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Governor Rick Scott is not letting up on efforts to prevent non-citizens from voting in Florida.

We caught up with Scott at the airport today. He told us the Department of Homeland Security needs to give the state access to its immigration database to allow the state to better identify non-citizens, illegally registered to vote.

“The right thing to happen is the Department of Homeland Security should give us the database we have the right to have, the SAVE database. I want to make sure in the Primary in August, in November, we have honest, fare elections,” said Scott.

Last week a federal judge ruled that the state had the right to move forward with its voter purge efforts, but it needed to use the DHS database. Scott is still plotting his next move to convince the federal government to give the state access.

New documents in the case of a FAMU student hazed to death suggest school administrators were asked to suspend the band three days before the tragedy.

Notes taken by the Dean of Students claim FAMU’s Former Police Chief Calvin Ross asked administrators to suspend the band immediately because of recent hazing reports. The administrators ignored the warning and on Nov. 19th, Robert Champion was beaten after a game in Orlando and died. Ross retired in April. FAMU’s President Dr. James Ammons answered the report with this written response.

“Prior to the Florida Classic weekend, the former provost, vice president for student affairs, former chief of police, dean of students and former department chair/band director met as a group and decided on the proper course of action in light of the recent band member suspensions, and the group’s decision was for the chief of police, dean of students and band director to call together the entire band to underscore their written Anti-Hazing Agreements and the fact that hazing is against FAMU policies and a felony crime under Florida law. No one told me before the Florida Classic that they disagreed with the group’s ultimate decision and course of action,” wrote Ammons

Ammons goes on to say the school is making a good faith effort to settle the matter with the Champion family, but a date for the settlement has not been reached. He added that, at the advice of his legal counsel he will not comment any further at this time.

Corporate logos could soon start appearing at a state trail near you. Seven trails from one end of the state will be allowed to accept sponsorships under legislation signed by Governor Rick Scott. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the idea is sure to spark debate by trail users.

Thousands of people bike, skate or walk state trails everyday. So when we told this couple that corporate logos could soon be coming to their trail, we sparked a debate.

“If the last desperate attempt to keep them would be to put up signage, then I could live with a little bit of advertisement,” social worker Anthony McDonald said. “If the money is going back in there.”

“Yeah, but you start with a couple of signs and you end up with New York,” Catia Carvallo, a conference center director, said.

Seven trails, from Pensacola to Key West could soon be sporting corporate logos under legislation that took effect July first.

The law limits the signage to 16 square feet. That’s four feet by four feet, which is just a little bit bigger than this sign here.

Jim Wood with the Office of Greenways and Trails says how much the signage will bring in is still anybody’s guess.

“As we’ve tried to figure out what revenue this is going to generate, we’ve tried to look at other examples, and really, there’s nothing at a state level that we’re aware of in any other state in the U.S,” Wood said.

The money will be small in comparison to the parks overall budget.

“This is something that would possibly give us the ability to have a little more maintenance,” Wood said.

And if the idea proves successful, look for state lawmakers to expand the idea in the future…which will be guaranteed to spark more debates like this one.

“There’s a limit of what we would allow in there,” McDonald said.

“There’s never a limit,” Carvallo said. “Once you allow something, it’s like an open market there.”

In the meantime, the state is seeking sponsors compatible with the mission of the parks and trails.

Six of the seven trails selected for the pilot are in either North or Central Florida. the largest pilot will he the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage trail, spanning almost a hundred miles through the Florida Keys.

For a second time, a judge has set bond for the man who shot and killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin.

This afternoon a million dollar bond was set for George Zimmerman. His initial bond of 150-thousand dollars was revoked last month because he and his wife failed to disclose to the court thousands of dollars in donations. Ben Crump, an attorney for Trayvon’s family, says his clients wanted Zimmerman to stay behind bars, but they respect the judge’s decision.

“Everything is taken with a grain of salt knowing that the most important decision is going to be the outcome of the trial, but even that won’t bring Trayvon back. He’s never coming back to them,” said Crump.

Zimmerman will have to come up with 10 percent of the million dollar bond in order to be released from jail.

There’s some good news tonight for Florida college students. Congress has reached a deal to freeze student loan interest rates, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the deal limits who qualifies for the government subsidized loans.

FSU junior Caroline Pryor is borrowing money to pay for school.

“After I’m done, it’s probably going to be around nine, ten thousand,” said Pryor.

While her loans are expensive, they could have been even higher. Last week Congress reached a deal to keep student loan interest rate from doubling to nearly seven percent.

“If they keep it the same, I think I’ll be able to get by, hopefully,” said Pryor.

The rate freeze is good news for Florida students who, without the deal, would have seen their loan debt increase an extra thousand dollars every year they borrow.

