On April 10th, 2024, Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter made comments critical of TPD Chief Revell related to a recent DUI case which resulted in guilty verdict. Porter addressed Chief Revell, noting she wanted to put on record that, “I don’t feel safe personally when I think about the chief of police making disparaging comments about me..” Additionally, Porter addressed the footage stating “As to the video, I was disturbed by what I saw. I was disturbed by the response from our Chief. I’m disturbed by the singling out of my colleague and a member of the public.” Porter continued, addre ..read more

Below are the news briefs that took place on April 9, 2024 during the Leon County School Board Meeting. Superintendent Hanna made a special presentation related to the new marketing campaign adopted by LCS. Hanna noted the campaign was needed because the current logo is “tired” and LCS is facing competition from alternative schools which are impacting LCS enrollment. The presentation included a video aimed at “telling our story.” Staff member Chelsea Williams provided the Board a presentation on the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant (CAP Grant) she wrote for two high schools ..read more

On Thursday, April 11th, Michelle Gayle, Ph.D., Deputy Superintendent, Leon County Schools (LCS) sent an email to elected officials to provide details related to the new LCS logo and marketing campaign. LCS has received some criticism related to the costs of the logo development. FloridaPolitics.com, a statewide news outlet, recently noted the controversy over the cost and the design, you ” can’t pay your teachers, but you can spend $100K for a logo designed in Microsoft Paint.” In the email, Gayle writes, “In our efforts to assist and equip you in effectively communicating the mission, vision ..read more

On April 10, 2024, the Tallahassee City Commission voted unanimously to introduce a new ordinance regarding school speed zone enforcement and scheduled its first public hearing for April 24, 2024. According to the agenda item, the ordinance was drafted in accordance with new statutory requirements to initiate the implementation of a school speed zone enforcement program at identified Leon County public school locations within the City limits to enhance public safety. Additionally, the new law allows municipalities to utilize automated speed detection systems, and the cost of the program will b ..read more

Below are the Tallahassee City Commission news briefs from the April 10, 2024 meeting. The Commission unanimously approved a new ordinance regarding school zone speed enforcement. The proposed ordinance was drafted in accordance with the statutory requirements to initiate the implementation of a school speed zone enforcement program at identified Leon County public school locations within the City limits to enhance public safety. The Commission unanimously approved a new ordinance that updates the Tallahassee Land Development standards related to street renaming activities to give the City Com ..read more

On April 9, 2024, the Leon County Schools (LCS) Superintendent Rocky Hanna debuted the district-wide rebranding campaign by presenting the new district logo along with a marketing video narrated by former LCS Superintendent Bill Montford. It has been more than 40 years since the district has rebranded. In a post made by LCS on Facebook, they state the new logo is a symbol of, “excellence, innovation, and diversity”. LCS also notes that, “Each line represents the strength of our five school districts coming together to form Leon County. At the heart of our mission is every individual child.” H ..read more

Below are the news briefs from the Leon County Commission meeting held on April 9th, 2024. After a lengthy discussion, the Board voted 5-2 to accept a status update on the implementation and ongoing efforts related to the Lake Munson Action Plan, as approved by the Board at the October 11, 2022, meeting and modified at the March 21, 2023, meeting, including an update on next steps following the anticipated conclusion of the drawdown in May.  As directed by the Board, these Action Plan updates shall occur every six months during the ongoing drawdown of Lake Munson and two years following t ..read more

On Tuesday the Tallahassee Police issued a press release related to the Riley DUI case. The release, provided below, provides links to the video footage of the incident. From TPD: On Monday, April 8, following a two-day trial, Calvin Riley Sr. was found guilty by a jury of his peers for driving under the influence. TPD respects the judicial process and commends the State Attorney’s Office for their efforts in presenting the case. The outcome of this trial highlights the importance of allowing the legal system to examine all aspects of a case. This is how we ensure justice is served. We remain ..read more

Following the jury’s guilty verdict in the controversial Riley DUI case, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell sent an email to TPD employees. Revell began with, “I’m sure you have heard by now, but the defendant in this case was found guilty of DUI.  Although they tried to discredit our officers and our department, the jury didn’t buy into the gross misrepresentation of the BWC (Body-Worn Camera) footage by Max Herrle and his tabloid journalism..” In the email, Revell also noted the “well-publicized assumption of wrongdoing by City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow.” On April 3rd, days befor ..read more

By TMH, FSU TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Monday, April 8, 2024) — Florida State University (FSU) and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) formalized their long-term partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will create a governance structure for a new academic health center in Tallahassee and a medical campus in Panama City Beach.  The MOU is intended to create a new not-for-profit corporation to jointly oversee major strategic, research and clinical education decisions for the two organizations. This new structure will help transform the future of health care in the ..read more