This is a tale of two cities. No, not Dickens' phlegmatic London and passionate Paris. Nor the two neighborhoods Charles Murray contrasted in his recent bestseller "Coming Apart" -- prosperous but isolated Belmont (actually, Mitt Romney's home for decades) and needy and disorganized Fishtown.

Florida lawmakers are fond of passing resolutions that mean relatively little. So here's an idea for a new resolution: Declare mid-July as "Dog Days in Tallahassee."

But while the capital saunters through humidity and swarms of mosquitoes, campaign action is picking up in legislative races across the state. Redistricting and the exodus of longtime lawmakers have helped create a collection of marquee election battles.

As Floridas unemployment mark has slowly ticked down the last year and a half, two tracks have remained in place among the counties:

Walton, Monroe, Okaloosa, and Franklin counties, predominately rural communities that have a large dependence upon government -- have held the lowest monthly marks. Why? A little because of tourism jobs, but the greater factor is that Eglin Air Force Base aids both Okaloosa and Walton.

Government jobs prop up the employment picture.