During a media event in the fourth floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol Thursday, Florida Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, and Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, announced state efforts -- House Memorial 881 and Senate Memorial 1528 -- to encourage Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program.
As the race for the Republican presidential nomination heads to South Carolina, with its high concentration of military families and evangelical Christians, those voters will increasingly be the focus of the GOP hopefuls.
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was able to score points with both of those key groups in an endorsement he received on Thursday from evangelical leader Rev. James Linzey, the president and founder of the Military Bible Association. The association helps military chaplains, provides Bibles to the military community and offers translations of the Bible.
Seven state prisons and four work/forestry camps are to close by July 1,2012, as part of a statewide consolidation plan that is projected to save $14.9 million this year and $75.8 million the next fiscal year, the Florida Department of Corrections announced Thursday.
The plan means the elimination of 1,293 full-time employee positions.
After his victories in the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, GOP presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts continues to build momentum and gain the support of some of the leading Republicans in the nation.
Romney unveiled the support of former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who had briefly been one of his opponents for the Republican presidential nomination back in 2008.
Who are the top five fundraisers in the Florida House of Representatives for the 2012 election? As of the start of the year, here they are:
1 Will Weatherford (R) HD61 $397,150
2 Dana Young (R) HD57 $248,324
3 Chris Dorworth (R) HD34 $220,095
4 Matt Hudson (R) HD101 $192,613
5 Daniel Davis (R) HD13 $189,133
Earlier this month, Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, introduced a bill which would let any children who complete kindergarten in private schools in Florida enter first grade in public schools. She is looking to scrap the current state requirement that children who attended private kindergartens in the Sunshine State must be 6 years old by Sept. 1 of the year they enter first grade to enter that grade in the public schools.
With opinion polls giving Newt Gingrich the best chance to beat front-runner Mitt Romney in South Carolina, the co-founder of NotMittRomney.com has thrown in with the former House speaker.
"Multiple polls are showing a Newt tie with Mitt. In a week, I expect that to turn into a lead. If Newt wins South Carolina, like we've been planning for, then all eyes are on Florida," said Ali Akbar in endorsing Gingrich.
Akbar stressed that the endorsement was a personal one, and that the NotMittRomney.com organization remains unaligned ... for now.