Florida Legislative Session 2013

Advocates for working folk haven’t had a lot of luck establishing a right to paid sick leave in Florida.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan's proposal was defeated last year and, in Orlando, Orange County commissioners found a way to avoid a sick time referendum, even though 50,000 residents had won a ballot spot, fair and square, with their signatures on a petition.

A South Florida lawmaker filed legislation Friday to repeal the law allowing the use of red light cameras, following a report earlier this week that says intersections where they're used have seen drops in crashes in most places.

Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, seeks to end the use of the cameras, saying they unfairly dole out tickets to people who can't defend themselves, noting that malfunctioning cameras can't be cross-examined.

Florida has successfully dodged a major storm for a while now. But, the state's residents have not been so lucky at dodging rate increases on their property insurance.

Property insurance rates have been rising for millions of Floridians even though the state hasn't been directly hit by a hurricane in seven years.

The News Service of Florida

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben F. Overton, the first justice appointed by the governor after the switch in the 1970s from elected justices, has died from complications of heart surgery, a spokesman for the court said.

Overton, who retired in 1999, was 86.

On the court for more than two decades, his legacy includes letting cameras into Florida courtrooms.

In 2012, Florida remained the state that can't vote straight. 

President Barack Obama sent Florida's GOP leaders in to shock by winning the state in November, and some Democrats followed his coattails to make the state slightly bluer. But while licking their wounds, Republicans remain in firm control of Florida's agenda.

His big campaign pledge was 700-thousand jobs in seven years.

So, halfway through his term, how is Gov. Rick Scott doing with that?

The answer...it's complicated.

Unemployment has dropped from 11.4 percent in January, 2011, to 8.1 percent in November of this year. But almost half of the improvement is attributed to discouraged workers leaving the workforce.

Rep. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been all over the news this week. On Monday, responding to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, he said all remedies must be "on the table" legislatively, including allowing teachers and principals to arm themselves on school   grounds. 

On Tuesday, after his comments had been reported widely, Baxley issued a statement that this is a time to respect the victims. "Contrary to media reports, no specific proposals have been advanced or filed by me," he wrote.

On the Florida Roundup: The tragedy in Connecticut hits home in what some people call “The Gunshine State,”as Florida has over a million concealed weapons permits, the most in the country.    Do you feel safer?  We hear your reaction to Florida’s milestone.  And will gun control be on the agenda in Tallahassee?

In what may be a preview of the governor’s race, former governor Charlie Crist directly criticized Governor Rick Scott before a U.S. Senate hearing on voting rights. Crist was critical of Scott for helping to pass a 2011 election law that limited early voting hours. 

Florida leaders are expressing themselves, although not always clearly, after the elementary school massacre in Newtown last week.

Some Florida Democrats, including Tampa U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor, are calling for new restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.

Congressman Rich Nugent, a  Republican and former sheriff from Brooksville, says more gun control would be far less useful than identifying and treating mental illness.

 Republican Governor Rick Scott Friday reacted to speculation that newly registered Democrat Charlie Crist will run against him in 2014. Crist, a former Republican governor who became an independent in 2010, and is now formally registered as a Democrat. Scott says the state lost hundreds of thousands of jobs and saw its debt soar during the Crist administration. "In my first two years, we've turned the corner.  Biggest drop in unemployment - it's down to 8.5 percent - and 175,000 private sector jobs. So that's what I'm doing.

Florida advocates for liberalizing marijuana laws  felt the rush on Nov. 6 when two states, Colorado and Washington, legalized marijuana and Massachusetts approved its use for medical purposes.

So they really like their chances for their own proposed measures, two for medical and one for out-and-out legalization.

Pollsters call him "highly vulnerable" and his approvals remain in the cellar, but Gov. Rick Scott's reelection campaign treasury is beginning to fill up.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist is taking fire from the Republican press release machine now that speculation is growing that he'll challenge Gov. Rick Scott as a Democrat in 2014.

The AP and Sarasota Herald-Tribune suggest there's an angry personal element to this that transcends ordinary politics, probably because Crist was once a Republican governor and the darling of his party. But now he's a cheating rat.

