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School bus camera program fining drivers has no process to challenge violations

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2 minutes ago

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www.youtube.com – ABC Action News – 2025-02-07 07:49:35

SUMMARY: In Florida, new school bus cameras have recorded over 55,000 drivers passing stopped school buses, leading to hefty fines. Investigative reporter Kat L. Gron highlights issues in Hillsboro County, where drivers claim they were unfairly ticketed and lack options to contest their citations in court. Many argue that the system feels like a money grab, as the school district and camera company profit from fines without a functioning legal process for appeals. Despite generating over $1 million in fines, the fairness and effectiveness of the program remain in question, with concerns about the safety of children and drivers’ rights.

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School bus cameras have caught thousands of drivers in Florida blowing past stop signs. I-Team Investigator Katie LaGrone found that one county is preventing drivers from making their cases in court.

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News from the South - Florida News Feed

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

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8 hours ago

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February 7, 2025

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www.news4jax.com – Ted Anthony, Associated Press – 2025-02-07 00:17:00

SUMMARY: Reid G. Miller, a distinguished international correspondent and editor for The Associated Press, passed away at 90 in Sarasota, Florida. Over his 43-year career, Miller covered significant global events, witnessing violence and turmoil from Nicaragua to Rwanda. He survived a bombing in Nicaragua and played a key role in securing the release of a kidnapped colleague in Somalia. Known for his supportive leadership and nurturing young journalists, Miller held reporting roles across various cities, eventually serving as South Korea bureau chief. He is remembered fondly by colleagues for his humor, dedication, and encouragement, leaving behind a legacy of camaraderie.

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News from the South - Florida News Feed

Orange County releases videos of drive-by shooting, confrontation with deputies that led to teen’s arrest

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13 hours ago

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February 6, 2025

By

www.clickorlando.com – Christie Zizo – 2025-02-06 18:48:00

SUMMARY: Summarize this content to 100 words: ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Videos released Thursday show two drive-by shootings and a subsequent confrontation with Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies last month that led to one person being shot and a 16-year-old suspect being taken into custody.The incidents happened in the Pine Hills area on Jan. 8. Deputies say they responded to two drive-by shootings in the area of San Jose Boulevard, in a neighborhood that’s south of Silver Star Road and west of Mercy Drive.A home security camera released by the sheriff’s office shows a car stopping in front of the home just before 3 a.m. and someone firing several rounds of bullets, then driving off. The car can then be seen in the distance stopping, and someone fires a gun again.**WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES AND LANGUAGE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**As part of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to transparency, it is our policy to release body-worn camera video of critical incidents, including deputy-involved shootings.… pic.twitter.com/tPV22VuPw4— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) February 6, 2025

A second video shows the vehicle returning to what appears to be the same house just before 9 a.m. Deputies say the driver is seen leaving the car, telling children at a nearby bus stop to go home, and then firing at the house again.Deputies believe that shooter was 16-year-old George Spencer Jr. They say they tracked him down to a house off of Montague Place, in the area of North Pine Hills Road just north of West Colonial Drive.Deputies say the suspect had a handgun with an extended magazine when they found Spencer standing with several people. One deputy gave him commands to get down, but they said Spencer ran off into the carport.Two deputies fired their guns. One person, a 24-year-old man, was shot in the foot. None of the deputies were hurt and neither was Spencer. It’s not believed that Spencer ever fired his gun.The sheriff’s office also released OCSO helicopter video and body camera video from the incident.Spencer was arrested and is facing several charges, including attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the use of force by the deputies. The investigation into the shooting is still underway.Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily:Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

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On January 8, two drive-by shootings occurred in the Pine Hills area of Orange County, Fla. Videos show a car firing multiple rounds at a home, then returning hours later to fire again. A 16-year-old suspect, George Spencer Jr., was tracked to a nearby location, where deputies confronted him. Spencer fled, prompting deputies to fire, injuring a bystander in the foot. Spencer was arrested and faces charges including attempted murder and firearm possession. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputies’ use of force, and the shooting investigation is ongoing.

