FEATURED
STORIES
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson To Governor Rick Scott: "Call A Special Session"
By Ryan Benk
WFSU Tallahassee
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson isn’t happy about the Florida Legislature concluding its 2013 session without reaching a deal on expanding healthcare coverage under the Federal Affordable Healthcare Act.
5 biggest questions of the 2013 session answered
By Gary Fineout
The Fine Print
So closing the loop from two months ago, here's the 5 biggest questions of the 2013 session answered (and with some thoughts about what happens next):
FEC fines 3 men, 2 Tampa companies for illegal contributions to Rep. Vern Buchanan
By Susan Taylor Martin
Tampa Bay Times
The Federal Election Commission has fined three men and two Tampa companies a total of $16,000 for illegal campaign contributions to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.
Political leaders fill Allied Veterans' defense witness list
Associated Press
Tampa Bay Times
Some of Florida's top political and law enforcement leaders are named as defense witnesses for a Jacksonville lawyer charged with being the mastermind behind a veterans' charity that prosecutors say was actually a gambling operation.
Marco Rubio's task: selling immigration reform to GOP faithful
By Lisa Mascaro
Los Angeles Times
Wearing a 2010 vintage Marco Rubio campaign T-shirt and matching button, Cheryl Griffin spewed frustration that the man she helped win a long-shot conservative bid for Senate is now leading an immigration overhaul.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Five Most Important Florida Bills That Failed
By Terrence McCoy
Miami New Times
Related: The Nine Most Attention-Grabbing Bills in the Florida Legislature
The Florida Legislature is kind of like that family friend who comes and crashes your pad for two weeks, rearranges everything in your cupboards, tells you exactly what kind of person you are, and then leaves so you can live in the mess they just created.
Report: Firing of Citizens investigators not retaliation
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
Last October, four corporate investigators at Citizens Property Insurance Corp. were called into a conference room, asked to sit down, and told their services would no longer be needed.
POLITICAL
RACES
Spotlight intensifies on race for Democrat Patrick Murphy’s congressional seat
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
More clarity and more question marks emerged Tuesday for Republicans hoping to unseat freshman U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, in a Palm Beach-Treasure Coast district expected to draw national attention in 2014.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
2013 Session Summary: Real Estate and Growth Management
Staff Report
Florida Current
When sweeping growth management law changes passed in 2011, the Legislature eliminated most state oversight of local land-use decisions.
Assaulting the environment
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
At a time when Marion and other counties in Florida are looking to tourism, especially ecotourism, to give their wounded economies a needed boost, the Florida Legislature has sent anti-environmental legislation to Gov. Rick Scott that would not only harm our woods and water, but also would have negative long-term economic impact on the state.
Florida's Springs: Talking in Opposite Directions
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
There have been two distinct conversations going on about Florida's freshwater springs.
All hail Florida’s supertrail
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Florida lawmakers have spent so much time the past few years grappling with huge budget deficits, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and other divisive issues that residents have every right to wonder where the fun has gone.
LGBT
Martin Gill, son in Washington as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen reintroduces Every Child Deserves a Family Act
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) will announce bicameral introduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, legislation that would open more homes to foster children by working with states to end discrimination against adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status.
Delaware Senate OKs marriage equality; state's governor immediately sign into law
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Just after the Delaware Senate passed marriage-equality legislation, Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law.
EDUCATION
Scott stops by to praise teachers, pitch raises on his 'victory tour'
By Leslie Postal and Lauren Roth
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott praised Florida's public-school teachers Tuesday during a visit to Ocoee Middle School, one of five stops on his weeklong "victory tour" to celebrate teacher raises.
2013 Session Summary: Education
Staff Report
Florida Current
Lawmakers made changes to high school graduation requirements to emphasize career training.
FAMU hires new band director, but Marching 100's return still uncertain
By Tia Mitchell
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida A&M University announced that alum Sylvester Young will be the new director of the school's Marching 100 band.
UF not tracking dropped courses, federal audit finds
By Jeff Schweers
Gainesville Sun
The University of Florida has changed its grading policies after an audit discovered that some instructors were not tracking students who dropped out of classes after they received financial aid.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Eight things you may not have known were in the Florida budget
News Service of Florida
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
>From alligators to orange juice, the budget passed by the Florida Legislature has some surprising items contained within it.
Senator asks for veto of fast foreclosure bill
By Kim Miller
Palm Beach Post
Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, sent a letter today to Gov. Rick Scott asking him to veto the fast-track foreclosure bill that passed during the final week of the 2013 legislative session.
House Speaker Will Weatherford fires back at Miami Dolphins
By Ben Volin
Palm Beach Post
The Miami Dolphins’ owner and top executive have spent the better part of five days blasting House Speaker Will Weatherford since their bid for public funds to renovate Sun Life Stadium died on the House floor Friday night in Tallahassee.
Coke plans major expansion of Fla. orange groves
By Tamara Lush
Associated Press
The Coca-Cola Co. said Tuesday that it is spending $2 billion to support the planting of 25,000 acres of new orange groves in Florida, a move officials are lauding as a major investment in the Sunshine State's citrus industry.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Get Florida's House in order over Medicaid expansion
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
While Florida lawmakers celebrated Friday's conclusion of a fairly smooth regular session well orchestrated by Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, the representatives in the lower chamber failed Florida by rejecting Medicaid money.
Bondi enlists Florida businesses to help fight human trafficking
By Rochelle Koff
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Attorney General Pam Bondi is turning to Florida businesses to expand her “zero tolerance” campaign to crack down on human trafficking in the state, which has seen an increase of teen runaways, the homeless and immigrants as prime victims.
IMMIGRATION,
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Rubio meets with conservatives who want immigration bill to move to the right
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Rubio sharply critical of Heritage study
Sen. Marco Rubio this afternoon met with more than two dozen conservatives, from religious leaders to tea party activists, who offered an array of suggestions on how to make the immigration bill more palatable to Republicans.
JUSTICE
AND THE COURTS
2013 Session Summary: Law Enforcement and Justice
Staff Report
Florida Current
Florida legislators didn't do anything about guns or touch the state's much-discussed "stand your ground" law during the 2013 session.
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