The number of ways to send or receive a message in today's world is almost limitless. You can shoot off an email, bang out a tweet or -- if you want to go old school -- write a letter. But one of the best ways to send a message remains filing a lawsuit.
In case you were wondering, the 2016 general election is still more than 15 months away.
But with new congressional districts about to be crafted by lawmakers and a Republican presidential primary campaign already in full swing, the off-season ain't what it used to be. Once and potentially future congressmen are already plotting their comebacks depending on what Florida's next political map looks like. And a former governor of the state stopped in Tallahassee to vow to take on the lobbying corps in a different capital city: Washington, D.C.
Things were just starting to slow down in Tallahassee, returning to the summertime rhythm devoid of crowds of college students and the activities of the Legislature.
But now, lawmakers might be coming back.
After the merciful end of the special session and the months-long process of legislating, it looked like this week would be the beginning of the normal quiet days of summer in Tallahassee.
The long-delayed end of the 2015 legislative process drew into view Thursday, as lawmakers prepared to pass a budget for the year that begins July 1 and leave Tallahassee after a nearly three-week special session.
In the House, members sparred over the spending plan ahead of a final vote Friday. While a 72-hour "cooling off" period prevented them from actually approving the budget until Friday evening, the chamber went ahead and finished off debate over the $78.7 billion plan.
Around 11:15 p.m. Monday, as the deadline for getting a deal on the state budget drew closer, Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, brought to order a joint House-Senate negotiating committee hammering out the final details of a spending plan.
Shortly after the meeting began, he recognized Jamie DeLoach --- the top staff member for the Senate General Government Appropriations Subcommittee --- to explain the first of several offers that would be swapped back and forth between the two sides. It was an offer on the fine print of the environmental portion of the budget.
House and Senate budget negotiators struck a deal on a state spending plan Monday night moments before the stroke of midnight, pouring $301 million into projects at the last minute and closing out one of the more-raucous legislative debates in recent years.
Lawmakers agreed on hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental spending during a meeting Sunday night, but disappointed supporters of a land and water conservation amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall.
Negotiators from the House and Senate slashed almost $60 million in economic development spending Saturday as the Legislature drew closer to an elusive final deal on a state budget for the year that begins July 1.
Meeting over the weekend to hammer out the final details of a budget expected to weigh in at well more than $76 billion but south of $80 billion, House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran and Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee reached agreement on state spending for transportation and economic development.
House leaders backed off a request for tens of millions of dollars in bonding for education and environmental projects Thursday, removing one of the stumbling blocks to a final deal on a state spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1.
But several obstacles --- including how to divvy up $1 billion in health-care funding --- remained as lawmakers race the clock to approve an agreement by June 30 and avoid a government shutdown. Legislators are trying to finish their work by the scheduled June 20 conclusion of a special legislative session.
