THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 26, 2010.....The battle over the nations health care system that has consumed Washington, D.C. for more than a year moved to the states this week, lead by one state in particular: Florida.

Attorney General and likely Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill McCollum suited up for a healthy legal fight over the recently approved the federal plan and lawmakers waged battles in committees and on the floor of the Senate that echoed the contentious health care debate in Congress.

In the fight to be heard in the state Legislature, small business owners must compete with companies and special interests that can shout their agendas to lawmakers through lobbyists and attorneys.

So, how can small businesses that don't hire lobbyists raise their voices from a whisper to a roar?

The journey to gain political clout without the use of a lobbyist can be a hefty burden on a small business owners time and funds.

But, in the end, the rewards can be bountiful.

WASHINGTON -- A simple reform would drain some scalding steam from immigration arguments that may soon again be at a roiling boil. It would bring the interpretation of the 14th Amendment into conformity with what the authors of its text intended, and with common sense, thereby removing an incentive for illegal immigration.

This week in Congress was once again dominated by health care as all eyes switched chambers to the Senate of the United States.

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 26, 2010Floridas unemployment rate has hit 12.2 percent, the highest level since records first began being kept 40 years ago, the Agency for Workforce Innovation reported Friday.

The February jobless numbers grew .2 percent from the previous months figures, with Florida now distancing itself further from the national unemployment level of 9.7 percent, which has been generally holding steady.

Some analysts, though, found some silver lining in the darkening jobless picture.

Economist David Denslow offered a snapshot into Floridas future -- and its not as dire as many predict.

Its not a great, rapid recovery, but it is there and we wont have to wait until 2013 or 2014 to see it, he said.

Ever dream of putting your company logo and colors on car license plates? Has the State of Florida got a deal for you! If, that is, you have $205,000 to get into the game.

A knock-down, drag-out fist fight between Senate candidates Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio on "Fox News Sunday" may make for good network ratings, but what does it profit the Republican Party of Florida?

A bloody brawl might have some GOP leaders nervously clutching their TV remotes. Yet, the increasingly combative race is drawing evermore intense focus on Florida as a bellwether state for the Fall elections coast to coast.

In case you missed it, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam scored a big endorsement for his bid to become the states next Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services (before the quarterly fundraising deadline). Former Gov. Jeb Bush has come out for Putnam. Putnams chief Democratic rival also got a big endorsement and a happy birthday. Former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox turned 42 and got the unanimous backing of the AFL-CIO