Tampabay.com
OCTOBER 03, 2007

The hunt for red (ink in) October

They're underway. The Florida Legislature convened Wednesday morning to begin the unpleasant work of cutting spending by about $1-billion from the $72-billion state budget. The proceedings are so tightly scripted that in a single burst of committee meetings Wednesday afternoon, senators will be "finalizing their work product," as Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, put it in a morning briefing.

Democrats are upset that Republicans won't allow debate on elimination of tax cuts passed during former Gov. Jeb Bush's tenure or older tax exemptions.

Gov. Charlie Crist stopped by the Senate for the swearing-in ceremonies for the chamber's newest member, Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness -- who also was celebrating his 43rd wedding anniversary.

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For Florida political news today, the Buzz is your can't-miss-it source. Tampa Bay Times writers offer the latest in Florida politics, the Florida Legislature and the Rick Scott administration. Keep in mind: This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.

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