With less than a month before the annual legislative session starts, Florida lawmakers are digging into high-profile issues this week.
Today, the Senate Gaming Committee will continue discussions about issues to include in a bill that could revamp the state’s gambling industry. Among other things, lawmakers are looking at possibly allowing one or more large "destination resort" casinos in South Florida.
On Tuesday, House and Senate panels will take up bills that would place more limits on lawsuits against nursing homes. And both chambers will discuss changes to the child-welfare system after a series of children's deaths last year.On Wednesday, the Legislature's crackdown on sexually violent predators continues. The House Appropriations Committee will take up a series of bills that lawmakers say will make Florida as inhospitable as possible for such offenders. And a Senate panel will discuss crime-lab operations at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That follows the arrest of a former crime-lab chemist suspected of tampering with drug evidence.