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WEBVTT GREG: RIDING A WAVE OF POPULARITY AFTER LEADING THE SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO MAKE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGAL IN FLORIDA, ATTORNEY JOHN MORGAN IS NOW RESPONDING TO A PETITION DRIVE THAT IS URGING VOTERS TO SUPPORT HIM FOR A RUN FOR GOVERNOR. THURSDAY MORNING HE TWEETED HIS APPRECIATION, THEN LISTED THE THINGS HE BELIEVES. HE THINKS MARIJUANA SHOULD BE DECRIMINALIZED, INMATES SERVING TIME FOR DRUG CONVICTIONS SHOULD BE RELEASED THE MINIMUM WAGE , SHOULD BE RAISED TO $15 AN HOUR, AND HE THINKS A GOVERNOR SHOULD SERVE JUST ONE TERM. IN A LATER TWEET, MORGAN WROTE "WE MIGHT DO THIS. GIVE ME SOME TIME." CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH: THESE ACTUALLY ARE THE TYPES OF ISSUES THAT EXCITE VOTERS. GREG: NEW STATE LAWMAKER CARLOS SMITH TELLS ME MORGAN'S BELIEFS WILL EXCITE VOTERS. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH: THE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS BY RUNNING PROGRESSIVES WHO HAVE BOLD IDE THAT GET PEOPLE EXCITED TO GET INTO THE POLITICAL FOLD. EDDIE FERNANDEZ: HE SEEMS TO BE THE DEFINITION OF A LIMOUSINE LIBERAL. GREG: WESH 2 NEWS REPUBLICAN POLITICAL EXPERT EDDIE FERNANDEZ SAYS MORGAN'S FUNDRAISING EXPERTISE AND SUCCESS WITH AMENDMENT 2 WOULD MAKE HIM A FORMIDABLE CANDIDATE. EDDIE FERNANDEZ: GETTING INTO THE GOVERNOR'S RACE IS NOT A BIG LEAP WITH HIS NAME ID. HE'S A KNOWN COMMODITY. NOW HE IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR, HE IS CERTAINLY SOMEONE TO BE RECKONED WITH IF HE IS SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. GREG: ACCORDING TO THE ORGANIZERS OF THE WEBSITE FORTHEGOVERNOR.COM, MORE THAN 2500 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED THE PETITION IN THE FIRST FOUR DAYS

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Prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan responded Thursday to the people calling for him to run for governor. Morgan recently bankrolled a campaign to get medical marijuana passed in Florida. Days after the passage of Amendment 2, an effort to draft John Morgan to run for governor was formed. Morgan responded for the first time in an open letter published online Thursday morning. Morgan said “the outpouring of encouragement to run for governor has been overwhelming and unexpected.” In the letter, Morgan outlined the topics he thinks will be most important for the next governor to tackle. Morgan wrote that he believes marijuana should be decriminalized, inmates in Florida’s jails or prisons serving time solely for possession of drugs should be released immediately, the minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour and Florida’s land, water and wildlife should be protected vigilantly. Morgan ended the letter by saying he is not ready to decide whether he is running or not, saying “the next chapter, I’m not sure of.” Gov. Rick Scott has to leave office in early 2019 due to term limits. "America doesn’t feel like it’s getting ahead, they don’t feel like they are getting a fair shake, things like minimum wage. Think of what that would do to raise minimum wage in Florida, to $15 an hour, what that would do for people’s lives. That's real. That’s something tangible that I would like to do," Morgan said while speaking with WESH 2 News Thursday evening. "He seems to be the definition of a "limousine liberal. (But) getting into the Governor's race is not a big leap with his name ID. He's a known commodity. Now if he is running for governor he is certainly someone to be reckoned with if he is serious about this," former Orange County Clerk and WESH 2 News political analyst Eddie Fernandez said. "According to the organizers of the website ForTheGovernor.com, more than 2,500 people have signed the petition in the first four days and another 1,000 people have responded through social media.