While the Florida Legislature continues to debate how best to reform the state's pension system, a philanthropic foundation has issued a report surveying how various reform measures havefaredin at least 22 different state courts.

In response to bipartisan legislation approved overwhelmingly in 2010, Florida PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Funding Agency has made some $500 million in financing available to businesses and homeowners for shoring up buildings against storms and making other energy-related improvements.

But to take advantage, those businesses and homeowners have to live in cities and counties that choose to participate.

Even with the gubernatorial race topping the Florida election bill in 2014, for political observers, some down-ballot races in Broward County are beginning to look intriguing and competitive. Three on the House side in particular are turning some heads -- HD 93, HD 99, HD 100.

As the 2013 legislative session moves into its final weeks, here is a look at each of them at this point:

HD 93

WASHINGTON -- Well, at least we're starting to get the procedure right. Washington has rediscovered the beauty of the boring. It's called "regular order," using the normal, routine, constitutional process to arrive at, for example, a budget.

We tell ourselves, we parents of college-bound kids (not to mention ordinary citizens), that American campuses really aren't as bad as all that, that students can avoid the most tendentious indoctrinators and that the press tends to exaggerate.

Foster children in Florida have to live by different rules than a typical kid. They cant just go to the beach with friends, without getting approval from the state, or they cant join a soccer team without consulting their case manager.

The children and their foster parents thought the rules went too far.

That all changed today as House Bill 215, the Normalcy Bill," became law.