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Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
These 4 proposals failed during legislative session, and Florida is better for it
Florida's 2025 legislative session isn't over yet — lawmakers announced an extension to pass a state budget — but they have run out of time to pass most bills, meaning many pieces of legislation died as of Friday, the last day of the regular 60-day session. The Legislature approved 230 bills this year, according to the Tampa Bay Times. But many proposed laws also failed to garner enough support to clear the House and Senate or became bogged down by political horse-trading. That was to Floridians' detriment in some cases, such as a bill to bring back transparency to state university presidential searches. In other cases, Floridians are better off that the following bills and proposals died: Parkland law repeal This was the third year the Florida House tried to repeal a 2018 post-Parkland-shooting law that raised the age to buy rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21. The House passed House Bill 759 — which would have returned the purchasing age to 18 — with a 78-34 vote, but a powerful Republican senator, Kathleen Passidomo of Naples, blocked the legislation from being heard in her committee. Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people, legally purchased an AR-15-style rifle from a licensed dealer when he was 18. After the April campus shooting at Florida State University, undoing gun-control measures would have made lawmakers look tone deaf. While some conservative say the law prevents people aged 18 to 20 from exercising their Second Amendment rights, federal courts have upheld Florida's age minimum. Asking prospective gun buyers to wait until the same age they can drink alcohol is not an extreme measure. Parkland law repeal (Part 2) Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted lawmakers to repeal another Parkland-era law that allows law enforcement to ask a judge for permission to confiscate weapons from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. DeSantis said the 'red flag' law could infringe on gun owners' rights, but it remains one of the resources that police can use to try to stop people from committing violence. Luckily, his calls for the repeal did not go anywhere during session, along with the idea of allowing the open carry of firearms in Florida. The shooting deaths of a woman, her father and a neighbor in Margate in February highlights the importance of this law when used properly. Based on the history of alleged abuse by the woman's estranged husband, who is the suspected shooter, Broward County Sheriff's deputies could have petitioned to seize his weapons but, unfortunately, they failed to do their due diligence. Yet cases like this explain why the red flag law exists, and why Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, a Republican, has said law enforcement officers have 'unquestionably averted violence' thanks to the law. Child labor With Florida cracking down on undocumented migrants, DeSantis earlier this year defended legislation to relax child labor laws as a solution to replace 'dirt cheap' workers in the country illegally. That's despite the fact that, last year, Florida had already loosened child labor regulations. This year's proposal, crafted with help from the governor's office, would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than eight hours per day or more than 30 hours a week when school is in session, during school hours and without a 30-minute meal break. The legislation also would have loosened some work restriction for minors aged 14 and 15. Current Florida law allows these teenagers to work up to 30 hours a week during school — or more if their parent or a school superintendent allows — and from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on a school day. These are sensible restrictions that allow young people to contribute to their household income without encroaching too much on their education. Hope Florida bill House lawmakers believe the Hope Florida Foundation was used to divert $10 million in state Medicaid settlement money into a political committee to support DeSantis' political agenda. Four former federal prosecutors told the Herald last week there's enough evidence for the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation into what happened with that money. With so many questions surrounding Hope Florida — the program backed by First Lady Casey DeSantis to get people off welfare — it's obvious that this legislative session was not the time to pass a bill to codify the program into state law. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Florida students rally for stronger gun laws after deadly school shooting
The Brief The University of Florida's chapter of Students Demand Action hosted a vigil on Wednesday for those killed or hurt in the Florida State University shooting. Attendees at the vigil expressed support for stricter gun laws and against House Bill 759, which seeks to lower the minimum age to purchase a firearm in Florida. Two people were killed, and seven others were injured, when the alleged gunman opened fire on April 17 on FSU's campus. The suspected shooter was shot once in the jaw by law enforcement and remains in the hospital. Several of those hurt in the shooting have been released from the hospital. GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida's chapter of Students Demand Action hosted a vigil and rally on Wednesday for those killed and hurt in the Florida State University shooting, and demanded action for stricter gun laws. Two people were killed, and seven others were hurt in the April 17 shooting, officials said. Six of those were shot and one was hurt running away. Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old suspected shooter – an FSU student and son of a Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy – remains hospitalized after law enforcement shot him once in the jaw, Tallahassee Police said Wednesday. The backstory 2 dead, 5 hurt; suspect identified as FSU student, son of Leon County deputy FSU shooting timeline: Shooting rampage over in 5 minutes, police say Funeral set for Tiru Chabba Five people hurt in FSU shooting released from the hospital What we know about the victims in the FSU shooting What we know about the suspect in the FSU shooting FSU shooting victim played dead as gunman reloaded: Report What we know Between 20 and 25 people, including members of Students Demand Action, UF College Democrats, Moms Demand Action, and Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, marched with shirts and signs near UF's campus on Wednesday. It comes less than a week after the shooting near FSU's Student Union. "We wanted to make sure that students at the University of Florida, and across the state of Florida, know that this is not an issue that they're alone in," one student said. "This is such an important issue that impacts all of us in one way, shape or form," said Connor Efrain, who said he texted several of his friends at FSU the moment he heard about the shooting. "The fact that we have to keep doing this, and the fact that this keeps happening, is a failure," one student said. Dig deeper Those at the rally talked about their views on gun laws and against House Bill 759, which could lower the minimum age to purchase a firearm in Florida from 21 to 18 – a reversal of reforms passed after the Parkland shooting. They also called for secure storage laws, red flag laws and universal background checks. The backstory Police said the shooting at FSU was over in less than five minutes, leaving two people dead, seven people hurt, hundreds scrambling for safety, and the alleged suspect being challenged, shot, and taken into custody. On Tuesday – four days after the shooting – Tallahassee Memorial Hospital announced that five of the six victims in the shooting had been released. At the time, it was not clear if the other person was someone hurt in the shooting or the suspected shooter. On Wednesday, Tallahassee Police confirmed that the suspected shooter remains hospitalized with significant injuries, but that he is expected to survive. Police confirmed that the suspect was shot once in the jaw by law enforcement after he refused their commands during the shooting. Police said the alleged suspect would have to be cleared and released from the hospital before being arrested and booked into jail. It is also unclear what charges the suspect may face. That will be up to state prosecutors to determine. In Florida, only a grand jury can return a first-degree murder indictment against a suspect. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on reporting from FOX 35's Caroline Coles who attended the rally at FSU; an update from the Tallahassee Police Department; and previous reporting from FOX 35 on the April 17 shooting at FSU. Previous information released by the Tallahassee Police Department, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and Leon County Sheriff's Office.
Miami Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
For now, common sense speaks louder in debate to undo post-Parkland gun laws
We're not quite ready yet to say good riddance to an effort to undo historic, bipartisan gun-control regulation Florida passed after the 2018 Parkland school shooting. But it seems that a bill that aimed to lower the minimum age for purchasing rifles and other long guns from 21 to 18 is dead this year. That's good news, though anything could change before the legislative session wraps up in May. On Monday, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she will not allow the bill to be heard in her powerful Senate Rules Committee, meaning the legislation likely will stall and die. The Florida House has already passed House Bill 759 with a 78-34 vote. This might be the third year in a row that the House has tried — only to be blocked by the Senate — to repeal the post-Parkland law that increased the minimum age for long-gun purchases to 21. Passidomo's timing couldn't be more opportune. Last Thursday, a suspected gunman killed two people at the Florida State University campus, not too far from where lawmakers are meeting in Tallahassee. Passidomo said the decision to block the bill was made before the shooting, CBS News reported. The optics of lawmakers undoing gun restrictions in the wake of another campus shooting would have been terrible. Some former students from Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High were on the FSU campus as the shooting took place last week. Luckily, this does not appear to be a case of the Florida Senate trying to avoid bad press. Passidomo has been steadfast in her support for the gun-control law she helped pass in the aftermath of the 2018 school massacre, which left people 17 dead. When she was the Senate president in 2023, she told reporters she would not support repealing that law and letting people aged 18 to 20 purchase a rifle. Federal law already sets a minimum age of 21 for handgun purchases. To be clear, it appears the state law would not have prevented FSU shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner, 20, from having access to a weapon. Ikner, a student at the university, is the stepson of a Leon County Sheriff's deputy. He used his stepmom's personal handgun, which she previously used for work, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said at a news conference last week, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. A shotgun was found at the scene but it is unclear if it was used. Arguments that a particular gun law would not have stopped a particular shooting miss the point because each of these horrific incidents is different. Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, for example, used an AR-15-style rifle he bought from a Broward County dealer when he was 18. He's the reason lawmakers and then-Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, raised the purchase age minimum. The law makes exceptions for people aged 18 to 20 who serve in the military, corrections and law enforcement. The challenge with mass and campus shootings is that they involve multiple factors, from mental health issues to, yes, easy access to weapons. It's impossible to know how many incidents the post-Parkland law might have prevented, but we should be making it harder, not easier, for unstable young people to access guns. Asking them to wait until the same age they can drink alcohol is not an extreme measure. Instead of repealing sensible gun-control measures, lawmakers should be passing new, reasonable restrictions on the types of weapons and the amount of ammunition people are allowed to buy. They should be looking at closing loopholes that, for example, allow people to buy guns without a background check through private transactions. While the stalling of House Bill 759 is a good sign, lawmakers are still pushing to provide incentives for people to buy guns. The Senate has advanced another bill that would exempt the purchase of firearms and ammunition from sales taxes for about three and a half months in 2025. Lawmakers in 2023 passed a law that allows people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. This is the history of Florida and gun control. A little progress always comes with big setbacks. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FSU students march from campus to the Capitol, demanding action
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Less than a week ago, Florida State University turned into a crime scene. Since then, FSU students, advocates, and members of the community have held several rallies to call on state leaders, demanding them to take action before the current session wraps up. Florida State students, who lived through the frightened moments of the shooting, marched to the capitol to plead with state lawmakers. Thursday's shooting killed two men and injured six others, just one mile away from the statehouse. 'A 20-year-old with a gun was devastating my school and I watched from inside the very building where lawmakers have been debating a bill to lower the age to buy a gun back down to 18,' said Samantha Mason, Students Demand Action. That bill, House Bill 759, passed off of the house floor a month ago before the shooting at Florida State. However, its Senate companion bill, SB 920, sponsored by Hillsborough County lawmaker, Jay Collins, seems to be stalled. 'Look at our faces, listen to our stories, and know that we are not going anywhere. You have the power to help us. We're not asking for miracles. We're demanding common sense gun safety laws that save lives,' said Stephanie Horowitz, FSU Student. Horowitz was a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when a 19-year-old killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. 'Four of my friends died that day and I have been visiting their graves since, for the last seven years,' said Horowitz. Horowitz was teaching a class last week at FSU when the suspected shooter Phoenix Ikner made his way to the student union. Now, she is begging lawmakers to prioritize students over guns. Inside the statehouse on Wednesday, Senate members gathered for a session, and while there were no talks of gun legislation, there was a moment of silence for the lives lost and those impacted. 'Last Thursday my FSU family…was rocked by reckless violence on our campus with six students being shot and 2 adults being killed,' said State Senator Corey Simon, (R-Tallahassee). 'Today I rise and ask for a moment of silence for my Seminole family as we mourn those lost and the many lives that have been changed forever.' House Democrats are calling out their Republican colleagues, saying the Republican majority can waive the rules at any time and allow any bill at this point to be heard. Senate President Ben Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez, and Governor Ron DeSantis did not publicly address FSU students' concerns about gun violence on Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FSU shooting: New details, student marches, funeral planned. What to know Wednesday
Nearly a week after a gunman opened fire on the Tallahassee campus of Florida State University, killing two people and injuring six more, about 200 FSU students and teachers marched from Westcott Fountain to the Florida Capitol to demand lawmakers enact common sense gun laws and kill a bill that would lower the age to buy a long gun to 18. House Bill 759, which would overturn the part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that restricts the sale of long guns to people 21 years of age and older, passed the House in March and was sent to the Senate in early April, where it has sat for weeks. A similar Senate bill was withdrawn. "Hey hey, ho ho, gun violence has got to go," the crowd chanted. A bill to allow weapons or firearms at school-sponsored events or on school property, filed this year by former Sen. Randy Fine, was voted down on March 25 by the Criminal Justice Committee. 4-3. Posts to social media promote another march on Thursday, April 24, from the Landis Fountain to demand the FSU administration take action against white supremacists on campus. Here's what we know about the shooting as of Wednesday, April 23. The family of Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old father of two who was one of the two people killed during the mass shooting, has announced that a funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. ET Friday, April 25th in Greenville, South Carolina at the Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park. Chabba was on the FSU campus Thursday as an employee of campus vendor Aramark Collegiate Hospitality when he was shot and killed, according to the family counsel The Strom Law Firm, which initially identified Chabba via email. The firm was retained by the family to "ensure that all those who bear responsibility for this senseless act of violence are held to account." He is survived by his wife and two children. FSU graduate and state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, called for a moment of silence for his alma mater as the Florida Senate began an April 23 floor session. Simon was a defensive lineman for the Florida State Seminoles and played on the 1999 National Championship team before a career in the NFL, largely with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2010. Simon, first elected to the Senate in 2022, gave an "emotional tribute," a reporter covering the session reported on social media, adding that he "tearfully ... ask(ed) for a moment of silence," during which he was hugged and comforted by fellow lawmakers. On Tuesday, four FSU students — including two who had been huddled in a barricaded classroom during the Thursday shooting — walked to the Capitol Rotunda with House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa to accuse Florida lawmakers of complicity in mass shootings around the state with their support of policies normalizing gun violence. 