Welcome to

Preachers from African American Churches in Florida and leaders of national Christian organizations are praying for pay raises for state workers.

At a church near the state capitol Tuesday, the group told reporters state workers have been discriminated against because they haven’t had a raise in six years. We asked Reverend R B Holmes how much the raise should be and what program could be cut or tax increased to pay for it. Holmes is leaving the specifics up to lawmakers, but says it’s part of what Dr. Martin Luther King died for.

“Dr King died for the right for folk to get pay raises and he died in Memphis, Tennessee April 1968, dying for sanitation workers,” said Holmes.

Bills have been filed to give state workers a raise. We’ll get a clearer picture of whether or not the idea has a chance, once Governor Rick Scott unveils his budget. That unveiling is expected later this week.

After spending 25 years in prison for a Tampa rape he didn’t commit Alan Crotzer may be headed back to the big house.

Crotzer was exonerated through DNA evidence in 2006. The state gave him a million dollars for his wrongful imprisonment, but in July Crotzer was arrested again. This time charged with attempted murder. Today a judge in Tallahassee set Crotzer’s bail at 100-thousand dollars. No date has been set for the trial.

The Nation Rifle Association is opposing the President’s plan to require background checks on all gun buyers.

The NRA says universal background checks would clog the system and give the government information about who owns firearms. Former NRA President Marion Hammer says if lists of gun owners are made available to the government, history tells us, the fall of the Republic could follow.

“We have seen historically in other nations where when government finally finds out who has guns and where they are, they have the ability to take them,” said Hammer.

Hammer says requiring checks on every gun transfer could stop families from passing down antique gun heirlooms.

Calls to Florida’s child abuse hotline are up 16 percent, not because there’s more abuse but because of a new law requiring people to report. As Whitney Ray tells us, failing to report child abuse is now a third degree felony.

After news of the Jerry Sandusky scandal spread, Florida lawmakers got to work passing the toughest child abuse reporting laws in the county.

Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins was joined by child abuse survivor Lauren Book Monday to unveil a program showing people how to spot child abuse victims.

“It’s our moral obligation and now it’s our legal obligation,” said Book.

Lauren walks the state every year and teaches safety in schools.

She lobbied to stiffen penalties for not reporting abuse increasing the punishment from a misdemeanor to a third degree felony. Since the law’s passage, calls to DCF’s child abuse hotline have risen 16 percent.

And hotline workers say more callers equals more points of view, giving DCF multiple perspectives on the same case or incident.”

“So many of the calls are also data points, so it may not be a necessity to do an investigation at that point, but it may be collecting information that may be used to make a decision down the road,” said Wilkins.

DCF and Lauren are spreading the message through a campaign called Don’t Miss the Signs. Despite all her success Lauren isn’t ready to stop fighting.

“I don’t know if I’m ever going to rest. I think I’m going to constantly be working on making this an issue that is important for the rest of our lives,” said Book.

Lauren’s launched an online petition, asking people to speak up for abused children. The new law also creates a one million dollar fine for colleges and universities whose administrators learn about abuse but don’t tell the proper authorities.

PGA Golfer Phil Mickelson is making news for comments he made about his taxes. Mickelson’s federal income tax rate is increasing from 35 percent to 39 percent and his California state income taxes shot up from 10 to 13 percent. As Whitney Ray tells us, Florida Republicans wasted no time inviting Lefty to the Sunshine State, touting our golf courses and the lack of a state income tax.

He’s one of the most famous golfers in the world. Phil Mickelson has won four majors and racked up millions of dollars in prize money.

But this week the golfer, famously known as Lefty, was in the news for another reason. Michelson’s federal income tax rate climbed from 35 percent to 39 and his California state taxes rose from 10 to 13 percent.

Lefty hinted that he might leave California to avoid the income tax increase and Republicans here at the Florida State Capitol wasted no time extending an invitation to the famous golfer.

On Twitter, the Florida Senate Majority Office wrote this message to Mickelson touting the state’s golf courses and low tax rates.

“We don’t have a state income tax on persons. We have a great climate. We have great schools. We have great opportunities for people and for Phil Mickelson and people like him, we’ve got great golf courses,” said Senate President Don Gaetz.

Tigers Woods defended Mickelson’s comments. He moved from California to Florida. And when Lebron James brought his talents to South Beach, financial experts called the move genius, because it saved the basketball star millions.

But those left of Lefty say the last thing Florida needs is another rich athlete who doesn’t want to pay his taxes.

“It’s kind of a sad day when the draw to your state is come on down, you don’t have to pay your fair share of taxes,” said Karen Woodall, a social services advocate.

