FEATURED STORIES
Amid scandal after scandal, Florida Legislature considers ethics reformBy John Frank
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee BureauRelated editorial: Legislature must act to clean up Florida government
For the first time since the blistering indictment of former House Speaker Ray Sansom and the legislative process as a whole, the buzzword in this town is ``transparency.''
Lawmakers prepare for more cutting By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-JournalFlorida will be ringing in a new legislative session Tuesday, but what you hear from Tallahassee may sound like an echo of last year.
Marco Rubio says double-billing of nearly $3,000 for flights was 'mistake'By Beth Reinhard, Scott Hiaasen and Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times/Miami HeraldRelated: Supporters dismiss Marco Rubio's use of Florida GOP credit card
U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio admitted Friday that he double-billed state taxpayers and the Republican Party of Florida for eight plane tickets when he was speaker of the Florida House.
Facing snipes from his party, Crist remains focused on his agendaBy Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Related editorial: Crist: A Tea Party-pooper
Republican Charlie Crist barreled into the governor's office four years ago on the crest of a populist wave.
In Florida's past, great leaders really ledBy Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg TimesLately I've been rereading a book titled From Yellow Dog Democrats to Red State Republicans.
EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Andy MarlettePensacola News Journal
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Politicians tread lightly as election year, legislative session coincideBy Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee BureauRelated: Struggle to find money has never been tougher
Related: Who's in charge in Tallahassee?To pinch pennies and get out of town in time to hit the campaign trail, Florida's 160 legislators will reduce, reuse and recycle.
Legislators to tackle class size, gambling, property insurance as session kicks off TuesdayFlorida Capital Bureau Staff
Tallahassee DemocratRelated: Session 2010: Big decisions, big money for Tallahassee
It will be a series of firsts and lasts as the Legislature convenes on Tuesday for its 60-day session.
Legislature opens session Tuesday looking at budget shortfall By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune Related: Lawmakers' ugly challenge
Heading into a third straight year of budget cutting, state Rep. Bill Galvano says he feels as if he's playing an old-fashioned pegboard game.
Legislature 2010: Can lawmakers create jobs?
By Aaron DeslatteOrlando Sentinel
Florida's legislators, strapped for cash and confronted by historically high unemployment, are eager to plunge into the task of creating jobs as they convene an election-year session this week.
Florida's $3B budget shortfall means tough choicesBy Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-UnionLawmakers return to Tallahassee next week to begin addressing a budget shortfall that could top $3 billion, a problem complicated by election-year politics and an unsettled state economy.
Fla. lawmakers to consider ethics reform - again
By Brent Kallestad Associated Press
In the wake of questions about some members of the Public Service Commission being too cozy with those they regulate and a scandal resulting in the ouster of a House speaker, many lawmakers want to pass tougher ethics laws when they return to the Capitol for the 2010 session.
Desired versus required spending
By Jeff Atwater Tallahassee Democrat
During the 2010 regular session, the Florida Senate will keep three priorities at the forefront of our work: producing a responsibly balanced budget that preserves critical funding, strengthening Florida's economic future through job diversification, and building a strong foundation for long-term success.POLITICAL RACES
U.S. Senate rivals Crist, Rubio spar at Miami forumBy Beth Reinhard
Miami HeraldGov. Charlie Crist Saturday latched onto a new campaign slogan -- ``trust'' -- one day after U.S. Senate rival Marco Rubio confessed he had double-billed taxpayers and the Republican Party for eight plane tickets when he was a state legislator.
Crist assails Rubio's spending
By Jeremy WallaceSarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist wasted no time in trying to capitalize on newly discovered credit card statements that show his chief rival Marco Rubio put thousands of dollars of personal expenses on a Republican Party-issued credit card.
Rubio: Crist not "pro-life"
By William MarchTampa Tribune
In a bid for religious right votes, Marco Rubio told a crowd at a Christian Coalition candidates forum today that Gov. Charlie Crist isn't "pro-life."
