Local governments throughout the Sunshine State, with its open records law, moved closer to being required to hear from their residents before voting on any topic.

The Senate Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections on Wednesday supported SB 206, by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, to require boards and commissions to hear from residents during the discussion phase.

Dont expect any controversial overhaul of Floridas university system in the recently started legislative session, even after the House speaker on Tuesday morning evoked Gov. Rick Scott in calling for the system to be given a serious review.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, both would later in the day say the process may take several sessions to complete.

A proposal to create a statewide gaming commission and allow voters to approve up to three mega casinos cleared its first hurdle Monday in the Florida Senate. However, the odds appear to have grown longer against the success of the bill.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee voted 7-3 on Monday in support of the Destination Gaming bill.

State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has halted his effort to ask voters if they want to select the education commissioner and make the post once again part of the Florida Cabinet.

Instead, Negron said he wants to pursue a different constitutional amendment, this one to abolish the once-a-generation constitutional revision and the taxation and budget reform commissions.

As it stands right now, I do not intend to move forward, Negron said Monday. Im putting my energy into the revision commission.

A Naples-based group claims it has created the largest online effort to expose excessive government spending in the state.

The Foundation for Government Accountability, based in Naples, rolled out an interactive website on the eve of the 2012 Florida legislative session that allows users to compare 15 years of state and local government employee salaries, 18 years of state and local budgets and government contracts -- or about $1.4 trillion in public spending.

Watch for Gov. Rick Scott to charge hard at Florida's education needs when he outlines his vision for the state during his State of the State address Tuesday morning in the Capitol.

Scott, who made job creation the primary focus during his first year in office, will continue the call he made last month in his budget proposal to lower the cost of living by reducing insurance costs and improving primary and university education.

State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, has submitted an amended destination gaming bill that creates a statewide gaming commission, prohibits the growing Internet cafes, and allows voters to decide if resort casinos can be opened in their county.

Bogdanoff had considered a bill prohibiting all barrel racing -- while allowing Gretna Racing to potentially keep operating -- in a draft she presented to other senators earlier this week. However, the amended version has no mention of barrel racing in any form.