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Lake Wales man murders four
The Lake Wales Police Department has determined that Al Joseph Stenson murdered a woman and her three children yesterday. Just before 9 pm yesterday, officers responded to Dawnlight Drive in Sunrise Apartments in regards to a medical call. Officers arrived on scene and found a mother and her three children, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Detectives have obtained an arrest warrant for Stenson on four counts of 1st-degree murder. They have located Stenson and are actively working to take him into custody. The motive for the murders is unknown, however the victims and the suspect knew each other.
Andrew Warren goes to court
Attorneys for ousted Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren argued before a federal appeals court yesterday that he should be reinstated. Warren was suspended by Governor Ron DeSantis in August for saying he would not enforce some state laws regarding abortion or transgender health care. A federal judge ruled in Warren’s behalf earlier this year. But he said he did not have the authority to reinstate him.
“Don’t Say Gay” bill expansion
An expansion on what critics call the Don’t Say Gay bill was heard in the Florida Senate yesterday. A new provision to the bill garnered strong criticism from Democratic senators.
Florida Legislature approves radioactive bi-product for road construction
This week the Florida Legislature approved a bill that would let the state test using a waste product of phosphate production in the construction of roads. But the use of phosphogypsum in roads is already banned by the U.S. EPA. A number of Florida environmental groups signed on to a letter that urges the governor to veto the bill. A staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, Ragan Whitlock, was a guest on WMNF’s Tuesday Café yesterday. You can listen to WMNF’s Sean Kinane’s interview with him here.
Disney vs DeSantis cont.
The Florida Senate on Tuesday backed a measure that would lead to state oversight of Walt Disney World’s monorail system, as Governor Ron DeSantis’ fight with the entertainment giant continues to expand. DeSantis and Republican legislators have taken a series of steps targeting Disney since the company last year publicly opposed a law that restricts instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 26 to 14 to pass the bill, which includes requiring the Department of Transportation to inspect Disney’s monorail system. Senate Transportation Chairman Nick DiCeglie, says the monorail-inspection requirement is simply about safety.
Opponents of the plan, including State Senator Tina Polsky, criticized the measure, saying it’s just political retribution against the Walt Disney Company.
Disney and other large theme parks currently conduct their own safety inspections because of a carve-out from oversight in state law. The Department of Agriculture inspects amusement park rides except at facilities or parks that have more than 1,000 employees and full-time inspectors on staff. The House passed a version of the broad transportation bill last week, but the Senate made changes, meaning the measure will have to go back to the House for a final vote.
Florida Senate bill targets undocumented immigration
The Florida House yesterday passed a bill yesterday that would stiffen requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers, crack down on bringing undocumented immigrants into the state and require hospitals to collect data about whether patients are in the country legally. In part, the bill would require all businesses with 25 or more employees to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of workers. Among other things, the bill would also require hospitals to ask patients whether they are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally. Opponents of the bill, including House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, feel the legislation will hurt businesses and immigrants and is rooted in Governor Ron DeSantis’ political ambition. The bill passed the Senate last week, and Governor DeSantis has made it a priority during the 2023 legislative session.
Information from the Florida Public Radio network, News Service of Florida and Associated Press was used in this report.
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