Rubio's claim of spurring 57 laws proves high
By Aaron SharockmanSt. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
Marco Rubio's two years as speaker of Florida's House of Representatives were marked by passionate speeches, promises of conservative principles and a book filled with 100 ways to transform state government.
Crist, Rubio spar in South Florida over abortion, spending, trust issues
By Michael C. Bender Palm Beach Post
Related: Crist running as an independent - and other scribbles from the U.S. Senate campaignRepublicans Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio didn't mention each other by name Saturday at a Christian Family Coalition forum. But the U.S. Senate rivals were clearly battling.
Senate hopeful Meek speaks in Sarasota
By Terry O'ConnorSarasota Herald-Tribune
Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, the leading and some say only legitimate Democratic candidate for Florida's open Senate seat, came to Sarasota on Saturday night to advance his historic petition-signing campaign drive.
Democratic hopefuls tout campaign ideas
By William MarchTampa Tribune
Democrats had a big day in St. Petersburg on Saturday, as the party's top candidates pitched campaign themes at the county party's annual fundraising dinner and at a gay-lesbian party caucus.
Optimistic Crist Will Give State of State
By Lloyd DunkelbergerLakeland Ledger
Florida governors give their state of the state addresses on the opening day of the annual 60-day session of the Legislature.
Women of GOP could be factor this fall
By Bill Cotterell Tallahassee Democrat
The 2010 elections are filled with opportunities for conservative gains, if Republican women organize and unify, two veteran GOP leaders said Sunday.
Dockery link draws ire of tea partiers
By William MarchTampa Tribune
State Sen. Paula Dockery, insurgent Republican candidate for governor, is being dragged into a fracas over the Florida Tea Party that illustrates the national questions about what the movement is and its sometimes tense relations with the Republican Party.
Republicans to visit 3 cities in convention search
The Associated PressTampa Tribune
A Republican committee exploring possible sites for the 2012 Republican National Convention will visit Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Tampa, Fla. this spring. BALLOT INITIATIVES
Take the power to draw new political districts away from the Florida LegislatureBy Bob Graham and Bob Milligan
South Florida Sun-SentinelAs two Floridians who have been working on both sides of the partisan aisle to improve Florida government, we are thrilled that voters will have the opportunity to vote this Nov. 2 on two constitutional amendments to stop what amounts to a legalized conflict of interest in our state.
Florida Gerrymandering (video story)
By John CouwelsCNN
Congressional districts drawn out on a Florida map resemble a genius-level jigsaw puzzle. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Report says oil supplies in Fla. waters negligibleBy Bill Kaczor
The Associated PressEstimated reserves in Florida waters would provide the United States with less than a week's worth of oil and have no discernible effect on prices at the pump or U.S. reliance on foreign oil, says a report released Friday as part of a state Senate review of whether a ban on offshore drilling should be lifted.
In Florida, support for offshore drilling depends on where you liveBy Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg TimesWhen it comes to drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, it's as if there are two Floridas.
State lawmakers expected to discuss oil drilling, but little action expected
By Michael PeltierPalm Beach Post
Expect a lot of talk but possibly little action as lawmakers continue the debate on offshore drilling when they return Tuesday to begin the 2010 legislative session.
Airplanes and alligators mix at remote Everglades airport
By Ken KayeSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel
The runway is long enough to handle the biggest airliners, even a space shuttle. But at this airport, blue herons swoop in far more frequently than JetBlue.
Protect Peace River from strip-mining
Editorial St. Petersburg Times
A dramatic new phase of phosphate mining along the Peace River in Southwest Florida is in the works, raising concerns about whether government will effectively protect the source of drinking water for 700,000 Floridians.
