New Home Financing

TALLAHASSEE Anyone seeking a state-regulated job working with children, seniors and disabled people would have to undergo a more thorough screening process under a bill that unanimously passed Thursday in the Florida House.

Florida, the home of Mickey Mouse and beach-bound vacationers, was trying to polish its family friendly image but instead ran into a PR nightmare: an angry Hollywood.

More than half the states in the nation lowered their prison populations last year, but not Florida, where it continued to rise, according to a recent survey by the Pew Center on the States.

Share + Mar 16, 2010 5:32 pm US/Eastern BILL KACZOR, Associated Press Writer TALLAHASSEE, Fla.

From Sunday, March 14, at 7 p.m. ET - right after the brackets are revealed for the Men's Basketball Tournament - to tip off of the first game on Thursday, March 18, at noon, college sports network ESPNU will present 89 continuous hours of college basketball discussion, analysis, previews, interviews and more, including up to four first-round NIT ...

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TALLAHASSEE -- A proposal to allow property-insurance companies to raise homeowners rates without regulatory approval passed a first House committee Wednesday and was amended to include much of an insurance industry wish list.

Brevard County , Budget , Space Florida - posted by robert block on March, 18 2010 1:29 PM Reports from Tallahassee say that Space Floridaa s agenda is getting good treatment at the hands of state lawmakers and that signs are the aerospace development agency could get most of the $32.6 million Gov.

State Rep. Stephen Precourt's "family values" movie tax credit proposal has sparked widespread ridicule, but Florida activists continue to look beyond the Republican lawmaker's bill.

The Florida Lottery is warning citizens of a new e-mail scam that seems to be circulating throughout the nation.

A bill by Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Green acres, would require that owners of pain clinics be doctors with no history of disciplinary action by the Board of Medicine or the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, and that only licensed physicians or pharmacists dispense medication. Legislators should approve that measure and consider recommendations by a Broward County grand jury that the state prevent pain clinics from both prescribing and selling pills on-site, limit patients to 100 per clinic and limit prescriptions to a three-day supply. Legitimate pain sufferers can get prescriptions that last longer from a regular pharmacy.

Jeffrey Klee's mother and sister made a visit this week to the canal where his remains were found, just off Riverside Park in Coral Springs. The spot has changed quite a bit since 1977, when his body was dumped there. And now, the law that kept his admitted killer from facing a judge is on the verge of changing, too.

The Florida House is poised to pass a bill (HB1) that will lift the state's two-year statute of limitations on wrongful death claims. The family has been on a two-year quest to pass the law, which would bear Jeffrey Klee's name. If approved, the bill would allow families to file a civil suit in cold cases similar to the Klees', in which the killer - or even the body - isn't discovered until years after the crime. The law applies only to future cases, so the Klees won't benefit financially.

"It's the thought that no family will ever have go through this again," Jeffrey's mother, Flossie Klee, said. "That sense of not being able to receive any retribution is wiped out." While the proposed law would apply to civil cases, the Legislature already voted in 1996 to remove the statute of limitations on criminal murder cases. Even that didn't help the Klees, because Florida had a three-year timeframe to file criminal charges at the time of Jeffrey disappearance in 1977. Last year, the House unanimously passed the wrongful death bill, but it stalled in the Senate.

Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl is endorsing Scott Galvin in the crowded Democratic primary field in the 17th Congressional District.

A pair of bills aimed at reshaping the state ports to prepare for the expansion of the Panama Canal picked up steam Wednesday, with Gov.

A FEMA official says the state's request doesn't meet the federal criteria for an emergency or major disaster.

Gov. Charlie Crist says Florida is missing the boat when it comes to the competitive standing of its ports.

Florida last year taxed motorists' wallets. Now, it's taxing their patience. The Legislature in 2009 dramatically raised a wide range of fees collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Charlie Crist is seeking more federal money for the space program and Florida's schools.

The St. Petersburg Times today is reporting Houston-based Encore Bank is pulling out of the Florida market, selling six offices on Florida's West Coast to different investor groups.

Tony Dungy stood before more than 1,700 prisoners Tuesday, sharing a smile and message of hope that has become his life's work.