A congressional proposal to issue visas to foreign nationals who buy U.S. homes could be a big boon to Florida's real-estate market.

Already the top state in sales to international buyers, Florida stands to benefit from the VISIT-USA Act proposed by Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mike Lee, R-Utah.

A development project touting 10,623 construction jobs and 2,513 permanent positions moved a step closer to reality this week in North Miami. But not everyone is sold on the financial package, and if the city balks, the developer could walk.

The City Council authorized negotiations to begin with South Florida developer Michael Swerdlow's Oleta Group on a residential and retail venture spread over 184 acres.

Casino tools Erik Fresen and Ellyn Bogdanoff want to "control" gaming by opening the door to destination mega-resorts in South Florida.

Legislation setting up a Department of Gaming Control and a State Gaming Commission puts Florida on track to approve mega-casinos and become a top-flight gambling destination.

With one gaming company vowing to build the biggest casino in the world, and deep-pocketed lobbyists touting the economic benefits of gambling projects, two lawmakers introduced a casino bill on Wednesday.

A U.S. homebuilder estimates that increasing the domestic content of new houses by just 5 percent would create 220,000 American jobs.

Anders Lewendal is putting his money where his mouth is, as he constructs a Bozeman, Mont., home entirely of U.S.-made products. And shattering the conventional wisdom that domestic goods cannot compete on cost, Lewendal, an economist-turned-builder, says the house's price tag is barely 1 percent higher.

Goodbye, Chinese drywall.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled a "Cut, Balance and Grow" economic plan on Tuesday to slash federal spending, curb regulations and implement an optional 20 percent flat tax.

Calling for a balanced budget by 2020, the GOP presidential candidate would cap federal spending at 18 percent of GDP and reduce discretionary nondefense outlays by $100 billion in the first year.

The plan also bans congressional earmarks, ends baseline budgeting, curbs federal salaries and institutes "pay-go," requiring that any funding for new programs be offset by cuts elsewhere.

One of the chief complaints about Herman Cain's "9-9-9" tax plan is that money-hungry politicians could ratchet it up to 15-15-15, or worse.

So the GOP presidential candidate is going the other way, promising low-income Americans that their income tax rate would go to zero.

"Your plan isnt 9-9-9, its 9-0-9. Say amen, yall," Cain told a crowd in Detroit. "In other words, if you are at or below the poverty level then you dont pay that middle 9 on your income."

A federal judge's ruling temporarily blocking Florida's welfare drug-test law was assailed Monday as "insane and irresponsible."

"This is a deliberate violation of the law on the part of the judge," said Robert Rector, a Heritage Foundation researcher who helped author the original law governing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven sided with an Orlando man and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which challenged the drug-testing requirement.

Dimissing critics' cries of "nuclear socialism," the Florida Public Service Commission approved $282 million in utility rate hikes on Monday.

Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy sought "early cost recovery" increases to kick-start four proposed nuclear reactors on the east and west coasts and upgrade existing plants. Under state law, utilities can seek rate hikes to cover planning, design and other preconstruction costs.

Despite critics' cries of "nuclear socialism," the Florida Public Service Commission is expected to approve $337 million in utility rate hikes on Monday.

Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy are seeking "early cost recovery" increases to kick-start four proposed nuclear reactors on the east and west coasts. Under state law, utilities can seek rate hikes to cover planning, design and other preconstruction costs.

But opponents say customers may never benefit from the projects which, ultimately, may never be built.