An audit of the Tallahassee Police Department’s (TPD) use of force policy found TPD’s policy aligns with best practices but made three recommendations that could enhance the policy. In response to many high-profile events across the nation which have raised concerns about the use of force by law enforcement agencies, the City Commission directed the […]
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The four day celebration combines family, friends, football, food, and traditions. The seasonal decorations and putting the leaf in the dinner table adds to to the anticipation of seeing friends and family together for the first time in months and in some cases, more than a year. Lately, one of […]
A review of data tabulated by Florida school districts and provided to the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) shows that the Leon County out-of-school suspension rate in 2021-22 was 11.0%. This rate is 80% higher than the statewide rate of 6.1%. The out-of-school suspension rate was calculated by dividing the number of annual out-of-school suspensions […]
The Leon County Commission voted 6-1 to move forward with an ordinance that would prohibit solicitation and panhandling on private property, but did not address such activities in the median of roadways. Currently, private property owners and lessees in Tallahassee-Leon County must request an individual be trespassed off of their property or a blanket trespass […]
Text messages obtained by Tallahassee Reports show that a discussion between a campaign contributor and Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe during a September 21, 2023 Blueprint meeting concluded that the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency attorney – Susan Dawson – was “absolutely awful.” Dawson began serving as the Blueprint Attorney on November 7, 2019. She received her […]
Tallahassee City Attorney Cassandra Jackson has given notice of her intent to resign from the position of City Attorney effective November 24. She will continue to serve as an employee/consultant through June 1, 2024 – her planned retirement date – to ensure a smooth transition. According to the proposed employment agreement, in her new position […]
A recent million gallon sewage spill on October 1st – in the area of Capital Circle NE and Mahan Drive – has raised concerns among some residents about the City of Tallahassee underground utility infrastructure. Terry Ryan the co-founder of Tallahassee Sewage and Wakulla Basin Advocacy Group and Steve Schaefer, the manage of the City of […]
A recent speaker at the October 24th, 2023 Leon County School Board brought up the issue of student absenteeism. The speaker explained that there are over 12,000 students in Leon County public schools who are missing weeks of school. Her recommendations to the Board were to examine how policy and practices affect student attendance, consider […]
Human Needs Go Unserved, Livelihoods Ruined When the Tallahassee City Commission voted in 2014 to move the homeless shelter from Tennessee Street to the current location off of West Pensacola Street, there was hope that the change would address a number of problems. During the transition, proponents said the shelter was a state-of-the-art facility that […]
Just weeks after the grand opening of the Tallahassee Amazon fulfillment center, City Commissioner Jack Porter – who was the only no vote on the project – stated in a social media post that she would vote no again. Porter’s statement was posted as a comment on a social media post that was critical of […]