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The two men slated to run the state legislature in 2011 are calling for a statewide jobs summit. It will be held in Orlando on January 14th and will focus on what the state can do to reduce regulations hindering business and whether some incentives for things such as film production might create jobs. Senator Mike Haridopolis was asked why the summit is coming two years after the beginning of the recession.

“A lot of people were hopeful that the economic stimulus and everything should be more successful and that we are trying to do with the resources that we have,” Haridopolis said. “I think that we have had ongoing discussions and I think that there is an additional discussion with everyone of us in different delegations that are here, different things and different issues. What we wanted to do is have a statewide discussion so that we focus exclusively on jobs.”

Governor Charlie Crist is already suggested a cut in the corporate income tax rate. Haridopolis and his counterpart, Representative Dean Cannon of Winter Park offered few specifics.

More than 9 thousand Florida customers who thought they had a valid extended warranty on their car are out in the cold. The state has closed First Warranty Group of Florida because it was no longer financially able to pay its claims. The company will be liquidated and the first cash will go to pay claims already submitted. Wayne Johnson from the office of Rehabilitation and Liquidation says customers who financed their extended warranties should contact their lender.

“They should stop paying premiums if they are, in fact, still doing so,” Johnson said. “If they are paying those to a premium finance company, they should probably contact the premium finance company.”

Why should they stop?

“Their warranty is canceled, so they’re going to receive no further benefit from it,” Johnson said. “If they’re paying through a premium finance company, this may be tied to their auto loan and they want to be careful about that.”

In a related move today, the state ordered four other companies, who are unlicensed, to stop selling the extended warranties. The companies are: National Automotive Services Inc.; Warranty Financial Inc. a/k/a Warranty Financial O.R.G. Inc.; Warranty USA; and Warranty Services

More information is available on the states web site. http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Receiver/

Navigating state drivers’ license offices could soon be a little tougher. Starting January first, motorists will need at least four forms of identification to get or renew a license. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, your current license doesn’t count as one of the forms.

Real ID is the federal law enacted after 9/11. It requires people getting their drivers license for the first time, or renewing a license, to provide definite proof of who they are.

“We really hope that our customers will prepare themselves for their visit and hope that it will be very little inconvenience, if any, to them,” Dave Westberry, with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said.

A passport or certified birth certificate are the primary identification required. You’ll also need your social security card or proof of wages from form W2. Then you’ll have to prove where you live. Two utility bills, a voter registration or mail from the government will do.

Under the new requirements, the one thing that doesn’t count as proof of who you are, is your old drivers’ license.

Judith Rose changed her name…and almost got snagged.

Most people up for renewal, like HC Williams, will get a letter, telling them what to bring.

“Everything was pretty swift,” Williams said. “Real fast. No long wait, thank goodness.”

Motorists will get one chance to renew online, but after 2014, anyone without the new certified license could have trouble getting on a plane or elsewhere where an official ID is required.

You can find out what you’ll need on line at www.gathergoget.com/online. HC Williams brought everything he needed.

Residential fires increase between 20 and 25 percent during the holiday season, due primarily to people being unsafe with space heaters, failing to keep their Christmas tree watered, or using faulty holiday lighting. Julius Halas is the Director of the State Fire Marshalls office and says when a live tree is involved, you can never be too careful.

“A family that was having fun, had a little party, inadvertently had a candle too close to the Christmas tree,” Halas said. “It caught fire at two in the morning. The Christmas tree had fully ignited and the apartment was fully involved within about two minutes.”

Tallahassee Fire Chief Cindy Dick says people need to be especially careful with space heaters.

“Residential fires do increase at this time of year,” Dick said. “Actually from about the time you start to get your first cold snap, and much of that is related to something that we didn’t mention and I’m glad you brought that up, is the use of space heaters. Typically, that ignites quite a few fires. And one of the things you need to know with space heaters is that it is tested. They have very, very safe space heaters on the market now.”

Holiday fires claim 400 lives each Christmas season.

A 61-year-old man who has been on the run since March 1979 was captured on Saturday, as part of the state’s 12 days of Fugitives campaign. Each day the state has been featuring a cold case. On Saturday, Eugene Richardson was captured in Missouri as a result of a tip after his picture was published.  Deputy Corrections Secretary Richard Davison says the arrest should send a message to everyone else on the lamb.

“To all the fugitives, I would like to say that it doesn’t matter how long ago you escaped, and it doesn’t matter where you are hiding,” Davison said. “We are hot on your trail and we are steadily searching for you. You need to know that you will never stop looking for you.’

