TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Bar filed an emergency motion Wednesday asking the state Supreme Court to give prison inmates another year to file applications for DNA testing that might clear them.
The current deadline for seeking such tests is Oct. 1.
Law students and volunteer attorneys have screened nearly 700 cases since 1999. But there is a backlog of about 500 cases still to be investigated, according to the petition by the Bar's Florida Criminal Procedure Rules Committee.
No one on the backlog list has a death sentence. Unlike other prisoners, death row inmates have attorneys working on their cases from the time they're sentenced, so any who wanted the tests have met the deadline.
But since most state prisoners don't have lawyers, records and documents must be collected and reviewed in their cases. That's more time-consuming, according to the petition.
Willie Meggs, president of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, said the group opposes a blanket extension but would be flexible on individual cases.
Polk commissioners reject "Toughman' restrictions
BARTOW - Polk County commissioners voted 3-2 Wednesday against an ordinance that would have put restrictions on amateur boxing events staged in bars.
The proposed regulations were drafted in response to the death of Stacy Young, who died in June after being severely beaten during a mismatched "Toughman" bout in Sarasota.
Commissioners were considering an ordinance that would have required such things as an ambulance on hand at the fight venue and fighter signups a week in advance to prevent mismatches. However, the ambulance requirement was dropped before the vote. Also eliminated was a requirement to have a defibrillator on hand.
Young, who attended the Toughman competition with her husband and children, was killed after she agreed on a whim to fight a woman with boxing training.
Jet to replace oldest airplane in state fleet
TALLAHASSEE - The state agreed Wednesday to buy a Cessna Citation Bravo airplane to replace the oldest of three planes in the fleet of aircraft used by the governor and other officials.
Department of Management Services Secretary Bill Simon said the state will pay $5.3-million for the light jet. He said the plane was chosen over two others: a jet made by Raytheon Aircraft that was priced a little lower but is a new model without a proven safety record; and a Learjet 40, considered too expensive at $6.8-million.
The new plane will replace a propeller-driven 1976 King Air.
Simon said the decision to buy a jet was primarily a safety one, because it can fly above the weather. A plane carrying the governor was struck by lightning in February, punching a hole in its wing.
The deal with Cessna, of Wichita, Kan., also includes training for the state's pilots and a guarantee that the plane's operating cost will not exceed a certain amount.
Simon said the plane likely will be put in use by November.
Group files Bar complaint over donations to Penelas
TALLAHASSEE - A group filed a Florida Bar complaint Wednesday against Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas over contributions he accepted for his U.S. Senate campaign.
The complaint filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington questions $49,000 in contributions received in one day from 41 CarePlus Medical Centers Inc., employees and their spouses.
The complaint is similar to one filed by U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Penelas illegally coerced donations from the Coral Cables health care company. Deutsch is also seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat now held by Bob Graham.
Penelas has disputed the accusations and responded Wednesday by saying, "It seems to me to be another of these public relations stunts that have become common in this campaign."
A Miami Herald columnist reported March 30 that a CarePlus executive sent an e-mail to company physicians and executives asking for donations of $1,000 to Penelas' campaign, which had not yet opened a campaign account.
