A bipartisan bill has been filed in the state Senate that would allow the construction of destination casino resorts in Florida.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, and Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, would allow for one destination resort in five different districts, and create a Destination Resort Gaming Commission to regulate gambling in the state. The bill's sponsors say the new casino resorts could bring in up to 5 million new visitors to Florida every year, who will spend in surrounding areas, spurring the state economy.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 314-112 Thursday to repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires businesses to file a 1099 tax form for any payments that exceed $600 per year to any other business or payee. Small businesses have derided the provision as burdensome.

Republicans in the House are touting this bill, which garnered 76 Democratic votes and could have a longer shelf life than the complete repeal bill passed earlier this year, as a more tangible way to push back against President Barack Obama's signature legislation.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced on Thursday that he had formed an exploratory committee, taking one of the most colorful and controversial political leaders in America closer to launching a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Speaking at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, Gingrich said that he was launching a website for his exploratory committee but he did not formally announce that he was running for the Republican nomination.

Gov. Rick Scott has issued an executive order re-establishing the Office of Open Government in an effort to recover costs stemming from public records requests.

Those seeking public records will be required to pay for materials and the labor of researching documents and reviewing them for any information exempt from the public record laws.

Here are some of the new rules and charges for public records requests:

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a new radio ad, comparing events in Florida to the struggle over state union employee benefits in Wisconsin.

State officials, led by Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi, have reached an agreement with federal Claims Czar Kenneth Feinberg on reforming the claims process resulting from the oil spill that plagued the Sunshine State last year.

Floridas tourism, fishing and seafood industries are still feeling the impacts of last summers disaster almost a year later, said Scott. Mr. Feinberg agrees that its time to get to work and implement a streamlined, fair and effective way of paying these claims for Floridians.

A bill that would ramp up Florida's ethics rules and penalties for lawmakers has been filed by Sen. Mike Fasano.

Senate Bill 1484 would increase the cap on civil law penalties from $10,000 to $100,000 and allow the Ethics Commission to investigate ethics violations on its own instead of waiting to hear complaints. Also, it calls on the governor and Cabinet officials to put their assets into a blind trust in order to eliminate conflicts of interest.

Every single member of the Florida delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to President Barack Obama stating their opposition to a proposed policy from the IRS which would send interest money from foreign individuals in American banks to their home countries.

Republican opposition to Gov. Rick Scott's decision to reject federal money for high-speed rail money, and the obligations tied to it, is weakening.

On Feb 17, a dozen GOP senators signed a letter supporting the federal funding, and sent it to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, cited that letter as support for his lawsuit against the governor's decision. But more than one senator is having second thoughts about the issue.

Robert Poole Jr., one of Gov. Rick Scott's transition team transportation advisers, has an article out on the Weekly Standard's website that urges Republicans to invest in a 21st century interstate system as an alternative to President Barack Obama's high-speed rail plans.