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Not satisfied with the way BP is trying to make amends, state lawmakers are pushing legislation to help people hurt by the oil giant’s mistake. Today in Tallahassee, bills to create tax breaks and extend unemployment pay for people who lost business because of the spill last summer received preliminary approval. Carol Dover, President of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association says the tourism industry needs help from the state and federal government as well as BP if it’s going to rebound in time for the spring tourism season.

“It hit during our peek season so some of our tourism industries have not recovered. Anything that BP can do, along with the legislature, that’s going to infuse cash, marketing, and tax incentives are good. Anything that we can do to get employees back on the payroll, people back to the panhandle and celebrating how beautiful north Florida is will help,” said Dover.

State lawmakers are also asking for help from Congress for income tax relief for the victims of the spill.

On the heels of the State of the Union address, Republicans are turning their attention to Florida’s lone statewide elected Democrat. US Senator Bill Nelson has announced he’ll run for a third term and as Whitney Ray tells us, the GOP is already lining up candidates to take him down.

As Democrats and Republicans grabbed seats together to watch the president deliver his state of the union address…

The GOP was already working its plan to take down Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat. All eyes are on US Senator Bill Nelson as he builds his case to keep his seat.

“We need to invest more in infrastructure: roads and bridges, and rail,” said Nelson.

Earlier this year Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos announced plans to challenge Nelson in 2012. Wednesday, he took shots at President Obama and Nelson over the end of the shuttle program.

“I think it hurts our national security and it hurts our jobs,” said Haridopolos.

Former US Senator George LeMieux is also considering another trip to Washington, and says Nelson’s seat is ripe for the taking.

“His views are not in sync with Florida,” said LeMieux.

LeMieux is expected to make an announcement next month, but no matter who gets the GOP nomination, the Republican National Committee will likely dump millions of dollars into the race.”

If Republicans flip four Senate seats, they’ll control Congress. Republican Strategist Pete Dunbar says Florida will get a lot of attention.

“Florida will be a target ground for what national policy will be in the next election,” said Dunbar.

Nelson will also get help from his national party and the president, who will set his sights heavily on Florida and its 29 electoral votes. Political experts say the price tag on Florida’s US Senate race will be between 20 and 30 million dollars.

Progress Energy customers paying for a nuclear power plant that hasn’t been built yet may soon get a refund. State Senator Mike Fasano has filed legislation banning power companies from charging customers extra money on their bills for future projects. Fasano says shareholders, not the customers should pay for the company’s infrastructure.

“It should be the stockholders; it should be the company itself paying from those nuclear power plants, not passing those costs on to the consumer,” said Fasano.

Right now Progress Energy customers are paying five dollars more a month to build a nuclear plant in Levy County. Florida Power and Light is asking the Public Service Commission to allow them to begin collecting money for several nuclear projects.

Florida lawmakers are poised to pass immigration reform legislation, but it probably won’t look like Arizona’s controversial law. Many legislators and Governor Rick Scott campaigned on bringing an Arizona style law to Florida that would allow police officers to check the immigration status of people they stopped for other crimes. Senate President Mike Haridopolos says that approach probably won’t work in Florida.

““People are getting their opinions out and basing those opinions on facts about what’s happening in Florida not on what’s happening in Arizona and I think that’s what’s important to us. Clearly Washington DC is failing us on immigration and that’s why we’re stepping up,” said Haridopolos.

State lawmakers have held two meetings on immigration reform. A third meeting is scheduled for next month.

A legislative ban on texting while driving is back in front of state lawmakers this year. The ban was killed late in session last year by House leadership. Some studies claim texting while driving is 20 times more dangerous than drinking and driving. There is overwhelming support for a ban in the Florida House and Senate, but Representative Jimmy Patronis is standing his ground against the ban. Patronis says government is getting too big and there’s already technology that keeps people from the dangerous practice.

“I don’t like red light cameras. I don’t like primary enforcement on seatbelts and I get into a dilemma where I want to ensure public safety. Do I think everyone should have insurance while driving on the road? Absolutely. It gets to a point where I think law enforcement has got the tools for the job and you know what? If law enforcement is crying for this, then they’ll let us know,” said Patronis.

Patronis says police officers can already stop drivers who text for reckless driving. He also says new Apps for the I-Phone and Blackberry that keep people from texting while in a moving vehicle can also help curb the problem.

Bullying has been around as long as kids have been playing together, but in the last decade the way bullies target their victims has changed. One state lawmaker is launching an awareness campaign to stop cyber bullying. As Whitney Ray tells us, bullying is leading some kids to take their own lives.

Jeffery Johnston would be 21 years old had bullies not pushed him over the edge. In 2005, the Fort Myers teen took his own life after being picked on for three years. His death changed the way Florida schools handle bullies and their victims.

The Jeffery Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act was signed into law in 2008. It requires all Florida Public schools to have a bullying policy… it also gives schools some authority to police cyber bullying.

Victims of bullying are finding it harder to escape their harassers. Before text messages and social networking websites, victims could take solace at home.

Now sites like MySpace and Facebook give bullies a forum to create 24 hour- teasing sessions where students are often humiliated in public forums.

The 2008 law cleared a way for schools to police online teasing if the attacks were sent from school computers.

Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda is fighting back through a public awareness campaign.

“We can’t afford one child, one student to be affected by bullying,” said Rehwinkel Vaslinda.

To kick things off, Bill Brummel, Director of the educational film “Bullied” is showing his movie to teachers and students.

“I hope administration and faculties take the film and see it and also realize the long term consequences and really work hard to build a safer school environment,” said Brummel.

Florida has been praised for its progressive anti-bullying policies. Legislation to offer further protection to students will be discussed later this year. This is the first year some school districts are tracking cases of bullying. By the end of the year the state should have a better grasp on just how bad the problem has gotten.

Florida residents with a homestead exemption are seeing their property taxes increase as their home value drops. The reason; Florida’s Homestead Exemption caps property tax increases at three percent based on inflation to help keep costs down for residents when the housing market is booming, but when the housing market is down… and there’s inflation… property taxes still rise. State Senator Mike Fasano has filed legislation to fix the problem.

“Our legislation is a joint resolution that would go before the voters, because we have to change the constitution. It would just simply say that if the value of a home goes down the taxable value will not go up,” said Fasano.

The resolution passed it’s first legislative committee today on a unanimous vote.

Legislation being touted as a fix for Florida’s insurance industry is being questioned by some state lawmakers. Insurance lobbyists say companies can’t afford to write new policies in Florida unless the state legislature ends discount programs for people who storm proof their homes and allows insurers to raise rates up to 10 percent a year without state approval. State Senator Mike Fasano says the industry is bluffing.

“The bottom line is they want to charge more. Well the people in my district and throughout the state can’t afford anymore. They’re paying the increases that they’ve seen over the past five, six, seven years and you’ve got people now losing their homes because not only their mortgage but they can’t afford their home owners insurance,” said Fasano.

Similar legislation to deregulate the industry was vetoed by Former Governor Charlie Crist the past two years in a row. Tallahassee insiders believe with Crist gone this could be the year for insurance reform.

Former US Senator George LeMieux wants to hear specifics from President Barack Obama tonight in the State of the Union Address. LeMieux, who was appointed to the senate by Former Governor Charlie Crist, says the country needs to hear how the president plans to create jobs and get us out of the recession. LeMieux, whose seat in now being held by fellow Republican Marco Rubio, applauded the new mixed seating arrangement to promote bipartisanship, but hopes the unity doesn’t end once the speech is over.

“Sitting together for a speech is not bipartisanship. Sitting together for a speech is not working together. The American people want our elected officials to be problem solvers, to sit-down, hold their deeply held views, be principled, but try to find things they can agree on,” said LeMieux.

LeMieux hasn’t ruled out a run against Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in 2012. He says Nelson’s seat is ripe for the taking.

Two St. Petersburg Police officers and a US Marshal were shot this morning while serving an arrest warrant. The two St. Pete police officers have died. Thursday two Miami officers were killed serving a warrant. As Whitney Ray tells us, every time an officer tracks down a fugitive, their life is at risk.

Last week ended with two dead police officers in Miami and began Monday with more officers dead in St. Petersburg…. All were serving arrest warrants.

Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Marvin Foran carried the news with him as he set out to arrest criminals with charges ranging for unpaid fines to assaulting police officers.

“It hits hard home, I hate to see anybody, especially a brother or sister in law enforcement get hurt,” said Foran.

Foran has backup. Deputy James Giordano, draws his gun and circles around the back of the house while Foran knocks on the front door. The suspect isn’t home.

“A lot of the time you just don’t know what’s going on in their life or what their capable of doing so you approach everyone like it may all fall apart and you got to have a plan,” said Foran.

There are no routine days for these deputies. Behind every door danger may lurk. A gun, a dog, someone determined not to go back to prison. The recent shootings are shedding light on the dangers officers face serving warrants.

This statue at the state capitol is a memorial to all the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in Florida. In 2010 nine officers were killed, 2011 is already getting off to a rough start. The Police Benevolent Association is keeping track of the surge in police shootings.

“It’s a warzone out there, you have people that are desperate, they don’t want to go back to prison and their only recourse is to shoot law enforcement officers and kill them and typically they die too,” said PBA Spokesman Matt Puckett.

The men and women who sacrifice their lives for safety are honored annually at the state capitol. Since the state began keeping records more than 700 officers have been killed. Florida ranks 4th in the number of police officer deaths. Nationwide 160 officers were killed in 2010.

