With the economy sputtering, state analysts will gather Oct. 11 and dish out bad budget news.

Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, said Wednesday that earlier projections of general-revenue growth this year and during the 2012-13 fiscal year will drop "fairly significantly.''

That means more difficult budget choices for lawmakers when they start the 2012 legislative session in January -- though Baker said things won't be as bad as during this spring's session, when lawmakers faced a $3.6 billion shortfall.

A divided Florida Public Service Commission reached into the past Thursday as it chose former Commissioner Braulio Baez as the agency's new executive director.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to offer the PSC's top administrative post to Baez, a Miami lawyer who served from 2000 to 2006 on the commission and also worked in the 1990s as a staff member.

Supporters, who favored Baez over two other finalists, pointed to his knowledge of the agency and said he could quickly step into the job. Baez also served a stint as PSC chairman.

State regulators next week will plunge back into questions about expanding nuclear power in Florida -- and consider the down payment that residents and businesses will have to make in 2012.

Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy Florida are seeking to pass along about $335 million in nuclear costs to customers next year. While a large chunk of the money would go toward upgrading already-existing nuclear plants, customers also would cover expenses for new plants that are not slated to start operating for at least another decade.

Worried about the future of a program that funnels money to hospitals, Florida has received another two weeks to reach agreement with federal officials on continuing the states Medicaid managed-care pilot.

The controversial pilot, which requires most Medicaid beneficiaries in five counties to enroll in managed-care plans, was scheduled to expire Sunday. But the state Agency for Health Care Administration sent a letter to federal Medicaid officials on Friday, seeking a 14-day temporary extension.

Worried about the future of a program that funnels money to hospitals, Florida has asked federal officials for another two weeks to reach agreement on continuing the states Medicaid managed-care pilot.

The controversial pilot, which requires most Medicaid beneficiaries in five counties to enroll in managed-care plans, was scheduled to expire Sunday. But the state Agency for Health Care Administration sent a letter to federal Medicaid officials on Friday, seeking a 14-day temporary extension.

With utilities using massive amounts of water to cool power plants, the Florida Public Service Commission is concerned about proposed federal regulations aimed at protecting fish and other aquatic life.

The commission Friday sent documents to the Environmental Protection Agency and congressional members indicating that the proposal could drive up costs for utilities that suck in ocean or river water -- and, as a result, kill many fish and other sea organisms.

Pointing to a long-running fight in Florida, the U.S. House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would restrict the Environmental Protection Agencys power to require tougher water-quality standards.

U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., was a key sponsor of the measure, which passed 239-184. Mica and other supporters said the EPA has overstepped its authority in Clean Water Act disputes with states.

EPA has indeed created a regulatory nightmare that affects almost every state in the union, Mica said during a floor debate.

Republican incumbents David Simmons and Lizbeth Benacquisto outpaced other Senate candidates in raising campaign cash during the second quarter of 2011, new reports show.

Simmons, R-Maitland, raised $91,640 between April 1 and June 30, while Benacquisto, R-Wellington, pulled in $62,165. Candidates faced a Monday deadline for filing campaign-finance reports, though not all had been posted on the Division of Elections' website as of 7 p.m.

Pointing to potentially higher electric rates, the Florida Public Service Commission is expected this month to raise concerns with the federal government about new air-pollution standards.

Utilities such as Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy Florida and the states municipal electric industry also are wary of the proposed standards, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize in November.