Another push for offshore oil drilling looms
EditorialBradenton Herald
When the state Legislature opens its annual 60-day regular session on Tuesday, the primary issue will be grappling with yet another multibillion budget shortfall. LGBT
Aronberg and Gelber rip into McCollum, not each other, at LGBT Forum in St. PeteBy Mitch Perry
Creative LoafingAt the LGBT Democratic Caucus Winter meeting being held in St. Petersburg today, Democratic Attorney General candidates Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber engaged in a free-flowing debate during which they spent much of their time bashing the man who currently holds the job they aspire to, Bill McCollum.
FGCU faculty supports giving domestic partner benefits to gay, straight staffBy Leslie Williams Hale
Naples Daily NewsFlorida Gulf Coast University's faculty senate has overwhelmingly supported a resolution to extend domestic partner benefits to the unmarried partners of gay and straight faculty members.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Weak insurers put Floridians at riskBy Paige St. John
Sarasota Herald-TribuneMillions of Floridians now bet their homes on property insurers that teeter on the edge of financial failure, a Herald-Tribune investigation has found.
Gambling issue back on table for Florida Legislature
By Mary Ellen KlasMiami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
The Seminole Tribe of Florida will be at the center of the debate when lawmakers return to the issue of gambling this year.
Drywall victims confront Gov. Crist
By Mary WozniakFt. Myers News-Press
The message from homeowners with defective drywall came through loud and clear Friday to Gov. Charlie Crist.
NASA's tough mission: Dismantling Constellation
By Robert BlockOrlando Sentinel
NASA is discovering that perhaps the only thing harder than starting up a program to send humans to the moon is closing one down.
House is trying to recharge economy
By Larry CretulTallahassee Democrat
Last year, we passed a long-term balanced budget plan anchored by the realities and the uncertainties of the state's economy as it is today and will be into the near future.
Biden scheduled to visit Florida next week
The Associated PressTampa Tribune
Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Florida next week.
Banks' deceptive ploys could cost consumers big
Editorial St. Petersburg Times
Leave it to the banks to find a way around new consumer protections months before they take effect. EDUCATION
In education, accountability train is comingBy Ron Matus and Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg TimesJeb Bush moved out of the Florida Governor's Mansion three years ago. But when it comes to school reform, it's like he never left.
Florida's class-size battle heats up
By Leslie PostalOrlando Sentinel
Florida voters in 2002 changed the state's constitution to require smaller class sizes in their public schools. But after nearly eight years, and $15.5 billion spent, 32 percent are still too crowded.
Lawmakers stress need for higher ed but warn of cuts
By Shannon ColavecchioSt. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The 2010 legislative session promises to be full of buzzwords and election-season hype -- much of it centered around the mantra that elevating Florida's economy beyond orange groves and theme parks will take a committed investment in Florida's community colleges and universities.
Education funding in Florida can't be easily explained
By Thomas TryonSarasota Herald-Tribune
The debate leading to a school-tax referendum in Sarasota County has generated a lot of questions, including many focused on the broader topic of education funding in Florida. HEALTH AND SENIORS
Lawmakers want more Medicaid patients put into HMOsBy Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau This is the year of big talk about health care. And potentially bigger profits for HMOs.
Medicaid complicates Florida budget
By Lloyd DunkelbergerSarasota Herald-Tribune
The Florida Legislature faces a health care crisis disguised as budget crisis.
'Fair market' ruling chills hospitals
By Christine Jordan SextonHealth News Florida
HMOs can pay "fair market value," less than the amount they're billed when their members get emergency treatment in hospitals outside their networks, an appellate court in Tallahassee has ruled.
Shut down the pill mills
By Jeff Kottkamp Tallahassee Democrat
As lieutenant governor of Florida, I oversee the Governor's Office of Drug Control.
Break the gridlock
EditorialMiami Herald
Who knew that Democrats and Republicans could engage in a civil discussion with each other over a hot-button issue -- for six hours, no less -- without turning it into a verbal brawl? CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Death Row Inmate Files New Appeal With Florida Supreme CourtStaff Report
Lakeland LedgerA death row inmate set for execution March 9 has filed a new appeal with the Florida Supreme Court.
