Blaise Gainey

Orlando area lawmakers are proposing a bill that would help ensure every qualified citizen in Florida is able to vote. The legislators say changes are needed sooner rather than later.

Florida is near the bottom of the nation when it comes to teacher pay. Governor Ron DeSantis wants to change that by raising the base salary. But the state’s largest teacher union says the governor’s plans don’t go far enough. 

Most Florida felons had their voting rights restored after the passage of 2018’s Amendment 4. Earlier this year the legislature put in place a law that tied rights restoration to the repayment of all fines and fees. But, a ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle says the state can’t deny the right to vote based on a failure to pay, as long as a person genuinely can’t.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office opened two new facilities this week, both geared toward helping inmates prepare for life after incarceration.

North Florida could be getting its first major toll road thanks to a bill signed by the Governor this summer. It’s one of three new major roadways to be built in the state. One would connect Collier County to Polk County, another extends the Florida Turnpike west to Suncoast Parkway and the third expands the Suncoast Parkway from Tampa Bay to Georgia. A task force was put in place for each section but a member of the Northern Turnpike Connector thinks plans are moving too fast.

Monday. Jurors heard from Ruth Markel the mother of slain FSU Professor Dan Markel. They’re considering the sentence for his killer Sigfredo Garcia who faces the death penalty for his involvement in a so-called murder for hire plot that took place in 2013.

A Tallahassee jury says Sigfredo Garcia is guilty for his role in the 2014 murder of Florida State University Law Professor Dan Markel. But they couldn't reach a decision on his co-defendant and ex-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua. 

A year ago, Hurricane Michael steamrolled through the Florida panhandle, damaging nearly everything in its path - including three military bases along its route--Tyndall Air Force, the Navy’s naval support facility, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Blaise Gainey reports on efforts to fix what the storm broke.

Prosecutors in the murder trial for a slain Florida State University law professor are focusing on the ties between the people accused of killing him, and his ex-wife’s family. Markel was entangled in a bitter child custody fight at the time of his death. 

The third day of the trial for FSU Professor Dan Markel who was shot down in his driveway is taking place today at Leon County’s Courthouse. Wendi Adelson is Dan Markel’s ex-wife. Jeffrey Lacasse, who she was dating around the time of the murder, testified today. Many contradictions were noticed between what he and Wendi Adelson who testified Friday had to say.