Florida lawmakers are calling on Texas for help with overcrowded prisons and shrinking budgets.

Texas Representative Jerry Madden helped reform his state’s prison system. Madden showed Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee today how Texas reduced its prison population and saved money. Senator Mike Fasano is open to new ideas, but doesn’t want any policy changes to hinder progress the state has already made.

“We want to be very cautious here in Florida. We’ve worked very hard over the years in implementing tough legislation, tough crime legislation on those who commit crimes in the state. The 85 percent rule, three strikes and you’re out, 10/20 life; I don’t want to diminish anything that we’ve been successful doing. The crime rate is down in Florida, and I think a lot of it has to do with going after those who commit crimes and those who are repeat offenders,” said Fasano.

Some of Madden’s ideas to cut the 2.4 billion state tax dollars spent on prisons include reducing sentences for petty drug crimes and focus more resources on keeping released inmates from reoffending.

Governor Rick Scott, who won office by promising to create jobs, is calling the latest labor statics released today… unacceptable. Florida’s unemployment rate for December was 12 percent. As Whitney Ray tells us, the figure will serve as a measuring stick to see just how successful Scott’s jobs plan will be.

Florida ended 2010 right were it began, with high unemployment.

“Florida’s rate held steady at 12.0 percent. Of course it was 12 a month ago. A year ago, the rate was 11.7 percent,” said AWI Chief Economist Rebecca Rust.

All year the state unemployment rate hovered around 12 percent. At the end of the year more than a million Floridians were looking for jobs.

The latest labor statistics are from December and don’t reflect anything Governor Rick Scott has done during his first month in office. But they do signal a starting point for his jobs plan.

Florida has a workforce of 9.2 million people. 1.1 million are looking for work. Economists say by 2018 an economic recovery will create one million jobs. Scott says he’ll add another 700-thousand to that number, which would more than cover the unemployed and bring people who’ve stopped looking for work back into the labor pool.

“We’ve got to clearly work on getting our economy going again. Everyday I’m working on getting jobs back into the state. Make sure we are the number one state people want to start, expand, or move there businesses here and I’m calling companies all the time,” said Scott.

Tuesday his work paid off, when Vision Airlines announced an expansion into Florida.

“We’re going to make sure we’re the state that is really a state for business,” said Scott.

Thursday Scott met with Golf legend Jack Nicklaus to talk about using golf to attract more tourists. Talks are also underway on expanding rail and gaming. If Scott hits the jackpot, it will mean thousands of jobs for Florida.

More businesses have begun to hire temporary workers. The state Agency for Workforce Innovation says that a good sign that things are beginning to turn around.

Florida’s tourism agency, Visit Florida, is using this month’s freezing temperatures to attract travelers to the Sunshine State. A new ad campaign is bringing Florida’s white beaches and outdoor activities to people in the snow-ridden Northeast and Midwest. The new TV, Radio, Print and Internet launch is expected to help the state rebound from last year’s BP oil spill, but the oil company isn’t chipping in any cash for this ad buy. Will Seccombe with Visit Florida hopes the oil giant will keep Florida in mind as we near the spring travel season.

“We’re 89 days away now from the anniversary of the spill and that’s a day that we know we’ll be back in the news cycle and it’ll be front and center on many peoples minds and reminding them of the oil spill. At that time we want to clearly communicate to travelers around the US and the world that our beaches are clean and open for business,” said Seccombe.

With an overall $32 million given to the campaign by BP last year, Florida was able to triple the return on investment compared to 2009.

December proved deadly for Florida crops. The crop damage tally has risen to 370 million dollars due to the month’s cold temperatures. January is expected to be as bad or worse, when those figures are released next month. Florida Department of Agriculture spokesman Sterling Ivey says the state is asking the Federal government to help farmers reeling from the crop damage.

“Commissioner Putnam has put forward a state of emergency per request of the governor who has forwarded that on to the USDA. They are reviewing that data right now in Washington and we expect to hear back from Washington within the next couple of weeks,” said Ivey.

The state’s vegetable crops were hit worst than citrus. Prices have increased for green beans, mustard greens and cabbage.

Governor Rick Scott has appointed a new Secretary of the Department of Management Services. Jack Miles comes from CIGNA, a health insurance company, where he served as a senior director. Miles is another in a growing list of agency heads Scott has been able to recruit from the corporate world.

“Jack Miles is going to do a great job. You know he’s got a great background and so he’s going to do what I expect of every secretary and he’s going to go in and hold his agency accountable. He has specific goals and we’re going to constantly measure them and constantly improve so that’s how were going to make money.”

Miles’ appointment will need confirmation from the state cabinet. Their next meeting is February 1st.