rare visit to death row from the Sheriff who put him there, Bundy came close to a confessing to the Tallahassee murders.

“He said that when you find the person wanted for these murders, that person will be wanted for the murders of three girls in the three digits in six states,” said former Leon County Sheriff Ken Katsaris. “Now, we know about 36 in four states.

The Sorority house was remodeled shortly after the murders, and to this day sisters there aren’t allowed to speak about Ted Bundy.

The field across from the prison resembled a circus as dawn, January 24th 1989 broke.

Bundy’s knees buckled as he was escorted into the execution chamber.

Afterwards a celebration with the crowd singing, ”Hey hey hay, goodbye.”

So ended the life of one of the nations most prolific serial killers, but not the story that continues to fascinate.

A new movie about Ted Bundy premiers this weekend at the Sundance File Festival in Park City Utah. It title: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

The State Department of Environmental Protection celebrated Florida Recycles day in the state’s capitol this morning.

Companies and innovators set up booths in the capitol building educating visitor and lawmakers on recycling innovations and initiatives.

“The great thing you see behind us is individual companies who are committing to recycling here in Florida and coming up with new innovative ways each year to make our waist stream sustainable,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenmstien. “And so you also see celebrations of programs to educate, again both families, businesses and communities in Florida about how to recycle efficiently.”

Florida’s recycling rate was at 54% in 2015, but DEP expects that number to reach to 75% by 2020.

The 2018 election may be in the rear view window, but the state is still dealing with the legal fallout.

The new Secretary of State briefed lawmakers on an array of legal challenges brought over the election.

Three statewide races were decided on razor thin margins during the 2018 election and tight elections often result in lawsuits.

“If there’s a recount where there’s not a lawsuit, you better check the lawyer directory because someone’s asleep,” said Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel.

Ertel updated a House Committee Thursday, giving them background on 13 suits filed throughout the election.

Five suits are still ongoing.

They deal with bilingual ballots, on campus early voting, signature matching, ballot order and the preservation of ballot images.

Lawsuits aside, Ertel says the election was a success overall.

“The local supervisors of elections they did a phenomenal job, most of them, with all those recounts,” said Ertel. “Making sure everything was done well and inspired confidence in all the voters afterwards.”

The issues seen in Broward and Palm Beach Counties resulted in the resignation of one Elections Supervisor and the suspension of another.

Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher earlier this month.

The move was supported by Secretary of State Ertel.

Representative Scott Plakon says it’s a step in the right direction.

“I don’t know either of them, but I think everything comes down to leadership, whether it be the county or the state level,” said Plakon.

Republican lawmakers say they’re waiting for direction from the governor before they decide how to tackle some of the issues seen in 2018.

Representative Clay Yarborough says one thing is certain.

“The biggest thing we’re hearing from constituents is the integrity of the process and they want to make sure that there is no issues moving forward,” said Yarborough.

The state’s elections systems weren’t hacked during the election, but Secretary Ertel wants to keep a focus on cyber security.

Florida’s swing state status makes it a prime target.

Under the previous governor, Florida’s environmental agencies refused to acknowledge humans played a part, but now they are shifting their tone when it comes to dealing with toxic algae blooms.

The same agencies told lawmakers Wednesday morning, human activity and pollution is making the blooms worse.

In September during the peak of the Red Tide bloom the Florida Fish and Wild Life Conservation Commission gave an update on the crisis.

Officials doubled down on a particular line: Naturally occurring.

Now 15 months after the bloom began and a new Governor taking office, the FWC and Department of Environmental Protection are acknowledging human pollution as another possible factor.

“Control of those excess nutrients into inshore waters will help with the impacts of red tide once it gets there,” said Gil McRae, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Jonathan Webber with the Florida Conservation Voters says its an important change in tone.

“People in the Executive branch are taking this really seriously and acknowledging that there is a link between prolonged or worsening red tide and human activity,” said Webber.

While the Governor and FWC are so far focused on septic to sewer conversion as the best way to reduce nutrient loads, they also acknowledge agriculture as one of the culprits.

“Also management of storm water because as we get these heavy storms, a lot of that water hits our coastal systems very quickly. It’s much better to slow that water down and filter it through wetlands which remove a lot of the nutrients,” said McRae.

Lawmakers like Representative Holly Raschein are taking note.

“There’s a large population south of Lake Okeechobee and the human impacts on this whole thing and I think everything is kind of on the table,” said Raschein.

One thing that didn’t come up in Wednesday’s presentations is whether global warming may be affecting algal blooms.

Conservation groups say that also needs to be part of the conversation.

Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order earlier this month, calling for a septic to sewer grant program to be established.

It also directed state agencies to closely study red tide and blue green algae to find scientific way of reducing impacts of the blooms.

Thousands of homeowners across Florida will soon be planting their spring vegetable gardens.

Some cities have enacted bans on gardens in the front yard, but  powerful lawmakers are challenging the bans with legislation they say will protect homeowners property rights.

For 17 years, a Miami Shores couple grew a vegetable garden in their front yard.

Then the city threatened 50 dollar a day fines.

“This is a property rights issue. It’s not a home rule issue,” said Representative Elizabeth Fetterhoff.

Now losing court fights have sparked legislative debate over property rights.

“We want to make sure that fruits and herbs and various things like that are also included,” said Fetterhoff. “Tomatoes. Some of you may not know is actually a fruit, so we want to make sure individuals can grow their tomatoes.”

For 30 minutes, lawmakers peppered the sponsor with questions.

The League of Cities says only ten or so have banned the front yard gardens.

“Certain neighbors were afraid that if you had tall crops if could affect the property values of the neighboring property, for example,” said David Cruz with the League.

In the end, the committee voted 13-1 to stop local governments from banning the front yard gardens.

“It goes back to victory gardens. Our government used to encourage us to grow gardens,” said Fetterhoff. “They used to encourage us to provide for ur families, and now we have local government coming in and telling private property owners they can’t grow gardens, they can’t provide for their family.”

One of the more pressing questions asked by lawyers was whether allowing front yard gardens would impact restrictions in deeds.

The answer is it won’t.

Based on the debate, and the questions both answered and unanswered the legislation is almost certain to be a political hot pepper, err, potato.

The Chairman of the School Safety Commission set up after last years massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School says many school districts in the state are ignoring the law and playing tricks with its requirements.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says many have done little to put locks on doors or secure their campuses.

“The law is very clear, there needs to be a school safety officer, a good guy with a gun, on every campus. You don’t have that,” said Gualtieri. “And some of the districts are interpreting the word assigned to mean they have to be assigned but not actually physically there. That’s wrong. That’s disingenuous. and stop playing games because we need to make sure we got somebody there to protect the kids.”

Gualtieri also says many districts have failed to file school safety assessments with the state, another requirement of the law.

63 of Florida’s 67 counties have areas with a shortage of dental care professionals.

Lawmakers say the lack of access afflicts one in four Floridians.

To help increase access to affordable dental care, Sate Senator Jeff Brandes has filed a bill that would authorize dental therapists in Florida.

The position would require less schooling than a traditional dentist, but would be able to perform many of the same procedures only dentists are allowed to perform under state law.

“We have millions of people who are under served in this space and this creates for us an opportunity to lead in the country by allowing Dental therapists and to grow a new profession and to create a new pathway for individuals in the state,” said Brandes.

The Florida Dental Association opposes the legislation, arguing it could take between five and six years to fully implement.

Instead the association favors legislation that would incentive more dentists to work in areas with care shortages, by helping graduates pay off their student loans.

Governor Ron DeSantis has made his third appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, naming a nearly 18 year veteran of state Government rather than a judge to the states highest court.

What sets this justice apart from most is that he has never been a judge.

On Inauguration Day Governor Ron Desantis made it clear.

“Judicial activism ends right here and right now,” said DeSantis.

On Tuesday, he named his third justice to the state’s highest court, Carlos Muniz.
Muniz has worked at the highest levels of both the legislative and executive branches in Florida.

“In my new role, I will have a solemn duty to set aside my own policy preferences,” said Muniz. “I wholeheartedly welcome that obligation”.

Muniz will be the only justice on the high court not to have served on a lower court.

“Governor Bush said he is one of, I think he maybe even said the smartest guy that ever worked for him in eight years,” said DeSantis.

The appointment immediately got high marks from the Even pro Florida Justice Reform Institute.

“Policy making decisions will no longer be made at the Flordia Supreme Court,” said FJRI President William Large. “They will be made at the Florida Legislature, as they should be.”

Even Pro-Choice advocates believe if the judges behave as they say they will, by not making laws, abortion rights in Florida will be safe.

Their point: If justices follow the constitution, Florida’s privacy clause protecting choice should prevail.

“It shouldn’t be done with a right wing bias or a left wing bias. It should be upheld,” said State Senator Lori Berman.

All three of the DeSantis appointments must face voters in a 2020 retention election.

Muniz becomes the 89th Supreme Court justice since statehood.

Most recently Muniz was appointed by President Trump to be the General Counsel for the US Department of Education.