All of a sudden 177,000 Bright Futures scholarship families are getting hip to what Sen. Evelyn Lynn and the rest of the lugheads in the Legislature did to one of the most successful Republican initiatives in Florida history.

Gov. Rick Scott’s inaugural parade featured marching bands, floats, and appropriately enough for the upstart Republican, elephants.

With buzz increasing that he will launch a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson showed up in Tallahassee Thursday night still touting the trademark libertarian social issues -- legalization of marijuana, for one -- that put him in the minority of the GOP.

Florida State University researchers want to steer Florida toward becoming a key player in the electric vehicle industry, and they're inviting state lawmakers and others to discuss the matter with national and FSU experts.

“I personally don’t think we have that environment right now,” said Dave Cartes, director of the FSU Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability.