The move to deregulate basic land line phone services got off to a smooth start Monday, with legislation clearing its first Senate committee hurdle.

Senate Bill 1524, sponsored by Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, along with an identical bill in the House, would strip the Public Service Commission of its authority to set prices and regulate companies that offer traditional land line phone services.

Floridas population statistics from the 2010 U.S. Census were released late in the week, providing a clear picture of how complicated the redistricting process will be, and inserting greater intrigue into the 2012 campaign season.

There were 18.8 million residents in Florida as of April 2010, 2.8 million more than in 2000, the date of the last census.

Much of the population growth occurred in Central Florida, along the I-4 corridor which stretches from Tampa through Orlando and over to Daytona Beach and the Space Coast, and in Southwest Florida.