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Governor Charlie Crist says he isn’t planning any budget vetoes, but he hasn’t looked through the entire budget yet. Lawmakers passed a budget that cuts government spending by about 5 billion dollars. Schools will lose close to a hundred and 50 dollars a student. Lawmakers approved cutting health care spending by about a billion dollars. Governor Crist applauded the work of lawmakers for balancing the budget in such a tight year, but adds he’s still going over their work.

“We’re reviewing the budget right now and you know it takes time to get through that, but our folks are working very hard,” said Crist.

The new budget year starts July first.

Questions over how a 23-year-old FSU graduate was led to her death as an under cover drug informant remain unanswered despite a mound of paper released by police in Tallahassee. The documents detail drug arrests and break-ins but not how police lost control of their informant. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Attorney General will now look at how Tallahassee police interact with their informants.

Documents released by Tallahassee police show their first contact with 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman was when she was stopped for speeding and smoking pot. A drug diversion program kept her out of jail but not from two break-ins, two home invasions, and a car jacking. All within months. An April complaint led to an arrest for dealing pot.

Rachel was killed last week, allegedly at the hands of two men she was trying to buy drugs and a gun from as an informant.  Attorneys for the young woman’s family say police are blaming the victim. Police say they’re not.

“Rachel is our victim and we will seek justice for Rachel and her family,” David McCranie with the Tallahassee Police Department said. “We did not provide the information to try to defame her character whatsoever. The facts are what the facts are. She was involved in drug activity and she was trying to do something right, she was trying to change things.”

The city first balked at an outside investigation of their procedures, then asked the Attorney General to investigate. It is not a criminal investigation.

“We are doing this review, if there’s comfort in that, well, I hope there is,” Attorney General Bill McCollum said.

Police say they welcome an outside look in.

“If they find that we need to change or adjust our policies and procedures, we’ll certainly do that,” McCranie said.

The two suspects are being held in the Leon County Jail without bail, going nowhere on kidnaping charges while authorities build their murder case.

The parents of two men involved in the shooting of a police informant say their sons were set up and they didn’t do it. Twenty-three year-old Rachel Hoffman was murdered last week and as Whitney Ray tells us, there are more questions than answers.

Hear it Here: More Questions than Answers in Case of Murdered Police Informant

Rachel Hoffman was working as an informant for Tallahassee Police. She was supposed to meet her marks at this park and instead went somewhere else. Attorney’s for Hoffman’s family say she should have never been put in such a dangerous situation.

“They knew they would be armed because she was sent there to purchase a firearm, which she has had no experience in,” said attorney Johnny Devine.

Police said Hoffman was used because of her past run-ins with the law.

“Rachel was already involved in illegal narcotics. She had already been arrested for 20 grams of marijuana,” said Tallahassee Police Spokesman David McCranie.

The stepfather and father-in-law of the two men involved, Karey Freeman, said his sons didn’t murder Hoffman. Freeman shed tears of remorse for the victim’s family.

“We would not wish this on anyone,” said Karey Freeman. “I’m very sorry.”

Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the murder case. Whether or not the sting operation was handled properly will be left up to police to decide.

Tallahassee’s mayor has not yet called for an outside investigation. The suspects’ stepfather and father-in-law says the two were targeted while working at this car detail shop. He says the victim coerced the two men into finding drugs for her to buy.

“This young lady kept coming by and she kept telling them, that this is going to be an easy deal and this is just a transfer, ‘I can get the money if you can get the stuff,’” said Freeman.

Neither man has been charged with murder. Monday afternoon Tallahassee Police released their public record on Hoffman. Hoffman was the victim of at least three home invasions and a car break-in.

A 23 year-old FSU graduate helping police with a drug investigation was murdered. Rachel Hoffman was an informant for the Tallahassee Police Department. As Whitney Ray tells us, police aren’t releasing many details about Hoffman’s murder and lawyers for the victim’s family want to know why.

Hear it Here: FSU Graduate Turned Police Informant Murdered, Family Wants Answers

Rachel Hoffman made a deal with police that ultimately lead to her death. Wednesday, Hoffman was murdered while working as an informant for the Tallahassee Police Department. Hoffman’s defense attorney said he was never notified that his client was an informant.

“How did this even happen? The Tallahassee Police Department isn’t answering that question,” said attorney Johnny Devine.

Hoffman faced several drug charges. She made a deal with police to become an informant in exchange for lesser charges.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case. Police aren’t talking, citing the investigation, but they are putting the blame back on Hoffman, saying she didn’t follow instructions.

According to police, Hoffman was supposed to buy drugs and a gun from two men at this park. The men wanted to change the location. Police said Hoffman ignored police orders and met the men at a different site. The family’s lawyers said police aren’t telling them much about what happened next.

