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150 women donned red shirts and rode busses to the State Capitol Wednesday to fight for tougher background checks and other gun laws. Gay Valimont came from Gulf Breeze. She’s the mother of a five year old and she worries the state isn’t doing enough to arrest felons who try to buy guns.

“Right now in Florida, if you are a convicted felon, and you fail a background check, you are not reported to local authorities. those people will go on to buy guns illegally and commit crimes” says the volunteer chapter leader.

The moms are also telling lawmakers not to make it easier to carry a gun on a college campus, or to allow suits against businesses that prohibit concealed carry on their premises.

State Senate leaders say they are looking for ways to make sure employees who come forward with sexual harassment or other claims do not face retaliation. At the same time, advocates for women and several House members called the highly charged political environment was ripe with abuse of women. Representative Amy Mercado of Orlando says the latest accusations are nothing new.

“There are real problems here concerning harassment and treatment of women. Do not be fooled. this is not new or an isolated incident this year. these issues ingrained in the political culture here.”

Ina addition to policies protecting women, the advocates another way to end harassment in the process is to elect more women.

Police in the state Capitol are continuing to interview people surrounding the death of a 20 year old FSU Student after a night of drinking last Friday. As Mike Vasilinda tells us,  charges could come sooner than later.

Four days after 20 year old Andrew Coffey, a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity pledge was found unresponsive, Tallahassee Police released a highly redacted 8 page report. It shows four initial interviews. Neighbors have told us that 5 people lived at the property. Police have since conducted more than 50 interviews and more are planned.

A tour guide told parents: “on the other side of…”

Dozens of high schools students were touring the campus Tuesday morning with their parents. None of the parents said the death would deter them from sending their child to FSU. Dana Andrews and her daughter came from Oviedo, Fl.

“I feel like it can affect any school anywhere. Any home. Any family” said Andrews.

Victor Krasynskyy came with his daughter from Cape Coral.

“I hope that my daughter has better judgement” said the confident father.

University President John Thrasher says a temporary ban all greek activity on the campus was the right thing to do.

“I didn’t see another way getting attention, their attention, without doing that. We want to take a pause and try to figure out what to do as a community, FSU community, Greek community, FSU at large to try and solve these problems” Thrasher told us in a one on one interview.

Fraternity and sorority members we asked about the ban had one response.

“I can’t comment.”

“No Comment”

Even the President here admits to going through a ritual when he joined a fraternity back in the 1960’s.

Most non Greek students, including Jacob Son of Miami were glad some action was taken.

“We can’t just let innocent children die. Some response is a good response. I think less drinking is a good response” the Graduate Student told us.

The President said he was hopeful the investigation would be complete by weeks end or early next week.

FSU made their second drug trafficking arrest today. A member of the same fraternity as the student who died, Pi kappa Phi, 22 year old Daniel Charles Martin was charged with a second degree felony sale of a controlled substance. The undercover operation was underway before Friday’s death.

Legislation allowing the Governor to suspend local officials who pass laws ordering police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials cleared a key committee in the State Capitol today by a vote of 11 to 7. Sponsor Larry Metz told members he expected the Governor to be cautious in taking action under the bill.

“The removal provision is discretionary with the executive office of the Governor and the Governor himself, ultimately. So, they would have to do an investigation of any complaint official, public official violating the rule of law adherence act” Metz told Committee members.

More than 70 people signed up to speak at the committee. Mary Lopez was near tears as she voiced her frustration at new conference following the vote.

“I have a sibling. I am the oldest of four. and I have a sibling that has Autism, and I shouldn’t be worried that that my parents may be deported, may be stopped, because of this” she told reporters.

Violating the terms of the bill, if it becomes law, would prohibit violating communities from receiving state grants for five years.

Governor Rick Scott is offering up the smallest tax cut in his 7 years in office. Instead orbit cuts this year, he is pushing big increases for environmental spending and for teachers.

“I’ve got a big agenda. I think I have 425 days to go and I’m gonna fight everyday. I’m still want to end up where this state is the best place to get a job, your kids a better education here, and people are safe here” said Scott at a gaggle following the Cabinet meeting.

The push for more spending means Scott won’t be able to abolish the Corporate Income tax he has sought to end since taking office.

New allegations of sexual harassment surfaced today against Clearwater State Senator Jack Latvala. Seven women, six of them an unanimously, have claimed the veteran legislator has touched them or said something inappropriate. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, The Senator has also temporarily stepped down from his powerful role as Senate budget chair.

State Senator Jack Latvala had told us in a text he would not be talking with reporters before an afternoon committee meeting. He was true to his word.

“Could you at least talk to us about your statement” we asked when he entered a committee room.

“Nah. I’ve said everything I need to say” He responded.