'All we got was Gov. DeSantis releasing a single Twitter video. Not even a written statement. This disconnect between what happened and the governing majority's blanket of silence is just disgusting,' said Simon Monteleone, a 19-year-old student and campus activist from Cape Coral. The FSU shooting was the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year, and the fourth Florida school shooting since 2012, according to the Gun Violence Archive. FSU mass shooting fallout: After shooting, Florida State students demand gun reform at Florida Capitol Five victims from the mass shooting have been released, officials at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said Tuesday. A remaining patient "related to the April 17 shooting at Florida State University" remains in good condition, TMH said. The hospital will not name patients, but the only remaining person involved in the shooting is the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner. A sixth victim was injured while fleeing but was not shot and did not go to the hospital, FSU leaders said. None of the victims have been identified, but one, Madison Askins, 23, gave an interview over the weekend and described how she pretended to be dead to avoid getting shot again. Before the first baseball game after the shooting, FSU faculty, staff and students were invited onto Mike Martin Field of Dick Howser Stadium for a moment of silence and a performance by the FSU Marching Chiefs. Dr. Matthew Ramseyer, a Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare trauma response surgeon, threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the game against Stetson. First responders and healthcare workers were honored during the fourth inning. FSU won, 11-6. After the shooting: How FSU baseball's Link Jarrett has turned Howser into a place to 'heal' after shooting A Florida State University Police Department officer fired the shot that took down mass shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner, according to FSU leaders in a virtual trustees meeting Tuesday afternoon. FSUPD responded instantly when a student called in an active shooter at 11:58 a.m. on Thursday, April 17, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower said. 'All on-duty officers and command staff responded at that time, at approximately 12 o'clock, so noon,' Trumbower said. 'In less than two minutes, seven of our officers converged on the suspect in the greenway between the student union and Moore Auditorium.' Officers drew the suspect's attention and "also at noon, FSU PD neutralized the suspect,' the chief said. Ikner, a 20-year-old political science student and stepson of a Leon County deputy, was significantly injured and is expected to be in the hospital for some time before he'll be transferred to the county jail. Law enforcement kicked in 300 doors across the campus to make sure there were no additional shooters, Trumbower said. Along with countless memorials of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals along the sidewalks and steps of the campus, students have been adding handwritten messages of support, gratitude, faith and calls for gun reform. Memorials of flowers, balloons, stuffed animals and heartfelt messages lined the sidewalks and steps of the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee Monday as classes resumed four days after a gunman went on a shooting rampage that killed two and left six injured in less than five minutes. The upcoming week of classes is the last before finals. In a statement Saturday night after backlash erupted over plans to open the campus Monday, McCullough said that classes would resume as scheduled, remote options would be available for many courses and attendance policies would be waived for students who weren't ready to come back. Many professors have given students the option to freeze their grades and made finals optional. They also made it so that coursework and tests after the shooting can only help students' grades. Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of a Leon County sheriff's deputy, is the suspected shooter in an attack at Florida State University on Thursday, April 17, that killed two and injured six. Police say Ikner waited for an hour in an FSU parking garage and then, using his mother's gun, opened fire at the FSU Student Union. Trumbower said the first call came in at 11:58 a.m. and by noon, FSU PD converged on the suspect. The university sent out an alert to students and faculty at 12:01 p.m. as law enforcement from multiple agencies quickly descended on the campus. Ikner refused to comply and was shot by an FSU PD officer, Trumbower said. He is believed to have acted alone, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. Students were released from a shelter-in-place request after law enforcement cleared the campus. The shooting claimed the lives of Robert Morales, an FSU employee and high school football coach, and Tiru Chabba, 45, a married father of two from South Carolina, who was at FSU on a work-related visit. 'I just need to play dead': Florida State University student on surviving campus shooting A vigil held on campus Friday afternoon drew thousands to honor the victims. On Easter Sunday, students packed the pews for Easter Mass. Tallahassee police provided a timeline of the April 17 shooting at Florida State University. 11 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner arrives at an FSU parking garage. 