In throwing their support to Newt Gingrich, a group of Florida tea party leaders risk throwing away their clout and credibility, observers of the movement say.

"The Florida Tea Party Coalition With Newt" endorsed the former House speaker on Thursday, saying they would "help defeat Massachusetts Moderate Mitt Romney and then President Barack Obama."

It is clear to me and many others in the tea party movement that Newt is the Reagan conservative that America needs, said Peter Lee, founder and director of the East Side Tea Party of Orlando.

A record 210,000 U.S. students are using public funds to attend private K-12 schools, and Florida leads the nation with more than 60,000 of them, a new study reports.

Nearly all of the children participating in the voucher-style programs come from low- or middle-income families, or are students with special needs.

Florida, a school-choice pioneer under Gov. Jeb Bush, currently awards:

If the Florida presidential primary hinges on debate performance, Mitt Romney sealed the deal Thursday night.

A bill to decouple greyhound racing from dog track casinos advanced Thursday after a Senate panel rejected a "poison pill" amendment.

Senate Bill 382 cleared the Regulated Industries Committee on a 6-4 vote. The measure, by Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, would allow dog tracks to discontinue greyhound racing while maintaining their gaming licenses.

Prior to the final vote, Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, with support from the Greyhound Breeders Association, introduced an amendment to end state subsidies for tracks that halted racing.

A "simple" bad-faith insurance bill bogged down in complex legal arguments Thursday and failed to clear the House Civil Justice Subcommittee.

House Bill 427 set a 60-day time limit for insurers to resolve third-party claims.

Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said her bill would have a "positive impact for small businesses by reducing 'long-winded' [court] cases."

But the measure, a simplified version of a reform bill introduced last session, ran into heavy skepticism from Democrats and Republicans on the panel.

A personal injury protection bill patterned after Florida's workers' compensation program ran into a buzz saw of opposition at a jam-packed committee room Wednesday, but emerged relatively unscathed.

Soaring costs for mandatory motor vehicle PIP insurance are driving the demand for reform, said Rep. Jim Boyd, sponsor of House Bill 119.

"Florida has a billion-dollar [PIP] fraud industry," the Bradenton Republican said. "The number of drivers is flat and accidents are down, but claim values are up and PIP premiums are up 66 percent."

In his third State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a list of tax and spending initiatives in an effort to prod Congress during an election year -- and congressional Republicans quickly fired back.

To enthusiastic cheers from jack-in-the-box Democrats rising from their seats, Obama renewed his call for higher taxes on upper-income Americans.

It was hard to tell who took a bigger beating in Monday night's debate -- Newt Gingrich or NBC.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement probe into check handling at the Department of Revenue has been closed, with no charges filed.

The FDLE investigation centered on Deon McCrimmon, a tax specialist whose name appeared on several state warrants for payment.

FDLE investigator Mike Stephenson said in a statement:

"Obviously, it would be a concern with the nature in which the warrant payee was shown; the employee may be able to convert the warrant to personal use.

Legislation to give incoming governors more influence at the state Judicial Nominating Commission could succeed where previous court reform measures have failed.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, and Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, have introduced bills authorizing the governor, upon taking office, to replace the five members of the JNC appointed by his predecessor instead of having to wait for their staggered terms to expire.

The Florida Bar would continue to name four members to the panel.