But there is a catch. Interest on new student loans will begin accumulating as soon as a student graduates. Now on existing loans, there will still be a grace period for interest and students will still have six months before they have to begin making payments.

Caroline says the changes will add pressure for college grads trying to find work in a saturated job market.

“If I don’t get a job in a certain amount of time it’s going to be really tough,” said Pryor.

And it’s getting tougher still for students who seek advanced degrees. As of this month, grad students no longer qualify for government subsidized loans. That concerns Sophomore Shawn McCullough, who plans to attend medical school.

“I’m passionate about what I want to do so it doesn’t change my plans, but it’s going to make things a lot more difficult,” said McCullough.

The last minute deal is set to expire in one year. Which means students who don’t graduate by 2013 could face another round of student loan increases.

The new student loan bill also disqualifies people who don’t have a high school diploma or a GED from qualifying for government subsidized loans. The provision is expected to affect people who attend trade schools.

On Wednesday, thousands of immigrants across the state and county will be sworn in to become US citizens. Jose Godinez-Samperio is 26, a graduate of New College and the College of Law at Florida State University. He wants to be a lawyer, but his lack of citizenship is holding him back. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Jose’s case is the perfect example of why some are calling for a “Dream Act.”

Jose Godinez Samperio attended the Florida Bar Annual Meeting this year. The Eagle Scout and Valedictorian of his Tampa high school graduated from New College, the state’s Honors College and from the Florida State College of Law, but whether Jose ever becomes a lawyer in Florida is up in the air. He is an undocumented alien who came to the US when he was 9.

“One day, about six months later, I was watching Barney and my visa expired. Of course, I didn’t know it then, as I was still 10 years old, and eventually I went through school just like any other kid,” Godinez-Samperio said.

Jose passed the Bar Exam with Flying colors.

But because Jose isn’t a citizen, bar examiners refused to admit him to practice law, and instead sent this first-ever case here to Florida’s Supreme Court.

Former FSU President Sandy D’Alemberte, along with three other former American Bar Association Presidents, have filed paperwork supporting Jose’s quest to be a lawyer.

“When you’re a nine year old and you decide to stay with your parents, that’s hardly a character defect,” D’Alemberte said. “What I would say to people is that Jose is exactly the kind of person we want as a citizen of the United States.”

No one has filed paperwork opposing Jose’s admission to the bar. He believes he’s proven he’s worthy to be a lawyer.

“I have not taken advantage of anybody’s taxes, I’m just here to contribute,” he said.

In the meantime, he is working as an activist and he plans to practice immigration law when and if he is allowed to be a lawyer.

His journey took him from the battlefield to the basketball court, now a former FSU player is crediting the US Military for his new found fame in the NBA. As Whitney Ray tells us, Bernard James never would have made it to the pros, had he not joined United States Air Force.

Bursts of patriotism and excited chants greeted FSU star Bernard James as he was drafted into the NBA last week.

Before finding fame on the hardwood James served six years in the US Air Force, including three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. He might still be there had it not been for his military supervisor.

“He asked me if I played basketball, and I was like no, not really and he was like, you do now,” said James.

James dropped out of high school at 16, having never played organized basketball. One year later he joined the Air Force. He was 6’5. During his service James grew five more inches, catching the attention of FSU scouts.

“Really the plan was to get a college degree and go back in the Air Force as a commission officer,” said James.

James rose to the rank of staff sergeant, but his athletic accolades began to overshadow his military service. James lead FSU to the Sweet 16 his junior year and won a conference championship the next. NBA scouts noticed, and last Thursday, with the crowd cheering him on, James became a professional basketball player.

“I’m a patriot. I love seeing other people’s patriotism. So, it was big to see all of the fans come together and chant USA when I was drafted,” said James.

From the battlefield to the basketball court, James is now in the national spotlight and continues to serve his country as an ambassador for the US military. He even has a patriotic nickname… His fans call him, The Sergeant.

James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but later traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he will begin workouts June 11th. The Mavs won the 2011 NBA championship beating the Miami Heat in the finals.

This Independence Day Florida is honoring US soldiers by waiving some state fees for veteran entrepreneurs.

Starting this week the Department of Business and Profession Regulation is eliminating business licensing and application fees for any veteran honorably discharged during the past 24 months. DBPR Secretary Ken Lawson says the program could benefit thousands of returning soldiers.

“If you can create your own business and possible employ other people, that will help our economy, not only the state but this country and it will help these veterans by reaching out to our program and starting businesses. That helps serve this nation,” said Lawson.

The waivers could save veterans a hundred bucks or in some cases more than a thousand depending on the type of business license they’re seeking.

A group of human rights activists and politicians are fighting for the voting rights of former felons.

The group made up of a human rights activist, a former sheriff and Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho is asking Congress to pass a bill allowing former felons to cast ballots in federal elections. Currently, ex-felons have to wait five years and then ask the state clemency board to restore their civil rights. Sancho says the current law is creating second class citizens.

