The Florida Roundup | WLRN

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

Three Florida lawmakers want to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions. They have recently introduced legislation, called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act , which would charge $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide produced by oil refineries and coal producers. The fee would then increase by $10 per metric ton each year. A carbon fee is different from a carbon tax. The money from this fee would be given to taxpayers in a kind of dividend to offset the increased cost of fossil fuels. The bill aims to decrease total carbon emissions by 33 percent in a decade, and cut them by 90 percent by 2050. WLRN asked listeners what they thought about the proposal, which has bipartisan sponsorship. “I’m in favor," wrote Cathy Diaz. "Every family and corporate entity should do their part to curb climate change for as long as possible." Lancelot Rivas, who lives in the Forest Lakes community in southwest Miami-Dade County, is opposed. “I'm against it. I don’t believe it would do enough to