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A bipartisan group of activists wants to drastically change the way candidates are selected. As Matt Galka tells us, the group says it’s an effort to include everyone.

Closed primaries determine Florida’s partisan candidates for Congress, the state legislature, Governor and cabinet.  But one group wants to change that.

“Currently we have over 27 percent of Florida registered voters who are registered as non-party affiliation or NPA’s by law those people are blocked,” said Glenn Burhans.

Burhans is part of the “All Voters Vote” initiative.  The group wants to open up the closed primaries.  They’ve proposed a constitutional amendment drastically changing the primary system to allow non-party affiliate voters to cast ballots.

The All Voters Vote group hopes their effort would change the way candidates appeal to Floridians.

“By opening up the primary process your going to have canadates that will have to speak to a broader cross section in order to win,” said Burhans.

Candidates involved in primaries would have to appeal to more than just their base.  The proposal also changes the way races are decided.  If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary would win the office, or the top two would advance to a general election if there was no majority winner.

With a special session looming for the legislature to once again draw Fair Districts, Burhans says the original intent was a good start, but drawing voting lines doesn’t solve every problem.

“It does not address and can not address today’s problem and tomorrows problem. Which is the growing disenfranchisement of voters,” he said.

The group will need nearly 700 thousand signatures to get the proposal on 2016’s ballot.

The bipartisan group that’s pushing the ballot initiative includes a former Democratic campaign manager for Governor Reubin Askew, and former Republican Secretary of State Jim Smith.

Floridians in need of a lawyer could have many more options in the near future.  As Matt Galka tells us, the Florida Bar association is mulling over an idea to allow out of state lawyers to practice in the Sunshine State.

Florida isn’t seeing a shortage of lawyers by any means.  The more than 100 thousand licensed Florida attorneys could be getting some company soon.  The Florida Bar is mulling over an idea to admit out of state attorneys without requiring them to pass the state exam. We caught up with Miami based president Ramon Abadin through Skype.

“We live in a country that is moving towards a National Bar Exam, uniform Bar Exam, and because it’s something that I think Florida lawyers should consider,” said Abadin.
The Bar will review a report recommending what’s called reciprocity. The practice is already used in half of the country.  The recommendations include a stipulation that an admitted out of state lawyer be in good standing and in business for five of the last seven years. But not every attorney is excited about the possibility of more lawyers in the courtroom.

Clemency lawyer Reggie Garcia is hesitant. He says Florida’s laws can be different than any other state.

“No offense to other states, but particularly our smaller states that don’t have as many residents that don’t have the same laws we do. Our legislature, as you know from covering them meets every year for 60 days, often more, those laws just change,” said Garcia.

Abadin says the idea reflects changing times.

“If anything my speech has done exactly what it’s intended to do, which is engage the members of the Florida Bar in the changes that are occurring to the profession,” he said.

The proposal is a long way away from a reality. The Florida Supreme Court would have to make the final decision.

Nearly 50 percent of Bar members who responded to a survey last year said that the state already has too many lawyers.

A threat is made to a National Guard facility down the street Florida’s Capitol. As Matt Galka tells us, it comes in the wake of a shooting tragedy in Tennessee less than a week ago, and after the Governor took steps to secure facilities around the state.

Bomb sniffing dogs roamed the parking lot of Tallahassee’s National Guard Armory Tuesday afternoon. A bomb threat was made against the armory. Police were alerted to it by a phone call.

“Consolidated Dispatch Agency received a call from a citizen who said a male approached him in the parking lot of the Dollar General at Capital Circle and Park Ave and asked if he had a phone; he said yes. He said ‘you better call the police and tell them theirs a bomb inside of the National Armory,'” said David Northway with the Tallahassee Police Department.

Police say the man then fled the Dollar General and ran behind the building located just five miles from the Capitol. The armory was evacuated for more than three hours.

The threat comes just a short time after Florida’s Governor issued an executive order to help better secure National Guard facilities around the state.

Governor Rick Scott ordered six storefront recruiting offices to be moved to armories. He also ordered that every guardsman be armed, and wants local law enforcement involved in security of the National Guard locations around the state.

