Red-light cameras survived a close call in the Florida Legislature, thanks in part to big contributions from one of the major vendors of the technology.

Just a year after the state approved use of the controversial cameras, lawmakers attempted to yank them down. The House narrowly approved a camera ban, 59-57, but the bill (HB 4087) never got a hearing in the Senate.

The Senate's own version, SB 672, stalled in Sen. Mike Bennett's Community Affairs Committee and died there.

Environmental groups are surveying the damage done by this years legislative session, and saying it was one of the worst sessions for the environment in recent memory.

The Republican-dominated Legislature approved a raft of bills that generally favor developers over environmental protections in the name of reducing bureaucratic red tape and increasing jobs.

When you get into discussions about the Middle East with certain people, you start hearing that the great mistake was the partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. If that had somehow just not happened, you hear, everything would be all right.

To prepare for a hurricane season, homeowners typically buy shutters, stock up on batteries and water and recheck the generator.

Property insurers, on the other hand, need to stock up on cash.

Three weeks before the official start of the hurricane season, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run company and Florida's largest insurer with 1.3 million policies, is set to borrow nearly $1 billion to bulk up its surplus in case of a hard-hitting storm.

Two polls released Wednesday marginalized Donald Trump but revealed that President Barack Obama was enjoying a surge of popularity after American forces killed terrorist Osama bin Laden. And the president leads the pack of Republicans looking to beat him in 2012.