“There are 100s of thousand of Floridians forced to walk around with an invisible F for felons branded permanently on their identity,” said Sancho.

An estimated 500-thousand Floridians have lost their civil rights and can’t vote, hold public officer or own a gun. The group had asked the governor and state cabinet to automatically restore the rights of nonviolent offenders, but state leaders denied their request.

Florida officials who challenged the health care law were over confident of victory and have been slow in setting up insurance exchanges required under the health care law, and As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Florida has refused millions in Federal money to prepare.

On February first, 2011one of Governor Rick Scott’s first official acts was to turn down more than a million dollars to begin implementing the Affordable Care Act. “We not going to spend a lot of time and money to get ready to implement that until we know what happens” said the new Governor.

The money in 2011 would have gone to establishing on line heath exchanges for consumer to compare rates. At the time, Scott promised: “The state won’t be caught flat footed”.

On Friday health care advocates were chastising the Governor for not moving more quickly, borrowing his campaign slogan “Let’s Get to Work!”

Earlier this year, state lawmakers talked about setting up a mechanism for accepting federal money if the health care did become law. The Governor threatened a veto, so it didn’t happen.

The money would help provide more care for up to half a million kids. Dr. Louis St. Petery says current system treats them unfairly. “So you take Grandma to the doctor for a sore throat and they pay pay 56 percent more for the doctor than the pediatrician who sees the grandchild for the same sore throat.” St. Petery calls the system “Crazy”.

The dilemma for Governor Rick Scott is that the program is only fully funded for the first two years. After that the state pays one of every ten dollars. On Thursday the Governor was uncertain about what the state would do next. “I’ve got to read through the decision to make sure we understand it” is what he told reporters when pushed.

Scott is also hanging his hat on his support for Mitt Romney. Romney has already promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The state can still take advantage of 450 million dollars in Federal money to provide better health care for children if the legislature acts before this coming January.

Florida’s Governor and Attorney General were caught by surprise with today’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. Both had predicted in recent days that it would be overturned. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Florida has been at the center of the health care lawsuit since the beginning.

Within minutes of the health care act being signed into law, then-Attorney General Bill McCollum was filing the law suit that was finally decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This is not lawful. It may have passed congress, but there are three branches of Government,” former Attorney General McCollum said in 2010.

Months later, a Federal judge in Pensacola was one of the first to rule most of the act unconstitutional. The current Attorney General, Pam Bondi, campaigned saying she would continue the lawsuit.

“And I will take on the federal government’s healthcare takeover.”

The Governor and Cabinet took a break from their clemency board duties as the decision was being announced. A few minutes later, Pam Bondi appeared visibly shaken by the decision.

“[I’m] surprised, um, shocked,” Bondi said. “The court did say, however, that they cannot do this under the commerce clause.”

Then, three hours later, the Attorney General was claiming partial victory.

“We also learned that there are enforceable limits on Congress’s power to force the states through the use of the spending power,” she said.

But details on the state’s options remain sketchy. Both Bondi and Governor Rick Scott call the act a tax on Floridians.

“If you look at every government program in the world, they over-promise, they run out of money, they under-pay providers, and then that rations care,” Scott said. “On top of that, as bad as it’s going to be for patients, it’s going to be just as bad for taxpayers. We’re not going to be able to afford this.”

The full impact of the decision could take days to sort out.

A Federal Judge today said Florida can remove voters who registered illegally from the rolls anytime prior to an election. The U.S. Attorney had sought to stop the state within 90 days of an election, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the judge found legally registered voters would be harmed if illegals were allowed to cast a ballot.

In May, the state sent a list to local supervisors of elections. It contained the names of 26 hundred people the state believed were not US Citizens and who had registered to vote illegally.

But the list was flawed because it was based on state drivers license records. The Justice Department and others sued to stop the state from using the list, in part because federal law prohibits voter purges within 90 days of an election. In Federal court on Wednesday, the state had said it would not use the list, but would wait until it got access to a disputed Homeland Security databased. The judge ruled the 90 restraint did not apply.

What the judge said that if an illegal voter was allowed to cast a ballot, it would do irreparable harm and dilute the vote of a legally registered voter.

So now the state is free to remove voters registered illegally anytime before an election.

“They’re not pursing the old database, but they are trying to get an accurate database from the federal government,” Michael Carvin, lawyer for the state said.

The Governor’s spokesperson claimed victory, urging the federal government to make a more accurate homeland security database available soon.

“That’s what we need to move forward,” spokesperson Brian Burgess said. “The judge made it clear that that would be a much bigger improvement over what we’ve done in the past.”

The judge did promise speedy action if legal voters were purged from the rolls because of the state’s actions.