For more than a decade Florida Democrats have filed bills to end sales tax exemptions on yachts, limos and other luxury item, saying it would generate half a billion dollars a year for the state budget.

Through his spokesperson, Mickelson apologized for his statements on taxes. He says taxes are a private matter and from now on he’ll keep his opinions to himself.

We asked Florida TaxWatch if the state’s tax code attracts the nation’s upper crust. Rob Weissert, Vice President of Research for the nonprofit think-tank, says it definitely helps. Weissert says low taxes, no income taxes, the weather and the entertainment available are just a few reasons people flock to the Sunshine State, but he adds it’s not just rich people who find the tax code enticing.

“The lack of a personal income tax in Florida helps everyone. It helps everyone retain more of their income and use that to purchase goods which circulate through the economy or to invest in growing their own business or someone else’s,” said Weissert.

Florida is just one of seven states without a personal income tax. Two other states limit taxes levied on people’s wages.

There’s 60 million dollars available to Floridians right now through the foreclosure crisis settlement. The nation’s five largest banks are dolling out 25 billion dollars to make amends for bad lending practices that collapsed the housing market. But as Whitney Ray tells us, the bulk of the 60 million dollars announced in Tallahassee today isn’t going to the victims of the housing crisis, It’s going to first time homebuyers.

Shady lenders and over-zealous borrowers collapsed the house market in 2006. As a result, millions lost their homes. To make restitution the nation’s five largest banks are paying back 25 billion dollars.

“Florida’s total monetary benefits under this settlement are over eight billion dollars,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi laid out plans for spending the first 60 million dollars of the settlement money. Legislative leaders were on hand praising Bondi’s work securing the cash.

“That settlement between the attorneys general and the banks did not just happen. It had to be worked for, it had to be fight for,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford.

But the bulk of the money from this program won’t go to people who lost their homes in the foreclosure crisis. Of the 60 million dollars available through this program, 35 million will go to first time homebuyers with the remaining 25 going to people fighting foreclosure.

I asked why new homebuyers, were getting a bigger cut than people who’ve already lost their homes.

“The settlement provides, as settlements do, that there are other areas related to housing that settlement money can be used for,” said Senate President Don Gaetz.

Under the down payment assistance portion of the program, first-time homebuyers will get 75-hundred dollars a piece to make a down payment on a house.

“If you provide the right kind of assistance in terms of a little bit of guidance and insight as well as money, you have less likelihood for a foreclosure in the future,” said Gaetz.

Another program started with the settlement money promises about a thousand dollars to people who’ve lost their homes to foreclosure. Last Friday was the deadline to claim the cash, but after a lackluster turnout, the deadline was extended.

Part of the problem with getting money to foreclosure victims is tracking them down, but there will be other opportunities. There’s another 200 million dollars available for future programs. Plus banks are working with underwater borrowers to lower payments and assist with short sales.

Governor Rick Scott wants to give the state’s 168-thousand teachers a pay raise. 25-hundred dollars more a piece to be exact. As Whitney Ray tells us, the announcement comes after Scott’s first budget cut education spending by more than a billion dollars.

Call it an about-face, a revolution of thought or just a shift in priorities, but however you explain why Governor Rick Scott is now proposing a pay raise for teachers one thing’s clear; it’s what educators have been dying to hear.

“Right now the right thing to do is across the board pay raises for all of our full time teachers,” said Scott.

I caught up with Scott before he headed to Orlando, to unveil the details of his pay raise plan.

“I’ve traveled the state. I’ve talked to teachers. They’re working tirelessly to make sure our students have achievements. So I’m appreciative of what our school teachers do,” said Scott.

The raise proposal seems out of line for Scott, especially if you consider his first budget. Scott cut 1.3 billion dollars from education. In his defense the cut was federal stimulus dollars that had run dry. But Scott also forced teachers to contribute three percent to the state pension a move many saw as a pay cut.”

But if Scott’s latest proposal is an about-face, it’s a welcomed one. Florida’s new Commissioner of Education says teachers support the move.

“I think the governor recognizes the heavy lift Florida teachers have made, since he came to office, and I think he is appreciative of their efforts,” said Tony Bennett.

And of course lawmakers have the final say on all budget items, but at least for now, they’re doesn’t seem to be many legislative opponents of the plan.

“Teachers have really paid a heavy price over the last several years and hopefully we can find a way to give them some bonuses where they can feel more appreciated,” said State Representative Doug Broxson.

If the plan makes it through the budget process, then all of Florida’s 168-thousand teachers will get an estimated 25-hundred dollars more next year, costing the state 480 million dollars.

