Members of Congress started out this week conducting symbolic political votes in order to pay back their Democratic base for their support in the past election. The Senate voted and failed to advance the following bills:

During a visit to Palm Beach Monday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio discussed challenges and opportunities facing small-business leaders.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University Thursday showed that Florida will be in the front lines in the 2012 political wars when both President Barak Obama and Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson face challenges for re-election.

On Wednesday, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate rejected Republican efforts to push a measure repealing the federal health care law enacted in 2010 with the backing of President Barack Obama. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a repeal measure last week.

Leaders of the Florida House weighed in late Monday to cheer federal Judge Roger Vinson’s ruling that the President Barack Obama-inspired health care law is unconstitutional.

As soon as federal Judge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court in Pensacola struck down the federal health care law backed by President Barack Obama as unconstitutional -- and Florida again became the political center of attention -- the Sunshine State’s congressional delegation broke on party lines in their reaction to the decision.