After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

On Tuesday, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera raised the stakes on Capitol Hill, saying he will help block a free-trade agreement with South Korea if similar agreements with Colombia and Panama continue to stall.

From his perch as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis weighed in on the crisis Japan continues to face at nuclear power plants, and responses in the U.S. --including Gov. Rick Scotts actions in Florida.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says it's a natural fit to make the department that oversees the state's fruits and vegetables also responsible for getting that fresh produce on children's lunch trays at school. During the Florida Board of Education meeting Tuesday morning, Putnam made his case before the board as to why children's nutrition programs should be transferred from the Department of Education to the new commissioner's department. Putnam contends that things have changed significantly over the last few years.

Florida senators voted to pass the "smart cap" bill Tuesday that would place a constitutional amendment before voters in 2012 to limit state revenues. Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, swept aside concerns over the bill's effect on the state's bond rating and changing the Constitution. "The folks in the chamber who believe in fiscal restraint can say to the people, 'Do you want to have that for the future?' This is something we're going to put before the people. If government takes less, the people have more," Bogdanoff said.