A bill designed to save Florida businesses and workers millions of dollars in taxes has been amended to keep cash flowing to local governments.

House Bill 311 aimed to block cities and counties from expanding their business license taxes to a vast cadre of license-holding employees. Rep. Ken Roberson, R-Port Charlotte, said his measure was in response to a 2010 attorney general's opinion that such taxes could be imposed on individual workers who hold professional licenses.

Kicking off the first meeting of the House Redistricting Committee, Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who chairs the committee, said Wednesday redistricting "is not supposed to be a political process."

That's going to be easier said than done, as there has already been some political sniping over the membership of the committee, before the hectic process of drawing the congressional and legislative boundaries has really begun.

The Florida Legislatures current debate on immigration threatens the economic stability of Florida. Punitive measures aimed at undocumented workers will create an atmosphere of fear for them and their families. At the same time, these same punitive measures will alienate legal residents and foreign tourists who, because of their ethnic profile, could be mistaken for undocumented migrants.

Amid a hail of public mockery, Workforce Central Florida abruptly shut down a marketing campaign to distribute 6,000 red capes to job seekers and employers.

But it doesn't end there. A state investigation is now under way, marking the third time Workforce Central Florida has come under scrutiny for questionable spending practices.

The agency said its "out-of-the-box" initiative was designed to "introduce our programs and services to job seekers and employers who need them."

In a statement issued Wednesday, the agency said the cape giveaway produced quick results.

Despite little press, few screens and a tiny budget by Hollywood standards, Ayn Rand's magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged: Part I," placed a respectable 14th in the box office standings on its opening weekend.

The No. 1 movie was the kid-friendly "Rio," which grossed $39 million at 3,826 screens (including 3D) nationally. "Atlas" took in $1.7 million at just 299 screens. Along with a hefty promotional budget, "Rio" cost $90 million to produce. "Atlas," by contrast, carried just a $10 million price tag.