In what sounds like a line out of a Jimmy Buffett song, one of the state's soon-to-be medical marijuana purveyors used a helicopter and a landing at a golf course to squeak in minutes before a 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday to prove he had nailed down a requisite $5 million bond.

Bruce Knox, an owner of Lake Mary-based Knox Nursery, was the last of the five cannabis dispensing organizations --- picked by a Department of Health panel late last month --- to post a surety bond required by state law for licenses to go into effect.

Far from a sure bet, Gov. Rick Scott's $3.1 billion gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida is getting a tepid response from some legislative leaders, virtually guaranteeing that the proposal could require major changes to win enough support for passage.

The agreement, signed by Scott and tribal Chairman James Billie on Monday, equates to a major expansion of gambling in Florida, bringing to the state craps and roulette for Seminole casinos and opening the door for slots and blackjack in areas where a previous agreement prohibited the games.

The Florida Supreme Court will decide whether a Gadsden County racetrack should be allowed to have slot machines without the express permission of the Legislature, in a case with widespread implications for gambling throughout the state.

The court on Tuesday accepted jurisdiction in the Gretna Racing case after a split appellate court reversed itself on the issue in October.

Voters next November will almost certainly have the chance to again decide whether Florida should legalize medical marijuana, after narrowly rejecting an almost-identical proposal a year ago.

A Quinnipiac University poll last month found that nearly 90 percent of Florida voters support allowing adults to use medical marijuana. Numerous other surveys in Florida and across the country consistently show that a majority of voters endorse medical marijuana for sick and dying patients.

And voters aren't the only ones who've warmed up to the once-sticky issue.

Nearly a year behind schedule, Florida health officials on Monday selected five "dispensing organizations" to grow, process and distribute non-euphoric medical marijuana for a select group of sick patients.

But many in the industry believe that the biggest challenge in the drawn-out process is yet to come.

In the latest twist in dueling lawsuits over blackjack in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott's administration is asking a federal court in Tallahassee to dismiss a legal challenge filed last month by the Seminole Tribe.

Measures that would legalize full-strength medical marijuana for terminally ill patients received preliminary approval from House and Senate committees Tuesday, but not before one version underwent a major change that could have a dramatic impact on the state's current cannabis law.

With a constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana looming for next year's ballot, some Florida legislators are floating proposals that would expand on a limited pot law that's almost a year behind schedule.

One measure --- backed by sponsors of the 2014 law that authorized non-euphoric marijuana, commonly known as "Charlotte's Web" --- would allow terminally ill patients to use full-strength medical marijuana. House and Senate committees are slated to give the proposal a first vetting Tuesday.

There is no joy in Mudville --- mighty Casey has struck out.

Florida lawmakers quit the Capitol this week without completing their assignment, proving that the third time isn't the charm, at least as far as Sunshine State politics is concerned.

Unlike the poetic protagonist's denouement, the failure of the two chambers to agree on a new Senate map came as no surprise to anyone who's been paying the slightest attention to the goings-on in Tallahassee this year.

With dueling lawsuits about the future of casino blackjack games pending in federal courts in Tallahassee and Tampa, the Seminole Tribe of Florida is once again going on the air with its pitch for a new gambling deal with the state.

The tribe released a new television ad in Leon County, where lawmakers have been gathered for committee meetings and a special session on redistricting.