"Not only do we have a gap, but we won't have a human space flight for a long time, and we will have to rely on the Russians to get into space. Even with a few more jobs, the loss of 5,000 to 6,000 jobs comes at a time when we can least afford it."
-- State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island

"The president made a very compelling case. He appears committed to a space exploration program that has a lot more flexibility and robustness than the earlier program."
-- Frank DiBello, president, Space Florida

Pledging $40 million to "develop regional economic growth and job creation" on Florida's Space Coast, President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to soothe concerns about impending employment losses related to the phase-out of the shuttle program.

He didn't necessarily sway Florida officials.

Generating 700 megawatts of increased solar-power output would create 40,000 jobs and expand economic activity in Florida by $8.1 billion, a new study says.

The report by the Washington Economics Group helped to fuel support for Senate Bill 1186, which the Senate Energy Committee passed Wednesday.

When Gov. Charlie Crist signed the Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting Act on Wednesday, it might have been the last time Floridians see him in the glowing company of Republican Party leaders.

Citing a return of his father's lung cancer, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio cut short his campaign bus tour.

Photo credit: Aaron Wiener, The Washington Independent

America's broadcast television networks brand the Tea Party movement as an insignificant assortment of cranks and reactionaries. Members are also portrayed -- when they're covered at all -- as tools for self-serving corporate interests and racists dragooned by the Republican Party.

Two Medicaid reform bills cleared a key legislative hurdle Monday, and a new research study gave them another push forward.

Building on pilot programs already under way in five Florida counties, the new bills would expand managed-care initiatives to Miami-Dade County next year and implement a statewide program over five years.

"Reform has increased competition among health plans, reduced co-pays and expanded and diversified patient benefits," according to Michael Bond, a senior fellow at the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee.

Three years before it's scheduled to roll, Florida's $1.2 billion SunRail commuter train is sputtering with talk of possible cost overruns.

The solution? Rob roads to run rails.

If Congress had a "Most Controversial Freshman Award," Rep. Bill Posey would be a leading contender -- if not a shoo-in.

Calling President Barack Obama's NASA budget "unacceptable," U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas joined Rep. Bill Posey in demanding a greater commitment for space exploration from the White House.

Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and Posey, R-Rockledge, spoke Friday at a congressional forum in Cocoa in advance of Obama's scheduled visit to Florida on Thursday.