Setting legislative priorities has been one of the chief tasks of American presidents for the past century. Sometimes, they concentrate on changing public policy. At other times, they highlight issues for political reasons, with an eye to the next election.

On Thursday, the second to last day of the legislative session, proceedings slowed down in the House as members waited for the Senate to pass bills. House Democrats, outnumbered 76 to 44, also played a hand.

In what had become one of the worst-kept secrets in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist announced Thursday that he is abandoning the Republican Party primary to pursue a U.S. Senate seat as an independent.

A day after former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre did the same thing, former North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns on Thursday morning filed the necessary paperwork in Tallahassee for his Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Senate.

With Gov. Charlie Crist leaving the Republican Party on Thursday to continue his campaign for the U.S. Senate as an independent, he can find little comfort in Florida history:

A panel appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist started Wednesday morning to refurbish the state's bid for a chunk of the federal Race to the Top grant, which could bring the state $700 million in funding for education.

Florida came in fourth in the first round of competition for a piece of the $4.35 billion grant that the Obama administration is doling out to states who can create a bold change in education. Florida was widely expected to win in the first round, but only Delaware and Tennessee were awarded money.

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre has filed paperwork in Tallahassee for his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S Senate election.

While the Ferre campaign has raised $130,000, including $20,000 from a loan, the campaign had less than $3,500 cash on hand at the end of the first quarter of 2010. This is a fraction of the funds that Ferres chief rival for the Democratic nomination, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, has raised. Meek had more than $3.7 million cash on hand at the end of the same period.