Hours after taking the reins, House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, led the Legislature during an abbreviated special session Tuesday in passing eight bills vetoed earlier in the year by outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist.

It marked the first time in 12 years that the Legislature overrode gubernatorial vetoes.

With Republicans controlling 81 of the 120 House votes, Cannon had enough votes in his caucus to override gubernatorial vetoes provided the Republicans stuck together. However, Republicans insisted the special session, held hours after the House organized for the next two years, was not a trial run for how they will govern.

“Some have said this is a way to flex our legislative muscles,” said Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral, who insisted that this is not the case, arguing that the House is performing its duties as part of the legislative branch.

Haridopolos and the Republican leadership also have a veto-proof majority in the Senate, controlling 28 of the 40 seats of the upper house.

The leadership of both the House and the Senate did not attempt to tackle Crist’s veto of SB 6, a measure reforming teacher performance pay, which was easily the most dramatic struggle of the 2010 regular session. Nor did they go after Crist’s veto of a measure that passed the Legislature requiring women considering having an abortion to have an ultrasound.

Instead, Republicans focused on measures that easily sailed though the House and Senate with more than enough votes to override the governor’s vetoes, overriding eight of Crist’s vetoes by overwhelming margins.

The most debated override concerned legislation requiring new or modified rules for government actions that would cost $1 million over five years. Crist vetoed a measure that would have required such actions be approved by the Legislature -- taking the decision away from agencies and bureaucrats. While the override went through both chambers, there was some spirited debate in both the House and Senate.

While he faced questions on the matter from Democrats led by Rep. Jim Waldman of Coconut Creek, Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Heathrow, led the fight in the House.

Though the motion initially passed with little opposition, some Democrats took aim at the measure. Audubon of Florida weighed in on the issue last week, arguing that the Legislature needs more time to examine the matter and asking that they defer it to the regular session.

“There’s no question agencies can go overboard,” said Waldman, who initially backed the measure. “I think this is an unworkable idea,” he added, arguing that the measure would bog down the Legislature.

But not all Democrats stood with Waldman against overriding the measure.

“Putting this extra check and balance in statute is a good thing for the people of Florida,” said Rep. Marty Kiar, D-Parkland, who added that he thinks the Legislature is better positioned to look out for the interests of Floridians than bureaucrats in agencies are.

Republicans stood united against Crist's veto. Conservative Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Palatka, insisted that unelected bureaucrats in agencies are making laws, without the check and balance of having voter input.

“This is the idea that there should be representative government held accountable by the voters,” said Dorworth as he closed the debate.

Dorworth’s measure passed with 99 votes -- more than enough to override Crist’s veto.

Newly installed President Pro Tem Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, led the fight for the override in the Senate, saying he didn’t think the changes would preclude Florida from enacting emergency measures or complying with federal laws.

Bennett fielded complaints from Democrats that the measure would increase bureaucratic procedures instead of reducing them, but he also faced fire from Republicans on the matter.