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House Engages in All-Day Session

April 19, 2010 - 6:00pm

With two weeks left in the legislative session, the House held a lengthy meeting Tuesday, passing a large number of bills and paving the way to pass even more later in the week. While most of the measures passed with little, if any, opposition, attempts to reform hate crime laws and a proposal to reform property insurance rates prompted debate and pointed questions.

The House debated a measure adding homeless people to the Florida hate crime statues. The measure passed 80-28.

Abandon All Hope for Residential Property Insurance Rate Increases this Year

Submitted by Kevin Derby on April 20, 2010 - 4:57pm

You might want to grab a tissue as you're reading this blog, private insurers.

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, halted his effort to pass this session a bill that could raise residential property insurance rates by as much as 10 percent annually. The Senate Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means had scheduled a vote on the bill, but Bennett called for his fellow lawmakers to pass over the bill.

The reason?

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George's Own Library

Kathleen Parker

April 20, 2010 - 6:00pm

MOUNT VERNON, Va. -- It was fitting that the buzz around George Washington's homestead recently was about the first president's overdue library books, just as the estate's guardians were plotting a new presidential library in the founding father's name.

Jeff Stahler Cartoon

April 20, 2010 - 6:00pm

Zapata Thanks Sansom in Farewell

Submitted by Kevin Derby on April 20, 2010 - 4:11pm

As the House session starts to wind down with less than two weeks to go, members who are term-limited have been offering farewell addresses. Speaking today was Rep. J.C. Zapata, R-Miami, who offered a bit more than the usual thanks to fellow House members, staffers and family.

Zapata offered thanks to disgraced former Speaker Ray Sansom, who is now facing criminal charges. Zapata even said he missed Sansom, who resigned early in 2009 as he faced revolt from Republicans in the House.

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FL House Speaker Backs Rubio

Submitted by Kevin Derby on April 20, 2010 - 3:44pm

While he hasn't generated as much press as U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia's Republican rising star, charismatic Marco Rubio has begun to turn heads not only across Florida, but across the nation. And it didn't hurt the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate that House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala endorsed him today. He did so compellingly and with conviction, attacking Rubio's opponent ,Gov. Charlie Crist, for sacrificing principle for ambition.

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VIDEO COVERAGE: Sexual Abuse Survivor Finishes 500-Mile Walk

Submitted by Kevin Derby on April 20, 2010 - 3:38pm

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Abuse Survivor Completes Journey of a Lifetime

April 19, 2010 - 6:00pm

It was like a scene from a movie.

Lauren Book-Lim, her blonde hair pulled beneath a Nike cap, fell to her knees at the steps of the old Capitol as dozens of friends and supporters cheered her. Nearby, speakers blared the '80s anthem "Here I Go Again," and Book-Lim, having reached the end of a 500-mile journey, burst into tears.

The Limits of Power

Thomas Sowell

April 20, 2010 - 6:00pm

When I first began to study the history of slavery around the world, many years ago, one of the oddities that puzzled me was the practice of paying certain slaves, which existed in ancient Rome and in America's antebellum South, among other places.

Rasmussen Poll: Most Voters Want Incumbents Out, Gubernatorial Race Tightens

Submitted by Kevin Derby on April 20, 2010 - 2:41pm

A new Rasmussen report out today shows Marco Rubio still maintains a strong lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in their bid for the Republican primary nomination. Crist's numbers have been trending downward for a while now, and the governor is considering leaving the Republican party to run as an Independent.

The gubernatorial race among Bill McCollum, Alex Sink, and Paula Dockery is tightening a little. McCullom holds his lead over Sink at 45% compared to her 38%. Dockery wasn't mentioned in the poll results.

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