Is it appropriate for government to increase the regulatory burdens and costs on Florida businesses during a recession?

Amnesty may carry a negative connotation when it comes to immigration, but it turns positive when applied to taxes. At least some people think so.

Beginning Thursday, the state of Florida will waive penalties on back taxes owed by businesses and individuals. During a three-month window closing Sept. 30, all applicable interest fees also will be cut in half.

A similar tax-amnesty program recouped $260 million in previously lost revenue in 2003. This year's version, coming in tighter economic times, is projected to generate up to $100 million.

WASHINGTON -- If Bill Clinton was our first black president, as Toni Morrison once proclaimed, then Barack Obama may be our first woman president.

Phew. That was fun. Now, if you'll just keep those hatchets holstered and hear me out.

Florida's card rooms start dealing no-limit poker at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, and the state hopes to be a winner.

Higher stakes generate bigger pots and more play -- all of which should add up to greater gaming revenues flowing to Tallahassee.

With less than two months to go until the primary, the two candidates locked in a tight battle for the Democratic attorney general nomination are finally starting to launch attacks on each other.

On the floor of the chamber that has stymied efforts to make Florida power companies drastically increase their use of renewable and clean energy, 120 advocates gathered Monday to make the case again.

The Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy hosted a Clean Energy Congress Monday, with clean energy lobbyist Susan Glickman presiding. The scene was a far cry from 2009, when a bill that would have required power companies to produce 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources cleared the Senate, but was never brought up on the House floor.

On Monday, Florida Republicans cheered a decision from the Supreme Court of the United States to strike down local gun-control laws and reminded voters about the importance of Second Amendment issues in Novembers battle for the U.S. Senate seat.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, running in a close contest with independent Gov. Charlie Crist for the Senate seat, praised the 5-4 ruling in MacDonald vs. City of Chicago.

If Florida hopes to hold onto space jobs, it will need to reach beyond U.S. borders, a new Obama administration policy suggests.