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House panel OKs the use of ‘granny cams’ in long term care facilities

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floridaphoenix.com – Christine Sexton – 2025-02-20 16:41:00

House panel OKs the use of ‘granny cams’ in long term care facilities

by Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
February 20, 2025

“Granny cams” may be coming to Florida nursing homes.

A House panel on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to approve a bill (HB 223) that would allow long term care facility residents to install electronic recording devices as long as they are willing to foot the bill for installation, removal, and the internet needed to run them.

Nursing home residents who share rooms would have to secure permission from their roommates to use the cameras. Consenting roommates are allowed to put restrictions on camera use and require that the camera be pointed away or prohibit use of specific devices.

If a roommate doesn’t agree, the legislation would require a facility to make accommodations by moving one of the residents to another room.

Rep. Susan Plasencia has filed legislation to allow the use of “granny cams” in Florida nursing homes. (Photo/Florida House of Representatives)

“If you look at the news lately, you’ll see and you’ll find whether there’s a lot of issues happening that people catch on cameras that they otherwise would would not. And they’re horrific scenes happening to people who are elderly, who can’t take care of themselves, and who, even if they could say what happened, people wouldn’t believe it, because maybe they have dementia or Alzheimer’s or something that would cause someone to not believe what they are saying,” bill sponsor Rep. Susan Plasecia, a Republican representing part of Orange and Seminole counties, told members of the House Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee Thursday.

“And so for me, it’s important to speak for them and that’s what brought me here.”

Nineteen states allow camera use in nursing homes, Plasencia said. Florida law, though, is silent on whether electronic recording devices can be used. That means facilities decide whether to allow them.

Plasencia said her bill protects the public and puts “guardrails” into statutes outlining what can and cannot be done.

The vote to advance the bill came over objections of Florida’s long term care industry.

We know that nursing home and assisted living facility cameras help with deterring abuse and neglect and also help with identifying where there can be improvements made to a loved one’s care.

– AARP Florida Associate State Director of Advocacy Karen Murillo

Jen Lawrence, chief nursing officer at Aston Health and a member of the statewide nursing home association, the Florida Health Care Association, said lots of personal things happen in residents’ rooms, including bathing and grooming, psychiatric visits, and meetings with clergy. The cameras, she said, will capture it all.

Moreover, she expressed concerns that the resident’s family or guardian would be responsible for ensuring the roommate’s privacy is protected. “This is a family member of a roommate. How do we trust those folks in controlling what is being videotaped and recorded?” Lawrence asked.

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Maryellen Lalor with the group Protect Florida Seniors testified for the bill, sharing the story of her husband who lived in a nursing home for more than 2 1/2 years before dying. She tried to sneak a camera into her husband’s room after he was admitted but the facility found it and made her remove it. She said she never complained out of fear of retaliation against her husband, knowing he would reside in the facility until he died.

Lalor countered Lawrence’s testimony by telling the subcommittee members that nursing home residents in semi-private rooms don’t enjoy the privacy that people think they might.

“As far as confidentiality, when you’re in a semi-private room and they’re going to do personal care to the other person, the curtain is pulled. When you are meeting with a psychologist or therapist, that person goes right in. The other [resident] can hear, okay? So as far as the concern about hearing other people, everything is exposed.”

FHCA wasn’t the only long term care association to flag concerns. Florida Assisted Living Association CEO Bijou Ikli and Florida Senior Living Association vice president for Public Policy and legal Affairs Jason Hand also expressed concerns.

But Karen Murillo, AARP Florida’s state director for advocacy, argued the bill would improve safety and keep the family members abreast of the care being provided to their loved ones.

“We know that nursing home and assisted living facility cameras help with deterring abuse and neglect and also help with identifying where there can be improvements made to a loved one’s care. AARP is a big advocate of family caregivers, especially those who are far away, and these cameras will provide peace of mind and the ability for family caregivers to be advocates, present, and part of their loved ones’ care,” Murillo said.

Spike in abuse reports

Democratic Reps. Daryl Campbell (left) and Gallup Franklin (right) voted against HB 223 Thursday. (Photo/Florida House of Representatives.)

The legislation comes a year after the Tampa Bay Times reported a spike in allegations of serious violations against Florida nursing homes — between 2019 and 2022, nearly double the reports during the previous six years.

The Times’ reporting showed that in 2022, nursing homes were cited 83 times for putting older adult residents at risk of immediate danger. 

Looking ahead

Several of the committee members asked about privacy, how often the agreements between roommates could be altered, who would enforce the agreements, and whether long term care facility staff could access the images being captured.

Rep. Hillary Cassel, a Republican from Fort Lauderdale, worried about how visitors, some of whom could suffer from dementia or have vision problems, would know video cameras were being used in the room.

Plasencia committed to continuing to work with members to address their concerns. Reps. Daryl Campbell, a Democrat from Fort Lauderdale, and Gallop Franklin, a Democrat from Tallahassee, voted against the bill.

HB 223 has two more committee stops (Judiciary and Health and Human Services) before it can be heard on the floor.

A companion bill (SB 64) was filed by Republican Sen. Illeana Garcia. It has been referenced to three Senate committees (Health Policy, Judiciary, and Rules) but has yet to be considered.

