The Florida Roundup | WLRN

Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent a lot of time in South Florida recently. He made several announcements across the region during his first week and a half in office. On Friday, DeSantis issued two executive orders that address South Florida's role in the dramatic elections recount last fall. They suspend Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher and acknowledge the resignation of former Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, who was challenging her suspension by former Gov. Rick Scott. And just a day after taking the oath of office, DeSantis appointed Judge Barbara Lagoa from Miami to the state Supreme Court. This week, he made his second judicial appointment, of Judge Robert Luck , who’s also from Miami. DeSantis also took action on the environment, signing a sweeping executive order that pledges $2.5 billion for Everglades restoration and creates a resiliency office meant to tackle sea-level rise, among other things. He’s also called for the resignation of the

Floridians passed Amendment 6 this past election . It was one of those bundled amendments that sandwiched together questions about judges with what’s known as Marsy’s Law. The law is a version of one that’s been passed in several states and adds a more detailed list of victims rights to the Florida constitution. Despite that detailed list, everyone from public defenders to sheriffs to Department of Corrections find the law to be vague. Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle supported Amendment 6. She was joined by host Tom Hudson on the South Florida Roundup, along with WLRN reporter Danny Rivero and Carolina Bolado , who covers Florida courts for Law360.com. KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE: My view of this is that it doesn't infringe. I think that the concern is it's going to be more work. WLRN: More work in terms of notifications? RUNDLE: In my office, we've been doing this for years. And so my view is more work? Well, you know what, that's O.K. The truth of the

Code Reds, hard corners, and arming teachers are some of the recommendations made by the state commission investigating the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The commission submitted its report to the state Legislature a day after the New Year. It’s more than 400 pages long and goes into detail about what led to Feb. 14th, 2018 – and what could be done to prevent a school shooting in the future. In the months after the shooting, Florida schools have worked to meet a new school safety law . It puts limits on gun access and mandates a school resource officer in every public school. Host Christine DiMattei fills in for Tom Hudson on the South Florida Roundup. She’s joined by WLRN reporters Jessica Bakeman and Caitie Switalski and Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union. Tracy Jackson , director of Broward County emergency services, also explained how the 911 response system works. WLRN: School should be a place of learning. A place of fellowship, a place of

Much of the past year in South Florida can be traced to Feb. 14, when tragedy struck the Parkland community. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School reignited the conversation around gun control and fueled a wave of youth activism across the country. Shooting survivors organized March For Our Lives rallies and challenged NRA-backed lawmakers . Listen: Anguish and Activism: The Students of Stoneman Douglas High The students’ message is ultimately about healing – epitomized in the original song “Shine” written by MSD drama club students Andrea Peña and Sawyer Garrity: “We’ll get back up again. You may have hurt us. But I promise we’ll be stronger and we’re not going to let you win. We’re putting up a fight.” The South Florida Roundup looked back at the story of Parkland and other major news from 2018. Host Tom Hudson spoke with a panel of editorial page editors from South Florida’s three major newspapers: The Miami Herald’s Nancy Ancrum, The Palm Beach Post’s Rick Christie

Better law enforcement and stronger school security are the big takeaways from the draft report released this week by the state commission investigating the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “We know that bad things will happen anywhere, and that no school is exempt," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who heads the commission, said at the commission meeting. "The idea that ‘it can’t happen to me’ is dangerous and for those who don’t take this seriously and genuinely, there should be consequences." The 407-page report lists where several Broward County agencies failed and makes recommendations to avoid another school shooting in the future. The final report is due New Year's Day. The idea to arm teachers isn't new. The state commission is asking lawmakers to expand the so-called “guardian program” that allows some school staff to carry firearms. "One of the more compelling things to me is that those teachers were defenseless sitting in those classrooms