“Our patrol officers do what we call extra patrols of the area, when they have time they do come into the area and are checking all of the areas; businesses, closed businesses and one of them is the National Guard area, yes. As a matter of fact, we have officers who come in during off hours and check the National Guard Armory,” said Northway

The Armory’s flags were flying at half-staff to honor four Marines and a Navy sailor killed less than a week ago at two military sites in Tennessee.

The Governor is set to visit a Florid Air National Guard base in Jacksonville Wednesday to address Guardsmen and continue to push security for the facilities.

A new report from the Department of Health shows slightly more people got married last year than the year before, ending what has been a decade long decline, And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the number of divorces is also falling.

Alma Reyes Rivera tided the knot with her beau Louis in a civil ceremony on Tuesday.

“I do” said the blushing bride when the time came.

Alma and Louis may be part of a growing trend.

“We have been together about three years now, so we decided to get married because we love each other.”

The actual number of marriages and the number of marriages as a percent have been falling for a decade. 2014 saw a three tenths of a percentage uptick in marriage. Michele Taylor from Florida’s Catholic Conference says that’s a good thing.

“Those who are married are generally happier, healthier, and enjoy longer lives than those who are not married” says Taylor.

The vital statistics report for last year shows there were 54 divorces for every one hundred marriages. Not since 1960 has there been a lower percentage of divorces when compared to population. And Before that…the lowest rate was in the 1930’s.

Alma told us she found the lower divorce rate heartening, “That’s a good news that marriages are lasting longer in these times. It’s really difficult” said the newlywed.

One trend that hasn’t changed…more people get married and divorced in Florida when compared to the national average.

Nationally, the marriage and divorce rate is about a half percent less than it is here in the Sunshine state.

Even with the uptick, there were still about 13 thousand fewer marriages from the high water mark in 2006 when about 8 point 8 percent of the population married…compared to 7 point 4 percent last year.

Former Florida Governor and now Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush returned to the state Capital he once called Mount Tallahassee to talk about the changes he made in state government, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the changes he hopes to make in Washington.

Jeb bush was the first Republican governor of FL to serve two terms and many who came to see him owe the political and monetary fortunes to the now presidential candidate.

“It’s good to be back in Tallahassee and see so many friends” Bush said at the beginning of his remarks.

When first elected, Bush started calling the Capitol Mount Tallahassee “Because it was remote from the people, caught up in the ways of a comfortable establishment. I was a governor who refused to go along with that establishment” he explained.

Now, Bush says he will use the same leadership skills learned in Mt. Tallahassee to cut taxes, programs and government at the national level. He’s calling for a hiring freeze. “We will go with a simple three out, one in, across the Federal workforce” says the Presidential hopeful.

Bush also wants a line item veto as President…something he used 2500 times while Governor, earning the nickname Veto Carlione. “At first I thought it was somewhat of an insult, but the simple fact is, I got to like it, a lot!”

Bush had something to say about the ongoing controversy between Donald Trump and John McCain. “John McCain…a real hero, by the way” he said, deviating from his prepared remarks.

And while Bush didn’t mention Donald Trump by name during his speech, he had plenty to afterwards. “This is a legitimate hero who has served his country in lots of ways. Mr. Trump knows that. He should just apologize. I think that will just move it on to the next thing” Bush said.

Bush will be in Orlando and Miami later this month, a reflection of the states power to choose both a nominee and a President.

Bush has strong remarks for other candidates who now serve in Congress, saying they shouldn’t be paid for the days they miss on the campaign trail.

It’s official. Florida lawmakers are calling themselves into a twelve day special session to redraw the state’s congressional maps. They will arrive at the State Capitol on Monday afternoon, August tenth, and spend the next 12 days working on the maps declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court. The judge in the case set a deadline of September 25th to have the maps drawn and any challenges in court resolved. A copy of the proclamation is attached.

Would paying employees a higher wage force job cuts? As Matt Galka tells us, a new study shows the opposite.

To raise or not to raise the minimum wage? Opponents say upping wages would result in lost jobs, but government watchdog group Integrity Florida says not so fast.

“We wanted to take an objective look at the claim made by some that an increase in the minimum wage means employers would cut jobs. In short, our research found no evidence that claim is true,” said Ben Wilcox, co-author of the group’s wage report.

