Martin County commissioners voted Tuesday to repay the city of Stuart more than $500,000 in the next two budget years because an error that went unnoticed for more than a decade in the property appraisers office resulted in unpaid property taxes. And those tax dollars were lost specifically to the citys Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs).

In fact, millions of dollars were lost to CRAs in the county, too.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott headed to Orange Park on the First Coast to push his call for reducing vehicle registration fees. Scotts proposal to cut $400 million in fees is setting up to be one of his chief legislative priorities of the new year.

Pointing to a federal judge calling the National Security Agencys (NSA) surveillance programs almost Orwellian, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called for major reforms to the NSA. Buchanan is a member of the Congressional Privacy Caucus.

I believe that our strength as a nation flows from the values and freedoms set forth by our Founding Fathers, including the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, Buchanan said on Tuesday. Its imperative that both parties work together and institute reforms to protect the privacy and liberties of the American people.