Florida law currently bans the sale of wine in containers holding more than one 1 gallon, but a new bill introduced in the House and Senate byWilton Simpson, R-Trilby, and Rep. Frank Artiles, R- Miami, would increase that limit to 6 gallons.

The Florida Supreme Court has issued its unanimous ruling in the foreclosure fraud caseRoman Pino v. The Bank of New York Mellon. In an opinion authored by Justice Barbara Pariente, the court ruled that a trial court may not reinstate a voluntarily dismissed civil action, even if the defendant alleges that the plaintiff committed fraud on the court, unless that defendant suffered some kind of harm.

Pino had alleged that New York Mellon Bank had filed fraudulent documents in its foreclosure suit against him in 2008.

TheFlorida House Civil Justice Subcommittee has approved a foreclosure reform bill, HB 87, sponsored by Rep.Kathleen Passidimo, R-Naples. The bill aims to streamline and expedite the foreclosure process. Among other things, it reduces the statute of limitations for deficiency judgments from five years to one year, and requires the lender in a foreclosure action to provide certain documents proving ownership of the loan beforeforeclosureproceedings begin.

The bill passed the committee by a vote of 10-3.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., has released a letter slamming President Barack Obama for his policy of authorizing theassassinationof American citizens, without constitutional due process, on the basis of his administration's suspecting them of terrorism. The full letter follows:

'Dear Mr. President,

The Daily Caller reports U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's gracious response to BuzzFeed's caricature of him following a wide-ranging, 40-minute interview Florida's conservative junior senator gave to the liberal news outfit.

The Florida Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security has unanimously approved two bills: one which effectively bans the staging of protests and funerals, and another which grants in-state tuition benefits to nonresident military veterans stationed in Florida.

Check out our previous coverage of SB 92 ("Funerals, Burials, and Memorial Services"), which now must go through the Criminal Justice committee.

TheFlorida Senate's Committee on Community Affairs unanimously approved two bills this morning, one greatly limiting the use of unmannedsurveillancedrones and another comprehensively overhauling Florida's ethics laws.

Check out Sunshine State News' previous coverage of Sen. Joe Negron's SB 92, the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has named St. Petersburg Police Department Sergeant Karl Lounge and St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Douglas Weaver her 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year.

The AP reports that Judge Debra Nelson of the 18thJudicial Circuit Court of Florida has denied a request by defendant George Zimmerman's lawyers to delay the start of his murder trial until November. The defense argued the delay was necessary because the prosecution was slow to turn over its evidence.

"I don't see any of your issues to be insurmountable," Nelson said in denying Zimmerman's motion.

Conservative grassroots advocate Americans for Prosperity (AFP), in partnership with the government watchdog group Integrity Florida, announced Tuesday afternoon the release of their joint report "Enterprise Florida: Economic Development or Corporate Welfare?"