Blaise Gainey
Lead Government Reporter/ProducerBlaise Gainey is a State Government Reporter for WFSU News. Blaise hails from Windermere, Florida. He graduated from The School of Journalism at the Florida A&M University. He formerly worked for The Florida Channel, WTXL-TV, and before graduating interned with WFSU News. He is excited to return to the newsroom. In his spare time he enjoys watching sports, Netflix, outdoor activities and anything involving his daughter.
Follow Blaise Gainey on Twitter: @BlaiseGainey
Email Blaise Gainey at blgainey@fsu.edu
-
A measure Florida lawmakers claim will lower car insurance rates is advancing in the Senate after undergoing a major change. -
Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) says the mandatory minimum penalties imposed on people who reoffend within a few years after getting released from prison are too harsh. Brandes is pushing a bill to reduce those sentences. -
A bill in the Florida legislature would increase the age for a child to be tried in adult court. The measure would raise the allowable age from 14 to 15 years old. -
Concealed weapons license holders can carry their guns nearly anywhere in Florida --except schools. This holds true for private schools that share grounds with a church. Florida Republicans say there’ve been too many attacks on religious organizations to allow that exemption to continue. -
Florida’s Legislative Black Caucus members are calling on Republicans to hear their bills. It’s not unusual for Democrats to struggle to get their proposals before committees in the Republican-led chambers. But the social justice protests over the summer and increased focus on health disparities during the pandemic has caucus members saying their proposals are too important to be ignored. -
Gun safety advocates are backing legislation they say would make mass shootings less deadly. The groups want lawmakers to ban the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines. -
Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch wants to implement 8-and-a-half-hour shifts at all state correctional institutions. Right now, 12-hour shifts are in place at most facilities. Governor Ron DeSantis has included $31 million in his proposed budget to support the change. -
Government agencies won’t have to purchase ad space in newspapers to publish public notices thanks to language in a bill advancing in the House. Opponents argue it’ll make public notices harder to find while also weakening the newspaper industry. -
Property insurance rates continue to go up as leaders in the industry say exaggerated claims are the main reason. In the past, the rate increases have been blamed on sinkholes, hurricanes and flooding. Now there’s a new culprit: roofers. -
Republican Senator Jeff Brandes wants COVID-19 liability protections for healthcare facilities.
