Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, said Wednesday he is waiting for facts before he begins crafting legislation on pension reform -- but in the debate so far, both sides claim they have "facts" on their side.
Cheryl Conley, Florida's 2011 Teacher of the Year, is among four finalists to be National Teacher of the Year.
Conley, fourth-grade teacher at Osceola Magnet Elementary School in Vero Beach, has taught a total of 11 years, the last four at Osceola Magnet.
Conley and three fellow finalists -- Annice Brave of Illinois, Michaelle Shearer of Maryland and Paul Anderson of Montana -- were selected by the Council of Chief State School Officers, based in Washington, D.C.
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While Democrats complain about Gov. Rick Scott's freeze on $1 million-plus contracts, he's getting more support from the right.
Ax the Tax, a statewide grass-roots anti-tax group opposing proposed commuter and high-speed rail projects, and the Florida TEA Party saluted Scott's stand.
"Fortunately, all of the actual research reports are pointing to a huge financial deficit for the two major rail projects -- the SunRail commuter rail and the high-speed rail project," said Doug Guetzloe, founder and chairman of Ax the Tax.
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When Jennifer Carroll was sworn in as Floridas 18th lieutenant governor, she became the first African-American in the states history to hold that position. But while the likes of Carroll and former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek are trailblazers, they are also following in the footsteps of a generation of African-American leaders who shaped Florida greatly in the turbulent and often chaotic years that followed the Civil War.
The steam seems to be going out of the move to "deftly pin this" -- the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others -- "on the tea partiers," as one unidentified senior Democratic operative put it to Politico.
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, is open to ideas for tax cuts coming from Gov. Rick Scott, but doesn't plan on pushing for any himself.
Haridopolos frequently referenced the state's $3.5 billion budget shortfall Wednesday in calling for spending cuts in Medicaid, education and other areas, and said that any tax cut proposals from Gov. Scott should come with offsetting cuts in spending. Gov. Scott's budget proposal will be released next month.
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Citing concerns over the state's $3.5 billion budget deficit,Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, stated Wednesday that he does not support using state funds for Florida's high-speed rail project, which would connect Tampa to Orlando.
"It's something the people would like to have, it's just something we can't afford using state dollars," Haridopolos said.
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Businessman Herman Cain, who ran for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Georgia back in 2004, announced on Wednesday that he was forming an exploratory committee to look at running for the GOPs presidential nomination in 2012.
Cain, who was the president and CEO of Godfathers Pizza and National Restaurant Association, has been a favorite of the tea party movement, speaking at numerous events during the 2010 election cycle, including one in Clay County back in October. He currently hosts a talk-radio show out of Atlanta.
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At the end of December, in his final days as governor, Charlie Crist sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking that 35 of the states 67 counties be included in a USDA Secretarial Emergency Declaration.Floridians whose crops or livestock were impacted by the weather could be eligible for various programs, including loans, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and other federal agencies if Vilsack makes such a declaration.
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