Hours earlier, Latavala sent a letter asking to be relieved of his budget chairmanship temporarily. He wanted to focus on clearing his name.

“It’s disgusting if anybody does that” Governor Rick Scott told reporters in Ft. Myers.

Monday morning, Governor Rick Scott didn’t mention Latvala by name. But he did call for a thorough investigation.

“It’s very important that there is an investigation that we know what happened. If anybody has done anything wrong, they need be out of office” says Scott.

State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto has been charged with finding someone to investigate after the Senate General Counsel, who worked closely with Latvala as committee staff, recused herself.

“There will be a third party, independent, very fair and impartial firm, that doesn’t have any business before the legislature, selected to make sure they can investigate those claims” says Rules Chair Benaquisto.

Finding someone to investigate with no ties to the Legislature  will likely require someone from out of state.

They may have a lot to investigate. 75 year old Barbara DeVane told us she no longer gets hit on, but was harassed back in the 1970’s.

“I was approached by a Representative, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I do not lobby horizontally” she said emphatically.

The Senate is promising new training and guidelines to make it easier for victims to come forward.

Florida is the only state in the country that requires a group to revise its constitution every 20 years, so as  Mike Vasilinda tells us, it’s not surprising how few know about the Constitution Revision Commission, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention.

Five point four million people have moved to Florida since the last time the Constitutional revision commission met in 1997. A survey by the Florida Bar shows 8 in 10 Floridians have never heard of it. One of them is retired postal worker Willie Mitchell.

“I have not got the slightest clue, what you talk a CRC?” Mitchell told us when we stopped him on the street. Rick Pararo also didn’t know what CRC stood for.

Q”Do you know what it is?”

“No sir, I don’t.

“Constitution Revision Commission”.

What make the commission so power and one of a kind is that any changes it proposes go directly to the 2018 Ballot.

So far, the 37 member commission made up of political insiders has filed 80 ideas for consideration. They range from automatically restoring felons rights to weakening the privacy amendment which gives added protections to a woman’s right to choose.

During the previous two times the CRC put proposals on the ballot, the results were mixed.”

In 1978, 8 Proposals from the commission all went down in flames. Twenty years later, Voters approved 8 of 9 amendments.

“We don’t know what this revision commission will put forward, something that’s significant or not.”

Sandy D’alemberte has been involved with the revision process since it was first created in 1968.

“We ought to pay attention, because they potential for good and evil is really quite great” says the President Emeritus of Florida State University.

Under new CRC rules, 22 of the 37 members must agree to send a proposal to voters.

The commission’s 37 members are appointed by the Governor, legislative leaders, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida. As Attorney General Pam Bondi is an automatic member of the Commission.

Last December, Capitol Correspondent Mike Vasilinda asked the Governor a question which resulted in a hearing before the State Supreme Court this morning. As Mike tells us, the issue is over who will appoint the next  three justices of  the state’s highest court.

Florida has seven Supreme Court Justices. Three are set to retire on what will be the Governor’s last day in office.

When Governor Rick Scott filled a vacancy on the Court last December, we asked whether he planned to try and fill those three vacancies.

“I’ll appoint there more justices the morning I finish my term” Scott told us on December 15, 2016.

Here ye, Here ye, Here ye.

A Wednesday hearing at the Florida Supreme Court is a direct result of the Governor’s answer. The League of Women Voters filed a motion, asking the court to tell the Governor the three appointments are the next Governor’s…not Rick Scotts to make. John Mills is also representing Common Cause and several individual board members.

“They either expire at the very last second that Governor Scott is still in power, or a day later.”

The court was clearly unhappy with the role of deciding who is going to make the next appointments. Justice Charles Canady and others questioned whether there was a need for them to make any decision at all.

“This is all speculative. It’s not…I’m having a hard time seeing how this is a ripe controversy” opined a slightly frustrated Canady.

In a rare twist, the Governor’s lawyer admitted the power to replace the three retiring judges would fall to the next Governor as long as none of the current judges leave early and the Governor elect files the proper paperwork. Justice Alan lawson posed this question to Daniel Nordby.

“I think your argument is that there are circumstances under which the Governor would not have the authority to appoint the replacements, correct?”

“Yes, ,Your honor.” Nordby did say the Governor retains his power to appoint up until the final second he is in office, and that should the right circumstances fall into place, Scott would indeed make one or more appointments to the court.

Two decades ago, Lawton Chiles and Governor Jeb Bush avoided the same crisis when the two both agreed to appoint a single judge.

And how it all plays out may well depend on which party the Governor-elect represents

At stake is a constitutional crisis. If Rick Scott makes three appointments that are challenged, it could leave the court with just four sitting justices. The Constitution requires five to make any decision.