Florida, a key cog in an expanding global human-trafficking network, is looking to crack down on the $42.5 billion industry, starting with a vote on anti-racketeering legislation Thursday.
Arally in Tallahassee on Wednesday marked a "Day of Awareness" in the fight against domestic human trafficking, whose criminal enterprises range from sexual slavery to organ harvesting.
President Barack Obama's re-election hopes took a hit Tuesday from an economic index that showed continued unease by America's small-business owners.
Along with the latest unemployment rate, which declined slightly in December, the "Optimism Index" of the National Federation of Independent Business bumped up 1.8 points. But the outlook for growth remains cloudy at best.
Calling for a new era of cooperation and a $1 billion boost in school spending, Gov. Rick Scott told legislators Tuesday that better times are ahead for Florida.
My fellow Floridians, Im here today to tell you that promise and opportunity will return, in fact are returning even as we meet here today," Scott said in his State of the State address at the Capitol.
Sounding the theme, "Let's Get to Work ... Together," the first-term governor recounted, Last session, together we made the changes necessary to improve the opportunities for the citizens of our state.
Alleging that campus visits by a Muslim activist are "tantamount to advocating overturning the Constitution in favor of Sharia Law," a conservative coalition on Monday demanded that the Hillsborough County School District "sever all connections" to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
A letter signed by Conservative Theological University president Gene Youngblood and 14 others representing conservative educational and religious groups also "respectfully requested":
Dozens of tea parties, including the state's largest, say they will support an E-Verify immigration bill at the 2012 Legislature.
But with some libertarian-leaning conservatives balking at the issue, the path to passage looks more precarious than ever.
"Most in the tea party are concerned about anything that is illegal and does not uphold the rule of law. E-Verify is one way to uphold our legal immigration laws and we support it," said Billie Tucker, who chairs the First Coast Tea Party in Jacksonville.
The White House boasted on Friday that December's improved jobless report pointed to an economy on the rebound, but skeptics called it "smoke and mirrors."
While any decrease in overall unemployment should be watched with cautious optimism, todays jobs numbers offer troubling signs for job creators and hard-working families alike," said Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee.
While Mitt Romney has enjoyed relatively soft treatment from the mainstream media, a recent front-page article in the Washington Post telegraphed the cheap shots Republicans can expect in the general election.
Demonstrating their inside and outside games, a statewide tea party coalition and a host of "progressive" groups will converge on the Capitol on Tuesday as the Legislature begins its 2012 session.
Working the outside, Occupy Tallahassee has already set up a base at Gaines Street Commons. Purporting to represent the "99 percent," the group will be joined by like-minded activists from around the state.
To kick things off Tuesday, the left-wing coalition has reserved the Old Capitol Steps from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. for a daylong series of rallies and speeches.
Rick Santorum's late surge and Ron Paul's dominance among young voters and independents combined to undercut Mitt Romney's front-runner status in the GOP presidential field Tuesday night.
The tight three-way finish in the Iowa caucuses showed no clear favorite. Early Wednesday morning, with 100 percent of votes tallied, Santorum and Romney were statistically tied with 25 percent each -- and Romney winning by a mere eight votes out of 60,015 cast between the two men. Paul had 21 percent of the approximately 121,000 total votes cast.
