It’s not unusual for people facing rehab, prison or some other situation in which they’ll be on lockdown to seek a little courage before giving up their freedom.

And that’s exactly what suspended Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his longtime aide and former business partner Paige Carter-Smith did the night before they appeared in federal court this week to enter guilty pleas in a high-profile public corruption case.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to highlight their proposal reforming how federal, state and local governments handle contracts after natural disasters. 

Last week, Scott introduced the “Disaster Contract Transparency Act” which will try to speed up payments after natural disasters. 

Scott’s office showcased the problems that governments face in covering contracts after natural disasters. 

In the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton  last weekend, two Republicans in the Florida delegation are continuing their push to create a task force to offer a national strategy “to keep communities safe from targeted violence through threat assessment and management.”

Floridians continue hanging up on traditional phone service.

With cell phones in hand --- or in their back pockets --- and access to broadband technology, hundreds of thousands of Florida residents and businesses stopped using landline phones in 2018, a new state report on the telecommunications industry shows.

With nearly 20 percent of Florida’s 21.3 million residents at least 65 years old, the Sunshine State -- with its blue-plate specials, senior discounts, over-55 communities -- has been a retirement mecca for generations.

But that apparently doesn’t mean it’s the best place in America to retire.

According to a July ranking by BankRate, that honor goes to Nebraska.

While Congress might be out of session, three congressmen representing the Sunshine State introduced a new proposal to help protect the disabled from abusive guardians. 

This week, four presidents of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across Florida met as they showcased their institutions and insisted their schools will continue to play a role in the Sunshine State. 

After reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors, suspended Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox grudgingly admitted guilt Tuesday to three fraud charges in a “pay-to-play” bribery probe, as the U.S. attorney announced increased efforts to crack down on public corruption.

Under the guilty plea accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, prosecutors dropped 39 of 42 charges against Maddox, a former Florida Democratic Party chairman nabbed in a multi-year investigation into city government.

Pointing to a request from the Palm Beach County sheriff, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to oversee an investigation into the handling of high-profile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.

With the Trump administration putting additional sanctions on the Maduro regime, the Florida congressional delegation offered strong support. 

President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions on  all U.S.-based assets of Nicolás Maduro's regime and giving the U.S. Treasury Department the authority to sanction any individual or entity who supports the Maduro regime.