Gov. Charlie Crist confirmed Monday that he's considering imposing a freeze on housing foreclosures in Florida -- as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has in California. The idea is being urged by the Florida Home Builders Association, which is predicting a full-blown disaster because banks have begun forcing builders to come up with large amounts of cash to repay their loans quickly.

"We've been taking about that for several days -- even longer, actually," Crist said of a foreclosure moratorium. "I want to try to work with the banking industry and do it in a way that is not harmful to them, because we want them to continue to succeed, to continue to loan money. But we want to stop the foreclosures, especially during the holidays."

Crist also said he is open to the idea of a 50-cent-a-pack increase in Florida's cigarette tax, which is among the lowest in the country. Asked why he seems to be softening his previous opposition to new taxes, Crist said he still hopes a cigarette tax hike won't be necessary: "I don't want to be dogmatic on anything. I understand that we're in challenging times. But I'm still convinced, because of some creative ideas that there can be ways to balance it without having to go there. I hope so. I hope so."