A long, hard battle was won last week when the 2013 Florida Legislature elected to return early voting to the original 14-day format. This battle begun in 2011 after the legislature approved, and Governor Rick Scott signed into law, electoral reforms that included reducing the state's early voting days from 14 to eight.
Several local and national advocates for voting rights, including members of the region's legal fraternity and the League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVF),campaigned relentlessly to get early voting days extended prior to the 2012 primaries and general elections, but to no avail. However, following the national spectacle that characterized the general elections last November with people waiting in long lines during the eight days of early voting, and early into the morning after Election Day, several county governments acted by seeking to extend the days for early voting and generally make voting an easier, more pleasant process in the state.

According to a National Weekly survey, a majority of Caribbean and African American registered voters in Miami-Dade County strongly supported the Florida Legislature's decision not to approve $90 million in tax-payer's support to assist the Miami Dolphins' management in renovating the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. This majority also doesn't regret the special referendum planned for May 14 in Miami-Dade to decide on the county Commission's proposal to increase hotel tax by one percent to enable them to provide almost $300 million for the stadium's renovation, being called off.
The survey conducted over May 4 and 5, after the state funding failed in the legislature indicated 69 percent of the voters were against either the state or the county providing funds to assist the stadium project, 21 percent supported public funding, while 10 percent had no opinion.
Although early voting commenced in the special referendum on April 29, there was concern that voting could be cancelled should the Florida Legislature not approve the $90 million in state funding. However, the legislators never got a chance to vote because Florida's House Speaker Will Weatherford didn't bring the bill up for a vote.

In reacting to the recent action of the Florida Legislature in approving funding of some $1 billion for Florida's K-12 education, including increasing teacher's salaries by $2,500 to $3,500 annually, based on merit performance, Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie expressed great appreciation. He says that even after paying the increases to teachers and making contributions to the retirement system, the district would have funds to address other needs like educational programming, technology, and inflationary items such as rising health care costs and utilities.

Runcie however noted that other instructional personnel (including principals and assistant principals) won't see the raises until 2014, and regretted the increases doesn't relate to other employees like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and para-professionals. Accordingly, Runcie said he is asking Governor Rick Scott and the legislature to release the funding immediately to implement the salary increases and for flexibility so they can address other district needs.

When George Zimmerman was accused of second degree murder for the shooting death of North Miami youth, Trayvon Martin, at a residential complex in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012, he claimed he shot the youth in self defense in accordance with Florida's Stand Your Ground law. However, in an anticipated court hearing in Sanford on Tuesday, Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch leader, who was expected to make arguments for his defense based on the law, surprisingly agreed not to have the hearing on the instructions of his attorney Mark O'Mara.
The controversial law approved in 2005, gives Florida residents the right to defend themselves and "meet force with force" if they believe their life is being threatened, or if they face serious bodily harm by an assailant.

If Zimmerman's hearing had proceeded, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson would have had the discretion to rule whether or not immunity, based on the Stand Your Ground law, was justified in the shooting and, if Zimmerman's action was ruled to be in keeping with the law, it would have exempted him from a criminal or civil trial.

Now, with Zimmerman and his legal team deciding not to seek the immunity hearing, the decision whether the law is applicable in his defense, would be left to the trial jury.

Responding to questions raised by Judge Nelson, Zimmerman said he fully understood he was agreeing to give up his rights to the hearing upon consultation with his attorney.