Gov. Rick Scott-- the man who spent his own money traveling the country in an effort to stop health care reform-- has announced he is actually going to work with the federal government to implement the health care reform law in Florida.

Since the 2010 health care law was passed, Florida officials and Scott have dragged their feet in implementing the health care law here. They have even turned away millions of dollars allocated through the law that would go to programs that help low-income women and children.

However, things have since changed.

In this past election, only three of the 11 proposed changes to the Florida Constitution on this year's ballot actually passed.

The ballot measures covered issues like tax cuts, the Florida Supreme Court, abortion and public funding of religious groups.

There are a lot of theories as to why this happened: a historically long ballot might have fatigued people by the time they got to the ballot measures, the amendments themselves were lengthy and confusing, lines were too long and polling places were chaotic, etc.

 "This is a work of fiction," cautions the introduction to poet C.M. Clark's latest book, "Charles Deering Forecasts the Weather & Other Poems."

Whatever would Charles Deering say?
 If there's one person who can at least guess, it's Clark.   She was the very first Literary Artist-in-Residence for the Deering Estate, which stands alongside the Biltmore Hotel and Vizcaya as one of Miami-Dade's historical gems.   The estate was built in 1916 by Deering, a wealthy industrialist, and once housed one of the most extensive art collections in our region. 

Florida voters waited almost a week to hear who won the presidential election in Florida. It wasn’t until Saturday, Nov. 10 that President Obama had been declared the winner.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, only 67 percent of registered voters in Miami-Dade County cast a ballot in this election. This includes people who waited in line at the polls, and people who voted via absentee ballot.

Statewide, this number hovers around 71 percent, which is the lowest turnout in the past three presidential elections.

Following this year's close presidential election here in Florida, there were reports that Obama had won the Cuban vote, or at least he had gotten a record share of it.

However, some political researchers and professors here in South Florida don't agree that this election represented a historic shift for South Florida's Cuban-Americans -- a population that has historically voted in favor of the GOP. 

Florida's Stand Your Ground Task Force, empanelled to review and recommend adjustments to the state's controversial self-defense policy, has concluded the law is pretty much OK as it is.

The seven-year-old law allows people who feel their lives are in danger to respond to the threat with deadly force, even if they don't choose to run for help or safety. It's most notable application was in Seminole County where Miami-Dade County teen Trayvon Martin was shot to death during an encounter with armed neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman.

Allen West says he plans to file a lawsuit to require a full recount in his bid to win the 18th District Congressional race.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Patrick Murphy, is in Washington, DC for orientation as a new member of Congress.  

Miami's new baseball team is up to its old tricks.

Just months after moving into a new ballpark, the Marlins trade five high-priced players and officially dismantle the franchise, again.

    

A new documentary filmed during last year's  Art Basel Miami Beach features seven young artists who live and work in Miami.

It's called Rising Tide: A Story of Miami Artists, andn it's the work of Andrew Hevia, 28, a graduate of New World School of the Arts.

Hevia produced, directed and edited the documentary which is a production of WLRN and made possible in part by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Along with the artists, the film also features gallery owner Brook Dorsch.

U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base is saying very little about the Tampa woman who brought to light the Petraeus sex scandal.

 She lives on Bayshore Boulevard just a few miles from the base and had hosted the former leader of MacDill's CENTCOM at several social events. 

Jill Kelley, the mother of three children and wife of a surgeon, is described as a socialite, a social liaison to MacDill and as a family friend to retired Gen. David Petraeus now former CIA director.