Many municipal pension funds were in trouble long before the Great Recession, according to a study released Wednesday by a Tallahassee think tank that's been tracking pension health for years.

Following up on a series of annual reports, the LeRoy Collins Institute, an independent, nonprofit research organization housed at Florida State University, concluded that years of overly optimistic projections and higher than expected costs have left many local pension funds in serious financial straits.

In 2008, voters under 30 preferred Barack Obama over John McCain by a 66 percent to 32 percent margin. Among older voters, Obama led McCain by 50 percent to 49 percent.

When Floridians head to the polls in November, they should vote yes on Amendment 4, giving homeowners and small businesses across the Sunshine State a chance to rein in property tax hikes.

Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanans congressional re-election campaign is fighting back against a new television ad released by Democratic opponent Keith Fitzgerald, calling it false, dishonest and outrageous.

Sunshine State News contacted both campaigns and interviewed several key players in the race's latest controversy to get to the bottom of the accusations.