It's often good fun and sometimes revealing to divide American history into distinct periods of uniform length.

Contending county election reform must start with leadership, state Rep. Gayle Harrell remains unimpressed by the state audit conducted on the election meltdown in St. Lucie County.

Now, with election supervisors due to testify over in the state Senate on Monday, she intends to seek more specific recommendations when a review of the states 2012 general election is released in a couple of weeks.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and state health officials spent much of the week on their heels while the estimated price of the Affordable Care Act dropped faster than tree ornaments the day after Christmas.

What began Monday as a $26 billion millstone around the neck of Florida taxpayers was reduced eight-fold to a more manageable $3 billion expense after Agency for Health Care Administration officials fine-tuned their 10-year estimates for what expanding Medicaid would cost the state.

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it."

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., announced Friday that he would not seek a sixth term -- putting an open Senate seat in play in a state that has gone from blue to red in recent years. Republicans are already licking their chops.

While GOP hierarchy believed they had an excellent opportunity in 2012 to retake the U.S. Senate, they came up short. Now they have another chance as the 2014 election cycle looms. They need to pick up six seats to flip the chamber -- but it wont be easy.

In the near future, a resident in rural parts of Florida may simply log onto their computer to Skype with their primary care physician for standard consultations, diagnoses and prescriptions.

Just dont expect Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, the powerful Budget chairman who also heads his chambers Select Committee on Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to champion the cause in the coming legislative session.

Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, adamantly defended before a room of Central Florida business leaders a proposal by two of his chief lieutenants to consolidate county transit boards.

Darn right well support Senator Simmons, Gaetz told members of the Tiger Bay Club during a legislative preview at the Citrus Bowl on Friday.