Florida Legislative Preview for January 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
By: Nicole Creston

Dec 28, 2011 | WMFE - Florida lawmakers hope to agree on new boundaries for legislative and congressional districts when they open a once-a-decade session devoted to reapportionment next month. It's expected to be contentious, even though lawmakers are facing a long to-do list for the 60-day session.

In addition to tackling re-districting, the state legislature is required to pass a budget during the session, which gets underway January 10^th. Florida is facing a budget deficit of nearly $2 billion for the next fiscal year beginning in July.

A battle is also anticipated on the expansion of gambling in the state. Governor Rick Scott would also like to see the Florida Lottery expand in an effort to get more money for education.

Legislators will also be looking for ways to crack down on the massive amount of fraud that some say plagues both the automobile and personal property insurance marketplaces.

Republicans hold an overwhelming majority in both the state House and Senate.