Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

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James Call - page 4

James Call has 398 articles published.

Drone restrictions flying to Gov. Scott

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A Florida Legislature crackdown on drones flew out of the House Tuesday with a unanimous vote. SB 766 would prohibit drones – unmanned mini-robots equipped with cameras — from taking pictures on private property without consent. The measure already cleared the Senate, and now is on its way to Gov. Rick Scott. Drones are popping up everywhere. They are being used to fight an avocado fungus in Florida, terrorists in the Middle East and to rescue injured skiers in Norway. The…

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Florida TaxWatch tax report is a mixed bag

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Tax numbers are in; and for Florida, it’s a mixed bag. However, there is a disclaimer for Florida’s reputation as a low-tax state. The Sunshine State comes in third for the lowest per capita tax amount of state tax paid, but when adding local taxes, the tax burden increases and the state ranking falls to 36, according to Tallahassee-based Florida TaxWatch. A new report from the nonpartisan government watchdog group does a deep dive into the numbers for its 2015 How…

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Florida leads the nation in digital learning; state grades an ‘A’ in annual report card

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Florida has the highest score among the 50 states in the Digital Learning Report Card compiled by the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The report measures education policies on 10 components for what the Foundation identifies as a high-quality digital education. Florida beat out two-time high scorer Utah in the 2014 report. The two states are the only ones to post scores higher than 90 percent and to receive an A grade. Five states, Connecticut, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nebraska and North…

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Strike-all filed for Charlotte’s Web glitch bill

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The Florida Senate appears ready to move on a “glitch” bill for the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014. The chamber is also preparing to consider increasing the allowable level of THC in medicinal marijuana. State Sen. Rob Bradley filed a strike all amendment Monday to increase THC limits to 15 percent, up from the current allowable 0.8 percent. Bradley, who sponsored last year’s Act, says his top priority for this year’s session is breaking the legal logjam preventing its implementation.…

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Investors and growers await Charlotte’s Web ruling

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It’s a waiting game. Transcripts from a two-day hearing on the state’s medicinal marijuana law will be posted Monday. Later this week, briefs on a motion to dismiss the suit blocking implementation of the law authorizing low-THC cannabis as medicine are due in court. It’s been almost 11 months since Gov. Rick Scott signed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 but the law allowing epileptic children and cancer patients to use cannabis oil has been tied up in court. “It’s frustrating…

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Charlotte’s Web rule challenge comes down to ‘snapshot in time’

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The battle over the Florida’s Charlotte’s Web law may come down to a snapshot in time. The question before administrative law Judge W. David Watkins is at what point Baywood Nurseries became an affected party with standing to sue and block the state from implementing the Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act of 2014. Put another way, to use the words of a Department of Health attorney, when did Baywood become “pregnant”? “Baywood was not pregnant on March 24,” DOH attorney Eduardo Lombard…

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Defense rests in Charlotte’s Web case; ruling to come down within 30 days

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The battle over the state’s Charlotte’s Web may come down to a snapshot in time. The question before administrative law Judge W. David Watkins is at what point did Baywood Nurseries become an affected party entitled to sue and block the state from implementing the Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act of 2014. Or, in the words of a Department of Health attorney, when did Baywood become pregnant? “Baywood was not pregnant on March 24,” DOH attorney Eduardo Lombard told Watkins. Lombard…

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