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A Public Integrity Committee of the Florida House today voted to issue subpoenas to a private vendor over contracts with the states tourism arm. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, lawmakers say the subpoenas were a last resort.

Florida taxpayers spent as much as 18 million dollars over a five year period through Visit Florida, funding  a cooking show with Emeril Lagasse,

And a fishing show ”Bass 2 Billfish”.

The Public Integrity and Ethics Committee was told by its lawyer, Adam Tenenbaum, that he’d asked for the records informally. He says a subpoenas is the last resort.

“There wasn’t an affirmative decline or refusal, it was just an absence of action” Tenenbaum told the committee.

State documents require vendors to produce backup documents when requested.

Rep. Larry Ahern (R-St. Petersburg) offered the motion to issue the subpoena.

“I move that the committee approve the issuance of subpoenas” said Ahern.

At the center of the dispute is Tallahassee insider and political operative Pat Roberts.

“Calling Pat Roberts mobile”.

Roberts did not return our phone call

Chair Larry Metz says its too early to know if Roberts will be asked to testify.

“So whether we do that or not remains to be seen. I have no idea. We’re gonna see what the documents show first of all” Metz told reporters afterward.

In the end, Rep. Larry Ahern admits its highly unlikely the state will recover any of the money.

“Quite honestly, I’d be surprised if there was any recovery. But again, it might be a lesson for the future when these types of things, these public private partnerships that everyone seems o keen on sometimes, that we take a little more time”.

The review of the contracts was sought by the House Speaker after his very public feud with Visit Florida earlier this year.

And lawmakers say they have yet to clear up who owns the copywriter to the two shows and and cash that might come from re-runs.

A two year investigation by the Miami Herald found life and death troubles at the states Department of Juvenile Justice, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, state lawmakers say they will demand answers.

An officer is seen beating a 17 year old with a flashlight in this video from a Jacksonville detention center. The youth was allegedly asking for water. The officer was hired despite being on probation for a battery.

In this video, the officer wasn’t moving to stop a fight, he was reportedly refereeing it.

DJJ Secretary Cristy Daly was already scheduled to appear at a budget meeting Wednesday when she was asked about the investigation.

“I will not deny, or discredit, or downplay some of the horrible incidents that have happened. We respond appropriately to those. We hold people accountable” Daly told the committee.

Most detention centers for teens are run by private contractors.

We asked the secretary about their hiring practices.

Q:“Do your vendors do psychological evaluations of the people they hire?”

I don’t believe that they all utilize, I believe there are different screening tools” the Secretary responded.

Senator Jeff Clemons says the problem is the state turned over its police powers to private companies.

‘A lack of accountability, the inability to make sure we are doing it correctly. And here, we’re talking about kids” says Clemons.

We asked one State Attorney as he was leaving the meeting if he had any pause about sending kids to DJJ. He said yes and no. What else am I going to do. They gotta clean up their their act.”

Chairman Jeff Brandes (R-St.Petersburg)  promises a thorough follow up.

“I want to speak to her on the record in front of the committee asking difficult questions, specifically about hiring practices.”

Governor Rick Scott has already asked for a ten percent pay hike for Juvenile Justice workers

The legislature is asking DJJ to voluntarily allow lawmakers to make surprise visits to juvenile centers. It’s not specifically allowed under current law, but is likely to become law this coming session.

Florida is seeing the lowest crime rate in decades, and fewer prison admissions, but the prison population has been holding steady for a decade. The reason is 108 minimum mandatory sentencing laws, and police concentrating on more violent crimes resulting inlander sentences. Criminal Justice Consultant Michael Wilson told lawmakers the biggest drop in new admissions has been for drug crimes.

“All crime types have lower admissions in 2016 than we had in 2017. what really stands out are the drug crimes. Drug crimes have dropped more than any of the other offense categories, nearly cut in half over this ten year period in terms of admissions to prison” says Wilson.

State lawmakers commissioned the study to find out what changes they could make to save taxpayer money. Committee Chairman Jeff Brandes says any bills containing mandatory sentences will give judges the right to impose lower sentences if they can be justified.

Voters in Orlando and East Hillsborough County are going to the polls today to elect new state representatives in special elections. Shortly after the pools opened, As Mike Vasilinda tells us, a new state Senator elected in a special election was sworn in as a House committee took the first step toward kicking one of it’s members out.

The first female Hispanic Democrat to be elected to the state Senate was sworn in Tuesday.

