Sen. Don Gaetz, a former school superintendent and hospice executive from the Panhandle, was formally recognized as the Senate president-in-waiting on Monday.

Gaetz, a Republican from Niceville, was honored in a Senate floor ceremony in front of family and friends, including his son, state Rep. Matt Gaetz. R-Fort Walton Beach.

Gaetz will succeed Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, for the 2013 session and preside for two terms, assuming Republicans maintain a majority in the chamber. They currently hold a 28-12 majority in the Senate.

Barring an unforeseen reversal in Republican Party fortunes, the 2013 Florida Senate will look a lot like the 2011 and 2012 models.

When President Mike Haridopolos turns the gavel over to president-designate Don Gaetz, the state Senate may still be the "most conservative Senate in Florida history."

That sobriquet, bestowed by Haridopolos as he assumed the presidency last session, fits both legislative leaders.

"You're going to see a very similar Senate. Their philosophies are the same," says Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne.

For the third straight year, the median income of the typical American family fell in 2010.

A tax specialist at the Florida Department of Revenue is under internal investigation stemming from her 2004 conviction for "defrauding and obtaining money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses."

Deon McCrimmon was convicted in U.S. District Court in Georgia of concealing a $139,169 unpaid IRS bill and overstating her income when she applied for a home loan in Albany, Ga.

Less than seven months later, and while still on probation, McCrimmon landed a job at the Florida Department of Revenue on April 8, 2005.