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9 leaders of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity at Florida State University have been charged with Felony hazing following the November death of a 20 year old pledge. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the nine could face up to five years in prison.

Only two of the nine had turned themselves in by mid afternoon. 22 year old Clayton Muehlstein and 20 year old Christopher Hamlin were released on 25 hundred dollars bond, ordered not to consume alcohol, or associate with others in the fraternity.

State Attorney Jack Campbell says he focused on the leaders of the frat that caused the death.

“A lot of thought went into exactly who to charge and who not, looking at the relative positions of each of the people and how they interfaced” says Campbell.

20 year old Andrew Coffey died November third at this off campus house after a night of drinking. His Blood alcohol  level was more than 5 time the legal limit for a DUI. The State Attorney says after investigating, the charges did not rise to manslaughter.

“So this is not a situation where they were driving a car while intoxicated, or shooting a gun through a setting where it hurt him. This was a pattern of hazing that had gone through the semester.”

Because a death was involved, all nine face third degree felony charges. That charge carries up to five years in prison and a five thousand dollar fine.

Campbell says he has promised the family he would personally handle the case.

“And I promised them I would be with them good bad or whatever, but I will walk this walk with them.”

In a statement, FSU President said These arrests are the first step in seeking justice for Andrew and his loved ones.

The charges come less than a month before the Florida Supreme Court hears a challenge to the states having statute. The State Attorney says he will decide if other charges are warranted if the court throws the statue out as unconstitutional.

A 12 page report on what went wrong during Hurricane Irma and how to improve responses was approved by a Select House Committee today in the state Capitol. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the majority of the 77 recommendations are less than specific.

The report calls for the Department to encourage the use of rail lines to move fuel. It also calls for putting GPS trackers on fuel trucks so emergency managers know when will fuel arrive.

“This is just a starting point” says Chair Jeanette Nunez.

To better move traffic in and out of the state, the report calls for extending the Suncoast Parkway, which now runs from Tampa to Crystal River, all the way to the state line.

And policy makers are still waiting from a report from the Department of Transportation on whether the state ought to actually storm more fuel.”  rep. Ray Rodriquez says the recommendations can make a difference in the future.

“So ideally, if all of those things become implemented, what we will see is a better evacuation process in the future.”

On Wednesday, the House will take up an extended sales tax holiday for hurricane supplies. Also on the agenda, eliminating the sales tax for nursing homes that purchase purchasing generators and their fuel.

“My mother died in Irma.”

Amy Datz’s 94 year old mother died after she was moved during Irma. She believes if generators had been in place her mom would not have been evacuated.

“They moved her into a crowded shelter.  And because of the crowding in the shelter, she got the flu which turned into pneumonia, which ultimately caused her death” says Datz.

“And you think she would have lived ifs she had stayed in the nursing home?”

“Absolutely, she would have lived because she wouldn’t have been exposed to the flu.”

The report, if passed into law would instruct the PSC to study whether it is cost feasible to bury electric lines to avoid lengthy outages.

Cities and counties would lose their ability to regulate vacation rentals by homeowners. The legislation wold preempt all jurisdiction to the state. Sate Senator Greg Steube calls the current regulatory scheme a patchwork.

“Article One, Section Two, basic rights. You have an inalienable right to private property and the use of property and I believe that’s being infringed on by local governments as to how they treat vacation rentals. Some jurisdictions can give you a twenty thousand dollar a day fine. And I think to have a uniform policy for the state, just like we do for hotels and motels makes more sense” says Steube.

Local governments would still be able to control zoning decisions. In some areas, corporate owners have gutted single family homes and turned them into mini hotels, which is why local governments are fighting the change.

Tampa State Representative Sean Shaw today announced his run for Attorney General. He is the son of a former Supreme Court Chief Justice and made the announcement in front of the court. He criticized the current office holder, Pam Bondi, for doing little to help consumers, saying he would make consumers his focus if elected.

“We haven’t done much in that office. And I’m telling you this is a wonderful office, This is the best office to protect Floridians, that’s why I’m running for it. This is the best office that you can have to protect Floridians from anything. Fraud, elderly abuse, children from opioid abuse, that’s why I’m excited for this. We’re going to do something when I get to this office” says Shaw.

One other Democrat is in the race, and there are at least three credible Republicans running as well.

Florida’s animal shelters say more than a thousand pets didn’t end up back home after Hurricane Irma. New legislation would standardize the shelter’s requirements to try and locate their owner, including notifying newspapers and posting pictures. Sponsor Janet Cruz says storms complicate the return process.

“Many of these shelters in Florida already utilize these reasonable policies and procedures , but with hurricanes  and wildfires, pets don’t recognize county lines on the map. So we need to streamline the policies to ensure that pet owners are afforded the opportunity to quickly and reliably reclaim their lost pets” says Cruz.

The shelters would be required to post any identifying marks or identification of the animals within 48 hours of them being received.