Florida ethics officials need more authority to investigate and more power to punish public officials and others for what amounts to a Florida corruption tax that is eroding public trust and stealing taxpayers money, a statewide grand jury said Wednesday.

While his name has generated a good deal of buzz, especially since the November elections, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said before Christmas he is more focused on running the Lone Star State and the Republican Governors Association rather than launching a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

WASHINGTON -- Cowlitz County in Washington state is across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., which promotes mass transit and urban density and is a green reproach to the rest of us. Recently, Cowlitz did something that might make Portland wonder whether shrinking its carbon footprint matters. Cowlitz approved construction of a coal export terminal from which millions of tons of U.S. coal could be shipped to Asia annually.