Tallahassee

Gov. Scott vetoes hundreds of millions from state budget

From a coast-to-coast bike trail to tuition increases, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed more than $350 million from the state budget, which he signed Monday. Photo Gallery Available

U.S. suburban poverty growing, but trend mixed in Miami-Dade, Broward

More poor people now live in suburbs than in big cities or rural areas, a new book by the Brookings Institution says.

Sgt. Sean O'Donnell, center, 23, U.S. Army National Guard, barks out command to his platoon during a warrior leadership course at the Florida National Guard training facility Camp Blanding, where weekend warriors hone their skills.

FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD

Florida National Guard in transition phase

The Florida National Guard’s emphasis is changing as foreign deployments dwindle. Now its members are getting serious training to face a familiar foe — the next big hurricane Photo Gallery Available

STATE BUDGET

Gov. Rick Scott to veto tuition hike

When he signs the state budget Monday, the governor is also expected to approve an extra $65 million for safety-net hospitals like Jackson and Broward Health. Photo Gallery Available

Small Florida city wonders who won Powerball jackpot

Some lucky person walked into a Publix supermarket in suburban Florida over the past few days and bought a ticket now worth an estimated $590.5 million - the highest Powerball jackpot in history. Photo Gallery Available

Politics

Marc Caputo: IRS does bad job with bad laws

Congress vs. IRS: The do-littles vs. the do-wrongs.

EDUCATION

Teacher-training programs’ success under scrutiny

Florida and several other states are creating accountability systems so education schools will develop quantitative ways to measure their programs’ success. Photo Gallery Available

Gov. Rick Scott speaks to the media during a visit to PortMiami on May 14, 2013.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Gov. Rick Scott speeds up warrants for Death Row inmates

Not since 1989, when an unpopular Gov. Bob Martinez set a record by signing six death warrants in a single day, has a Florida governor been so eager to use the death penalty.

STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM

Pension vote puts some House Republicans in awkward position

Many Republican lawmakers who wanted to shut down the state’s pension system to new hires are members of the pension system.

Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist greets former Florida Education Commissioner Betty Castor at the Pinellas/Hillsborough Kennedy King Dinner at the Tampa Convention Center Saturday, May 11, 2013. Crist was the keynote speaker at the event.

PolitiFact Florida

After voting for a ban, Charlie Crist now backs gay marriage

In this photo taken Monday, May 6, 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., arrives at the Senate chamber for a vote, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

POLITICS

Marco Rubio blames President Obama for latest scandals

Rubio mesmerized hundreds in Tampa with a familiar speech that resonated more strongly than ever amid the latest Obama administration scandals.

Empty chairs reserved for local public officials are empty as Citizens holds a rate hearing workshop at JW Marriott on Brickell in Miami, Florida on Monday July 16, 2012.

Insurance

Citizens offers cheaper rate option with no fanfare

Homeowners could save up to 70 percent on their insurance premium with a new policy offering from Citizens, but only 47 people have signed up for the cheaper coverage.

The private aircraft in dispute is a Bombardier Challenger 604 jet, which is similar to this model.

Miami Beach

Jet-set Miami developers entangled in legal drama over private jet

For sale: a $12.6 million Bombardier Challenger jet presumably grounded at the Opa-locka Airport. Photo Gallery Available

A white tail doe stands just off 11 Mile Road, the private one-way rock road leading to BreitBurn Energy Partner's oil drilling operation at Raccoon Point in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The deer was grazing on an old abandonded well site, which has regrown.

Big Cypress Preserve

Deep in Big Cypress National Preserve, oil flows

The largest oil drilling operation in South Florida is a stark contrast to the wild surroundings of the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Undated photo of Ana Alliegro with David Rivera posted May 19, 2012, to the online photo-sharing service Instagram by username "anitasolalliegro." Anitasolalliegro's caption on the photo reads, "Congressman Rivera and I."

Notoriety follows Rivera pal in Nicaragua

Ana Alliegro, the Miami woman at the center of the federal corruption investigation involving former congressman David Rivera, is living in a small town outside of Managua. Photo Gallery Available

An aerial view of one of the oil pads operated by Breitburn in the Raccoon Point field in the Big Cypress National Preserve, an area just west of the Broward County line. The drilling rig, at left, is only in place when wells are initially drilled. A service rig, at right, is periodically used to replace well pumps and other gear.

ENERGY

Oil industry eyes South Florida again

Fueled by rising oil prices and new technology, the oil industry is planning to expand exploration and drilling across a huge swath of Southwest Florida. Photo Gallery Available

Bruce Rich is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections that would require kosher food for Jewish inmates who want it. He was sentenced to life in prision in 1999 for killing his parents in North Miami Beach.

FLORIDA PRISONS

Kosher prison food lawsuit goes forward

A Miami-Dade man serving life for killing his parents is leading the fight for kosher food in Florida prisons Photo Gallery Available

WORKPLACE

Many workplaces insure domestic partners, some now also pay the tax on benefits

Many Florida businesses and public institutions provide domestic partner benefits for unmarried employees. Some now also cover the tax on the benefit.

Florida Governor Rick Scott greets people during a visit to PortMiami as part of the Building Up Manufacturing Victory Tour on May 14, 2013 in Miami, Florida. Gov. Scott is reaching out to an unlikely group — university presidents — to build a campaign against a 3-percent increase in tuition.

COLLEGE TUITION

Gov. Rick Scott asks university presidents to lobby for caps on tuition increases

Gov. Rick Scott is reaching out to an unlikely group — university presidents — to build a campaign against a 3-percent increase in tuition.

CRIME

19-year-old Bradenton woman charged with biting boyfriend's penis

A 19-year-old Southeast High school student was arrested after she allegedly bit her boyfriend's penis when he refused to have sex with her, according to the Manatee Sheriff's Office.

Florida

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