11: 51 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner leaves the parking lot. 11:56 or 11:57 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner fires the first shot, then walks in and out of buildings and green spaces, firing a handgun. 11:58 a.m.: 911 calls report a male actively shooting on FSU campus. Nearby police officers respond. By 12 p.m.: Phoenix Ikner is shot by responding officers and taken into custody. Along with Chabba, Robert Morales, the university's dining coordinator, was the other person shot and killed during the mass shooting that shook the university and community. Aside from his dining service work, Robert was a long-time special teams coach for Leon High School's football program and a partner in local favorite Gordos Cuban Cuisine. Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said the shooter was 20-year-old FSU student Ikner, the stepson of Leon County Deputy Jessica Ikner. Born Christian Gunnar Eriksen, Ikner changed his name when he was 15 following a troubled childhood marked by decades-long custody battles between his parents. Ikner's biological mother spent about five months in jail after taking him against his will to Norway. Phoenix Ikner said that with his new name, he had hopes of rising from the 'ashes' of his childhood. Ikner attended Lincoln High School and was a long-standing member of the 2021-22 Leon County Sheriff's Office Youth Advisory Council as a high school junior. Sheriff Walt McNeil said Phoenix was 'steeped in the Leon County Sheriff's Office family.' Jessica Ikner, a middle school deputy, practiced shooting with her stepson, though "not in an official capacity," according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Ikner is currently on personal leave and is being reassigned, an LCSO spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons found at the scene. We are continuing our investigation as to how that weapon was used and what other weapons perhaps he may have had access to," McNeil said during a press conference. As of Wednesday morning, April 23, Ikner is still hospitalized after being shot by law enforcement. Ikner faces a long list of charges, including first-degree murder, once he is released and transferred to the county jail. Ikner's motive is still unknown. "The suspect invoked his rights not to speak to us," Revell said at Thursday's press conference. According to USA TODAY, students who knew Ikner were horrified but "weren't shocked given things he had said publicly." In the aftermath of the shooting on Thursday, people who knew Ikner said he had a history of espousing radical conspiracy theories and hateful ideas. The president of a student politics club said Ikner 'espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric' that they booted him from the group. By the time Ikner had enrolled in Tallahassee State College last year in 2024, other students said he was expressing extremist conspiracy theories and hateful ideas and was once kicked out of a "political round table" club for what one student claimed was frequent white supremacist and far-right rhetoric. The suspected FSU gunman held a fascination with Hitler, Nazis and other hate groups, according to screenshots of his online activity captured by the Anti-Defamation League. Ikner used a drawing of Hitler as a profile photo for an online gaming account. For the name of another account, the 20-year-old used 'Schutzstaffel,' the name of the ruthless 'SS' paramilitary group that started out as Hitler's personal bodyguard, grew into death squads and ran the concentration camps where millions of Jews were murdered. More: New records show suspected FSU shooter had troubling fascination with hate groups The Miami Herald reported that Ikner was cracking jokes about getting a good night's rest after taking a hit to the head in an online chat for students in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at FSU and Tallahassee State College. After another student suggested he get hit again to cancel it out, Ikner replied, "Twice the head trauma, twice the power. I'm evolving." The FSU shooting occurred nearly 26 years to the day of one of the deadliest, most infamous school shootings: the attack and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Colorado. On April 20, 1999, two 12th-grade students murdered twelve students and one teacher, the deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school in history to that point. The Columbine High School massacre has been the inspiration for dozens of copycat shooters, several of whom specifically planned for the anniversary. Florida State University is located in the state's capital, Tallahassee. It is found in the middle of the Panhandle between Jacksonville and Pensacola. The main campus of Florida State University is officially located at 600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306. According to LCSO, Ikner acted alone during the shooting, despite online rumors of multiple shooters. A video has gone viral across social media showing someone walking past a wounded, bleeding woman lying face down on the grass. Rather than stopping to help or even running away from an active shooter, as what sounds like two shots are fired in the background, the person walks by while sipping from a Starbucks cup. While officials believe the video is authentic, the Tallahassee Democrat is not running the video due to its graphic content and because it has not been verified as real or related to the FSU shooting. See reactions: Viral video after FSU shooting seems to show person sipping coffee while passing wounded victim The FBI has set up a tip line for anyone with information about the shooting that happened at FSU. Anyone with video or audio media related to the incident can upload it here. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist in Askins' recovery. Donate here: Contributing: William Hatfield, Arianna Otero, Jim Rosica, Jeff Burlew, Ana Goñi-Lessan, Alaijah Brown, Elena Barrera, Brittany Misencik, Gregg Pachkowski, Mollye Barrows of USA TODAY Network – Florida and Michael Loria of USA TODAY. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State University mass shooting updates: Students demand action
