In a move spurring a regulatory fight, Gulf Power Co. is seeking to collect millions of dollars from customers for a possible nuclear-power project in Escambia County.

Gulf expects in 2012 to finish buying 4,000 acres of land near Century that could eventually be home to a nuclear plant or another type of power plant.

But with state regulators scheduled to hold a hearing next month about a Gulf request to raise base electric rates by $93.5 million, attorneys for consumers and business groups are trying to block part of the proposal dealing with the potential nuclear site.

With the House raising arguments about separation of powers, a Leon County circuit judge is expected to allow only limited questioning of Rep. Rick Kriseman in a court battle about the hotel taxes paid by online-travel companies.

Expedia last month subpoenaed Kriseman and an aide to give depositions about their roles in distributing potentially damaging company documents to House members and the news media.

A panel appointed by Gov. Rick Scott could call for local voters to decide the future of public hospital districts and could recommend that district money only go toward caring for indigent patients.

Dominic Calabro, chairman of the Florida Commission on Review of Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts, said those are two of the ideas that could be included in a report the panel is required to finish by Jan. 1.

It's hard to picture two places in Florida more different than Miami and Gretna.

But international, glitzy Miami and rural, down-home Gretna are drawing headlines for the same reason: gambling.

The debate about expanded gambling intensified this week as lawmakers and lobbyists get ready to battle about adding resort casinos in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Meanwhile, the Gadsden County Commission agreed to hold a referendum about allowing slot machines at a new Gretna racetrack and poker room.

In a case watched by developers, environmentalists and government agencies, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday sided with the St. Johns River Water Management District in a long-running dispute about the "taking" of property.

The dispute stemmed from a district decision in 1994 to deny a permit for a development project to Orange County landowner Coy Koontz.

District officials indicated they would grant the permit if Koontz agreed to conditions that included doing an environmental mitigation project several miles away from his land. Koontz refused and filed a lawsuit.

State regulators largely signed off Tuesday on how much Floridians will have to pay for electricity next year -- but faced a tricky question about the amount Progress Energy Florida should pass along to consumers.

The state Public Service Commission approved fuel costs and a series of other smaller costs for Florida Power & Light, Tampa Electric Co. and Gulf Power Co.

Arguing that fish and other sea life in the Gulf of Mexico are being damaged, two environmental groups are challenging the state's decision to renew a permit for Progress Energy Florida power plants in Citrus County.

The Sierra Club and the Florida Wildlife Federation, in a case filed last week in the state Division of Administrative Hearings, target two coal-fired plants at Progress Energy's Crystal River complex.

As acting state Medicaid director Justin Senior met with an advisory group Tuesday, he got an email on his wireless phone.

Federal officials were letting Senior know they want Florida to request another 15-day extension of a Medicaid managed-care pilot program.

The pilot was originally supposed to end June 30, but the federal government has repeatedly granted temporary extensions as Florida seeks approval to continue the program through June 2014.

"I'm going to get the whole three years, 15 days at a time,'' Senior quipped after reading the email.

After years of debate about privacy issues and deadly drug use, Florida doctors and pharmacists can start tapping into a state database Monday to check out patients' prescription histories.

The database is aimed at curbing prescription-drug abuse and "doctor shopping" -- addicts going from doctor to doctor to try to score prescriptions for powerful painkillers such as OxyContin.

Wesley Chapel Republican Will Weatherford, who is set to become House speaker after the 2012 elections, collected $190,300 in campaign contributions between July 1 and Sept. 30 -- far outdistancing all other House candidates.

Weatherford, whose only declared opponent in District 61 is no-party candidate Franklin Donald Stockmeister, increased his overall cash total for the 2012 campaign to $266,750, according to quarterly reports filed this week.