The second anniversary is approaching of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that claimed the lives of 11 workers and spewed economic shock waves along the Gulf of Mexico.
That means the media can be expected once again to highlight the tragedy, again causing a dip in efforts to revive the image of seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Wednesday.
Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, wants Gov. Rick Scott to meet with her and students at the University of South Florida Polytechnic before he decides on breaking the campus into the states 12th university.
Dockery, who sent her request in a letter to Scott on Tuesday, was one of four Republican senators to vote against the $39 million plan backed by Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, to begin moving the Lakeland campus toward independence.
Florida's U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is the favorite to be Mitt Romneys running mate, according to Paddy Power, the largest bookmaker in Europe, which released odds on the veepstakes on Wednesday morning.
After Romneys sweep of three primary contests in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin on Tuesday, Paddy Power is ready to concede the nomination to the former governor of Massachusetts and look to the general election against President Barack Obama.
Republican Osceola County Commissioner John Quinones said Tuesday he'll jump into the race for the new congressional district that centers around Kissimmee-St. Cloud, but he was welcomed to the contest with the news that Democrat Alan Grayson has raised more than $2 million.
Termed-limited state Sen. Mike Fasano will run for a House seat vacated by another termed-out lawmaker, who in turn is running for Fasano's seat in the Senate.
Fasano, R-New Port Richey, filed for the newly created House District 36 seat. The district, encompassing large portions of West Pasco County, is currently represented by outgoing Rep. John Legg.
Legg, R-New Port Richey, previously announced for the new Senate District 18, which incorporates much of Fasano's current District 11.
WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney "unzipped" is the stuff of cartoonists' dreams.
A state Department of Revenue tax specialist has been arrested and charged with eight counts of loan sharking, reportedly using his office computer to track the transactions.
Dorian Harper is accused of assessing interest rates of more than 25 percent on loans made between Jan. 1, 2009, and Oct. 7, 2011. He was also charged with one count of making loans without a license, law-enforcement documents show.
Booked into Leon County Jail on March 27, Harper posted a $4,500 bond the next day.
Department of Revenue spokeswoman Renee Watters said in a statement:
America is addicted to chocolate. Foreign chocolate.
A majority of us consume chocolate each day. Although the U.S. produces only 6 percent of the worlds cocoa, we consume more than 20 percent.
The threat is obvious. Its time for government to step in and promote alternatives.
There isn't enough lipstick in Washington to pretty-up Obamacare's so-called "death panel." Or to hide the dangers it poses to seniors in 2015.
Florida Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, says the state doesn't have time to wait for a task force to be named to review the Stand Your Ground law. So hes starting his own local investigation into the law he says is now hurting Floridas reputation.
But Gov. Rick Scott said the state needs to complete the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the Feb. 26 death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford that has thrust the 2005 law into the national spotlight.