The Allen West - Patrick Murphy Congressional standoff is now over. The one-term congressman came close to winning the new District 18 that he had to move to run in, but not close enough, so he conceded today on Fox News. West maintains there were enough ballot irregularities to warrant a close look. And there is no disputing there were voting problems in St. Lucie County. The outgoing GOP Congressman gave no definitive plans for his future. Winner Patrick Murphy has already been through freshman orientation in Washington. 

Statewide media consultant Ron Sachs went on a Facebook rant after Florida companies were skipped over for a local government contract in Tallahassee.

“The Tallahassee Airport leadership outsourced - without competitive bidding - a web development contract for about $23-thousand to an Atlanta-based company.”

Two strikes and he may be out. A second judge has ruled that he will not hear GOP Congressman Allen West's request for a recount, virtually assuring Patrick Murphy of the District 18 Congressional seat.  It happened in St.

For those of you who just don't want to let this election season go, then we have the story  for you. Congressman Allen West has one last chance to pull out a win in the 18th congressional district. The race still hasn't been certified.  Lawyers for West are scheduled to be in court in St. Lucie County on 

Friday to try to get a full recount in his contest with Democrat Patrick Murphy, who is so convinced he's won the seat that he's already gone to Congressional freshman orientation.

 Both West and Murphy are now in Washington, D.C. 

Tuesday's election in Florida lasted until Saturday when the state was finally called for President Barack Obama. That's how long it took to sort through the mountains of absentee and other non-standard ballots.

The Miami-Dade absentee ballots have all been counted. And color us blue. That blank on the U.S. map usually known as Florida is now filled in. Mitt Romney has conceded Florida. Miami-Dade County itself turned out for Barak Obama in a big way. The final results are :   62% for the President and 38% for Mitt Romney. Now the attention turns to what took so long and how to prevent a repeat performance. Elections Supervisor Penelope Townsley admits more and larger locations are needed and says her department, along with the mayor's office, will examine what can be done differently.

Democrats in the Florida Legislature made some gains in Tuesday's election. They weren't enough to end Republican majorities in the House or  Senate but they did reduce GOP strength by a measureable notch: Republicans no longer have the supermajorities required for total domination of one party by another.

Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Maria Sachs' victory over Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff  of Hollywood was the critical win in the upper chamber.

Top state Democrats and the League of Women Voters have been pleading with Gov. Rick Scott  to extend the early voting to relieve the long lines and multi-hour waits. 

Last night, the governor said no.  "Early voting will end Saturday night," he announced to reporters at a fundraiser in the Alachua County town of Newberry. 

Legal scholars at the conservative Federalist Society are heaping skepticism on the Republicans' rationale for drumming liberal Justices Barbara Pariente, Peggy Quince and R. Fred Lewis out of the Florida Supreme Court for "judicial activism."

And now, on the other side of a pretty prestigious political night for South Florida - one last look at the Presidential debate at Lynn University.  Kenny Malone was onsite at Lynn University and wanted to watch the debate through the eyes of the Florida voter. 

Lynn University is getting ready for her close up. The third and final debate between President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney is just a couple of hours away. The Boca Raton school that very few had even heard of is also on the national stage. 

Records and emails collected by The Palm Beach Post depict state officials as too absorbed with political goals to warn the public about a tuberculosis outbreak.

The state is investigating a Virginia-based company for possible voter registration fraud in Florida.

Strategic Allied Consulting was hired by the Republican Party of Florida to register voters ahead of the November election.

The Florida Division of Elections is concerned about a series of suspicious registration forms submitted by Strategic Allied.

Utility companies in Florida are allowed to charge customers for power plants that may never be built.

It’s allowed under a law passed in 2006, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy wants the law overturned.

A legal challenge is now before the Florida Supreme Court.

The effort to shrink the number of homes insured by the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance is accelerating into high gear.

The Office of Insurance Regulation approved the company’s rate hike request this week.

At the same time, more than 200,000 Citizens customers are being contacted by private insurance companies that want their business.

The murder of Trayvon Martin turned a spotlight on Florida's law that authorizes the use of deadly force in self-defense. The law has been widely cited as the reason why shooter George Zimmerman has not been arrested.

Marion Hammer helped craft the law. She’s the powerful lobbyist for the National Rifle Association in Florida. She’s also a grandmother who stands all of 4-feet-11-inches tall.