The group took federal Department of Labor statistics from every state in the country.  The conclusion: the states that upped pay faired better than those that didn’t when it came to creating jobs.

“In the 25 states plus the District of Columbia where the minimum wage has increased since January 1 2014, job growth has actually been higher than in states where the rate did not go up,” said Wilcox.

Florida, which has pays 80 cents more than the federal minimum wage, saw job growth of more than 5 percent over the course of the study.

There is a ballot initiative for the 2016 election in Florida to raise the minimum wage. Integrity Florida’s study didn’t examine potential outcomes if that were to happen, or if the minimum wage went even higher.

“The ones that raised the rate the most had the most job growth interestingly, now 15 dollars or 13 dollars or whatever, this report did not address,” said Alan Stonecipher, who also co-authored the report.

West Virginia was the only state that raised the minimum wage and didn’t see employment gains.  Integrity Florida says their report was funded through their own reserves, not anyone with any interest in raising the minimum wage. They also didn’t take a position on weather pay should go up.

Local governments in Florida are not allowed to pass their own minimum wage ordinances.

Students and adults with disabilities had an up and down year with funding thanks to the state legislature and Governor. As Matt Galka tells us, that’s not stopping uniquely abled young people from pursuing their career goals.

Disabled 18 year old Ioana Zanchi says the Able Trust’s Youth Leadership Forum helped her decide to go to college and possibly pursue a law degree one day.

“As an individual with a disability it’s all about finding your purpose, and I always feel like it’s very important to find a job that you really enjoy,” she said.

Students from across the state hoped to find similar paths Friday.  The Forum aims to help connect kids with potential careers. Tyler Von Harten says he’s always wanted to be a television weatherman, but it’s not easy.

“It’s kind of difficult because with a disability, there’s a lot of people that have doubts about your presentation as a minority being on television. I want to break through that barrier,” he said.

The Career Fair comes in the same week that the Governor signed a bill that will allow disabled students to better save for college.

The new law boosts the amount families can save for children with disabilities without being hit with taxes.  But there were heavy cuts to the Adults with Disabilities program and a veto for job training and college scholarship programs.

Keynote speaker Neil Romano, who has served in the U.S. Office of Disability Employment and has dyslexia, says that budget cuts matter, but it will take a change in perception to truly enable people with disabilities.

“We have an entire history of saying they can’t, we now have to change the mindset and say “no, they can.” So you can’t change that with dollars,” he said.

Expect the funding fight in Florida to continue.  The programs that were vetoed this year were backed by the State’s Senate president.

Governor Rick Scott signed the ABLE Act this week, which allows families to deposit up to 100 thousand dollars into trust fund accounts to help people with disabilities remain financially independent.  The previous amount was limited to only two thousand dollars.

Voters will be deciding the future of solar in the state next year if some pro-sun groups have their say. But as Matt Galka tells us, a new ballot effort has caused a solar flare up within Florida.

Simpler Solar Systems owner Al Simpler says the sunshine state needs to embrace its name and solar power.

“Maryland is now using more solar than we are, it’s time to step up,” he said.

He’s backing an amendment initiative for the 2016 election. The group Floridians for Solar Choice is gathering petitions to allow homeowners and businesses to harness and sell up to two megawatts of solar power without government intrusion.

The effort is heavily opposed by utility companies and now another group.  Consumers for Smart Solar launched their own ballot initiative this week. They seek to allow Floridians to install solar panels on their homes…something they can already do. Smart Solar is also calling the Solar Choice amendment shady.

“People that didn’t use solar would end up being charged or having to bear some responsibility for maintaining the grid,” said Screven Watson with the group.

Floridians for Solar Choice says the rival ballot effort is deceptive.

“There’s no solar companies supporting what they’re doing, it’s just basically the large power companies who want to maintain the status quo, and they don’t want to have a robust market here in Florida for solar power,” said Steve Smith with the group.

The opposing amendment isn’t the only shade being thrown Solar Choice’s way. They’re also getting opposition from the League of Cities and the Attorney General.

Despite the opposition, Floridians for Solar Choice has already collected around 100 thousand signatures. They’ll need almost 600 thousand more to get the proposal on 2016’s ballot.

The Florida Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments for the Floridian’s for Solar Choice’s ballot language in September.

