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

Gov. Rick Scott announced a joint venture Monday between Palm Beach and Brazilian entrepreneurs Luis Claudio Goldner and Alfredo Sampaio Caruso that involves a capital investment of $25 million, the lease of a 45,000-square-foot facility at the Port of Palm Beach and a plan to launch Americas Natural Caffeine LLC. The project is expected to produce a total of 75 jobs paying an average $62,000 a year, with 25 jobs in year No. 1, then ramping up to the full 75 jobs by year No. 3.The state will not provide any incentive package.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty intends to approve a requested 8.9 percent rate increase by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, the Office of Insurance Regulation announced Monday. However, the office noted that NCCIs entire request was not approved and McCarty expressed concerns about potentially higher compensation costs associated with allowing doctors' offices to dispense medications instead of requiring a patient to go to a pharmacy.

The Public Service Commission on Monday approved a $196 million rate increase for Florida Power & Light. The "early cost recovery" hike boosts the utility's revenues to plan for two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, south of Miami. The PSC is also considering a rate adjustment for Progress Energy, which wants to build two reactors in Levy County. Full story upcoming.

What are they smoking over at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee? The DCCC attacked an economic plan proposed by Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, as "repackaging the same failed Republican policies." But Rooney's Restore America Act -- which calls for less regulation, more domestic energy production and closing corporate tax loopholes -- is a serious departure from the policies of this and previous administrations. While the DCCC critique lacks originality, it does raise two key questions: