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Miami-area Republicans helped the U.S. House pass legislation to give out more high skilled visas.

On The Florida Roundup: Hurricane season has officially ended.  South Florida was saved from any severe hurricanes, but we see the effects of climate change as beaches erode, roads crumble and flooding inundates parts of region.  

I am sorry, everyone, but a judge doesn't want to let us all in on some of the more "defamatory'' and "salacious" aspects of the saga of Jim Greer, the former Florida Republican Party leader who was accused of defrauding the party to the tune of $200,000.

To the TV watcher sitting with wide eyes, tightly crossed legs and an image burned indelibly into his mind:

Sorry about all the catheter commercials you've been seeing lately. Thought you'd like to know where they came from and why it's actually a good thing.

New Policy, New Market  

Some of your fellow Americans have just gotten a new medical benefit that they really needed, an increase from Medicare in their monthly catheter allotment from 24 to 200.

"Little Haiti" has lost perhaps the man who could be called its father and the man who is credited for the name.

Viter Juste has died at the age of 87.

He was born in La Gonaive, Haiti in 1924 and after first going to New York, he and his family made their way to Miami in 1973.

He started with a house in Buena Vista and a record store in downtown Miami, "Les Cousins."

That led to creating the first Haitian newspaper for the growing community,  Haitian Florida,  and the Haitian American Community Association of Dade.

Just two blocks west of Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, progressive metal band Neolythyc is rehearsing in a cramped, dark, converted garage.  The rehearsal space is just a stone's-throw from Holiday Park, the last known address of jazz legend Jaco Pastorius.

The four members of Neolythyc are all 17 years old, born nearly a decade after Pastorius's death in 1987.  But bass player Jerry Caceres refers to Jaco as "one of the old homies from down the block."

Forty-five-year-old Tammy Goss is sitting on a park bench in a small patch of green wedged between Dixie Highway and the FEC railroad tracks. Staring down from the southeast wall of the corner community center is a huge blue-toned mural of a man's face, his fingers curled around an electric bass guitar.  She knows his name.

“Jaco Pastorius, I think,” says Goss.

But that's all she really knows about John Francis Pastorius III.

As you all know, Art Basel is a few days jam-packed with a ton of events, galleries and parties.

In short, it gets difficult to wade through everything that is happening starting next week.

No fears, though! We have a roundup here of some of the more helpful Art Basel guides. Some even point you to free events!

You can click through the links below:

Miami.com

After this year's disastrous election in Florida, state lawmakers are looking to make some changes to some of the culprits for the long lines and delayed ballot-counting.

Among the changes: Democratic state Sens. Gwen Margolis of Miami and Arthenia Joyner of Tampa have introduced bills that would make early voting more accessible and last longer.

The Atlantic Hurricane season comes to its merciless end today.

It concludes in a busier-than-expected year punctuated by one of the most damaging storms on record, Hurricane Sandy.

When it began, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a near-normal season of anywhere between 9 and 15 named storms.

The final number turned out to be 19, with most systems--including the season's only major hurricane, Michael-- spinning out harmlessly in the ocean and posing little threat to land.

 Today is the last day of hurricane season, and South Florida was largely spared. The season concludes a busier-than-expected year punctuated by one of the most damaging storms on record. We take a look back at Sandy, a storm with a track forecasters say they haven't seen in more than 150 years. WLRN-Miami Herald News has details on how a no-show weather pattern from the Pacific may be to blame for an unusual six months. 

With its low-level waterfront communities, South Florida is particularly vulnerable to climate change. 

But perhaps no area is more vulnerable than the Florida Keys.

James from Cudjoe Key tells us that a nature trail he has walked for 10 years is now regularly flooded, even at low tide.  Here is a photo he sent us:

While much has been written about the danger to South Florida caused by rising water levels, Pamela from Miami points out that Miami should pay attention to its air:   

At a roundtable arts engagement at Locust Projects a few months ago, the conversation inevitably turned to Art Basel and it’s effect on Miami both as a city overall and the development of the arts scene.  The chat touched on the blossoming scene in street-art hub of Wynwood, and of how there is a tangible sense that Miami is starting to matter in the arts world.

It would have been a positive, maybe even an uplifting conversation, if it was not filled with undertones of frustration.

The Miami Dade County Commission will consider a policy next month that would allow prayer before every commission meeting.

For years, the commissioners have simply observed a moment of silence before meetings, which allowed people to pray or not pray.

However, at the urging of a conservative Christian group, the commissioners are moving to change that policy back to a few years ago when praying was allowed before meetings.

Consumer confidence in Florida dropped this month, but retailers were busy over the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend.

The National Retail Federation says more people went shopping on Black Friday this year than ever before.

University of Central Florida Economist Sean Snaith says shoppers may just be more budget conscious and eager to take advantage of big sales.

Overtown artists have participated in Art Basel with showings and events in the neighborhood in past years. However, this is the second year that the neighborhood participates on a grander scale.

Lots of us would rather steer clear of construction, but Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is actually embracing it. 

The new runway and terminal expansion project will not only allow for more flights, it also creates more space for art.

So, the Broward County Public Art and Design Committee is looking for an artist, or perhaps artists, in residence.

And the art is supposed to be about the airport construction project itself.

A fatal shooting in Jacksonville last week may lead to new scrutiny of Florida's Stand Your Ground self-defense law.

The story is that Michael Dunn, 45, a white software developer from Satellite Beach, went with a gun to the window of an SUV in a parking lot to ask that the black teens inside lower the volume of their music. Reportedly, hot words were exchanged and Dunn fired eight times, killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

Investigators said no weapons were found in the SUV.

State pest control officials are renewing the war against a versatile and destructive termite they thought they had defeated a decade ago.

But the tree termites -- mobile, airborne, prolific and voracious -- have gained a new foothold in Broward County. Experts who met Wednesday to develop a termite strategy say the insects have overrun a square mile of Dania Beach.

The usual anti-termite tactics won’t work this time, they say, because:

Miami-Dade officials have begun their investigation into why voting in Florida's largest county was such a mess earlier this month.

Consumer confidence takes a dip in the Sunshine State.  However, economists remain optimistic about Florida's future, and energy is one of the main reasons why.

This time of year, many birds from the north began migrating south for the winter. Some will stay here in South Florida while others will pass through the region on their way to the Caribbean. Increasingly, these birds are running into man-made obstacles that leave them with injured eyes, wings and beaks.

Consumer confidence in Florida dropped this month, but retailers were busy over the Thanksgiving shopping weekend. 

  Hear from an economist who isn't concerned about the decline in confidence… at least not yet.  

The stated goal of the Grameen Foundation is to help the world’s poorest  improve their lives and escape poverty by helping to provide access to financial services , such as small loans and savings account, to find  new ways to generate income and obtain important information about their health, crops and finances.

Grameen Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 1997 by friends of Grameen Bank to help microfinance practitioners spread the Grameen philosophy worldwide.

Florida advocates for liberalizing marijuana laws  felt the rush on Nov. 6 when two states, Colorado and Washington, legalized marijuana and Massachusetts approved its use for medical purposes.

So they really like their chances for their own proposed measures, two for medical and one for out-and-out legalization.

You may notice a growing buzz of activity--especially in Midtown, the Design District and Miami Beach--that signals that a week (or more) of art appreciation, parties and sensory overload is almost here. The height of activity is next Wednesday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 9, but gallery openings and other events are already starting.

Below are are seven signs that Art Basel is upon us.