Préstamo VA en Hillsborough, FL

In an inspiring move towards civic engagement, students from Hillsborough County are taking their legislative ideas to the state level, with four student-proposed bills set to be presented in the upcoming legislative session in Tallahassee.

These young advocates are determined to make Florida a safer place through their innovative proposals.

The students, who participated in Hillsborough County Schools' "Ought to Be a Law" competition, have researched pressing issues ranging from helmet requirements for e-scooter and bike riders to banning cosmetic animal testing.

Their efforts have caught the attention of local state representatives, who are proudly sponsoring these bills.

What are the student-proposed bills?

One of the standout proposals comes from Brooklyn Weathers and Jesmia Marrero of Sumner High School in Riverview. Their bill seeks to create an exception to Florida's two-party consent law, allowing domestic violence survivors to record their abuse for use in court.

"If you or I were being abused in the comfort of our home, we could not record our abuser and use that video in court as evidence, because, more than likely, the other person would not consent to that. So lots of evidence is deemed inadmissible," explained Weathers.

"We would like to propose a third exemption to this law when domestic violence survivors think that they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, that they are allowed to record and that these recordings can be used in court, so that we have higher case resolution. Because as of right now, we only have a 34% case resolution," she said.

Representative Susan Valdes has committed to sponsoring this bill, recognizing its potential to give victims a voice.

"I think I found my bill, thank you girls," Valdes remarked, highlighting the importance of the proposed legislation.

Dig deeper:

Valdes is also backing a bill from Freedom High School in Tampa that is aimed at protecting teen riders by raising the legal helmet age for e-bikes and scooters. The proposal resonates with students who have witnessed the consequences of e-scooter accidents firsthand.

"I feel like it resonated with me, because I did have a friend who was in an e-scooter accident, and unfortunately he did get hit, and it was pretty bad," said Marrero.

Additional bills from East Bay High School in Gibsonton and Sickles High School in Tampa have also gained legislative support. East Bay's proposal focuses on strengthening truancy enforcement, while Sickles High advocates for a ban on cosmetic animal testing in Florida.

Marrero expressed her excitement about collaborating with like-minded peers, stating, "It was so cool to sit in the room with other people just like me in high school, and they have such brilliant ideas."

What's next:

The Sumner team emphasizes that their initiative transcends political boundaries.

"Both parties seemed very confident and passionate about this topic, and I feel like that is something in me just to see that there was no side-choosing, no bias, and that it just appealed to both parties," said Weathers.

As these students prepare to draft their bills with their sponsors, they remain hopeful about the impact their efforts could have.

"I'm more so excited, not for myself to get to experience it, that I’m helping so many people if this truly passes," said Weathers.

Several other bills pitched during the competition are being connected with lawmakers for potential advancement, showcasing the breadth of ideas generated by these young minds. Stay tuned as these student-driven initiatives make their way through the legislative process, potentially paving the way for meaningful change in Florida.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during interviews with two students involved in one of the proposed bills.

The Brief

One hundred and seventy-one people were arrested, and one teenage girl was rescued during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s "Operation Unmasking Predators."

The backstory:

In July, Sheriff Chronister met with investigators and asked them to focus their efforts on individuals who want to exploit children in the community for sex.

"There were times when we posed as a person trying to purchase sex with a child," Chronister said. "There were times as we were advertising that we had the child available for the purchase of sex."

He wanted to concentrate those efforts through Halloween.

"The individuals who tried to hide under the concealment of the darkness in the dark web, a light was shined upon them because of these investigators," Chronister said.

By the numbers:

The sheriff noted that there are 175 sexual predators under supervised release in the community and each one of them was in compliance and reminded that they cannot participate in any Halloween activities.

"That’s 171 individuals who met the fate of an undercover detective and was placed under arrest," Chronister explained. "That was 171 potential children in this community who would have been exploited and their lives changed forever."

During a press conference on Thursday morning, Chronister highlighted four of what he referred to as the more egregious cases.

Dig deeper:

He spoke of Chamberlain High School JRTOC instructor Robert Hess, who the sheriff said agreed to meet an undercover detective he believed was a 15-year-old girl and pay $140 to have protected sex for 30 minutes with her.

Hillsborough County Schools said Hess was fired on October 3, 2025, and he had been employed with the district since 2008, and had no prior disciplinary issues.

Chronister went on to talk about another suspect who thought he was going to have sex with a 15-year-old child, but got spooked and took off.

"Detectives wisely didn’t pursue the fleeing suspect because they didn’t want to put this community in danger, but their pursuit to arrest this individual was relentless; they didn’t stop," Chronister explained. "They knew where he lived, so they went to his house and set up on his home. He sees law enforcement again and he flees."

HCSO put up its aviation unit to track him.

Video showed the suspect driving erratically and striking an innocent bystander before flipping his car while trying to escape.

The sheriff also talked about Frank Corso, 69, who he described as a monster.

"I don’t know how else to describe him," Chronister said. "This is what keeps us up at night. This is what movies are made of."

Chronister said investigators got a tip that Corso had child porn, so they went to his home and seized his computer with a search warrant.

"This monster. This demented individual was in possession of one million pornographic images and videos of children," the sheriff stated. "As if you felt it couldn’t get worse – his daughter and her four children, young children, live under the same roof as this individual."

The last case he spoke about involved the rescue of a 17-year-old girl.

The sheriff said the teen was living in a motel with her mother and sibling.

The suspect, according to Chronister, befriended the teen and convinced her they could make money together.

"He decided he was going to traffic this poor 17-year-old child. He charges $400 to have unprotected sex with this 17-year-old child," Chronister shared. "But, he’s not a horrible person. He lets her keep $40 for every sexual encounter that he forces her to have."

The suspect teamed up with another man.

"They decide that it can be even more profitable if the two of them protect her and schedule even more appointments, so they can put more money in their pockets," Chronister explained.

Undercover detectives saw an advertisement and scheduled an appointment and rescued the teen.

One suspect was arrested immediately, while the other one took off and was arrested a short time later.

What's next:

The sheriff added that the agency’s efforts will be ramped up leading into Halloween night.

The Source: This article was written with information provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office during a news conference Thursday morning.