The proposal comes as state economists predict a 437 million dollar budget surplus, making it a lot easier for Scott to find cash for the increases.

Here is what the President of the Florida Education Association, Andy Ford, is saying about the Governor’s Proposal.

“A $2,500 increase in pay would certainly be welcome, but it’s important to put it in its proper context,” Ford said. “Teachers and other school workers lost 3 percent of their salary in 2011 and saw another 2 percent disappear when Social Security and Medicare tax breaks expired earlier this month. But this is a step in the right direction because investing in public schools and the people who work in them is the way to create the workforce of the future,” said Ford.

The man in charge of doling out 20 billion dollars in BP money met with the governor and State Cabinet today.

Patrick Juneau took over for former BP Claims Czar Ken Fienberg this summer. He’s in charge of the account BP set up to pay business owners hurt by the 2010 Deep Water Horizon disaster. Juneau says under his watch the claims process is running more smoothly.

“This whole system was designed to have uniformity in payment of claims. In other words if 10 claimants had the identical, same information, they ought to get the same amount of money,” said Juneau.

Cabinet members wanted to know what people can do if they made a claim under the Fienberg regime and feel they were ripped off. Juneau says their only recourse is to go court.

Florida has a new education commissioner and a new focus for students.

Dr. Tony Bennett spoke in front of the Governor and State Cabinet for the first time today. Bennett says he’s focused on phasing out the controversial FCAT and helping schools transition to the new Common Core Standards.

“I think the most important thing we have to do is think about how we are going to transition to the next generation of assessment which will be the assessment of the Common Core state standards and that’s something Governor Scott asked me to put at the top of my priority list,” said Bennett.

Bennett also spoke to the Senate Education Committee. He comes to Florida from Indian where he lost his bid for a second term as the head of education in the Hoosier State.

Representatives from some of the world’s largest casinos are pushing Florida lawmakers for a gaming expansion, but as Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers are vowing to move slowly on the issue.

It’s a classroom of sorts. The students, members of the Senate Committee on Gaming. The teachers, lobbyists for some of the largest casinos in the world. State lawmakers have promised to spend the year studying gaming, to avoid going all-in on an expansion without all the details.

Vice Chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee Maria Sachs says the issue needs to be explored in depth.

“We as a state need to make sure that we have thoroughly vetted it before we reach any decisions,” said Sachs.

Despite the small odds for gaming legislation this year, mega casino organizers and their opponents aren’t taking any chances. They’re here at the state capitol making their cases.

John Sowinski, President of No Casinos.org, isn’t taking anything for granted.

“You have to be on guard always. We have to vigilant always because if the other side sees and opportunity they will seize it,” said Sowinski.

But it’s not just anti-gaming groups opposing an expansion. The Seminole Indians, which operated seven Florida casinos, are also in opposition. They worry new mega casinos would cut their profits.

And they have good reason to be afraid. Genting Malaysia, the largest casino corporation in the world, spent 300 million dollars for prime land in Miami. Now they just need the go ahead from state lawmakers to build this mega casino.

The Seminole Indian Tribe and state lawmakers reached an agreement in 2009, giving the tribe exclusive rights to Blackjack and other Vegas-style games. The deal expires in two years.

As President Barack Obama took the oath of office, there was something missing from the celebration. The FAMU Marching 100. The world-renowned band played at the President’s first swearing in ceremony in 2009, but as Whitney Ray tell us, for killing one of their own in a hazing ritual, the band is on indefinite suspension.

It was a celebration. The FAMU Marching 100, in Washington D.C. performing for the nation’s first black president during his 2009 swearing in ceremony. Twice before, while then Senator Barack Obama was on the campaign trail, the world renowned band preformed for the presidential hopeful.
But Monday, the band stayed home, suspended for killing one of their own in a deadly hazing ritual.

FAMU Drum Major Robert Champion died in November of 2011, in a hazing ritual called Crossing Bus C. Since then the Marching 100 has been on indefinite suspension.

I caught up with interim FAMU President Larry Robinson, before he headed to Washington for the president’s second inauguration. Robinson says the band will be back some day and will have other opportunities

“They’ll get invitations in the future to attend events of this caliber. Now it’s kind of hard to beat an inauguration, but we will get there,” said Robinson.

Students say the band needs to come back soon.

“It feels like there’s a lack of school spirit because you don’t hear the band. That’s what the school is primarily famous for so it’s kind of sad,” said Freshman Lashawnda Morgan.

The school was close to naming a new band director last week but negotiation broke down. Now a new search is on and students are hoping the band is back before football season.

The FAMU Marching 100 played at both President Bill Clinton inauguration ceremonies.

