Commemorating School Choice Month, the Florida Department of Education will be hosting a School Choice Expo in Tampa on Saturday. The expo will highlight educational options available to parents, ranging from public and charter schools to dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses. Speakers, school performances and an exhibit hall will be available to all participants attending the expo.

The National Federation of Independent Business -- a leader in the legal fight to nullify Obamacare -- hailed the U.S. House vote to repeal the law. I cant think of a better way to kick off the new Congress," said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner. The health-care law didnt help the small-business community with the cost of health care, which has always been our No. 1 concern. If anything, the law does the opposite -- increasing costs and burdens on the group that needs meaningful reform most.

An Orlando-based activist group wants Orange County's toll roads gone. Noting that the ever-expanding network of tollways raked in a record $251 million last year, and that tolls are slated to increase next year, Ax the Tax is calling on the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority to close up shop. Its a self-perpetuating bureaucracy, Doug Guetzloe told Freeline Media. The bonded indebtedness is one of the arguments they keep throwing at us, but the last time we checked, they had $1.4 billion worth of bonds.

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, applauded the 245-189 vote Wednesday to repeal the federal health care law passed last year. Here is his statement on the bill from the House floor: Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the bill before us, HR 2, which would repeal the health-care reform law that was enacted last year.While we need to address shortcomings in our nations health-care system, this law is the wrong prescription and that is why I am a co-sponsor of HR 2.

Representatives in the U.S. House have passed a bill to repeal the federal health-care law passed last year and signed by President Obama. The vote was 245-189 with 242 Republicans and three Democrats voting for it.

With Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson announcing in a speech in Tallahassee on Wednesday that he'll be running for a third term,Chris Bond, the press secretary over at the National Republican Senate Committee, took aim at the senator.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, told reporters Wednesday that he's concentrating on the upcoming legislative session first, and his 2012 campaign for the U.S. Senate second. "We are absolutely focused on doing my job of Senate president first. (The 2012 election) is a long way away," Haridopolos said.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw weighed in on Wednesday on a proposal he is backing which will pull the plug on mandatory printing of every piece of legislation to members of Congress.

Representing almost 2.3 million Catholics in the Sunshine State, the bishops who lead the seven dioceses across Florida -- Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, Bishop Gerald Barbarito of Palm Beach, Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Bishop Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Bishop John Noonan of Orlando and Bishop John Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee -- released a statement on Wednesday to mark the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on Saturday.

Three U.S. senators announced in recent days that they planned to retire in 2012 instead of seeking another term. But Florida Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson shows no signs of joining his three colleagues -- Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. -- on the sidelines. During an address to reporters and editors at the annual Legislative Planning Session held by the Associated Press in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Nelson was asked if he would seek a third term in 2012. Yes, Nelson replied.

After only two weeks in office, Gov. Rick Scott had the greatest share of the spotlight as Florida leaders met in Tallahassee on Wednesday to speak at the annual Legislative Planning Session held by the Associated Press. Among other issues, Scott spoke about his economic plans and his plans for the budget. My whole focus is jobs, said Scott, who made the economy and employment growth the core message of his campaign.

As the new Republican majority in the U.S. House looks to push repeal of the health care legislation backed by President Barack Obama last year, Republicans from the Sunshine State are taking to the floor to push the repeal. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis spoke on Wednesday morning, expressing his support for the repeal effort.

Americans say the U.S. House is on the right track in repealing the federal health-care law. A Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday showed that Americans -- by a 48-43 margin -- want Obamacare repealed. "The Republicans pushing repeal of the health-care law have more American people on their side. They may not have the votes in the Senate, but they have many on Main Street," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, Conn.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $48 million contract to provide Florida-based launch services for the federal government. The "Spaceports 3" funding will kick-start a series of Minotaur rocket launches. The first $30,000 installment, which takes effect immediately, will fund development of a plan for solid-propellant rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46) at Cape Canaveral, managed by Space Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott held his first formal meeting with the new Cabinet Wednesday, conducting a short agenda before skipping out on the traditional post-Cabinet meeting questions from the media. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are all new to the Cabinet and unlike Scott, stuck around for the Q-and-A. During the meeting the Cabinet approved Hershel Vineyard, a Scott appointee, as secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.