School Safety Bill Passes Florida House, Governor’s Call Now
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Last night the Florida House passed the controversial school safety bill that includes $400m for mental health and school safety programs. The Tampa Bay Times reports the House vote was 67-50 after a nearly 8 hour debate. Governor Scott said he will read the bill line by line and consult with the families before he signs it into law.
Cruz Indicted For MSD Shooting (Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- The victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting may be a step closer to justice. Accused shooter Nikolas Cruz was indicted yesterday for 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Grand jury testimony for the last two days was private, but the witnesses included the couple who took in Cruz after his mom died, the lead detective, investigators and the Uber driver who dropped Cruz off at the school just before the shooting.
School Mistakenly Issues Active-Shooter Warning (Panama City, FL) -- An accidental app tap is blamed for a brief panic at a Bay County school. Merriam Cherry Street Elementary School's principal this week accidentally activated a new app that signals an active-shooter situation. More than three-dozen deputies and police officers arrived at the school within minutes. Panama City Police Chief Scott Ervin tells News 13 the good thing is the incident shows the app works as intended.
Hillsborough County To Draft Gun Buying Ordinance (Tampa, FL) -- Buying a gun in Hillsborough County could soon require a bit more patience. The county commission yesterday voted to draft an ordinance that would impose a three-day waiting period for anyone trying to buy a handgun. Commissioner Les Miller proposed the county ban the sale of assault weapons, but his motion was not seconded. State law threatens local officials with fines and removal from office if they violate state gun laws. IT SEEMS A BIT UNNECESSARY AS THE WAITING PERIOD IS INCLUDED IN THE SCHOOL SAFETY BILL PASSED IN TALLAHASSEE LAST NIGHT.
Employee Arrested For School Threat (Tampa, FL) -- A woman is facing charges for allegedly making a threat against a school. Authorities say Aniya Smalls was arrested this week after threatening to shoot up Tampa's Academy of the Holy Names. Police say the 23-year-old made the threat while being escorted out of the school on Bayshore Boulevard on Monday after she had been fired, but they don't believe the threat was credible. Smalls worked for a cleaning company hired by the school.
Volunteers Make Improvements At Veterans Cemetery (Titusville, FL) -- Volunteers are serving to beautify the final resting place of those who served their country. A daylong cleanup effort took place yesterday at the Brevard County Veterans Cemetery in Titusville. More than 100 veterans are buried in the 39-year-old cemetery on Day Street. A Navy veteran who organized the cleanup tells "Florida Today" he and dozens of volunteers want to make the cemetery beautiful again.
Amazon Working To Fix "Creepy" Alexa Laughter (Undated) -- Amazon users are reporting strange laughter coming from Alexa-enabled devices. According to "The Verge," some people have noted unprompted laughter or hearing the device laugh in response to a basic command like "turn off the lights." Amazon says it's aware of the problem and is working on a fix. Some users call the unexpected laughter "creepy" or even "scary" in social media posts. Many have unplugged their devices to keep Alexa quiet, especially at night. OK, GOOGLE, FIND THAT ALEXA WITCH AND GET HER TO STOP FREAKING ME OUT!
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1996, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was acquitted of assisted suicide for helping two suffering patients kill themselves.
1972, the Goodyear blimp flew for the first time.
1913, the Internal Revenue Service began to levy and collect income taxes.