With their partys presidential primary in the rear view mirror, Florida Republicans are increasingly turning their attention to the contest to see who will challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November.
After voting for the National Defense Authorization Act last year, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is taking a second look at some of its controversial provisions.
"People have raised concerns and he's looking into it," said Michael Mahaffey, spokesman for the Tequesta Republican.
Approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, the NDAA has become a lightning rod for the left and right. Civil libertarians at the ACLU and libertarian-leaning conservatives say the act tramples on citizens' constitutional rights.
The House on Wednesday voted unanimously to move $10 million around in the budget in an effort to keep a Jefferson County prison open, acknowledging the hardship its closure would have on the rural community.
The House voted to approve an amendment that earmarks the money for the prison system with the idea that it will keep open Jefferson Correctional Institute, which would keep 177 jobs in a rural North Florida county where the prison is the largest employer.
The Republican presidential candidates, except for Ron Paul, haven't been paying much attention to young voters in the primaries and caucuses so far. But any Republican nominee -- which is to say probably Mitt Romney, or maybe Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum -- had better be paying attention to them in the summer and fall.
The effort to allow casinos to go up in South Florida isnt dead after all.
Addressing reporters after the floor session Wednesday, Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said he expects the Senate version of the destination gaming bill, SB 710, to advance.
Clearly the House and Senate are not on the same page. The majority of the senators by far would agree with regulating, as opposed to banning, those facilities, Haridopolos said.
The Senate president added that its a 60-day session. Well have to see what happens.
Following his defeats in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri on Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney looked to establish a citadel in Michigan which holds its primary on Feb. 28.
Gabriel Silva, Colombias ambassador to the United States, expects to see rapid growth in exports from Florida due to the recently approved free-trade agreement between the countries.
However, he told business leaders at the Florida Chamber of Commerces International Days held at Florida State University on Wednesday that both nations must quickly grasp the opportunities because the Panama Canal expansion will soon be completed. Colombia has 69 other free-trade agreements in place and four more in the works.
Though Adams is a freshman and Mica is a 10-term veteran and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, he might opt for neighboring CD 6, which runs northeast of Orlando to include Daytona Beach up to Flagler and St. Johns counties.
CD 6 contains about 70 percent of Mica's existing Orlando area district.
Craig Miller, a Republican businessman who recently dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, is the first and, so far, only GOP candidate to file for that district.