Floridians are remembering the man who changed the country forever and helped further unite the United States.

In Tallahassee a group of students, civil rights leaders and elected officials marched from the bus station to the state capitol in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Former State Representative Curtis Richardson was in the crowd. Richardson says the country has come a long way since King’s death.

“We still have a lot of work to do, a long ways to go, but we have come so far and I feel the future is bright because of where we are today,” said Richardson.

Richardson and other marchers were not just celebrating Dr. King, but also the second term of President Barack Obama.

At FAMU the week started with a botched negotiation with a band director candidate. But now it’s ending on a high note. As Whitney Ray tells us, 14 months after the hazing death of Drum Major Robert Champion, FAMU has hired the school’s first anti-hazing czar.

Moving forward, Florida A&M University has hired a man they believe can end the dangerous tradition of hazing. It all began 14 months ago, when Drum Major Robert Champion was beaten to death in a hazing ritual called Crossing Bus C. Arrests were made. The Band Director fired.

Friday, as part of FAMU’s ongoing mission to end hazing on campus, the school hired Bryan Smith. An Atlanta charity director turned FAMU’s Anti-Hazing Czar. Interim President Larry Robinson says Smith already has a plan to stop the dangerous tradition.

“He provided me with what he called his 90 day plan. He thought through this, what he’s going to do, who he needs to do it with in the first 90 days to get the ball rolling,” said Robinson.

Smith beat 60 other candidates to land the 90-thousand dollar a year job. Students seem pleased.

“That’s a good move because it shows that they are actually trying to deal with the situation,” said Tawanna Randall, a junior from Sarasota.

“Campus is kind of dead you know. We need some school spirit,” said Freshman Lashawnda Morgan.

And with the hiring of Smith, the school’s just two positions away from completing its anti-hazing plan. FAMU’s close to naming a new compliance officer to work with Smith and the search for a new band director is underway.

Tuesday, after calling reporters to campus, FAMU’s negotiations with a band director candidate broke down. The hope is their next search renders better results. Smith starts Feb 1st. He’s graduated from FAMU in 1998 with a maters degree in public management.

Florida’s unemployment rate is at a four year low, despite the state having lost jobs last month.

Fifteen thousand jobs were eliminated from November to December. But since the official unemployment rate doesn’t include people who’ve stopped looking for work or are underemployed, the rate still fell. Looking at the data year-to-year shows the state still up by 55-thousand jobs in 2012. In a prepared statement, the new Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity told us, Scott’s job’s plan is working.

“Florida’s unemployment rate has dropped more than three points since Governor Scott took office and the rate has dropped year over year for 25 consecutive months. The bottom line is that under Scott, Florida’s trend in decreasing unemployment continues,” said Panuccio.

When Scott took office the state jobless rate was 11 percent, with a million people looking for work. The latest count shows about 750-thousand people are job hunting.

There’s 170 million dollars available to Floridians who lost their homes to foreclosure and the window of time to claim the money closes tomorrow. As Whitney Ray tells us, less than half of the 167-thousand Floridians eligible to make a claim still haven’t.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is offering free money to Floridians ripped off in the foreclosure crisis, but more than half the people eligible don’t seem to want it.

“Attorney General Bondi has been diligent in her efforts to ensure that every borrower who may be eligible for this 170 million dollars that’s available to Floridians has been contacted,” said Jenn Meale, a spokesperson for Attorney General Bondi.

Bondi’s sent multiple letters and in a last ditch effort to reach the 90-thousand who’ve yet to file a claim she set up a phone bank.

“Some people may have tossed these notices out thinking they were just additional notices from the five banks in the settlement,” said Meale.

The lenders are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citi and GMAC. Anyone who had a mortgage with one of these banks and lost their home to foreclosure between from 2008 through 2011 may be owed money, but they need to act now.

“We want to ensure that everybody meets the January 18th deadline,” said Meale.

And as the deadline fast approaches more money is coming online for people caught in the foreclosure crises. This time the money is to help people keep their homes.

Thursday state lawmakers voted to send 60 million dollars to General Bondi’s office. The money is to help people struggling to pay their mortgages.

“I think it’s only fair to take that money and route it toward helping people who have been foreclosed on or are about to be foreclosed. Preferable we can prevent those foreclosures,” said Senator Alan Hays.

The money is part of a 25 billion dollar multi-state settlement. Florida’s portion is 334 million, which means more relief is in the works.

Claimants have until 5 PM EST tomorrow to make a claim. If you think you’re eligible, you can call 1-866-430-8358 or file a claim online at NationalMortgageSettlement.com.