The more things change

Rick Scott is not the first governor in Floridas history to come to office without political experience. Claude Kirk, who appeared at the dais at the inauguration on Tuesday, did not hold office before winning the gubernatorial election in 1966. Sidney Catts, who was elected governor in 1916 when he was the Prohibition Party candidate, was also a political novice when he took power.

Charlie Crist has only been out of the governors mansion for a few hours -- and he shows no signs of going away. Crist appeared on Tuesday afternoon on The Situation Room hosted by Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

Crist expressed no remorse over leaving the Republican Party to run with no party affiliation in the U.S. Senate race, despite losing the race.

When asked what party he was currently in, Crist stressed that he remained outside the parties. Im a very happy independent, said Crist.

Allen West is about to join Congress -- and the Congressional Black Caucus.

Sources told Sunshine State News that there will be an announcement on Wednesday, and West will become the only Republican member of the caucus.

West had said on Sunday that he was still interested in joining the group. He will be the first Republican to be a member in more than a decade.

While congressional Republicans in the U.S. House have already scheduled a bill to repeal federal health-care laws that passed last year, Florida Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is firing back -- arguing that repealing the laws would hurt more senior citizens on Medicaid.

In his inaugural address earlier in the day, Gov. Rick Scott vowed to issue an executive order creating the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform to review regulations in the Sunshine State -- and he did that in his first minutes in office. The order also prohibited agencies from offering regulations without the approval of the new office. The order also authorizes the state to review any contract of more than $1 million.

Marco Rubio says he wants to hit the ground running from day one of his U.S. Senate term. Roughly 24 hours before being sworn in as Florida's newest senator, Rubio announced the names of those he has hired as key staff members. He also said he will open five regional offices around the state to serve as centers for constituent casework. Those offices will be located in Pensacola, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. Rubio expects about 5,000 cases to come through those offices this year.

Moments after being sworn in, Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Adam Putnam weighed in on his new position in an e-mail to supporters.

Today begins a new chapter for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and I am excited to hit the ground running as Floridas commissioner of agriculture, wrote Putnam.

Gov. Rick Scott will tackle Florida's 12 percent unemployment rate as one of his top priorities, and outlined his plans to cut out government interference in the private sector in his inaugural speech Tuesday.

"Only the private sector can provide prosperity. Only the private sector," Scott said.

He decried taxation, regulation and litigation as the "axis of unemployment," evoking former President George W. Bush's controversial "axis of evil" line.

Rick Scott has been sworn in as the governor of Florida.

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady administered the oath of office, which Scott took on his family Bible, held by his wife, Ann.

Rick Scott is still waiting to be sworn in as Florida's governor, and so is his website. A "Coming Soon" message greets those who want to see the official Florida governor's website.