Latest news with #Branca
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida's ‘Hands-free' bill heads for vote in Senate, stalls in House
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — State senators in Florida are set to vote on a bill to expand hands-free laws. The measure would take an already existing bill banning texting and driving a step further. Demetrius Branca lost his son in a crash involving a distracted driver. 'You can't avoid accountability by doing this, you can't hide behind your chair by doing this, we know who you are and we see what you're doing,' Branca said. Branca and other advocates are pushing lawmakers to pass the bill that would ban any handheld phone use while driving. Florida Attorney General's team investigates price gouging amid hurricane season Trump safe after what FBI describes as apparent assassination attempt Mega Millions $800 million jackpot won; $1 million winner in Florida Kyle Gutierrez describes, 'A lot of people around me use social media while driving and it's unsafe. I know a lot of people who have been hurt from distracted driving.' The legislation has support in the Senate; however, it hasn't moved in the House. Some lawmakers believe it should include more restrictions. Senator Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Spring Hills said, 'If we're really going to crack down on distracted driving, we would be including things like shaving, which we've all seen, doing your make-up in your vehicle, eating while driving. Those are all distractions.' Branca is frustrated by the lack of movement in the House. He refuses to stop his efforts in honor of his son. The advocate says, 'It's not a good look to be against public safety and, so, they voted for it twice last year. Now, to this year, when it comes down to it, they don't vote for it. They won't even let it on their agenda and that's because they're hiding.' Senators are set to vote on the legislation, on Wednesday. The bill must pass in the House before it heads to the governor's desk for his signature. If passed the law would take effect on October 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hands-free bill stalled in Florida House: 'When it comes down to it, they won't vote for it'
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Texting and driving is banned in Florida. However, lawmakers in Tallahassee want to take it a step further, with a hands-free bill now moving through the statehouse. Manatee County mom living with ALS calls for cure While the bill has rallied up support in the Senate, it seems to be stuck in the House. This is a similar trend that Floridians saw last session, but instead of it being stuck in the House, it was held up in the Senate, which now leaves advocates wondering: what's the hold up? Whether it be checking social media or looking at directions on your map, the hands-free bill seeks to ban any and all phone use in the palm of your hand while driving. 'It's very dangerous; I know a lot of people lose their lives to distracted driving,' FSU student Kayla Kastor said.'A lot of people around me use social media while driving, and it's unsafe,' FSU student Kyle Gutierrez said. 'I know a lot of people who have been hurt from distracted driving.' Students, parents, and advocates are all calling out lawmakers, hoping it will kickstart the movement to get the House version across the finish line.'You can't avoid accountability by doing this, you can't hide behind your chair by doing this, we know who you are, and we see what you are doing,' father Demetrius Branca said. Branca lost his son Anthony after a distracted driver killed him in 2014. Since then, he has been a passionate fighter to get this legislation signed into law. 8 On Your Side spoke to Branca about his concerns and asked him what his message to House Committee Chairs would be. Branca shared, that the Committee Chair of the Government Operations Subcommittee needs to get their priorities straight and consider the bill this legislative session. 'It's unfathomable,' Branca said. 'I can't imagine what kind of cold-hearted, stone-hearted person would be willing to allow people to die in droves for their own convenience because they don't like to use a Bluetooth while they're driving. To me that's unconscionable, but that is what's happening currently today in the legislature.' Although the bill is stalled in the House, it continues to garner up support in the Senate, but that doesn't come without pushback from lawmakers. Some Senators won't support the current language in the bill until further restrictions are added for those who break the law.'If we're really going to crack down on distracted driving, we would be including things like shaving, which we've all seen, doing your makeup in your vehicle, eating while driving, those are all distractions,' said State Senator Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill. 'Anything that takes somebody's attention off of the road into something else in the vehicle should be a form of distracted driving and it should be dealt with at as such.' The bill will be heard for a vote on the Senate floor Wednesday. Advocates hope it is then picked up by the House, in order for it make it to the Governor's desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
More than texting: Florida's new hands-free driving bill gets closer to law