Richardson was in prison for robbing a Tampa drug store at gunpoint. He escaped from a prison work camp in Kissimmee, and has been living under the alias Eugene Ward. The state paid a $3,000 reward for the tip.

The State Inspector General is looking into emails send during the debate on commuter rail by the secretary of the Dept. of Transportation. Three emails used words like Pancakes or Waffles in the subject line. The odd wording prompted CFO Alex Sink to ask for the investigation to see if the words were an attempt to avoid being discovered in a public records request. Sink says she’ll wait for the results of the investigation before passing judgment.

“I think the Governor did the appropriate thing by asking his Inspector General to review the situation, and to see what all the facts are and hear her situation,” Sink said.”I’m sure the Inspector General will do a good job of ensuring Floridians, I hope, that there was no malintent there.”

The DOT says their software program would not have allowed the emails to go unnoticed in a public records search since it also searches the body of an email and attachments as well as the subject line.

Jurors in the murder trail of Deneilo Bradshaw, convicted yesterday of the murder of police informant Rachel Hoffman were today asked whether Bradshaw should live or die.  As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the trial has been hard on both the victim’s and defendant’s families.

Rachel Hoffman’s mother read a statement in which she said watching the trial had been a challenge.

“Hearing and seeing the evidence was painful, but I knew I had to be here. It is what a mother does for her daughter. I will always be Rachel’s mother,” Rachel Hoffman’s mother, Margie Weiss, said.

Rachel’s father, Irv, found it the hearing to painful to attend and sent a statement

“Her death has devastated my soul, changed my life for the worse forevermore,” Hoffman-Weiss family attorney Lance Block said as he read Irv Hoffman’s statement.

In an effort to prove there was no remorse, Prosecutors pushed Deneilo Bradshaw’s mother over what her son had told her about the crime.

“I asked him to tell me where he was,” Bradshaw’s mother, Judianna Freeman said.

Prosecutor: So you didn’t ask him to turn himself in?

“Yes, I did,” Freeman said.

Prosecutor: And did he turn himself in?

Closing arguments took just over an hour. Prosecutors asked for the death penalty.

“She was killed for the money,” prosecutor Eddie Evans said.

But the defense asked for mercy.

Juror: “We the jury advise and recommend to the court that it impose a sentence of life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole.”

The judge quickly imposed a life sentence. The family called it justice.

“And we look forward to holding the Tallahassee Police Department accountable for setting this nightmare into action,” Weiss said.

A second defendant is set for trial in October.

In addition to the October criminal trial, the family is pursuing civil action against the Tallahassee Police Department as well as a claims bill on their daughter’s behalf.

Florida now has more unemployed people than eight US states have citizens. More than a million Floridians are looking for work. As Whitney Ray tells us, 16-thousand Floridians were laid off just before Thanksgiving.

Instead of a Christmas bonus, Matt Durkin received a pink slip. Matt was working construction, the hardest hit sector in Florida.

“Companies have just decided to lay people off as opposed to cutting back your hours, they just lay you off and everybody knows this is a bad time of the year to be out of a job,” said Durkin.

Matt is now one of more than a million Floridians out of work. The state’s jobless rate is 11.5 percent up point three percent from a month ago. Add in the people who’ve stopped the job hunt or settled into a part-time position and the rate skyrockets.

“Add 7.2 percentage points to the unemployment rate, which would make it 18.7,” said Rebecca Rust, AWI Chief Economists.

Florida’s unemployment rate rose, while the national average fell, signaling a tougher turnaround for the Sunshine state.

An estimated 250-thousand Floridians that have run out of unemployment pay are eligible for extended benefits, but thousands haven’t begun the application process.

The state sent letters to eligible candidates. They are asking those who think they may be entitled to extended benefits to contact the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

“They can go online, check your eligibility, fill out the application and get the application to us as quickly as possible,” said Robby Cunningham, AWI Spokesman.

Economists say the state’s job market will begin to turn around in April, but add the recovery will take years. People who think they are eligible for the 13 week extension can go to www.floridajobs.org and click on the EUC button on the right hand side of the screen.

State inspectors want to make sure no one receives a sick puppy for Christmas. The Department of Agriculture has inspectors combing stores statewide looking for sick dogs and cats. As Whitney Ray tells us, when buying a pet, shoppers need verification the animal is at least eight weeks old and has been vaccinated against common diseases.

Butterscotch and Franz frolic in their cage, barking, biting and having a ball. The puppies seem healthy but state inspector want more proof.