“They shouldn’t have to worry how scared she was when she had a gun put to her. They shouldn’t have to worry how it happened. They shouldn’t have to worry if she was tortured and tormented before it happened. They know nothing,” said attorney Danielle Joyner Kelley.

For Hoffman’s mom, This Mother’s Day will be the toughest ever.

“Rachel Hoffman’s mother will spend her day preparing for a funeral,” said Devine.

Lawyers for the family won’t say whether or not they’ll pursue a civil suit. The two suspects in Hoffman’s murder were arrested.

U.S. Lawmakers want to drill off the coast of Florida to lower gas prices. Oil companies already drill 125 miles out at sea, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the appetite for bringing oil rigs closer may increase as prices flirt with the four dollars mark.

Hear it Here: Offshore Drilling Gaining Support Among Frustrated Drivers

Gas prices are so high Mark Gleim chooses to drive a scooter.

“As gas prices keep on climbing, I’m going to keep on driving it, just keep on beating it into the ground,” said Gleim.

With no relief in site, some in Congress want to offer up Florida’s coast to oil companies. David Mica with the Florida Petroleum Council said drilling closer to shore could lower gas prices.
“Anytime we add to that supply side it’s a positive and can have a real significant impact on that whole equation of price and supply,” said Mica.

Environmentalists say there isn’t a significant amount of oil near the coast, but motorist don’t care they just want the prices lowered no matter where it comes from.

“Whatever it takes to keep the consumer’s money in their pocket,” said Alecia Heffner.

“Whatever it takes to give us Americans a break. We need to start taking care of our own,” said Archie Weatherspoon.

Speculation plays a major role in setting gas prices. Whether or not there is a large amount of oil off the gulf coast may not matter. If people believe it’s there it could help lower gas prices.

Drilling off shore is a gamble, with the environment at stake, and the pay off uncertain, but if billions of barrels are found Mark Gleim won’t have to drive a scooter to get around. If a large amount of oil was found off the coast it would take years to reach the market.

Law enforcement officers from across the state gathered in Tallahassee, to launch this year’s click-it-or-ticket campaign. Every Memorial Day weekend dozens of people are injured in car wrecks in Florida. Police offices hope to save lives by ticketing people who don’t buckle up. Patrol Sergeant Steve Gauding said people don’t realize the danger involved when they get into a car and refuse to buckle up.

“If your car is going 45 miles an hour, so are you and if it comes to a sudden stop, you’re still going 40 miles an hour until you get something to stop you, that could be the person in front of you, could be the dashboard, the steering wheel or you cold be ejected from the vehicle,” said Gauding.

The campaign seems to be working. The latest statistics show more than 80 percent of drivers buckle up, with the number increasing every year.

Members of the state’s most powerful commission reunited for the first time ever Friday at the Capitol. The Constitutional Revision Commission rewrote the Florida’s constitution in 1968. Since then the commission has reconvened twice, once in 1978 and then again in 1998. The Commission has the authority to put amendments on the general election ballot. Bill Birchfield was a commissioner in 1978 when 11 amendments were put on the ballot. Birchfield addressed the work of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission which approved a plan to trade 25 percent of property tax for a penny sales tax increase.

“I think the jury’s still out on their work product, but I think the concept is right, because it’s very difficult for legislatures to do taxes, so it gives them some insulation,” said Birchfield.

The tax swap plan will have to be approved by voters in November. At least 60 percent of voters will have to vote for the plan in order for it to go into affect.

Online predators are lying about their age in hopes of meeting kids. Attorneys General across the country have made an agreement with social networking site Facebook to try and make the site safer. As Whitney Ray tells us, the plan is to catch people who lie about their age.

Hear it Here: Hunt For Online Predator Hits Facebook

High School senior Sally Hunt checks her Facebook profile everyday.

“I’m going to college next and I’ve been speaking with my roommate that I’m going to live with next year through it,” said Hunt.

Hunt chooses only to network with people she knows, but that doesn’t keep strangers from trying to meet her.

“I’ve had people ask to me to be their friend when I didn’t know who they were.”

Online predators use social networking sites, like Facebook and Myspace to meet victims. They’re able to lie about their age and use different picture to hide their identity. That is until now. Attorney General Bill McCollum has entered into an agreement with other AG’s across the country to help Facebook hunt online predators.

“If you have somebody’s that already said they’re 50 years old and they all of a sudden want to registrar their age at 19 or 15 or whatever, they’re going to question that,” said McCollum.

Facebook will also send alerts to anyone whose been talking to the potential predator. Sally says even though she’s never encountered an online predator, she knows they’re out there.

“It does happen, so it’s definitely a precaution we need to take even though we don’t see it everyday,” said Hunt.

While the plan won’t catch all the predators, it does provide some comfort to teens like Sally who hope what they see is what they get. Earlier this year Attorneys General from across the country entered into a similar agreement with Myspace.

