VOLUME 5 ISSUE 14
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“Footloose” at West Port High School
APRIL 5 - APRIL 11, 2024
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Sheriffs and state business group issue a report that crime “feels” lower in Florida By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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t least 40 sheriffs from across Florida, State Attorney General Ashley Moody, and a representative from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, gathered for a press conference at the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office today to issue a report touting the state’s superlative policy and results in combating crime. The report, compiled by the Florida Sheriff ’s Research Institute and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, sources most of its facts from outside media sources, including nearby Villages-News.com as well as Moody’s press releases. The report also contained the results of a survey performed by the Florida Sheriff ’s Association. According to the report, sheriffs in Florida and nationally were surveyed for feedback on crime. “The survey was distributed by the National Sheriff ’s Association and Major County Sheriffs of America and was conducted between November 16-30, 2023. A total of 148 responses were received: 47 from Florida sheriffs and 101 nationally, from 17 different states,” explains the report. Without providing specific crime statistic data, the survey found 40% of responding Florida sheriffs “believe” violent crime in the state has either decreased or stayed about the same (31%). On the other hand, 22% felt violent crime in their county had increased.
Public comment to be moved to end of meetings as city council refuses to vote on resolution. By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
T Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks during a press conference about the Building Stronger, Safer Cities research report at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
The poll also indicated that 72% of sheriffs were “satisfied” with their local State Attorney. Moody said some states are losing population to Florida due to increasing crime rates in areas where people don’t feel safe. Multiple times, the “Gazette” has reported on the nationwide glitch in crime reporting statistics as well as the “feeling”
among citizens that crime is increasing is prevalent across the country, according to a recent Gallup poll. However, when Moody was asked about the reliability of the nationwide and state crime statistics data and where the public could find reliable data to compare for themselves, she acknowledged that systems were under “remodel” but provided no public-facing data other than
Recreational pot going on ballot By Dara Kam Florida News Service
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divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday approved placing on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing recreational use of marijuana. Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana company, has spent more than $40 million on the effort to get the proposed constitutional amendment before voters. Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office urged the court to reject the measure, arguing it would be misleading to voters and was not limited to a single subject as required by Florida law. But the 5-2 decision, authored by Justice Jamie Grosshans, found that the proposal met the requirements under the
Ocala City Council protests continue, citizens demand support for ceasefire in Gaza
court’s limited review. “Our role is narrow— we assess only whether the amendment conforms to the constitutionally mandated single-subject requirement, whether the ballot summary meets the statutory standard for clarity, and whether the amendment is facially invalid under the federal Constitution. In light of those limited considerations, we approve the proposed amendment for placement on the ballot,” Grosshans wrote. The ruling drew immediate praise from marijuana companies and cannabis proponents. “We are thankful that the court has correctly ruled the ballot initiative and summary language meets the standards for single subject and clarity. We look forward to supporting this campaign as it heads to the ballot this fall,” Trulieve CEO
Kim Rivers said. The majority opinion rejected Moody’s argument that the proposal violated the single-subject requirement because it would both decriminalize and commercialize recreational marijuana. “Allowing businesses to distribute personaluse marijuana, and authorizing individuals to possess it, are logically and naturally related as part of a dominant plan or scheme. Legalization of marijuana presumes the product will be available for the consumer. Likewise, the sale of personal-use marijuana cannot be reasonably undertaken while possession is criminalized,” wrote Grosshans, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020. See Marijuana, page A2
the newly released report. During the press conference, a representative from the Florida Chamber of Commerce thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers for the decisions they have made for the “safety of all Floridians.” “We know all eyes are on Florida as a national model on how to do things right and the fact that more than 2,000 people are moving to Florida See Crime, page A7
he Ocala City Council voted to move the public comment section to the end of each council meeting after the fourth consecutive meeting during which numerous citizens have come forward to demand that the council pass a resolution to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Since the escalation of the IsraelPalestine conflict that occurred following a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, citizens have pleaded for the city council to approve a resolution in favor of ceasefire between the two entities. The attack by Hamas left about 1,200 citizens of Israel dead, according to Tel Aviv. In retaliation, the Israel Defense Force has killed over 32,000 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom have been women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been ongoing See Citizens, page A2
Supreme Court OK’s abortion limits, ballot initiative By Jim Saunders Florida News Service
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he Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected decades of legal precedents and upheld a law that will lead to preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy—but also cleared the way for voters to decide in November whether they want to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. The court issued two bombshell opinions that will dramatically restrict abortion in the coming months, while setting the stage for a fierce political fight in November. In a 6-1 decision, justices ruled that a privacy clause in the state Constitution does not protect abortion rights. That overturned legal precedents dating to 1989 and effectively gave the go-ahead to a six-week abortion limit that the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved last year. In a 4-3 decision, justices approved the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment that abortion-rights supporters hope to pass in November. That proposal says, in part: “No law
shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” The ruling on privacy rights will have the most-immediate impact. The case stemmed from a 2022 law that imposed a 15-week limit on abortions, but lawmakers last year also tied the six-week limit to the case. The 2023 law said the six-week limit would take effect 30 days after “a decision by the Florida Supreme Court holding that the right to privacy enshrined in … the State Constitution does not include a right to abortion.” In the 51-page majority opinion, Justice Jamie Grosshans wrote that the Constitution’s privacy clause does not address abortion and that voters did not understand it to include a right to abortion when they passed the clause in 1980. “The Privacy Clause of the Florida Constitution does not mention abortion or include a word or phrase that clearly incorporates it,” Grosshans wrote in the opinion joined by Chief Justice Carlos Muniz and Justices Charles See Abortion, page A3
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