File this one in the "misery loves company" department.

Florida legislators have been fretting over the state's $3.75 billion deficit, but they are not alone. Other states will be under the same pressure to balance their budgets, if thedata released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau is anything to go by.

State governments collected $704.6 billion in revenue in the 2010 fiscal year, about $14 billion less than in 2009. Florida's share was $31.5 billion, the vast majority of which was collected from sales and gross receipts taxes.

Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care law backed by President Barack Obama -- and the constitutional challenge launched by Florida against it.

Republicans marked the anniversary and continued to call for repeal of the law.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera received a briefing earlier in the week from Rear Admiral William Baumgartner of the U.S. Coast Guard on Cubas plans for offshore oil drilling. According to Baumgartner, drilling could begin in late 2011 or early 2012.

After hearing from Nigel Sheinwald, the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S., the Florida Senate got to work, quickly readying several bills for a final floor vote Thursday.

Here are some of the highlights:

SB 1970 -- This bill, originally brought by Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, would exempt some research and authorized project papers of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability from public records requests, and would apply retroactively.

United Kingdom Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald gave a speech on the floor of the Florida Senate Wednesday, touting the bond between Britain and the Sunshine State, the need for greater amounts of trade between the two areas and Britain's involvement in imposing the no-fly zone over Libya.

"Just as we offer a gateway to Europe, (Florida) offers a gateway to Latin America. Today 44,000 Floridians depend on U.K. investment for their jobs in a wide array of industries," Sheinwald said.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said he did not blame U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for wanting to step down from her post. Mack, who is considering running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, said that President Barack Obamas recent trip to Latin America was not fruitful, especially as free-trade agreements with Panama and Colombia remained stalled in Washington.

On Wednesday morning, Gov. Rick Scott named Ken Lawson, who previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the middle district of Florida and was with the federal TSA, to head up the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Lawson also served as an assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department.

With his background in federal law enforcement, prosecution, and the military, Ken Lawson brings an impressive track record to DBPR, said Scott.

Jacksonville went to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the first round to see who will replace Mayor John Peyton. Republican and tea party favorite Mike Hogan, currently serving as the tax collector of Duval County, pulled way ahead of the field with 35 percent. But while that is enough to place Hogan in first, he did not come near 50 percent which is needed to avoid a runoff. With 62 percent of the vote counted, Republican Audrey Moran is ahead of Democrat Alvin Brown by less than 1 percentage point --22.6 percent to 21.8 percent. Republican Rick Mullaney was in fourth with 16.6 percent.

Democracy Corps, a firm associated with legendary Democratic political operative James Carville, has released a new poll looking at the 50 most competitive congressional races in 2012. Of those 50 races, only three are taking place in Florida. Democracy Corps places the seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West in the most competitive tier, and those held by Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Young and U.S. Rep. Dan Webster in a lower tier.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott announced a new executive order, mandating drug tests for all prospective new hires of agencies within the governors purview and random drug tests for established employees in those offices.

Floridians deserve to know that those in public service, whose salaries are paid with taxpayer dollars, are part of a drug-free workplace, Scott said in a statement. Just as it is appropriate to screen those seeking taxpayer assistance, it is also appropriate to screen government employees.