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The guns-at-work bill is on its way to the governor — who said he’s likely to sign it — after the Senate passed it Wednesday with little debate and a 26-13 vote. I’m probably gonna sign it,” Crist said afterward. “The 2nd Amendment is very important.” The governor acknowledged the intense lobbying war that preceded the bill’s passage, but added “people being protected, that’s very important to me.” Both sides, meanwhile, went into action almost immediately, urging their supporters to contact Crist with their opinions.The Florida Retail Federation, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce both opposed the bill, while support came from the NRA and other pro-gun groups…. The bill says that employees who have a concealed weapons permit can keep a gun locked in their trunks at work, even if the employer wants to ban guns on the property — something that opponents said ran contrary to private property rights. The bill also provide several exceptions, allowing defense and military contractors, corrections facilities and schools to continue to ban the weapons.
http://tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/CAPITOLNEWS/80409016&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

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Tallahassee Democrat, editorial, http://www.tallahassee.com, March 30, 2008.The editorial states: “Florida’s state court system is already a lean, hardworking justice machine. It operates with roughly half as many trial judges per citizen as other large states — 4.5 judges per 100,000 citizens compared with Texas with 10, for example, or the national average of 7.3 judges. A point of pride, however, is that our court system ranks near the top of the states in terms of clearing cases quickly and opinions issued per justice. Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Lewis says much of this is due to an efficient system of top-quality paralegals and judicial assistants who keep the judges judging and the paperwork orderly and flowing. . . . A 10-percent slice of the judicial budget could be more painful than with many other agencies because it starts out with just a sliver of the state’s $70 billion budget. The state courts system consumes just 0.7 percent of the total, compared, for example, with education at 31 percent. Cutting 10 percent of a $483 million budget for one entire branch of government is dire, especially when 80 percent of that goes to the 20 circuit courts.”

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Five regional legal offices the state has created to represent poor defendants in special circumstances can stay open, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday [March 13]. The justices reversed a judge’s ruling that the offices, which opened their doors in January, were unconstitutional because they are headed by appointed rather than elected officials. The offices handle cases public defenders cannot take for reasons that include conflicts of interest that often occur when more than one defendant is charged with the same crime. Those cases previously had been assigned to private lawyers, but the new offices are expected to do the same job at a savings of about $55 million the first year.

-We’ll have to wait and see on this one….

Full Story:
http://ap.polkonline.com/pstories/state/fl/20080313/257656307.shtml

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A 24-year-old Fort Myers man jumped about 70 feet off of the Caloosahatchee Bridge to avoid Lee County sheriff’s deputies this morning, after trying to run over a deputy and then fleeing in what became a lengthy high-speed chase, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.Lorenzo Dean Hood was quickly arrested after his leap to the ground below. He suffered only a sprained ankle.His jump from the bridge – deputies estimate 70 to 75 feet – would be about the equivalent of jumping from the top of a seven-story building.According to the arrest report:A call came into the sheriff’s office at 2:44 a.m. about an assault on Boatways Drive. The caller said the perpetrator left in an older model Chevy Caprice.Deputies stopped a car that matched the caller’s description at the northbound onramp to I-75 from Palm Beach Boulevard.The driver, later identified as Hood, swerved and attempted to run over the approaching officer before accelerating up the onramp.

Full Story: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/NEWS0110/80306007/1085/RSS0110

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Remove shackles unless offenders pose a clear threat

As they consider ways to make juvenile offenders safer in state custody, lawmakers should seize the opportunity to clarify state policy on one controversial practice — slapping leg irons and belly chains on youthful offenders, regardless of their age, physical strength or offense.

Lawmakers never officially approved the practice of shackling juveniles travelling to and from court. Yet it’s common procedure in courthouses across the state — even in circuits where adults accused of violent offenses are transported without the chains. Experts in juvenile justice lament the message the heavy shackles send to young offenders, many of whom are already terrified.

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This is pretty sad.. Police detectives are looking for burglars who broke into the Gulf Coast Humane Society building on Arcadia Street in Fort Myers and took more than $7,000 worth of computer equipment and drugs.

According to police reports:Burglars broke down the front gate of the building, scheduled to open next month, and then forced open the front door. Once inside, the thieves stole $7,184 in computer equipment and drugs.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Fort Myers Police Department at 334-4155. Article from www.news-press.com

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From the Sun-Sentinel: The business of justice in courthouses across Florida could be dramatically altered in coming weeks, with Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin warning of a “catastrophic” impact. Under a proposal that would meet a demand from the Legislature to cut nearly $17 million from the state courts budget by June 30, courthouse administration employees would have to take 22 unpaid days off in circuit courts and 58 days in county courts. Not only would employees’ livelihoods be affected as they go without paychecks, but business at courthouses would be unequivocally compromised, judges and court administrators say. Employees forced into furloughs would include judicial assistants, court interpreters and case managers. Just as other agencies have faced cutbacks because of anticipated tax-revenue shortfalls, the state courts system also was ordered to find a way to function with less money. However, judges and court administrators, who were told last year to hold back 4 percent of their budget, found the task impossible because nearly 90 percent of the state court system’s $483 million budget goes to wages, said Kathleen Kroll, chief judge for Palm Beach County.

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I just returned to my office from the courthouse and witnessed the courthouse falling apart before my eyes; water was all over the place and dripping with no end in sight. The ceiling tiles were becoming waterlogged and falling onto the floor one by one making a loud crashing sound as they fell. The Sun Sentinel has published to following article:

The main Broward County courthouse has shut down for the day after a burst water pipe caused flooding on the third floor and sent water seeping all the way down to the lobby.The Broward Sheriff’s Office asked Chief Judge Victor Tobin to release all non-essential personnel in the main courthouse.Earlier, the flooding sent ceiling tiles to the floor and caused most of the main lobby to be cordoned off.
The pipe ruptured in a judge’s chambers on the third floor, sending water seeping down to the second and third floors.”The first floor is like a little lake,” said Howard C. Forman, clerk of courts. “There’s water all over the floors. It’s an unsafe place to be.”No injuries have been reported and plumbers are on hand trying to find the exact source of the leak.

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