Billed as an off-gambling year in Florida politics, 2013 is anything but. Too much gambling-interest money is circulating, too much strategizing is going on.

Did you know Carole Crist has two children by her ex-husband, Blue Star Jets CEO Todd Rome? Probably not. How would you? Neither she nor her husband Charlie are ever seen with them.

And that's the problem now. Carole apparently has "mommy issues" -- as in "I don't want to be one."

As in, "I'm a deadbeat mom."

All of a sudden, people are beginning to notice there are people in her life conspicuous by their absence.

Maybe nonprofit Integrity Florida should change its name.

Even folks who voted for Bill Nelson have to wonder how Senator Disappear-Down-the-Back-Stairway can make a "10 Toughest Politicians in Washington Today" list.

Sen. Jeff Clemens is a smart guy, but with this "full-time Legislature" constitutional amendment he proposed Tuesday, he's going the wrong way down a one-way street.