A lawyer for the state’s supervisors says his clients can not proceed to remove non-citizen voters who registered illegally, but they will need more proof than a disputed state database.

Debbie continued to drop large amounts of rain across Florida today, forcing residents in low lying areas from their homes. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the rain also forced the closing of the major East-West highway in Northeast Florida.

Shirley Hendrickson and her family spent Tuesday trying to salvage some of their belongings. She was awakened at one a.m. to find water in her house.

“By then there was water in the house already past our ankles,” Hendrickson said. “Now, it’s up past our knees in there. I lost everything I got; my computer, my TV.”

Dozens of homes in this Live Oak neighborhood are flooded.

The biggest fear in this neighborhood is that the water isn’t done rising, and that it will get worse tomorrow and the next day.

The water rose several inches while we watched.

“I had to go try to swim in and save somebody, because he didn’t want to leave the house, you know, he was an older resident,” resident Saione Williams said.

The rising water also forced the closing of interstate 10 late Monday night. It remained closed Tuesday.

“The interstate being closed inconveniences everybody, but safety is priority,” state trooper Al Hughes said.

The closure resulted in a 25 mile detour that left many motorists baffled.

“Where do I go? I’m trying to get to Coco Beach.”

“So how do we get to Jacksonville?”

In Tallahassee, the state’s emergency management director told the Governor and Cabinet the worst danger may be yet to come.

“Oftentimes in these storms, it’s not the actual storm that causes injuries or death, it’s the cleanup process,” Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon said. “So you need to make sure you don’t enter standing water.”

The flooding is expected to continue throughout the week.

Tropical storm Debby is the fourth named storm of the year, marking the first time there have been four named storms before July first. Mike Vasilinda is in Apalachicola, where the storm has already cut power lines and forced Tourists to head for calmer weather.

Electrical line crews are being moved into the panhandle by the dozens.

Scattered power outages plague North Florida. St. George Island, off Apalachicola, has been ordered evacuated,

“The power company is saying power not until Friday or the weekend,” state trooper John Tallman said.

sending tourists home.

The Belts family from Marshall, Illinois is looking for blue skies.

“Well, this isn’t the first time we’ve been through a Tropical Storm here, so we’re headed somewhere else now,” Gretchen Belts said.

Reporter: Where are you going?

“We’re not sure yet, ” she said.

Debby is the first time that there have been four named storms before July first.
The banks of the Apalachicola River are about one hundred feet over here, you can see it’s already overflowing, covering roads. The real danger of this storm isn’t it’s intensity, but just how long all of this is going to last.

Local residents are taking the storm in stride.

“Who knows what’s going to happen,” Carrabelle resident Linda Westenfelder said. “We’re just trying to be careful. We boarded up last week just to make sure.”

The state has not yet asked for Federal assistance, but Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency.

“Like always, everybody should have food and water on hand,” Scott said. “Just be prepared and use common sense. And be careful.”

The state’s emergency operations center is at level one, its highest activation.

Florida college students will be paying an average of seven hundred dollars more for tuition this fall. Tuition increases between nine and 15 percent were approved yesterday for Florida’s 11 public universities. There’s even more bad news for students tonight. As Whitney Ray tells us, if Congress doesn’t act by the end of next week, the price of a college education in Florida will go up even more.

We broke the news to these FSU students Friday that their college tuition will increase by hundreds in the fall.

“That means I’m going to have to take out more loans,” said FSU Junior Vitoria Medeiros.

“Prices going up such as books, tuition is just another thing that is going to add more stress,” said Marina Gonzalez a Senior.

“Probably going on an even stricter budget than I already am,” said Courtney Howell a Junior from Tampa.

University leaders approved tuition hikes for Florida’s public universities ranging from nine to 15 percent. On average tuition will increase 700 dollars next year. It could go even higher for students who borrow money to pay for school.

If Congress doesn’t act by the end of next week, interest rates on student loans will double to 6.8 percent. For most students the increase means a thousand dollars more every year they borrow.

Students are shocked that next year they could be paying 700 more in tuition and another thousand for their loans.

Marina Gonzalez has already racked up 20-thousand dollars in student loan debt, the state average.

“I don’t even know how I’m going to be able to afford grad school at this point because I’m already on student loans and the interest rate’s going up,” said Marina.

President Barack Obama has been on a mission to stop the rate increase, speaking at colleges in Florida and throughout the county.

As of noon Friday, the nation’s combined student loan debt was already one trillion, 11 billion dollars and counting, if Congress doesn’t act, the number will begin climbing even faster.

Republicans are accusing the president of playing politics with the issue. The GOP controlled house passed a bill to freeze the interest rate and tied it to a six billion dollar health care cut. Democrats in the Senate are balking at the House bill.
If an agreement isn’t reached, interest rates will increase, but only for new loans written after July first.