Florida students tested better in writing than they did a year ago. Results of the writing portion of the Florida Comprehension Assessment Test or FCAT were released today. More students in 4th, 8th, and 10th grade are writing above their grade level than were a year ago. Leon High School Principal Rocky Hanna says students were supposed to pass the writing test in order to graduate, but plans changed.

“I can tell our kids, oh, by the way, you didn’t have to pass that test like I told you two weeks ago and teachers oh by the way all that work you did preparing for the writing plus part we can just throw all that away,” said Hanna.

FCAT results are used to grade schools. This year lawmakers passed a bill that will make FCAT results only half of a school overall grade.

A California man who made a life changing decision on prom night shared his story with Florida students today. When Brandon Silveria was seventeen he had a too much to drink at a pre-prom party. Silveria wrecked his car. He suffered broken bones and brain damage and spent the next three months in a coma. When he woke up, he couldn’t walk, talk or even swallow food. Silveria told teens not to make the same mistake he did.

“Think about making the right choice. Know that you are going to be faced with drinking alcohol. You do not need to do that until you are 21. It’s very important. You don’t need to do that until you are of age,” said Silveria.

Silveria is 37 now. He still has to rely on his parents for his basic needs.

Opponents of an amendment to ban gay marriage say the ban would deny some heterosexual couples rights. Yesterday a Michigan court ruled that a 2004 ban on gay marriage also deprived domestic heterosexual couples of their rights. Supporters of a state ban on gay marriage that will be on the November ballot say the proposed amendment is narrowly tailored and wouldn’t affect domestic partners. Democratic Super-Delegate Allan Katz says the amendment would have the same affect in Florida as it had in Michigan.

“In Michigan today, there are 600 couples that are not eligible for state benefits that were eligible for them yesterday. And they had nothing to do with the issue of gay marriage,” said Katz.

Florida already has a ban on gay marriage. The proposed amendment would just strengthen the measure.

More than half of Americans in the Southeast are considering cancelling summer vacations, because of gas prices, according to a recent report. As Whitney Ray tells us, the soaring price of gas could worsen the state’s economy which relies heavily on travel.

Mike Johnson stops short of filling up his gas tank.

“I haven’t filled up in a while but its a hundred bucks,” said Johnson.

Like Johnson many Floridians are finding it harder to fill up. Florida State University researcher Wayne Hochwarter surveyed eight hundred people in the southeast and found the recent spike in gas prices is changing habits.

“On the extremes it’s causing people to choose between gas and medicine and gas and food.”

The price of a gallon is also causing people more stress at work as more of their money goes into their tanks. One in three people surveyed say they would consider taking a job closer to home, so they wouldn’t have to fill up as often.

People are also cancelling vacations. More than half the people polled say they don’t know if they can afford to get away. Visit Florida spokeswoman Dia Kuykendall recognizes that gas prices will hurt tourism in the state, but she doesn’t believe the situation in dire.

“People will probably pare down maybe how many nights they are away or take shorter trips or stay closer to home, but we do believe people will still travel,” said Kuykendall.

For an industry that’s survived hurricanes, the rising gas prices could be a harder storm to weather, as analysts predict gas will pass the four dollar mark this summer. About 40 percent of people polled say increased gas prices have lowered their standard of living.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement wants businesses to help them prevent terrorism. Wednesday, FDLE launched a new website called Business-safe. The website will enable businesses to log-on and get updated terror alerts, specific to their industry. The site would also let businesses report any suspicious activity. FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said the website will also cut down on the amount of calls emergency workers receive during disasters.

“This will allow a one step, one click notification to any business that signed up to see that: Yes, this is what we see the problem is with your utilities. Yes, Florida Power & Light says it’s going to be up in another 45 minutes, or tomorrow, or whenever. It’ll be very effective should we have another statewide disaster,” said Bailey.

The site cost 6,000 dollars to build, but Florida business owners can use it for free.

The Florida Supreme Court is intervening in a battle between the state and Sarasota County, over voting procedures. A charter amendment to the County election code calls for stricter election auditing. The Secretary of State’s office said the amendment interferes with state election codes. In Wednesday’s hearing, attorney Tom Shults represented Sarasota voters, who in 2006 decided to impose audit provisions higher than those required by the state.

“The simple result of the audit is to give the commissioners and the public the opportunity to find out whether these machines, which are very expensive, are operating properly, so that’s really the purpose of the audit,” said Shults.

Peter Antonacci defended the Secretary of State’s office and said if the court rules in favor of Sarasota County, then elections would get harder to verify.

“If this ordinance were to take affect there would be chaos and confusion. Multiply that 67 times and you have a situation that’s not healthy for democracy,” said Antonacci.

The State Supreme Court took the case under advisement. There is no timetable for a decision.

David Ward, the President of CSX, wrote the governor and others today, saying they will honor their contract to sell the 61 miles of track the state wants for a commuter line. According the the letter, the contract is valid till June 2009. So the battle continues.