Florida students score above national average on math and reading comprehension

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Some scores are up and others down, but Florida students again are above average in all grades on reading and math tests used in national comparisons, according to results released Tuesday.

WSRZ.com

Americans for Prosperity Fights Property Tax Increase

Jacksonville - State Director Adam Guillette was featured on the ABC/NBC news speaking out against the proposed property tax increase.

Click here to see the video

As justices leave Florida's high court, Crist has chance to shape state's judicial system

For the justices it was a decision to go home, make money and take care of family.

For the Florida Supreme Court it means the loss of its two most reliably conservative voices and votes

Tallahassee Democrat

Crist moves the Veep-O-Meter in Sedona

With Charlie Crist out in Arizona this weekend socializing with John McCain and fellow vice presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, how could the Veep-O-Meter not look strong for our Governor? Crist stikes us as a lot more fun to kick back with than the tea-totaling Romney.

Tampabay.com

Stop the Largest Earmark Ever!

Lawmaker's are playing pork-barrel politics with YOUR money; and even worse, with our national defense decisions. The airforce needed a new tanker, but politicians are hindering the process.

Click here to take action now

Local Tax Fighting Group Chides Jax Journey

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization aimed at keeping local property taxes low, and their target right now is the Jacksonville Journey and its proposed tax increases.

First Coast News

$175 million tax dollars for a new stadium

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Tampa Bay Rays executives on Thursday announced a $450 million financing plan for a 34,000-seat waterfront ballpark.

Team executives are counting on the sale of their current home, Tropicana Field, the continuation of a hotel bed tax and $55 million in parking revenues over the life of the new stadium.

Yahoo!

Elected official makes six figures but doesn't show up for work

Jed Pittman

New Port Richey, Florida - When you do business at the Pasco Courthouse it will eventually involve Jed Pittman the Clerk of Court.

Pittman, a powerful Pasco politician, has been running the office since 1977. When we stopped in to see Pittman we were surprised he was in the office. Pittman wasn't there the past couple times we checked. An employee, whose identity we are protecting, says Pittman only works a couple of days a week, a few hours at a time.

Tampa Bay News 10

Crist says he'll OK tuition increase

Community college administrators no longer have to hold out hope that Gov. Charlie Crist will approve a tuition increase.

Tallahassee.com

Crist lukewarm on tax swap idea, no hint on whether he will whack budget

Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday morning was less than enthusiastic about the proposed tax swap on this fall's ballot.

While previously Crist had suggested he might campaign for the initiative that would cut school property taxes and replace them with at least a one cent hike in the sales tax, Crist this time around said "I don't know."

Miami Herald

Session: ideology took back seat to pragmatics as GOP 'delayed principles'

Florida's Republican-led Legislature to moved to the political middle this legislative session as the sour economy and dismal budget year left them little place else to go. To ease the pain of $5 billion in budget cuts over a year, Republicans abandoned a handful of basic conservative tenets: They tapped savings accounts, raised $200 million in user fees and, in a handful of cases, they made government bigger.

Miami Herald

So begins Rubio's 100 year journey

Standing before the portrait that will hang in the House for a century, Speaker Marco Rubio displayed his charm, humor and self-styled passion for big ideas in a long, emotional farewell.

Tampabay.com

Hotel bed tax bill dies

The Florida Keys won't get to use bed taxes to build affordable housing.

Bowing to pressure from the state's tourism industry, the state Legislature rejected a measure Friday that would have allowed Monroe County to spend the proceeds from one penny of its resort tax building work-force housing.

OrlandoSentinel.com

Florida legislative session ends; $66.2B budget approved

The Legislature ended its 60-day session Friday not with a bang or a whimper, but an emotional compromise.

FloridaCapitalNews.com

Rubio's emotional farewell

TALLAHASSEE --

Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles who climbed the political ranks to become Florida's first Cuban-American speaker of the state House of Representatives, bade an emotional farewell Friday afternoon, choking back tears as he spoke about his motivation to succeed: his parents.

MiamiHerald.com

Property tax bill goes to Crist

TALLAHASSEE — Despite an attempt from House Republicans to reignite divisive property tax battles with their Senate counterparts, lawmakers agreed this morning to a package of less ambitious changes.

PalmBeachPost.com

Florida legislation that passed and that failed

BUSINESS REGULATION

PASSED

Foreclosure fraud – Increase disclosure requirements for foreclosure-related services (HB 643)

Annuity regulation – Increase penalties on sellers who pressure elderly to buy annuities they don't need or want (SB 2082)

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Voters To Have Final Say On Adding Penny To State Sales Tax

TALLAHASSEE - Florida voters will decide this fall whether to tack another penny onto the state sales tax and whether to resurrect one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's pet education projects. They will also weigh in on various tax breaks.

TBO.com

Another session ends, but uneasiness lingers

TALLAHASSEE — Battling budget blues with an eye toward November elections, lawmakers left the Capitol after 60 days of work with the specter of Floridians' unrest over reduced spending on education and social services.

HeraldTribune.com