LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A candidate for Florida Senate this August is facing charges of grand theft in Orange County involving a homeowner’s association, with a trial scheduled to start in September.

Cheryl Blancett, 63, is facing charges that stem from a years-long investigation into the theft of nearly $48,000 from a homeowners association for a neighborhood in east Orange County. According to the arrest report, the officers for the Sawgrass Estates HOA hired Blancett to manage their subdivision from April 2018 to August 2019.

The investigators accuse Blancett of intermingling the HOA funds with her personal funds, using money for personal expenses and purchases that were not approved HOA expenses.

They believe Blancett ended up taking $47,22.34 from the HOA. She has pleaded not guilty.

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Blancett is running to be the Republican candidate in the Florida Senate District 13 race, representing parts of Orange and Lake counties. She is on the ballot as “CJ” Blancett.

She faces businessman Bowen Kou and outgoing Florida House Rep. Keith Truenow in the Republican primary on Aug. 20. Kou is currently suing the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee for libel over a political mailer that questions whether he and his donors have any ties to the Chinese government (Kou is an American citizen). The mailer was sent out on Truenow’s behalf and cites his approval.

The winner of the Aug. 20 primary will face Democrat Stephanie Dukes in November.

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FLORIDA – A new law that just went into effect this week means state and federal law are the lay of the land – and counties and cities don’t get a say.

That’s at least when it comes to protections for people working outside.

More than 200 workers died in the United States from heat-related illness last year. It’s the leading weather-related cause of death for workers.

Under this new law, corporations can have their own rules about rest and water breaks, but cities and counties aren’t allowed to have their own regulations about those protections.

Florida has the highest population of temporary agricultural workers in the nation. We have the third-highest number of construction workers in America. Lots of people here work outdoors.

But a new law that just kicked into effect July 1st could mean fewer regulations for people who work outside.

HB 433 says cities and counties can no longer make their own rules when it comes to heat exposure requirements.

Adriana Rivera with the Florida Immigrant Coalition is worried the law could lead to more deaths.

“This law is so sad because it really puts at risk some of the most vulnerable workers that we have in our state,” Rivera.

Under the law, standards to control an employee’s heat or exposure to the sun could include things like mandatory water breaks, signage warning employees about heat exposure, and even “appropriate first-aid measures or emergency responses related to heat exposure.”

Local governments can’t regulate that.

They have to defer to state or federal law.

Representative Rick Roth co-authored the bill.

“We’ve never been in favor of local government regulating us if you’re already being regulated,” he said.

Rep. Roth says he’s been in the farming industry his whole life.

“I’m a little bit insulted that some government bureaucrat thinks they need to help me take care of my employees.”

But not everyone is comfortable leaving things up to corporations.

“Corporations do not care about us,” said Rivera.

Yesica Ramirez with the Farmworker Association of Florida agrees.

“Our hands are completely tied, our community already has many rights violations in this type of work,” said Ramirez

Something else happened this week too, though.

The Biden Administration just proposed a new rule that would require employers to mitigate heat hazards.

If it passes, it kicks in once the “feels like” temperature hits 80 degrees.

When the heat index reaches 90 degrees, employers would have to provide 15-minute paid rest periods every 2 hours.

The federal rule would also give an acclimation period for workers who aren’t used to working in the heat.

Whether it passes is still an “if” though.

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote yes or no on an initiative to legalize marijuana for adults 21 years old and older.

Amendment 3 would also allow individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana, with up to five grams in the form of concentrate (see full text of the ballot amendment below).

Allows adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise; allows Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, and other state licensed entities, to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute such products and accessories. Applies to Florida law; does not change, or immunize violations of, federal law. Establishes possession limits for personal use. Allows consistent legislation. Defines terms. Provides effective date.

The amendment—which can only pass if at least 60% of voters vote “yes”—arrives eight years after Florida voters approved the use of medical marijuana in the state.

Supporters of the bill include Smart & Safe Florida and billboard-dominating lawyer John Morgan, citing potential tax revenue and safety for purchasers who won’t have to buy weed from un-regulated sources.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for his part, has vowed to fight the passage of Amendment 3, and said, “we cannot have every town smelling like marijuana.”

Three guests joined The Skinny to discuss Amendment 3 and more.

• Carlos Hermida Founder of Chillum Mushroom & Hemp
• Christopher Cano Board of Directors at NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
• Pete Sessa Co-Founder of Cannadelic and the Florida Cannabis Coalition