The clock will continue to slowly tick on the future of gambling in Florida, with the deadline now apparently set for the 2014 legislative session.

Will Florida re-up the Florida Seminole Compact, inevitably give in to the casino interests or simply allow each facet from the Miami-Dade casinos to the Panhandle pari-mutuels, to the greyhound and horse tracks, to the Internet cafes to remain regulated, or unregulated?

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, is Floridas most popular politician, according to the latest Public Policy Polling release.

At least, hes more popular than python hunter U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, or Gov. Rick Scott.

Bill Nelson begins his third term in the Senate at a 43-40 spread, decent numbers but also ones that suggest his overwhelming victory in November might have had a lot to do with voters having a pretty dim view of his opponent, Connie Mack IV, PPP stated.

Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections Chairman Jack Latvala R-Clearwater, has wasted little time in filing a pair of bills that prohibit legislators from voting on bills that benefit them and lobbying any state agency for two years after leaving office, places greater restriction on public officials' use of political committees, and would give the state Commission on Ethics more power to collect fines.

The proposed committee bills, SPB 7006 and SPB 7008, go before the committee on Tuesday afternoon.

As ground was ceremonially broken for the new rail project at Port Everglades on Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott made his second funding commitment this week to bulk up one of Floridas seaports.

The governor directed $13 million for the Southport Turning Notch Extension at Port Everglades, which will provide more dock space, while attending the ground breaking for the 42.5-acre Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which when completed next year will be the nations only combined on-port cargo rail facility.

Following the release of an audit that called the travel expenses at state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. ambiguous and lacking internal control, Gov. Rick Scott wants the company to follow state travel rules and cut out international trips.

Scott decided not to wait the 20 days that Citizens was given to respond to the audit report, issuing his own statement on Thursday saying it is clear from the (inspector generals) findings that Citizens is in urgent need of four reforms.

Legislators have been asked to increase the age local police and firefighters can begin to qualify for pension payouts and, more importantly, that overtime and base salary -- without overtime and bonus pay -- should be the determining factor to calculate pension payouts.

While some of the changes are expected to be welcomed by local government leaders, union representatives are not in favor of wholesale rewriting of the pension rules, which include restrictions on how local government can use the insurance premium tax revenue they now collect