Inspectors are making random stops at pet stores to makes sure owners aren’t selling sick puppies as Christmas gifts. When the holiday visits began five years ago, a lot of sellers ended up on the naughty list.

“We found quiet a few violations. A lot of pet shops that we stopped in or breeders or what not, some of them didn’t know they were required to have health certificates,” said Dr. Sam Lamb.

Sellers are required to provide an updated certificate of health with every dog and cat sold. The certificate gives a vaccine history and verifies the animal’s age.

Florida law requires puppies and kittens to be at least eight weeks old before they’re sold.

Carol Hoovers’ store passed inspection with flying colors. She says people increase the risk of ending up with a sick pet if they buy from roadside venders

“It could be a world of heartache if the animal ends up being sick. It could be very expensive if you have to take it to the emergency room over the night or over the weekend,” said Carol.

If the pet gets sick or dies within two weeks the seller has to pay the vet bills. Buyers can also exchange sick animals or ask for a refund. Even with all the inspectors holding pet sellers to a higher standard, many say giving a dog or a cat as a Christmas gift is a bad idea. They suggest letting the owner choose the animal they’d like and making sure the family is ready and willing to add a new member.

After 22 hours of deliberations over three days, a jury in Tallahassee has found Deneilo Bradshaw guilty of first degree murder in the death of 23-year-old police informant Rachel Hoffman. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the next question for jurors is whether to recommend life or death.

The verdict came on what would have been Rachel Hoffman’s 25 birthday.

“The jury finds the defendant, Deneilo Bradshaw, guilty as charged.”

Family friends say Rachel’s mother, Margie Weiss’s first thought was for the family of Deneilo Bradshaw, reportedly saying “I know what it is like to lose a child.” Afterwards, she still appeared stunned.

Reporter: How would this day have been different?

“I would have been releasing 25 butterflies to celebrate her birthday,” Weiss said.

Prosecutors declined comment, for now.

Deneilo’s step father prayed, while his mother said he got a fair trial. But his step father isn’t so sure.

“This boy didn’t do what they said he did,” stepfather Karey Freeman said. “He might have been guilty of something, but he wasn’t guilty of that. He wasn’t guilty of what he was charged with.”

“I’ll stand here before you as a mother to tell any mother, that you trust God for your children,” Bradshaw’s mother Judiana Freeman said. “Because today is a day where I can stand and say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is still God and I love my son.”

After deliberating for 22 hours over three days, the jury will be back friday, to recommend life or death.

A second defendant won’t go on trial until October.

Nearly 7 hundred thousand State Farm Customers are happy tonight. After a year of fighting with the state over rates, and deciding to stop writing homeowners insurance, Mike Vasilinda tells us the insurance giant has negotiated a settlement that will keep it writing policies in Florida.

State Farm asked for a 47 percent rate hike in 2008. Then said it was leaving Florida last January when it didn’t get a dime. Charlie Crist said “Good Riddance.” But in a dramatic turnaround, the company and state have reached a deal to keep State Farm in Florida.

“The State Farm has been granted a %14.8, across-the-board rate increase for their condominium and homeowners policies,” Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said.

In addition to the rate hike, the company will be allowed to drop 125 thousand customers, but no one will be dropped before August 2010.  Customers are excited

Joe Cain has been with State Farm more than 20 years.

“That’s great,” Cain said. “Oh wow, boy, if I had had to go to other insurers right now, some of these Mickey Mouse insurers, fly-by-night maybe, I don’t know. I was really worried.”

The leaner State Farm will still keep up to 800 agents will keep working. The agents’ association calls the news good for Florida.

“There are roughly 4 million homeowners policies in Florida,” lobbyist Tim Meenan said, “They’ve got 800,000 of them. Dumping them all onto the market at the same time would have created some havoc.”

State Farm will begin identifying which policies it will drop almost immediately. The rate hike will likely be in place for policies renewing as early as February.

State Farm customers are being encouraged to contact their agents after the first of the year to see if they are on the cancellation list.

Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation today creating Commuter Rail and High Speed Rail Commission. The bill was passed last week in a hurriedly called special session. The signature sets up funding to keep Tri-Rail running in South Florida and create a 61 mile long commuter rail system across four Central Florida counties.

“Sun Rail, Tri-Rail, High-Speed Rail will move the sunshine state into a new era of collaboration and innovation,” Crist said. “These passenger rail projects are the building blocks of a better statewide transportation network. They will yield benefits far beyond the rail lines themselves. They will make the daily commute cleaner and more efficient, will fewer cars on the road, and therefore less pollution.”

