House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, offered his take on the special session held on Tuesday -- and praised the new leadership but also the bipartisan effort that led to overriding eight vetoes that lame-duck Gov. Charlie Crist issued earlier in the year.

Bloomberg-Scarborough 2012? Howard Fineman at the Huffing Post reports that the New York mayor and former Panhandle congressman turned MSNBC pundit have talked about making an independent bid at the White House. From Finemans article:

Incoming U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio weighed in on Tuesday night after his first meeting of theRepublican Senate Conference. He was pleased with the meeting -- and the cost-saving ideas that came out of it.

While Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said on Tuesday that he had no intention of running for the Republican presidential nomination, Tom Beaumont of the Des Moines Register reported that there appears to be a near-certain candidate -- former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Beaumont notes that Gingrich is making financial arrangements to runfor the presidency and could make an announcement as early as February.

Overriding a veto issued by Gov. Charlie Crist, abill by Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-LaBelle, on clarifying the sale of agricultural land passed the House unanimously on Tuesday afternoon. The measure also went through the Senate -- leading incoming Agricultural and Consumer Services Commissioner Adam Putnam to cheer the news.

Can you imagine the Republican Party of Florida repudiating a leading presidential candidate like former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts or the Florida Democrats condemning President Barack Obama? Me neither. But the Libertarian Party of Florida took aim earlier this week at Wayne Allyn Root, who was former U.S. Rep. Bob Barrs running mate back in 2008 and is widely expected to seek the partys presidential nomination in 2012. Root has had a colorful career as a sports handicapper, hosting the Winning Edge television show.

The so-called Bush tax cuts aren't just for the "wealthy," as President Barack Obama calls them. An analysis by Deloitte Tax LLC finds that an individual with an income of $50,000 would see a tax increase of $1,100 if the tax cuts are not extended by Congress this year. A $50,000 family of four would see its taxes rise $2,900. The numbers steadily climb for each income bracket, not just for households earning $250,000 -- the level alternately described as "upper income" and "wealthy" by Obama.

While it increasingly appears that U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who ran as a write-in candidate after losing the Republican primary to Joe Miller, has a solid lead, there are some Republicans who are insisting that Miller has a chance to win -- including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Much media attention has been paid to the lame-duck session and the incoming freshman class of elected officials, insisted Huckabee on Tuesday. While political pundits express uncertainty over the future of our nation -- in Alaska, Joe Miller's future is also uncertain.

Taking a parting shot at Charlie Crist during Tuesday's special session, Rep. Seth McKeel blamed the lame-duck governor for the shortfall in the state's home-energy rebate program.

The Florida Senate has passed a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to give the state more flexibility and discretion in administering the Medicaid program within the state. The resolution was passed by acclamation during Tuesday's special session, despite the negative votes of a smattering of senators.

Hours after being named House speaker, Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Haven, led the House during a special session on Tuesday in overriding bills that had been vetoed earlier in the year by outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist. With Republicans controlling 81 of the 120 House votes, Cannon had enough votes in his caucus to override gubernatorial vetoes provided the Republicans stuck together. However Republicans insisted the special session, held hours after the House organized for the next two years, was not a trial run for how they would govern.

Among the attendees of the opening of the Florida House on Tuesday was newly elected Attorney General Pam Bondi, who announced her transition team later in the day. Bondi brought out some big-name Republicans, including outgoing Attorney General Bill McCollum, former House Speaker Larry Cretul and former Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg. Bondi named Carlos Muniz, a deputy general counsel to former Gov. Jeb Bush, as executive director.

Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns will be holding an event at Westport High School in Ocala on Monday for high school students interested in attending one of the service academies -- the Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy.

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, was formally elected and sworn in as president pro tem of the Florida Senate. Bennett decried the rampant spending during the economic boom times that led to what he called "entitlement slavery." "We allowed government to grow well beyond our means. When the permit to take and repair a water heater costs more than the actual water heater, something is wrong with government," Bennett said.

Commenting on Sunshine State News' story about problems with sinkhole coverage, the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters downplayed the impact and presence of fraud. "Though the insurance industry frequently declares that the rise in sinkhole activity is the result of fraudulent claims, the numbers the Office of Insurance Regulation reports tell a different tale," FAPIA spokesman Dan Ward said in an e-mail.