Speaking at an event in Miami today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that, despite the Florida government's refusal to implement the Affordable Care Act, the state will eventually take part in all aspects of the law.

What I ... find troubling is the fact that even after DEP staff determined the analysis of the costs as full of inaccuracies, including incorrect math, some DEP staff members continued to spread falsehoods about the potential costs, wrote the St. Johns Riverkeeper in a November 2010 letter, citing The Florida Independent.

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The day after Gov. Rick Scott signed Florida's controversial new election rules into law, the Division of Elections issued an emergency rule requiring groups that want to sign up new voters to register with the department. The department's speedy implementation has already spawned two lawsuits.

The Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit this morning challenging mandatory contributions to state employee pensions, in what is likely the first of several legal challenges the union will bring against laws passed this year.

Gov. Charlie Crist has convened a special session to propose a constitutional ban on offshore drilling. The Florida Independent will be covering the session and fact-checking the arguments made during the debate, which begins at noon today. Keep coming back throughout the day for the latest. We will also be regularly updating this page, which seeks to answer all the basic questions surrounding the offshore drilling debate. If you have questions about the response to the spill, the costs and benefits of offshore drilling, or the effects of the proposed moratorium, send them to travis floridaindependent com.

The Office of Congressional Ethics has chosen to extend its investigation into Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.

As Florida legislators discuss two Republican-proposed bills that mimic Arizona’s controversial immigration enforcement law, a new study looks at the costs for five communities that enacted immigration enforcement ordinances.

When it comes to describing his plans for dealing with the state's $2.5 billion projected budget deficit, Gov.-elect Rick Scott has been short on specifics. In a recent interview on Bloomberg television, he singles out prisons, pensions and other areas for spending cuts.

Sixty-five percent of the roses, carnations, lilies, pompons and crysanthemums Americans give on Valentine's Day will come through Miami International Airport from farms in Colombia, the world's second largest flower exporter and a country with which the U.S. recently signed a free trade agreement despite outcry from labor and social organizations over anti-union violence and labor violations.

State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, filed legislation yesterday that would restrict the use of restraints on incarcerated women who are pregnant, in labor or postpartum.

State Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee (Pic by Meredith Geddings) 27686