While there are some big names coming to Rick Scott’s inauguration, the event keeps being played down as a low key affair. Even though the Governor has much to celebrate, the $800,000 affair will be the most under-celebrated inauguration in recent history. However, a look at the donors make it very clear who will be celebrating this week – Florida Crystals, the Florida Insurance Council, and a slew of other special interests. While personally I’m still reeling a bit over the election and how close it was, this special interest outpouring seems a little like salt in a wound. With diminishing prospects of outing Marco Rubio in 2016 and the odds against any Republican in 2018 very slim as it appears now, this election will have long-reaching consequences in the Governor’s mansion and the state for years to come. So while the parties go on in Tallahassee this week, progressives around the state get to re-live the election night disappointment and no amount of ‘low key’ is going to make that any better. –   KB@BurnettKaty 

Jeb Bush continues to advocate an immigration reform strategy that might cause him trouble in the Republican Presidential primaries. However, Bush’s views on immigration and his comfort with Hispanic voters could be a national game changer if he is the GOP Presidential nominee in 2016. By contrast, Marco Rubio is beginning to walk back on immigration reform.Last week he spoke to National Public Radio (NPR) and said the following:

I think the use of nativist to describe opposition to his form of immigration reform is inaccurate and unwise. I think there are very legitimate reasons to believe that this country has a right to have immigration laws and have those laws respected. A million people a year come to the U.S. legally, and there aren’t any voices saying that that should be stopped.

First off, the defense of those who are nativist shows Rubio is still perhaps hopelessly courting those who have those sentiments. Secondly, he is flat out wrong (and likely knows it) when he claims nobody wants to limit legal immigration. Plenty of people around the country who are dare I say it nativists whatever that truly means since we are a nation of immigrants would like to see immigration limits returned to pre-1965 levels when fewer legal immigrants could enter the United States and they could only come from certain countries, mostly those in Northern Europe. – KK@kkfla737

We are beginning to get a feel for what the big battles in the legislature will be this session. Hundreds of bills have already been filed and, as expected, there is more bad than good. With a surplus expected and last year’s record budget, this at least will be a not the chopping block that characterized the first few years of the Scott administration. What gets passed is going to depend on the players. Already, the abortion bill that caused the uproar in Texas has been introduced, along with a slew of other controversial items. With little in the way to stop Republicans, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. KB@BurnettKaty 

Over the next week and a half, Broward County will become the epicenter of the US Soccer universe. That is because Major League Soccer (MLS) is having its annual player combine in Fort Lauderdale (well actually Lauderhill). MLS is expanding to Orlando this year, with the season opener taking place March 8th at the Citrus Bowl. The MLS Combine, which is a big event on the soccer calendar will be a nice appetizer for Florida-based fans before Orlando City SC kicks off its MLS life in two months. The fourth division NPSL is also hosting a combine this week in the county and as Infosport. Interestingly each of these events are advertised to the national audience as taking place in Fort Lauderdale even thought none of them are actually being held in the city. As the years have worn on, Fort Lauderdale has become more of a brand name and identifiable locale while the rest of Broward County hasn’t gotten adequate promotion. It really is quite starting when you consider that less than 10% of the county’s population of close to 2 million actually lives in Fort Lauderdale.   – KK@kkfla737