@MarcACaputo

Last night's crushing defeat of the Miami Dolphins stadium effort was a matter of some vindication for House Speaker Will Weatherford, who has taken a measure of heat from the club and a few fans for refusing to resurrect a bill that would have fully authorized a referendum.

As the clock ticks down for Gov. Rick Scott to sign the budget for the coming year, he will be flying to Santiago, Chile, as the head of an Enterprise Florida trade mission.

Scott and an entourage of nearly 100 business, government and port officials depart for the South American nation Monday and return May 24, the deadline to sign the $74.5 billion fiscal package.

In the latest round in a two-year legal battle, a state appeals court Tuesday heard arguments in a dispute that stems from the Florida Department of Health allowing three hospitals to operate trauma centers, reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida.

A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.

@Mdixon55

An appeals court Tuesday heard arguments over whether a group of hospitals, including Shands Jacksonville, can continue challenging the approval of new trauma centers in their regions.

The issue is part of a larger statewide fight over how the trauma system should expand. Trauma centers equip hospitals to treat severe injuries that stem from things like car accidents and gunshot wounds.

Jacksonville’s City Council on Tuesday urged a company that took over operation of 24 Head Start centers not to continue its plans to end classes for some students three weeks early.

“We’re going to have some 1,700, possibly 2,000 families, trying at the very last minute to find some day care,” said Councilman Warren Jones, who sponsored the plea to reconsider. “It caught a lot of parents off guard.”

From the News Service of Florida:

In the latest round in a two-year legal battle, a state appeals court Tuesday heard arguments in a dispute that stems from the Florida Department of Health allowing three hospitals to operate trauma centers.

Mike Hill, founder and president of the Northwest Florida Tea Party, won tonight's primary for the Florida House District 2 seat and is expected to win next month's general election.

@PatriciaMazzei and @MarcACaputo

The Miami Dolphins’ short-lived campaign for a subsidized Sun Life Stadium renovation appeared doomed from the start. 

A sizeable majority of Miami-Dade voters who cast ballots in the special stadium election before it was called off opposed the $350 million makeover, according to a count the elections department released late Tuesday. 

Little more than a week after the end of the legislative session, Republicans in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties headed to the polls Tuesday to choose a nominee to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford who died in March.

With the votes counted, that nominee is Mike Hill, founder of the Northwest Florida Tea Party.

Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer said Tuesday that he would not run again for the state Legislature next year.

The Apopka accountant faces county term limits next fall. But after that, Brummer had said he was pondering a return to Tallahassee, where he served from 1998 to 2006 until term limits forced him out.

District 68 of the Florida House of Representatives is the ultimate battleground seat in legislative politics. It has been held by six different individuals over the past sixteen years — a turnover rate unequaled by the 119 other districts which comprise the House. At least four million dollars has been spent over the last two decades by candidates, parties and outside groups to win control of this seat — it’s that important of a seat.

Fighting fraud that costs the state millions of dollars and impacts poor residents who rely on public assistance payments,The Department of Children & Families on Tuesday announced a new system to crack down on cheaters.

JUPITER — Gov. Rick Scott has offered few clues about who he’ll name as his lieutenant governor or how soon he’ll fill the post, which has been vacant since Jennifer Carroll resigned in March.

The reappointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate, which is not always a given. During the past two session, Senators have failed to act on several of Scott's appointees.

Those appointed can serve before the Senate's official green-light, but will be removed from their post for at least one year if not confirmed in consecutive years.

Here's more on Tuesday's reappointments: