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Florida’s public insurance company has been scrutinized after the deal with newly formed private insurance company, Heritage.

The property insurance company is now under fire after exploring proposed rate hikes for policyholders.

The overall hike would be up to 8-point-8 percent for those who use the insurer.

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater says the public insurance company needs to be more transparent and listen to the public before making any huge decisions.

”My clear direction to Citizens is look, you have a process, you have a responsibility. Take the time, make it available to the public and make your decisions on that,” said Atwater.

Some homeowner’s average premium may increase 400 dollars a year.

The only gun legislation to make it to the Governor’s desk has created state-wide controversy.

The Governor has until July 2^nd to sign the bill into law, which will not allow people seeking mental treatment to purchase a gun – even if they volunteer for commitment.  

On one side, people say it will keep the guns out of the hands out of those with mental illness, while others say it violates constitutional rights.

”I’m a strong supporter for the 2nd amendment so I’ll be reviewing that bill like I do with other bills. But, I’m a very strong supporter for the 2nd amendment,” said Governor Rick Scott.

If the Governor signs the bill into law. It will go into effect July 1.

Nearly 50,000 Florida college students personal information was compromised because of an unsecured website at Florida State University. According to the Department of Edcuation, the information was left unsecure for 14 days.

A breach in a state database has exposed tens of thousands of Florida college student’s personal information.

“It kind of makes you wonder whether or not all of our students are protected,” said FSU Senior, Amanda Chown.

The information which includes social security numbers and home addresses was exposed in late May. The breach occurred after Florida State University’s Center for Interactive Media moved the student information to a new server. After the move, measures to restrict who was allowed to view the site weren’t put in place. “When FSU was moving from one server to the other, the security guys there didn’t shut the door on the second go around,” said Florida Department of Education’s Joe Follick.

FSU was hired by the State DOE to secure the information. “We take the protection of information very seriously. We’ve worked very closely with DOE,” said FSU VP for University Relations, Liz Maryanski.

The students affected are preparing to become teachers. “We have no indication at this point that any of the data has been misused,” said Maryanski.

Over the two week time span, the unsecured information was viewed 23 times through Google . It’s unknown how many had unauthorized access. “We want to be extra-extra cautious though and make sure that people have confidence in this. So we’ll be notifying everyone personally,” said Follick.

So far there is no indication the information is being used illegally.

You may be one of 614-thousand Floridians receiving a check in the mail later this summer. Hundreds of thousands were overcharged for health-insurance premiums. As Matt Horn explains, the rebates are required by the Affordable Care Act because insurance companies aren’t operating efficiently.

More than 614-thousand Floridians will soon be getting a rebate from their health-insurance company.

”For consumers, some people will be getting money back,” said Ken Stevenson.

Under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, insurance companies aren’t allowed to overcharge consumers. The companies must spend 80-cents for every dollar collected on patient care. The other 20-cents goes for administrative costs. When a company doesn’t spend enough on care, they must refund the consumer.

“It just depends on the carrier and if they’re operating in the parameters that were set in the Affordable Care Act,” said Stevenson.

”Floridians will be receiving 54 million dollars in rebates from their heath insures. That’s an average of 132 dollars per family,” Matt Horn reports.

Insurance Regulators say rates have increased in individual markets as a result of the federal health care reform.

In a statement, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation says: “The office believes that whatever savings that may be realized as a result of the medical loss ratio rebates will be short-lived.”

“What happens down the road remains to be seen. These savings are based on how much the insurance companies need to spend in claims,” said Sam Miller, Executive Vice President of the Florida Insurance Council, Inc.

Consumers should have their rebates by August 1st.

More than 77-million consumers have saved 3-point-4 billion dollars up front on their premiums as private companies are being forced to become more efficient.

Governor Rick Scott returned to the state Capitol late this afternoon after a week in Paris at a trade show. While the Governor was gone, news leaked that as many as three thousand names of people in the prescription drug monitoring program were improperly disclosed. Scott originally opposed the creation of the database, but now says it is saving lives.

“As we all know what’s going on nationally we are all concerned about our privacy. This is just another example, we got to be very cautious. Make sure that when there’s any public personal information out there that we keep it as confidential as we can,” said Governor Rick Scott.

The Department of Health is responsibility for maintaining the security of the data. They have so far refused public comment.

State lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill providing 30-million dollars to convert commercial fleet vehicles to natural gas. Even though Florida’s new law is considered the most progressive in the country, not everyone agrees it’s the best for the state.

Natural gas is cheaper, more efficient and cleaner than gas or diesel. State government and private companies have already started using the alternative form of fuel. ”The fuel is very economical. We bought 8 buses, now we have 44 buses,” said Manny Joanos, Leon County Schools.

Schools in Tallahassee were the first to use natural gas to power buses. About one-third of their fleet uses the domestic gas. ”It wasn’t until 2009 before we bought the first school buses,” said Joanos.

This legislative session, state lawmakers passed a bill which encourages private and public companies to convert commercial fleet vehicles to natural gas. ”This legislation is going to push a lot of people over the fence. Where they’ve been on if they can make it work for them,” said Dale Calhoun, Natural Gas Supporter.

The Governor signed the bill into law. It’ll reimburse companies 50-percent for the extra costs to purchase a vehicle running on natural gas. Supporters say it will encourage more natural gas refueling stations and in the long run, it will save money for companies.

Even with support for the use of natural gas; Florida tea partiers don’t support state rebates. ”What it sounds like to me is the state taking away voices. Anytime you have rebate incentive on state, federal or local. They’re picking the winners and losers,” said Pace Allen, Tea Party member.

The law goes into effect January 1st; it also repeals provisions requiring annual decal fee program, and provides natural gas fuel tax.

A bi-partisan gun bill has made its way to the Governor’s desk. If signed into law, it will prevent tens of thousands of Floridians from buying firearms.

Gun control legislation intended to save lives, may deny thousands of Floridians the right to buy a gun. The legislation is on the Governor’s desk “I would think it would be very difficult for the governor not to sign a bill that keeps guns out of the hands of dangerous people with mental illnesses,” said the National Riffle Association’s Marion Hammer.

The legislation requires people who volunteer for mental health treatment to give up their gun rights. Mental health professionals want Rick Scott to veto the legislation. ”We believe in a sense the federal standard is the sound standard and that is there needs to be an adjudication,” said Florida Council for Community Mental Health’s John Bryant.

Supporters say the bill will only cover people who would otherwise be committed under the Baker Act. Commitment requires a diagnosis of mental illness and is considered harmful to themselves or others. Opponents worry the new bill creates unreasonable time frames for doctors to make life altering diagnosis.

“I think the people who have to implement this bill will find out it’s a lot more complicated and difficult to implement than anyone envisioned,” said Bryant.

Hammer says after a person with mental illness is treated, they’ll be able to petition the court to get their gun rights back. “They will not be able to purchase a gun until they had been treated and a psychiatrist says they need relief from disability,” she said.

Scott has two weeks to decide if he will sign the legislation.

According to the Governor’s Office, 17,008 e-mail’s have been sent, urging Rick Scott to veto the bill. Just one email encourages him to sign the legislation. Additionally, 2,730 calls have been received. 2,711 were in opposition, 12 were in support of the bill and 7 were general questions on the legislation.

A controversial measure that blocks local governments from requiring employers to offer paid sick time has been signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.

Feeling sick? Beginning July first you may no longer be eligible for sick time. A new state law takes away local government ordinances requiring employers to offer paid sick time. “This law will take away their right to make those decisions for themselves at the local level,” said spokesman for the Florida Coalition for Local Control, Damien Filer.

The Florida Coalition for Local Control fought the bill in the legislative process. The group argues the new law wrongfully separates the poor and women from everyone else. “It’s disappointing; the Governor clearly sided with big corporation over the interest of many Floridians,” said Filer.

Those in support of the law say it creates consistency for employers across the state. “It creates consistency, predictability and conformity of regulation through-out the state. Anytime a business is looking to settle or move to Florida they have to see what regulations will cost them,” said Florida Retail Federations General Counsel, Samantha Padgett.

“Before the bill was signed into law, two neighboring counties may have had different sick-time laws. Now, when you cross into a new county, the laws will be the same,” Matt Horn reported.

“It really does encourage development and it really does protect our economic growth in the state of Florida and encourage the economic growth,” said Padgett.

“Those are great talking points, but there is no truth…and what we see consistently is when earned sick times are in place that it increases the economic stability of those places,” said Filer.

Opponents say they will work closely with the state to make sure employees, not just employers, are protected under this new law.

A recent public poll shows 8 in 10 Floridians support employers providing sick time benefits.

Online retail giant Amazon is announcing a deal to create thousands of new jobs here in Florida. As the announcement of jobs will also mean Florida consumers will pay more money to use the site.

At the end of your finger tips is an online retailer where you can buy nearly anything you’ll ever need. Now the online giant Amazon will open a 1-million-square-foot warehouse here near Tampa.

“This is good news for retail in the state of Florida,” said Florida Retail Federation John Fleming. “It means another major retailer is chosen to locate in our state, its growth in retail industry and a sign Florida’s a good place to do business.”

Amazon expects to hire 3,000 Floridians by 2016. The deal comes less than a month after Governor Rick Scott turned down the internet giant’s first offer. ”My job is to make sure I do the right thing for taxpayers in our state and based on the opportunity I had at the time, it didn’t make sense,” said Gov. Rick Scott.

After further talks with the company, the Governor and Amazon came to a deal. The Governor’s office refused an on-camera interview, but released a statement saying: “Amazon’s commitment to create more than 3-thousand new jobs in Florida is further proof that we’ve turned our economy around.”

The move to Florida will come at a price. When Amazon opens a warehouse in Florida, they will be required to charge Florida consumers a 6-percent sales tax.

“It’s not a tax increase; it’s the same sales tax that you pay everyday at every store you go to in your community,” said Fleming.

The collection will begin when the company opens its doors in Florida, which is expected next year.

Amazon hasn’t made any announcements about the expansion, but they expect to create more than 300-million dollars in investments in Florida.

A rally was held at the Capitol for a North Florida officer arrested for official misconduct earlier this month.

Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch was arrested after FDLE agents say he told jailers to free a man arrested on gun charges and then destroyed paperwork with the case.

Finch says he was upholding the oath he took when he went into office by protecting the second amendment.

”I’ve had people from all over this country call me on the phone, text me, email me, facebook message me,” said Finch. “It does my heart good to know there are so many people who support the constitution and the second amendment.”

Governor Scott’s office released a statement saying: “Any time an elected, local, public official is charged with a felony, the Governor suspends the official until the case is concluded. This safeguard is in place to ensure Floridians are best served in their communities.”

May numbers show Florida is first the nation in foreclosures. Last week the Governor signed a bill making it quicker for banks to foreclose. Homeowners advocates say the bill will negatively affect homeowners dealing with hardships.

A fast-track foreclosure law will shorten the length a homeowner has to fight a bank. Governor Scott signed the Republican-driven bill and it is now the law in Florida.

“It’s going to help make sure we have a timely foreclosure process,” said Governor Scott. “So our families make sure they can keep their homes.”

Scott says the bill will help put abandoned homes back on the market. The Florida Bankers Association says it will help rejuvenate the economy.

“Our members do not want to foreclose. But, when we have to get to that point, we need to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Florida Bankers Association, Anthony DiMarco.

Homeowner advocates say the bill is unconstitutional, making it difficult for a person to save their home if they have difficulties paying their mortgage.

“In the long run, it’s going to limit homeowners rights when they try to defend a foreclosure on their home,” said Edward Grunewald with the North Florida Center for Equal Justice, Inc.

But Bankers counter that homeowners have plenty of time before banks start foreclosing.

“We don’t start a foreclosure until 4, 5, 6 months after you’ve missed your first payment. So, we’ve tried to work with the borrower so they’ve had the opportunity for several months,” said DiMarco.

Florida courts have dealt with extreme numbers of foreclosures due to the housing bust. Earlier this year there was a little less than 400-thousand cases in the system.

Advocates say with a shorter time frame, banks may file inaccurate papers against a homeowner

“If the homeowner doesn’t have the time to get adequate defense or legal help then the bank will never have to prove they are the proper party to be suing in foreclosure,” said Grunewald.

Governor Rick Scott has also signed a bill which allows landlords to evict tenants more quickly after accepting a partial rent payment.

Opponents of the death penalty met at the Florida Capitol to remember the latest person to die by lethal injection.

William Van Poyck was pronounced dead Wednesday evening, making the third person executed this year. The Citizens Against Death Penalty met to remember him. The group says they meet every time after someone is executed, saying killing another person is wrong.

“We as citizens in the state of Florida and taxpayers in the state of Florida are participating in the killing of a human being,” said Sheila Meehan. “Something of course we all say is wrong.”

Van Poyck was executed for the murder of a guard at a 1987 prison van ambush.

Doctor Charlotte Maguire, the founder of two medical schools in Florida, was honored by Governor Scott Thursday.

Dr. Maguire practiced medicine for 50 years and helped in the creation of medical schools at the University of Florida and The Florida State University.

Thursday she was presented the prestigious “Great Floridian” award. She says it wasn’t possible without hard work.

“I started off as a little girl with a parent who told me, you can do anything you set your mind to. But you have to work,” she said.

She was the only woman in her medical class when she graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1944.

Governor Scott leaves Friday for another trade mission, this time it’s at an air show in Paris.

This is the second year he has attended the air show, and he says its all in hopes of bringing more jobs back to the Sunshine State.

The Governor has time set aside for meetings in Paris with non-aviation related French investors.

“Last year we had a good trip, we brought … more jobs, 230 jobs there,” said Governor Scott. “You just keep building these relationships to get more jobs for Florida.”

Scott has started working with Enterprise Florida for a mission trip to Japan later this month.

A statewide database used to end pill mills is now accused of leaking thousands of Floridians medical information to third parties.

A program used to crack down on pill mills is now being blamed for leaking personal medical information. “People should be concerned,” said the ACLU of Florida Associate Legal Director, Maria Kayanan.

The American Civil Liberties Union says the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program disclosed more than 33-hundred Floridians’ medical information to third parties. The information was requested by Seminole County; and shared with attorneys in six criminal cases in Volusia County. The attorney’s received confidential prescription information not related to the cases.

The Department of Health, which is responsible for maintaining the database, denied multiple requests for an on-camera interview talking about what happened.

In an email state health officials say: “a law enforcement agency…has indirect access to information maintained in the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.” The A-C-L-U disagrees and says it violates HIPAA laws. ”We want to know how information of private confidential medical information made it from what was presumed to be a safe database,” said Kayanan.

The program, up and running in late 2011, was once ridiculed by Governor Scott, ”I don’t support the database. I believe it’s an invasion of privacy.” Now he’s backing it to the tune of 500-thousand dollars for the next fiscal year. The A-C-L-U says they hope this leak will lead to the closure of the program.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office denied a request for an interview, but say they are reviewing the case.