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News from the South - Florida News Feed

DeSantis praises Musk’s DOGE team for piercing federal agencies‘ ‘aura of invincibility’ • Florida Phoenix

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16 hours ago

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February 6, 2025

By

floridaphoenix.com – Mitch Perry – 2025-02-06 16:09:00

DeSantis praises Musk’s DOGE team for piercing federal agencies‘ ‘aura of invincibility’

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
February 6, 2025

While a new poll indicates a growing percentage of Republicans aren’t pleased by all of Elon Musk’s moves to take down certain federal agencies through his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), Ron DeSantis is not one of them.

The Florida governor said Thursday that he thinks it’s “great” what the tech billionaire has accomplished with his DOGE team since they began looking at reducing government spending over the past three weeks. Despite its name, the operation is not a federal department and runs outside of normal government channels.

Speaking during the opening day Governor’s Day Luncheon at the Florida State Fair in Tampa, DeSantis specifically praised Musk for exposing what he described as spending excesses at the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D), which was established by Democratic President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to coordinate U.S. foreign aid.

“They’ll talk a big game about what they are accomplishing but, really, I mean, it’s almost like a corrupt scheme to political supporters and trying to promote an ideological agenda,” DeSantis said. “They’re doing a good job of exposing really, really deep corruption into how the federal administrative apparatus actually operates.”

Musk’s focus on U.S.A.I.D. has exposed some examples of government spending he has characterized as dubious, but its supporters say the agency has also provided financial aid to countries around the world for decades to combat human trafficking and diseases, and has funded equipment, medicine, and staffing in countries battling pandemics and disease outbreaks.

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“They’re even funneling it to favorable media outlets to be able to presumably get good coverage,” DeSantis added, a reference to published reports cited by Trump that the agency had paid more than $8 million to Politico. 

But that’s not accurate, according to The Dispatch. They report that only two payments were made by U.S.A.I.D. to the publication in the past year, and that was for subscriptions to E&E, an environmental report published by Politico. The report also says that various other government agencies have purchased subscriptions to Politico publications going back to 2016.

DeSantis went on to blast Congress for amassing trillions in debt, adding that it’s been Republicans who have been in control of the House of Representatives longer than Democrats have over the past 15 years. He said that while it “great to be able to see a lot of the corruption be rooted out,” it is ultimately up to lawmakers in D.C. to do a better job of protecting taxpayer dollars and “defunding corrupt agencies in the first place.”

“DOGE is kind of the first real significant intrusion into the bureaucrat’s aura of invincibility that somehow they can’t be touched, and you’re seeing the apple cart be upended, and so that’s a great sign,” he said.

Wary of Musk

Meanwhile, the percentage of Republicans who want Musk to have “a lot” of influence in the Trump administration has fallen to 26%, according to a The Economist/YouGov poll released this week, down from 47% in a poll taken in November.

The survey also shows that 43% of GOP respondents want Musk to have “a little” influence, while 17% want him to have “none at all.”

Overall, only 13% of surveyed Americans want Musk to have “a lot” of influence on the Trump administration, while 25% say want “a little” and 46% want “none at all.”

That’s substantially down from November, when 34% of surveyed Americans wanted Musk to have “a lot” of influence, 22% wanted him to have “a little,” and 30% said, “None at all.”

Simpson on hand

DeSantis was introduced at the lunch warmly by Agriculture Commission Wilton Simpson, who called him a “dedicated public servant, a family man, and someone who has worked tirelessly to make Florida the best state in the nation.”

That was a remarkable different tone than what the two Republicans engaged in last week, after the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature passed an illegal immigration bill that transferred state power regarding immigration issues from DeSantis to Simpson’s office — a scenario the governor described as “the fox guarding the hen house.” (Among other interests, Simpson operates an egg farm.)

The prompted Simpson to declare that “I’m not the one who opposed and ran against President Trump.”

After the lunch, the Phoenix caught up with Simpson and asked him if it would be a deal-breaker for the Legislature to amend their bill and transfer immigration issues back to the governor as is the case currently.

“The reality is that I have great confidence in the legislative process,” Simpson told the Phoenix on Thursday. “I served 10 years in it and then as Senate President. The Legislature is negotiating this bill with the governor, not me. And so, I have great confidence that the Legislature will work this out properly.”

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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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