”I am duly qualified to hold office” Toddeo affirmed.

Annette Taddeo replaces a Republican who quit after making racist remarks this spring. She was outspent five to one.

“This race was a people powered campaign” she told us.

More turmoil saw a Plant City Republican cite health reasons when he quit. Orlando voters are replacing a member who became a judge. And a coming Sarasota special election will replace Alex Miller. She served less than 10 months before quitting after she crossed House leadership.

Nat sot: “Aye.”

A select house committee voted to find probable cause against another House member. The Charge. Rep. Daisy Baez doesn’t live in her district.

“We look forward to working with the committee to resolve this matter in an expedient way” is all Baez would say following the hearing.

Now stir Gubernatorial politics. Sen. Jack Latvala is running for Governor. He says House Speaker Richard Corcoran is the reason there is such turmoil in the usually staid legislature.

“The autocratic, dictatorial  way in which the House of Representatives has been run under this Speaker is just unprecedented in my memory” Latvala told us.

The House Speaker declined to comment on the Speakers allegations, but he’ll like get another chance out on the campaign trail if he gets in the Governor’s race as expected.

And in the end, all Florida taxpayers will pick up the tab for millions in special election costs.

Special elections in urban areas generally cost more than a quarter million dollars. Sarasota voters will vote in a primary December 5th, then a general election on February 13th, more than one month after the 2018 legislative session starts.

Following Hurricane Irma, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans are expected to move, at least temporarily, to Florida. Today the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce made a plea for support for the new arrivals. Marucci Guzman, Executive Director of Latino Leadership says they will need all the help available.

“The highest need areas we’ve seen are housing, employment and health. We implore anyone listening who has housing options, employment needs within their company, resources related to health care we can provide, share them. We are working on building a job bank to get evacuees to work” pleaded Guzman.

A Center to help those fleeing the island territory has been set up in Orlando. New centers are expected to be opening soon in Tampa, Jacksonville, and South Florida. If you’d like to know more or to offer help, go to PRFamilyResponse.com.

The fourth amendment to the US Constitution protects your right from unreasonable searches, but legislation being heard at the state Capitol today would go one step further, making it harder for police to search your home or car. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, most people don’t realize they already can say no to a warrantless search, but few do.

Police who smell weed in your car, or see a weapon on the seat have probable cause to search your vehicle. Statistics gathered by State Senator Gary Farmer suggest that in a quarter of the cases police seek consensual searches, those being searched feel violated.

“You have a right to refuse a consensual search, that’s why its called a consensual search” say Farmer.

Farmer says it’s because most people don’t feel they can say no to police.  His legislation would require such a notice.

“To be able to exercise a right, you have to be fully aware of your right. You have to be conscious to all elements of that right” says Farmer.

A US Supreme Court ruling 1973 found citizens didn’t have to told they could object to a search.

Florida’s Police Chiefs say the legislation raises concerns, though they have yet to take an official position.

State Senator Dennis Baxley says the legislation is headed the wrong direction.
“I think it could be made part of your drivers license that you are going to cooperate with law enforcement. If you don’t want to, then you don’t have to have a drivers license.”

Q:”So you would actually go the opposite way?”

“Absolutely. I think we are supporting too much rebellion against law enforcement doing their job” says Baxley.

But the sponsor believes that telling people their rights would result in better cases at trial.

“So many police officers now have body cameras, they’re going to tape that exchange right there. So how is an accused gonna come in and say I didn’t consent to that search” says Farmer.

The legislation faces an uphill battle in conservative legislature.

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee postponed a vote on the legislation after opposition from several members, According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2008 50.8% of searches conducted on vehicles and drivers were performed with consent, while 78.3% of total searches were perceived by the subject as illegitimate.

Florida KidCare health insurance covers some 160,000 children aged five to eighteen. The cost to most families, depending on their income, is fifteen to twenty dollars a month. Because of Hurricane Irma, the state extended the families deadline from the beginning of October to the end of the month, But Advocate Karen Woodall and others are asking the state to do the same thing it did for concealed carry permit holders: waive the health care fees for October and November.

“So the concern is that people are struggling financial and that the assistance that’s provided needs to have two things in mind. One, helping them financially, and two, making sure that their children don’t have a gap in coverage and a loss of their coverage” says Woodall.

The state did waive the fee for a lost concealed weapons permit and security guard licenses through the end of November. Governor Jeb Bush also waived the heath care premiums for Kid Care following four storms in 2005.