The Florida Senate discussed adding another proposed amendment on redistricting to the November ballot on Wednesday -- with Amendment 7 looking to join Amendments 5 and 6 to face the voters judgment.
With the House passing a similar measure Monday, senators from both parties fought to have a proposed amendment mandating the state follow federal guidelines during redistricting at both the congressional and state levels.
As an "independent" senator, Charlie Crist would be in a position to leverage his vote for Florida's greater good, political observers say.
Or, in the words of another, he would be "largely ineffective."
If Crist beats Marco Rubio and Kendrick Meek in the fall election, "neither party would be terribly happy with him as he will be perceived as denying them a win," said Roger Stone, a veteran political consultant who worked on Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign.
In a late development that provoked resistance from Democrats and all female senators but one, the Senate amended a health care bill to require that pregnant women in their first trimester submit to an ultrasound when seeking an abortion.
Another friend of Charlie's has resurfaced at an inopportune time for the governor who would be senator.
On the eve of Charlie Crist's anticipated announcement that he will bolt the GOP to run for U.S. Senate independently, longtime Crist ally Jay Burmer grabbed headlines Wednesday with revelations of his $316,000 deal with the Republican Party of Florida.
Ford's strong first quarter and General Motors' early repayment of federal loans translated into improved sales in Florida, dealers say.
"We were up in 2009 over 2008, and so far this year were up over 2009," said Benny Robles, president of Bartow Ford.
The House sprinted toward the end of the legislative session Wednesday, tackling almost 120 legislative items in an lengthy meeting that extended through most of the day.
The House will be set to vote on the budget after 2:59 p.m. Friday in accordance with the mandate that there need to be at least 72 hours between the publication of the budget and the final vote on it.
At least 19 states have banned it. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have tried to prohibit it. But none of that is enough for Ellyn Bogdanoff.
An event in front of the Capitol to honor Florida Fitness Day ended suddenly Wednesday when an 11-year-old boy fainted in front of the podium.
Though the child was all right, the situation was tense. Besides fainting and hitting his head on the pavement, he lay on the ground for several minutes.
This is just a test.
