UNCOVERED ABOUT THE DEEPER LIFE MINISTRIES. WE CAUGHT THE GROUP AS MEMBERS WERE COLLECTING MONEY FROM DRIVERS AT A LOCAL INTERSECTION. NOW WE’RE LEARNING IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A CHARITY PANHANDLING SCHEME. >>THE GROUP WAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF SOUTHSIDE BOULEVARD AND TOUCHTON ROAD. SCOTT IS THERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS. >>ROB, THEY WERE OUT HERE A FEW HOURS AND I SAW THEM RAISE A LOT OF MONEY. FOUR PEOPLE AT THE DIFFERENT MEDIANS, AT THE DIFFERENT PART OF THIS VERY BUSY INTERSECTION, AS YOU CAN SEE. THEY WERE RAISING MONEY UNTIL THE MOMENT WE GOT OUR CAMERA OUT. AND THEN THEY WERE OUT OF HERE. >>WE KNOW THE FOUR PEOPLE WERE COLLECTING MONEY FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS ON SOUTHSIDE BOULEVARD AND TOUCHTON ROAD. THEY WERE DRESSED NICELY. MEN WEARING SAFETY VESTS. THE BUCKETS THEY WERE HOLDING SAID THEY WERE RAISING MONEY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. WE DROVE PAST AND ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP TOLD ME THEY WERE COLLECTING MONEY FOR DEEPER LIFE MINISTRIES. SO WE PULLED OVER TO ASK FOR MORE DETAILS. WHEN OUR CAMERA WAS OUT, THE GROUP QUICKLY GOT OUT OF THERE. >>EXCUSE ME, SIR. I’M WITH CHANNEL 4, I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD ASK YOU A QUICK QUESTION. >>I TRIED TO FOLLOW ACROSS BUSY SOUTHSIDE BOULEVARD, I FOUND SOMEONE ACTUALLY BLOCKED THE GROUP IN AS THEY TRIED TO LEAVE. APPARENTLY ALSO WANTING TO KNOW WHAT THE GROUP WAS DOING. >>WE WERE DOING A STORY ON WHAT YOU FOLKS WERE RAISING MONEY FOR. >>WE’RE NOT TRYING TO GET ON THE NEWS. THEY ALWAYS SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT IT. SO WE DON’T TALK TO THE NEWS. >>YOU’RE RAISING MONEY FOR DEEPER LIFE MINISTRIES. >>AT THAT POINT THE WINDOW WAS UP AND HE ANSWERED NOTHING ELSE. I STARTED LOOKING INTO DEEPER LIFE MINISTRIES AND FOUND ACROSS FLORIDA MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS HAVE REPORTED ON A GROUP EITHER WITH THAT EXACT NAME OR SIMILAR NAME AND THEIR AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLING. I ALSO LEARNED THE GROUP DID NOT REQUEST A PERMIT FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, WHICH IS REQUIRED TO DO THIS. NEWS4JAX CRIME AND SAFETY ANALYST GILL SMITH MET ME AT THE INTERSECTION THAT SAID THE LACK OF SPECIFICS IS A CLUE THAT POLICE SHOULD GET INVOLVED. >>THEY DON’T NEED TO INVESTIGATE ANY FURTHER, JUST CONTACT POLICE, ALLOW THEM TO INVESTIGATE IT. BECAUSE THEY CAN CALL CITY HALL TO SEE IF THEY DO HAVE A PERMIT. AND IF THEY DON’T, THEN THEY CAN BE ARRESTED >>AND WE RESEARCHED THAT DEEPER LIFE MINISTRIES. THERE IS A GROUP WITH THAT NAME IN TAMPA. THEY’RE REGISTERED AS A NON-PROFIT. BUT NOT ALLOWED TO RECEIVE CHARITY UNDER THE FLORIDA REGULATIONS. NOW WE DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S THE SAME GROUP THAT WAS OUT HERE OR THEY JUST SAID THE SAME THING. I DON’T KNOW AT THIS POINT BECAUSE AS YOU SAW, THEY LEFT. WE’RE LIVE ON SOUTHSIDE BOULEVARD, SCOTT JOHNSON, CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION. >>SCOTT AT THIS POINT, ANY IDEA HOW MUCH MONEY THE GROUP WAS ABLE TO COLLECT? >>NO REAL WAY TO KNOW. BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY WERE OUT HERE AT LEAST FROM 11 TO 1. WHEN THEY SAW OUR CAMERAS. SO MINIMUM TWO HOURS. AND I SAW PEOPLE GIVING THEM MONEY
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