ABC Action News I-Team

“For the love of serving the country and for the love of defending the Constitution...It's difficult to explain what reasoning they used to justify my deportation."

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3Wl1k2F

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

U.S. Veteran deported after serving his country They came to our country to serve and protect America for the promise of becoming U.S. citizens. But instead, some veterans say, America abandoned them.

“She means everything to me. I just want to be a grandma."

Florida law only lets grandparents petition for visitation in very limited circumstances.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3S6UoF4

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

After daughter’s death, grandma shocked at limitations of grandparent rights in Florida She lost her daughter to addiction, now a Tampa Bay woman fears losing her only grandchild to a state law she believes strips grandparents of their rights when an adult parent dies.

Florida veteran fights for citizenship, claims US recruited him into military under false promises

“This problem is so big that the federal government itself doesn't even know the scope of the problem.”

Update to a story we first aired last week after it helped get this man some attention.

ARTICLE: https://bit.ly/3zLwUPm

ORIGINAL STORY: https://bit.ly/3LhT26H

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

The story of a Florida veteran denied US citizenship attracts nationwide attention A Florida veteran who served our country honorably but is being denied U.S. citizenship captures nationwide interest. Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone continues her coverage.

A new law has the potential to impact millions of Floridians who live in HOA communities...

New Florida law prohibiting HOAs from passing parking restrictions could affect millions A new Florida law that goes into effect on July 1 prohibits HOAs from passing laws that prevent parking of most work trucks and personal vehicles in driveways.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/teachers-say-they-were-attacked-by-students-at-residential-juvenile-detention-facility-where-girl-died

Teachers say they were attacked by students at residential juvenile detention facility where girl died Last week, we reported that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice shut down Lake Academy in Tampa after a girl died there late last month.

These are calls to Lake Academy, a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice facility that serves girls between the ages of 12 and 18 who have been convicted of crimes and have mental health issues. A 17-year-old girl died there last month. We have uncovered there were 195 calls in three years, many for assaults, child abuse and s*x offense cases. This is just one of 10 pages of calls to the facility, which had been run by a private contractor TrueCore Behavioral Solutions, LLC until the state announced they canceled the contract Tuesday.

"I love America. This is not fair.”

Another Floridian learns she’s not a U.S. citizen nearly 60 years after moving to the U.S.

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Another Floridian learns she’s not a U.S. citizen nearly 60 years after moving to the U.S. Another Floridian shared a story with Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone about how she just learned she’s not a US citizen nearly 60 years after moving here with her parents.

Another sad guardianship story...

Star high school athlete placed in guardianship after head injury faces possible deportation A star high school athlete who was placed in guardianship after suffering a major head injury could face eviction or deportation after money from settlement runs out

“It’s a mess until they fix it."

Private school owners in Florida told Katie LaGrone FL Investigates that they are still dealing with payment delays for the school voucher program.

Some school owners say Florida voucher program problems remain After payment delays caused a rough rollout of Florida's expanded school voucher program, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone reports on where things stand today for schools and families.

When fiction is almost as scary as truth! Coming up tonight, we interview the executive producer of a Lifetime Network movie about the dangers of court-ordered guardianship.

Lifetime movie "The Bad Guardian" based on real accounts of guardianship abuse A new Lifetime movie titled "The Bad Guardian" gives a fictional portrayal of the dangers of an exploitative guardianship based on real stories, according to the film's executive producer.

“I was blindsided”

More than 60 years after moving to the U.S., Florida man discovers he’s not here legally

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3wC186d

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

More than 60 years after moving to the U.S., Florida man discovers he’s not here legally He spent his entire life living and working in America, but when it came time to collect his Social Security retirement benefits, a Florida man got a surprise when he was told he was not here legally.

Out of control. Extreme. Absolutely ridiculous.

Fighting and staff fearing for their safety. It’s student behavior teachers describe as becoming all too normal on school campuses across Florida.

WARNING: Some of the videos in the story may be offensive to some.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3JL2wGJ

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Some Florida teachers describe student behavior as “out of control" Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone explores what "out of control" student behavior looks like and how it's impacting Florida teachers and their careers.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/woman-shot-with-97-pieces-of-birdshot-by-neighbor-while-standing-in-her-own-yard

Woman shot with 97 pieces of birdshot by neighbor while standing in her own yard A Pasco County woman was shot by her neighbor with a shotgun while standing in her own yard and hit with 97 pieces of birdshot. He said it was an accident and was charged with a misdemeanor.

A sad story affecting local seniors...

More than 100 people evicted from senior care facility due to bankruptcy More than 100 senior citizens and Unisen Senior Living were given eviction notices after the non-profit declared bankruptcy, owing more than $100 million.

Florida is less than two weeks away from joining a short list of U.S. states restricting abortion care to 6 weeks.

Using data collected by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization committed to advancing s*xual & reproductive health & rights globally, Katie LaGrone FL Investigates looks at where Florida might be trending when the ban takes effect.