The hope is that the projects will show the states interest in high speed rail and attract billions in federal funding. An estimated 14 thousand jobs may be created, although some say the number is overly optimistic.

Twelve jurors are filing through evidence trying to decide whether to charge a Tallahassee man with the murder of confidential informant. Deneilo Bradshaw faces first degree murder for the 2008 shooting of Tallahassee Police Informant Rachel Hoffman. As Whitney Ray tells us, if Bradshaw is found guilty he could be executed.

With a life on the line and grieving parents on both sides of the isle, prosecutors began to state their case.

“She trusted the police to protect her and they failed her and she trusted this defendant not to execute her and dump her body in a ditch, but that is what he did,” said deputy prosecutor Georgia Cappleman.

Confidential Police informant Rachel Hoffman was shot and killed in May of 2008 during a botched drug sting. Deneilo Bradshaw and his Brother-in-law Andrea Green were arrested for the shooting.

In the courtroom the two defendants are hoping the jury will believe the other guy bulled the trigger. Bradshaw’s attorneys say Green threatened to kill their client if he didn’t play ball.

“This young man had to make a decision while he was staring down a gun that’s just been fired, apparently without remorse,” said defense attorney Clyde Taylor.

Prosecutors aren’t buying it and say Bradshaw is still guilty even if he didn’t shoot Rachel.

“It just doesn’t matter, because under the law both the defendant and Andrea Green were equally responsible for her murder,” said prosecutor Frank Allman.

While the prosecution and the defense argued their cases, both agree Rachel would still be alive if police hadn’t made mistakes. If the jury finds Bradshaw guilty of first degree murder the court will hold a sentencing hearing Wednesday morning. If at least seven of the 12 jurors vote for the death penalty after that hearing, Bradshaw would face execution.

The attorneys defending a man accused of killing confidential police informant Rachel Hoffman took just 15 minutes to present their case today. The attorneys for Deneilo Bradshaw say his co-defendant was the triggerman and As Whitney Ray tells us, they called on jail house snitches to collaborate their story.

In an opening statement that lasted less than two minutes, the defense told jurors their client didn’t pull the trigger.

“Andrea Green shot and killed Rachel Hoffman,” said Defense Attorney Chuck Hobbs.

Deneilo Bradshaw is on trial for the murder of Tallahassee Police Informant Rachel Hoffman. Prosecutors say Bradshaw and his brother-law Andrea Green shot Hoffman to death during a botched drug sting. The defense says Green was the lone triggerman.

The defense called on two jailhouse snitches who were locked up with Green. One witnesses wanted the camera’s turned off during his testimony. He didn’t get his way.

Defense: Mr. Aldridge, isn’t it true that at some point in time during your conversation with Mr. Green that he told you that he himself killed Rachel Hoffman?

Dekovin Aldridge: Yes.

The defense also claimed Green threatened to kill their client if he didn’t follow the plan. Once the defense rested prosecutors called Tallahassee Police Officer Tom Maltese to the stand. Maltese interviewed Green before the two were arrested. He says Green denied shooting Hoffman and says he never threatened Bradshaw.

Prosecutor: Did Mr. Green ever tell you that he threatened Mr. Bradshaw?

Maltese: Not to my knowledge. No.

The defense took just 15 minutes presenting its case. The jury is expected to take much longer. The judge told jurors to bring extra clothes and prepare for an overnight stay once deliberation begins Tuesday afternoon. Bradshaw faces the death penalty in this case. Green’s trial is scheduled for October.

New emails have surfaced showing negotiations between the Florida Department of Transportation and CSX Rail show the two may have been trying to thwart the state’s public records law.

The subject lines included such phrases as “waffles” or “pancakes”. CFO Alex Sink and the grassroots group Ax the Tax are calling for the resignation of DOT Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos if avoiding public records request was the goal. But this afternoon, the Secretary Kopelousos says there was nothing nefarious about the subject lines, they were simply eye catching in an avalanche of emails.

Kopelousos: It was a word to get my attention so I could find the email in hundreds of emails in my system.

Reporter: How is SunRail, TriRail not attention grabbing enough, we’re talking billions of dollars?

Kopelousos: You’ve got to think, I get several hundred emails a day especially around the times when these are the hot topics.

As proof there was nothing illegal afoot, the DOT points out that it released the emails. It did, but the release was months after they were requested by SunRail opponent Senator Paula Dockery. In a statement, Dockery says she has make another public records request for any email with a breakfast sounding code word. Says Dockery, “A sound statewide rail policy is something that deserved to be openly discussed and debated-not negotiated behind closed doors.”