A bill aimed at combating distracted driving on Florida roads is moving forward in the State Senate. Senate Bill 1318 would rename the 'Florida Ban on Texting While Driving' law to the 'Florida Hands-Free Driving Law.' It would also expand the prohibition to include 'using, while driving, a wireless communications device in a handheld manner except to activate, deactivate, initiate, or terminate a feature or function of the device, including a hands-free accessory.' The current bill only bans texting while driving - it does not prohibit you from having a phone in your hand. This bill will largely prohibit you from having your phone or any wireless device in your hand or touching any part of your body. It would also make it a primary offense. Florida Traffic Safety Board statistics show in 2024, there were 697,439 total crashes in the state, 14,003 serious injuries, and 3,080 fatalities. 2,289 of those serious injuries and 275 deaths were considered a direct result of distracted driving accidents. 'It's more than a hope. It's a knowledge that it will save lives,' said Demetrius Branca. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] In 2014, Branca lost his 19-year-old son Anthony to a distracted driver. He's positive this bill, if passed and signed into law, would make Florida roads safer. 'We've tried this in 30 other states, plus the District of Columbia, and in every single one as soon as this law is implemented, fatality rates on the roads go down drastically,' said Branca. Read: Florida Gov. praises Jacksonville immigration bill passage, Mayor said she will not rush its signing In 2018, Georgia became one of the first states in the Southeast to implement a hands-free driving law. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) shows the number of people killed in Georgia crashes involving a distracted driver the year the bill passed was 65. The following year, that number dropped to 43 deaths. Maurice Raines is the Deputy Director for the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). He says the number of distracted driver convictions also went up since the law passed. 'Before the law was passed we averaged about 4000 (convictions) and today we bring in over 57,000. So the numbers are going up because people are still trying to do it, but it has helped us. It reduced the number of fatal crashes in our state,' said Raines. The Florida bill has one more committee hearing before heading to the Senate floor for a vote. Read: 'It's never gonna end if we don't fight': 'Free Kill' repeal appears on track to pass after 35-year battle Read: Florida bill would remove work hour restrictions, create exemptions for minors depending on age Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A victim of potential housing department cuts: domestic violence survivors who need homes
One provider of permanent housing is concerned that a crucial funding program for domestic violence survivors might be next on the federal cost-cutting hit list. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, under Trump-appointed Secretary Scott Turner, has launched its own task force to assess spending. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a cost-cutting task force a month ago and said it found more than $260 million in savings, while Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency claimed it recovered $1.9 billion of 'HUD money' that had been misplaced during the prior administration. Warnings about more cuts for HUD have been circulating, whether it be its budget or staff; the Washington Post reported the department's workforce is expected to be slashed in half, according to an internal memo it obtained. So it's a waiting game for one nonprofit that provides permanent housing for domestic violence survivors and depends on HUD money. 'If we lose this funding, it will get people killed,' New Destiny Chief Executive Nicole Branca told Fortune. Domestic violence survivors and their children often need housing assistance to escape their abusers, especially in places such as New York City, where her nonprofit is located, and where rent is 62% higher than the national average. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and DOGE did not respond to Fortune's request for comment. New Destiny finds apartments for survivors throughout the city and pays those landlords via funding that comes from HUD's Continuum of Care program. The nonprofit receives about $3.5 million in HUD Continuum of Care grants for that, a third of its budget. This year, New Destiny has helped about 300 households through this funding, all survivors of domestic violence, who are mostly women. Some years it's as much as 400 survivors and their families. HUD Secretary Scott Turner recently said that funds from Continuum of Care were not being used as intended—to end homelessness—but 'as a tool by the left to push a woke agenda,' which makes Branca nervous about what will happen to the program. 'We're very concerned because if we lost funding we would have to immediately stop paying rent,' she said. 'In a city where rent is as high as it is and the vacancy rate for new apartments is as low as it is, we absolutely without any exaggeration would see a huge percentage of our families go almost immediately either back into shelter or back to their abuser.' If HUD's headcount is slashed, there won't be anyone to reimburse New Destiny, and it would slow everything down because they don't have enough cash on hand, Branca said. NPR reported HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development, which administers the Continuum of Care funding, is expected to lose 84% of its staff, according to a document it reviewed. Once you lose trust with landlords because you miss a rent payment, they won't rent to you again, Branca said—and it is already difficult to get landlords to accept tenants on rental assistance, though they're required to by law. Even a suspicion that the money might be going away could push landlords to pull back. Not to mention, it's more expensive to house survivors in shelters, where many would be without permanent housing. It costs about $11,000 a year to put a survivor in permanent housing versus $100,000 a year in shelters, according to New Destiny. That's because of New York City's right to shelter, which allows anyone who shows up asking for a place to sleep to get a bed somewhere, even if it's an expensive hotel in midtown, New Destiny explained. But the shelter system comes with more bureaucracy, too, so that requires staff, contracts, and other things that add up. Even so, being in a shelter means they're still homeless. Still, it goes beyond New Destiny. The Continuum of Care program provides $3 billion for homelessness across the country; New York City receives $175 million in that amount for 165 homeless initiatives that help 11,000 households, according to Branca. And it isn't only for survivors of domestic violence. It's to house those subjected to stalking and sexual assault, each disproportionately affects women. This story was originally featured on
