Think social conservatives control the House? Think again. Social conservatives opposed to the Seminole gaming pact are few and far between during debate on the issue.

This is not the right message to teach our youth, said Rep. Ronald Doc Renuart, R-Jacksonville who added Las Vegas-style gambling should stay in Vegas.

The Gideon of this small army has been Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, who condemned the measure in harsh terms.

Yet another farewell address on the House floor. This time it comes from Rep. Kurt Kelly, R-Ocala, who thanked his family and staff. Kelly offered some religious themes, calling the work his staff and comrades did a ministry, and citing the Book of Micah.

Kelly, who has been in the House since a special election in the summer of 2007, is running in a crowded Republican primary to take on U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson.

A surreal moment in the House this afternoon as a Democrat stood in for the Speaker. Rep. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, held the gavel briefly during the Houses debate on Medicaid reform. Earlier in the day, Sachs offered a farewell address, thanking her family and staff for their service.

Sachs has only been in the House for four years, rising up to become a deputy whip for the Democrats. She is now running for the state senate seat that Ted Deutch vacated when he was elected to the U.S. Congress.

The House and Senate budget chiefs announced today that they're ready to begin hammering out the state budget.

After canceling promised weekend budgeting conferences, Sen. J.D Alexander, R-Lake Wales, and Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, laid out the conference committee schedule and the difficulties of the coming process.

The Senate and House have been at odds over whether to work $880 million in federal Medicaid funds into their House and Senate budgets. The House's proposed $67.2 billion budget does not, but word is that might have changed.

Jacksonville Port Authority (JPA) Chairman Rick Ferrin is meeting with the Panama Canal Authority this week to sign a memorandum of understanding on marketing and other issues. With more than 600 ships going through the Panama Canal to the First Coast annually, Ferrin is hoping to build better ties so Jacksonville can be more competitive, especially when the Panama Canal is expanded in 2014. Tampa and Savannah already have similiar agreements set up.

Despite a death in the House and public opposition from its sponsor's home district, a proposal that allows residents to vote on whether to close or continue a Children's Services Council with special taxing authority is continuing to gain ground in the Senate.

National Strategies LLC (NSI), a Washington-based consulting group, announced that former House Majority Leader Jerry Maygarden will be added to its Florida operations as an advisor.

We are building upon NSIs growth in Florida during the past two years, said Tim Onoff, president of NSI. Leader Maygarden brings tremendous expertise and an in-depth understanding of how Florida state and local governments operate.

Maygarden was mayor of Pensacola before serving in the House from 1994 to 2002.

During Hardball today on MSNBC, Chris Matthews, Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza talked about the possibility of Gov. Charlie Crist running as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate and what it would do to his presidential ambitions. Theres also talk about a Marco Rubio presidential campaign in 2012 and, of course, there are always whispers about Jeb Bush's presidential hopes.

More bad news from the Florida Department of Workforce Innovation. While the national unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent for the second month in a row, Floridas unemployment continues to creep up, moving from a record high of 12.2 percent for February 2010 to 12.3 percent for March 2010. In March 2009, unemployment stood at 9.6 percent, meaning almost 150,000 Floridians lost their jobs in the last year.