If you’ve been getting those annoying robocalls trying to pitch you a product, you’re not alone. As Matt Galka tells us, the Attorney General’s office says there’s been a spike in the phone scams this year.

The sound of the phone ringing is getting to be cringeworthy for thousands of Floridians.

“We’re seeing an increase in the number of robocall complaints, about a 70 percent increase in the first half of this year to our office alone,” said Attorney General spokesman Whitney Ray.

Ray says companies can unleash up to 1,000 calls every minute trying to sell you something you never asked for.

“If you receive a robocall that’s pitching a product, more than likely that’s a scam and you should hang up the phone,” he said.

The Attorney General’s office and Federal Trade Commission recently shut down two scams in the state. One company targeted seniors with a promise of a medical bracelet.

“They were promising that these devices were free, but they were getting the financial information of seniors and charging their credit cards,” said Ray.

So what should you do if you get one of these annoying phone calls? Just hang up and don’t press any numbers on the phone even if you’re asked to.

“A lot of robo calls will prompt  you to press zero to talk to a live operator, or hit the pound sign to be taken off the call list, but by doing that you’re verifying to the machine that there’s a live person on the other end of that phone and this could lead to more robocalls,” said Ray.

If you think you’ve been a victim, write down the information of the caller from call ID and you can report it to the Attorney General’s office.

There are some instances where robocalls are legal. Political organizations and nonprofits can make the calls.  Attorney General Pam Bondi is also tweeting out tips on how to deal with robo calls from her twitter page @AGPamBondi.

How would you like to have an eight thousand dollar stipend to pay for traveling from your home to your office? Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez Cantera’s office is in the state Capitol, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Lt. Governor has managed to arrange work related state paid trips to and from his Miami home most every weekend…and when he hasn’t traveled, it’s because he never made it to the Capitol that particular week.

Since being sworn in in January, Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera has made 24 trips to or from his home in Miami at taxpayer expense. The price tag…just under 8 thousand dollars.

Miami is where the Lt Governor’s family still lives, and most trips there were are on Thursdays or Fridays, and return trips to the Capitol, often a week or two later, are on Monday or Tuesdays. Peter Butzin, Board Chair for Common cause calls the trips questionable.

“You know, what we’ve got here is either an egregious abuse of state travel policy or a remarkable coincidence.”

Lopez Cantera, is a millionaire six times over and while jobs events are sited as a reason for some trips,  Lopez Cantera has stopped showing up. On July 7th, Rick Scott touted job creation in nearly Hollywood Fl.

But the Lt. Governor was nowhere to be found that day

In June we also reported that the Lt. Governor works just about a third of the time, logging 368 Hours since January while people working 40 hour weeks put in 968 hours on the job.

Lopez-Cantera is expected to announce that’s he’s running for the U-S Senate, so the big question is…will he resign his Lt. Governor’s gig.?

“That’s a decision he’ll make” Rick Scott said last week.

But democratic Spokesman Max Steele has another take on it all.

“Is that the message he want to take to the US Senate that he’s going to live large on the taxpayers dime and not show up for work?”

Travel records for the Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture, both of whom maintain residences in other counties, are less than one fourth of the Lt. Governor;s. Lopez -Cantera is expected to announce his Senate Plans on Wednesday.

A bill allowing concealed weapons on college campuses here in Florida failed in the state legislature this past year, but as Matt Galka tells us, a court decision could expand where guns are allowed.

Campus gun-free zones could be changing pending a court ruling.  The first district court of appeal heard a case Tuesday morning from the University of Florida.  Pro-gun group Florida Carry says students have a right to possess firearms where they live, even if that’s in university housing.

“Well number one it’s not kids, it’s adults and all the other firearm use and possession laws that apply to them. These are people that you are with every day that have carry permits who you’re next to in the grocery store,” said Florida Carry attorney Lesley McKinney.

A circuit judge sided with the university last year in the case. UF says a student doesn’t have to live on campus if they want to keep a gun in their room.

“Florida carry appealed that decision and I cannot speak specifically to what was argued in court today, we’ll wait for the decision,” said spokeswoman Janine Sikes.

A bill that would have allowed guns on campuses throughout the state failed in the legislature earlier this year. Campus police from universities across the state, including UF, opposed the bill.

“It’s about the faculty who have expressed to me they will not feel safe,” said UF Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnic in March.

But Florida Carry says the ban is unconstitutional.

“You can’t force someone to wave a constitutional right in order to gain a benefit of attending a public university. If that’s true, then university’s can require students to wave their fourth amendment rights and be subject to search at any time,” said lead counsel Eric Friday.

A ruling could set the stage for an expansion of where guns could be allowed on campuses state wide if the ruling goes Florida Carry’s way.

There’s no timetable on a potential ruling. It’s expected that the legislature will take up the bill allowing guns on campus in next year’s legislative session. The proposal is backed by the National Rifle Association.

A state Supreme Court ruling requiring Stand Your Ground defendants to prove their innocence has the National Rifle Association hopping mad. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the decision will likely result in state lawmakers getting involved.

It was Christmas 2011 when a car nearly ran an Indiana family off the road on their way to Disneyworld. Jared Breatherick made a frantic 911 call.

“And he stopped in the middle of the road and won’t move his vehicle.”

When the other driver approached,  Breatherick help up his holstered gun and the driver backed off. That driver made his own 9-1-1 call.

“He has a gun pointed to me on the back of my car.”

Now the Supreme Court has upheld Breatherick being charged with aggravated assault.  The court also ruled it was up to Breatherick to prove he was entitled to stand your ground immunity, not prosecutors to prove he wasn’t. Marion Hammer of the National Rifle Association says the decision is an assault on second amendment rights.

“Under our system of justice, you are innocent until the state proves you guilty. They have reversed that. If you protect yourself and your family against the criminal, you are now guilty until proven innocent” says Hammer.

Lawmakers are almost certain to get involved in coming months with legislation that will clarify or minimize what the court has done.

State Rep. Alan Williams says the ruling is now an opportunity for lawmakers to scrap stand your ground and start over.

“There are provisions of the law that allow aggressors to get away with murder, so I want us to repeal it and start over, so hopefully this is our opportunity” says Williams.

Legislation, if filed, could reignite the Stand Your Ground battle as early as September.

The NRA says the court decision will have a chilling effect on people willing to protect themselves or their families because people will be afraid of being charged with a crime and may hesitate when danger is imminent.

Over the weekend, Florida State footballF team was told to stay out of bars in the State Capitol after two players were arrested in separate incidents last week. Florida State Running Back Dalvin Cook remains suspended from the team. Cook was arrested Friday and is the second player in a week to be charged with hitting a woman in the face. De’Andre Johnson was show throwing a punch on video released early last week. It is not Cook’s first brush with Tallahassee authorities. A year ago, he was cited by animal control agents for improperly chaining three puppies with a heavy chain which immobilized them. He was also cited for failure to provide the animals shelter. The infraction carries a $275 fine.

The court battles are over and now Florida is taking the next steps to grow and distribute a form of medical marijuana. As Matt Galka tells us, farmers around the state are waiting to see if they’ll be selected to grow the plant.

Hackney Nursery owner George Hackney has never grown marijuana.  That could change soon for the Gadsden County farmer.  Hackney is one of 28 applicants that applied to grow a low-THC medical marijuana strain known as Charlotte’s Web. Experts say it’s effective in helping seizure patients.

“We researched it and we talked to parents, we talked to doctors, and we found out there is a need,” he said.

Hackney’s nursery has the tools and has assembled a team that includes lab and medical experts.

“We felt we had the ability to grow a really quality product that could be a benefit to these children and help them out. And, hopefully, at the end of the day, might be a profit in there for us,” said Hackney.

The Department of Health will only be granting 5 licenses to growers.

The process opens the door for the bigger question of whether or not the state will ultimately expand medical marijuana use or even jump to recreational use. Medical Marijuana Business Association’s Jeff Sharkey says the low-THC law is limited.

“It potentially does not help as many people, patients as possible, as it could.  There’s strong interest in expanding the medical conditions and increasing the potency of the medical canibus,” he said.

Hackney isn’t sold yet on expanding past medical uses.

“I can’t answer that, I don’t know, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing for Florida or not,” he said.

He and the other applicants will have to wait about three months before they know whether or not they’ll be growing the medicinal pot on their farms.

Growers say it will take about a year to grow and cultivate the medical marijuana plant.