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Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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Microsoft’s AI division head wants to create a lasting relationship between chatbots and their users

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www.clickorlando.com – Matt O’Brien, Associated Press – 2025-04-04 11:31:00

SUMMARY: On Microsoft’s 50th anniversary, Mustafa Suleyman, head of the company’s AI division, envisions a future with personalized AI companions that adapt to users over time, embodying unique names, styles, and memories. This initiative focuses on creating meaningful relationships rather than solely enhancing tools, with the AI, called Copilot, already integrated into various Microsoft applications. Suleyman, a former co-founder of DeepMind, is cautious about the race for advanced AI, prioritizing practical personal assistants over abstract goals like artificial general intelligence. He believes these AI companions will revolutionize both professional and personal lives by handling tedious tasks and fostering creativity.

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Florida Dreamers aren’t giving up just yet

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floridaphoenix.com – Mitch Perry – 2025-04-04 06:00:00

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
April 4, 2025

In a sweeping immigration bill designed to help President Donald Trump enact his mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants, the Florida Legislature earlier this year repealed a 2014 law allowing individuals brought to the U.S. as children without documentation, known as “Dreamers,” to pay in-state tuition rates at Florida colleges and universities.

That abrupt change will affect approximately 6,500 undergraduates, according to the Florida Policy Institute.

When the measure went before the Florida Senate in February, South Florida Democrat Jason Pizzo offered an amendment to grandfather in any dreamer enrolled in a state college or university so they could continue pay that in-state tuition for an additional four years.

It didn’t pass.

Advocates aren’t giving up, though. This week, the group TheDream.US trekked to the Capitol to resume the fight. Specifically, they hope to revive the idea of allowing students now enrolled to continue paying in-state rates until they graduate.

“Right now, they’re working on the budget, and we know that the budget needs to pass, right?” said TheDream.US president and CEO Gaby Pacheco.

“And so it could be a potential vehicle for us to get a grandfathered-in clause. The hope is that the House as they’re working through this perhaps put in an amendment. We’re not legislators, so we don’t necessarily know the ins and outs. We’re just hoping that they know that this is important for the state of Florida, for their constituents, for these students and our college systems.”

Pacheco made regular visits to the Capitol in 2023 to defend against the threatened cutoff of in-state tuition for dreamers. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced before that legislative session a slate of proposals cracking down on illegal immigration.

Yet, somehow, the law survived that year. It wasn’t the first time that some Republicans in the Legislature had attempted to repeal the measure. But after last year’s election, in which illegal immigration was a central issue, DeSantis made it clear to state lawmakers at the beginning of this year that he wanted the law struck down.

‘Everything that I’ve fought for’

Among those joining Pacheco in the Capitol this week was a 20-year-old student from the University of Central Florida who wanted to be identified only by her first name of Callie, out of fear she could be targeted because of her immigration status.

She’s a junior majoring in advertising and public relations who has accumulated 80 credits toward her degree and says that will be up to 100 by the end of the spring semester — not enough yet to graduate.

But as of July 1, when the law takes effect, she’ll be forced to pay full tuition. “That means I can no longer afford my public education and will have to give up everything that I’ve fought for,” she said.

In addition to her studies, Cailie works between 20 and 36 hours a week at Publix and spends her free time volunteering to help students prepare college scholarship applications. Her tuition is roughly $2,800 a semester, covered through a scholarship from TheDream.US. It will more than double after the law takes effect — an amount she says she can’t bear.

Cailie, 20, migrated to the United States from Haiti almost seven years ago. Her parents aren’t supporting her, she said, as she was forced to leave home at 16. Her rough upbringing compelled her to try to make a better life for herself but, without the benefit of in-state tuition, “it’s impossible.”

She spent part of Tuesday meeting with lawmakers to explain her plight, although she knows it’s an uphill battle.

“It’s hard to get people to change their mind, so all we’re asking for are the current students to be grandfathered in and protected for now,” she said. “Because most of us only have a few more credits to go, and it’s so unfair that we had to fight so hard to get here and just knowing that all of a sudden it meant nothing? That’s hard.”

Cailie’s ambition is to start her own business helping other students from low-income families get educations like she’s been able to achieve — for now, anyway.

“I want to be a role model to show them that I come from an undeveloped country, that I didn’t have the same opportunities as everybody else, and I made it, so it’s possible. The U.S. is a country of opportunists, but now I’m wondering if that’s even true anymore.”

Pacheco acknowledges her group has limited leverage with the Legislature, but believes it’s worth the effort.

“At the end of the day, we’re practically begging,” she said. “We’re saying, ‘Please do not do this to these students. Please do not do this to 6,000 young people who have worked so hard to get so far, and that are so close to be able to get those college degrees.’”

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Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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Consumers fear Trump's tariffs will hike prices

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www.youtube.com – CBS Miami – 2025-04-03 21:40:23

SUMMARY: Consumers are feeling the financial impact of President Trump’s recent tariff policies, particularly at grocery stores. Shoppers report significant price increases on essential items, with one mother noting the price of eggs and milk has risen from around a dollar to over three dollars. Families, like Ruby King’s of seven, are struggling with rising costs, including an additional $250 in rent. The president has imposed tariffs of 20% on EU goods and 34% on Chinese imports, which will raise prices for consumers. While the stock market faced a sharp decline, financial experts advise against making impulsive changes to retirement plans based on short-term fluctuations.

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Consumers express concern that President Trump’s tariffs could lead to higher prices, impacting their wallets by increasing the …

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