ARTICLE |

Trends from other states show what Florida can expect with a 6-week abortion ban As Florida’s 6-week abortion ban looms, our investigative team wanted to know what Florida can expect using data from states that have already implemented similar restrictions.

We continue to look into issues with guardianship in Florida.

Family fight over money lands Florida woman under state court control A woman who was declared incapacitated and lost her rights during a family feud over money complained to the I-Team about Florida's guardianship system.

The president of New College of Florida, Richard Corcoran, received a big bump in bonus pay yesterday.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3UfSR0Q

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran receives $200,000 bonus, bumping salary to $900,000 The president of the New College of Florida is about to get a $200,000 bump in bonus pay. This is on top of his annual salary.

“I’m not trying to convince teachers to leave, I’m helping those who want change.”

Online subscription-based program offers a step-by-step approach to helping educators switch careers.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3xwUped

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Florida woman starts company to help teachers switch careers Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone shares the story of how one woman is helping some of the teachers who have left the classroom in Florida to find a new start.

A recent Katie LaGrone FL Investigates I-team investigation is now prompting one Florida school board member with the Sarasota School District to speak up and act.

ARTICLE |

Florida school board member wants to formalize teacher exit interviews Nearly 10% of Florida teachers left the classroom last year as the state-wide great resignation continues.

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates obtained firsthand sentiments like these through a public records request following our investigation in January, which found last school year, more than 18,000 Florida teachers left their districts.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3TYgxGO

A follow-up to a story from January about issues with a local construction company.

Employees of local construction company say they didn't get paid Employees of a construction company that is currently under investigation by the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board say they haven't been paid for all their work.

A digital short of a very sad story we reported earlier this week...

Homeless Florida man paralyzed after arrest and police transport #abcactionnews #florida #arrest

A glimpse into how hard it is for an average citizen in Florida to get a law changed when you're NOT backed by big business and special interest.

“You’d like my help? Then tell her to be respectful!” A Florida lawmaker threatened to pull his support to end FL’s free kill law because he didn’t like my question!

Check out the moment he didn't want us to show you!!

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Average citizens face an uphill battle against interest groups to get laws changed in Florida As Florida’s 2024 legislative session ends, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone shows a side of Florida’s law-making process the public rarely gets to see.

Another guardianship story from Florida...

Florida guardian suspended amid reports of 'hacker activity,' missing Mercedes, and excessive spending A Florida professional guardian was suspended from 34 cases after an auditor and court monitor identified missing money and evidence she violated the state guardianship law.

Florida Department of Education survey shows Florida teens are resilient but still struggle with mental health.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3OF32ZL

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Youth advocates concerned about Florida's new teen health survey results Florida has released the results from its new health survey for teens. Investigative reporter Katie LaGrone explains that the results have teen advocates concerned about what the state is excluding.

In Polk County, at least 450 red-flag petitions have been filed against minors, some as young as 8 and 9 years old, who can't even buy a gun anyway.

It even leaves their personal information available to the public, which before this law was enacted, was not the case.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3Spfe1O

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Florida's red flag law is being used on kids as young as 8 and 9 years old A state law that temporarily stops potentially dangerous people from buying or possessing a gun is being used against children as young as 8 and 9 years old.

More than 12,000 risk protection orders have been granted since 2018 in Florida but gun-related deaths remain on the rise.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3UsCnmH

Watch tonight at 5:30pm to see Sheriff Grady Judd's answer to Katie LaGrone FL Investigates when she asked why Polk County was issuing them to juveniles as young as 8 years old.

Despite Florida's red flag law, gun-related deaths remain on the rise Nearly six years after Florida’s red flag law took effect to help curb gun violence in the state, data shows the number of gun-related deaths is still trending up.

Florida Senator Clay Yarborough called it a compromise that would help families seek justice but not at the expense of scaring away doctors from rising medical malpractice claims.

Committee mate, Senator Lauren Book said, “I’m not sure trading one injustice for another is the right way to go."

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3OdSn7X

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Bill aims to end Florida’s ‘free kill’ law, but would add caps to how much victims could get Florida lawmakers began debating a bill that could finally end a Florida law that has stopped some families from being able to sue over deadly medical mistakes, but it comes with a costly catch.

Bridget Ziegler isn’t going anywhere, at least that’s the message she appears to want the public to know.

ARTICLE | https://bit.ly/3tPfX4e

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates

Bridget Ziegler shows no signs she’s planning to step down from school board amid s*x scandal An embattled Florida school board member is digging her heels in, refusing to step down despite her involvement in a s*x scandal that left her board colleagues seeking her resignation.

New data released by Florida's Department of Education shows last year, the number of teachers who left the classroom was slightly down from record-high resignations the year prior.

Katie LaGrone FL Investigates found some of the reasons driving teachers out.

New state data reveals slight dip in Fla. teachers leaving, but reasons why vary New data released by Florida’s Department of Education shows last year, the number of teachers who left the classroom was slightly down from record high resignations the year prior.