It's a compressed early voting period in Florida this year and that's one reason the lines at the polling places are so long.

But it's not the only reason.

Eleven constitutional amendments are on the ballot and each is printed in its entirety. In previous elections, voters would have to deal only with a concise 75-word summary of each proposed amendment, each rigorously vetted by the Florida Supreme Court for clarity.

Dan Christensen of Browardbulldog.org reported last week on some of the interesting characters that were (sort of) part of a privatization deal between the Department of Children and Families and a company in Broward.

DCF put out a bid several months ago to privatize the management of mental health and substance abuse services in Broward County.

A non-profit group called Broward Behavioral Health Coalition eventually won the $45 million deal from DCF.

Florida is back on the nation's legal map today with two cases before the U. S. Supreme Court, both of them involving police dogs whose well-trained noses led to now-controversial drug arrests.

From The Washington Post:

Well, Happy Halloween everyone.

In the spirit of today's festivities, here is a video from Florida New Majority (they have an office here in Miami) that warns Floridians that the only way to avoid a "Romney Zombie Apocalypse" is to vote.

The group says:

In a state plagued by natural disasters, exploding pythons, and the strangest politics on the planet, Florida voters are bracing for the latest horror -- zombie apocalypse! 

David's Café in Miami Beach is a popular campaign stop for politicians. Now, it's become a site for protest.

A group of former workers claims they are owed about $70,000 in unpaid wages from a satellite location that closed in July.

Carlos Perez was among the protestors outside the main restaurant on Collins Avenue in South Beach Tuesday. He claimed its owners offered to pay a fraction of his original wages.

 Over 70,000 people in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties voted yesterday, bringing the total to over a quarter-million in the region that have cast ballots at the polls early since Saturday.