Florida legislators were treated Monday to a tutorial in criminal justice, Texas-style.

Floridas unemployment rate remained at 12 percent in December, leaving the Sunshine State with the same unemployment rate it started with at the beginning of 2010, and 2.6 percent above the national jobless rate of 9.4 percent.

Gov. Rick Scott is fond of saying he wants to make Florida the best place in the country to do business. Associated Industries of Florida is hoping hell do just that -- in fact, AIF may have more confidence in the new governor than other organizations.

Gov. Rick Scott allowed SB 2A to pass into law Wednesday, pushing back the start of a program to inspect septic tanks by six months. Some lawmakers, however, want to go further than that -- perhaps as Scott was hoping -- and get rid of the program altogether.

Floridas congressional delegation, like the overwhelming majority in the U.S. House, broke on party lines when the new Republican majority voted Wednesday to repeal the federal health care bill enacted in 2010 with the support of President Barack Obama. Those divisions filtered down at the state level as Republicans in Florida praised the repeal measure, while Sunshine State Democrats continued to back Obama and the health care laws.

Gov. Rick Scott met formally with his Cabinet for the first time Wednesday, and all members appear intent on finding ways to cut spending by merging, consolidating or eliminating programs or agencies in their departments.

The State Board of Education issued $31.3 million in fines for public schools and another $355,000 for charter schools Tuesday for exceeding Florida's class-size limits, but much of that money could get funneled back into the schools that exceeded the caps.

If the businesses that make up the Florida Chamber of Commerce are a little excited about the 2011 legislative session, its with good reason.

Gov. Rick Scott said creating more jobs and opportunities and leveling the playing field for everyone -- that's the best way to achieve Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a society where character, not skin color, is the determinant factor.

Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham will push for higher safety standards, more stringent regulation and greater penalties for oil companies drilling in the Gulf of Mexico when he testifies before Congress in two weeks.