The marathon session: Blow by blow

10:00 a.m.: Session begins

11:25 a.m.: Standoff begins. "The sergeant will secure the chamber. I also order the sergeant to find each member of the House and bring them into the chamber," House Speaker Marco Rubio says. "I think we'll make plans to be here quite awhile." Three minutes later, clerks begin reading an 86-page condo association measure.

11:55 a.m.: Rubio slams the gavel. "The clerk will stop reading until Rep. Sands takes his seat," he said, admonishing Franklin Sands, the incoming Democratic leader.

12:40 p.m.: Internet service has been disabled, including to BlackBerry devices.

1:10 p.m.: Rubio tells Jewish members they are free to leave. No one does.

1:30 p.m.: House clerks finish reading the first bill word-for-word. Now amendments are being read.

1:44 p.m.: The bill passes 110-0.

1:45 p.m.: Democrats ask that the next bill be read in full. HB 648 deals with insurance. It passes 112-0.

1:55 p.m.: Now on to the next bill, HB 435, read in full. It passes 108-0.

1:56 p.m.: Rubio allows people to go eat, leading to an exodus from the House floor. "We can't continue to starve people," he says.

2:06 p.m.: HB 219 is being read in full. It passes 112-0.

2:11 p.m.: Rubio arrives on House floor, appears to be eating some sort of candy, possibly M&Ms.

2:21 p.m.: An emergency meeting of the "Ron Caucus" breaks out on the House floor. Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton, and Ron Saunders, D-Key West, appear to be trying to broker an agreement. The meeting adjourns with no deal.

2:37 p.m: Democrats motion to read the next bill in full. In retaliation, Rep. David Rivera, the Rules chairman, pulls three Democratic bills off the special order calendar and sends them back to the Rules Committee. HB 989 is being read now.

2:54 p.m.: Rubio asks for the Internet service to be re-established after legislators complain they cannot read the bills being heard.

2:58 p.m.: Democrats again ask for a bill to be read in full. This one is CS/HB 685, puts restrictions on people who get medical training in Cuba. It passes 107-3.

3:02 p.m.: Democrats prevail again. CS/HB 985 is being read in full. It passes 111-0.

3:11 p.m.: CS/HB 337 is being read in full.

3:20 p.m.: CS/HB 1378 is being read in full. But Democratic are losing votes to keep up the stalemate. "They're slipping. They're slipping," Rubio said as the vote was recorded. His optimism is all for show. The impasse continues.

3:27 p.m.: Rivera calls a special meeting of the Rules Committee. The House stands in recess for a half hour. During the meeting Rivera offers a new special order calendar for next week that does not include any Democratic bills. Democrats sit silently furious.

4:02 p.m.: House members return to the floor. Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, carries a mug of Cuban coffee and hands out shots to others. Rubio belts one and flexes a biceps, laughing.

4:09 p.m.: CS/HB 333 is being read in full.

4:20 p.m.: CS/HB 1058 is being read in full.

4:27 p.m.: Rubio to Gelber: "We haven't heard from you in a while." Gelber, monotone, "We move we read the bill in full." Rubio: "Which bill?" Gelber: "Whatever the next bill is." Now up: CS/HB 1716.

4:56 p.m.: Rubio calls a half hour timeout to "reconfigure" the agenda.

5:34 p.m.: The session resumes. Democrats force a full reading of CS/HB 1203.

6:01 p.m.: Rubio calls a meeting of the Bald Caucus. They pose for photo, the full-haired Rubio gripping Evan Jenne's shaved head. The caucus includes (from left) Will Kendrick, Oscar Braynon, Jenne, Terry Fields and Charles Chestnut. (House photo / Mark Foley)

6:14 p.m.: Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, takes over reading the bill. Really fast, like an auctioneer. It eventually passes.

6:25 p.m.: HB 7067 is being read in full.

6:58 p.m.: CS/HB 7069 is being read in full. It passes 105-0.

7:24 p.m.: CS/HB 745 is being read in full.

7:54 p.m.: Rep. Will Kendrick, R-Carrabelle, takes over for Rubio. He bangs the gavel and asks members to take their seats and listen up. Boos fill the chamber.

8:25 p.m.: Still debating CS/HB 745. Rubio downs another cup of Cuban coffee. He leaves the small white cup on the rostrum.

8:36 p.m.: Rubio: "This place is starting to feel like the Superdome. They are running out of water. They are running out of food. The restrooms are backed up." He calls for a 15 minute break.

8:59 p.m.: Rubio jokes that Gelber wants to read the next bill "backwards, word for word." CS/HB 1313 is read in full, frontwards, word for word.

9:25 p.m.: CS/HB 105 --- "An act related to secondary metals recyclers" -- is being read in full. A taste: Regulated metals property" means any item composed primarily of any nonferrous metals, but shall not include aluminum beverage containers, used beverage containers, or similar beverage containers. The term shall include stainless steel beer kegs.

10:01 p.m.: Beer keg bill passes 108-0.

10:02 p.m.: "Read the next bill." CS/HB 1105. In full. It passes 106-0.

10:18 p.m.: Rubio informs the House that "the pen napper" has taken Rep. Adam Hasner's pen. Hasner has been busy playing speaker, nodding to his wife and in-laws watching from the gallery. They have the place to themselves. The pen napper has his BlackBerry, too, and unless Republicans add the Democratic bills back on the agenda, it too will be destroyed. The threat properly read into the record, Rubio announces the House will break for 15 minutes.

11:08 p.m.: The break is over. Rubio is laughing hysterically. He can't contain himself, literally having to step away from the microphone, as he accuses Rep. Hugh Gibson, R-The Villages, of being the "pen napper." More laughter. Then a clerk begins reading CS/HB 1271. It passes unanimously.

11:20 p.m.: Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton, is giving the clerk's job a try. He doesn't last long.

11:27 p.m.: Rubio's back on the floor, eating candy.

11:28 p.m.: "Read the bill in full," Rep. Sandra Adam drones. Rep. Rivera is playing clerk, reading CS/HB 7083. The man has a future in politics.

11:55 p.m.: Rep. Faye Culp, R-Tampa, earns the Rodney Dangerfield award of the day. She's reading CS/HB 7083 like a champ. But no one is paying attention. Not even Susan Bucher, D-West Palm Beach.

12:03 a.m.: Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, steps up to the mic. This is a monster bill. Breathe, man. He's chugging, going too fast. "Phew," he gasps, taking a break. The bill passes 107-0.

12:09 a.m.: Gelber: "Read the bill in full." HB 7075. They are digging deep now, council director Eric Thorne, is reading. It passes 109-0.

12:15 a.m.: Hasner is handing out tissues infused with Vicks. Members press them to their noses, a vain attempt to stay alert. They drink from red Community Coffee cups. We trust that's coffee inside.

12:32 a.m.: CS/SB 686, read in full.

12:57 a.m.: The bill passes 109-0. Rubio calls a 5-10 minute recess. One bill remains: CS/CS/SB 2534, the hotly contested health care package.

1:04 a.m.: Rep. "Sugar" Ray Sansom jabs the Democrats in their own game. He offers a motion to read the bill in full. Suddenly, a computerized voice fills the chamber -- a very, very fast reading of the bill, thanks to text recognition software. It takes 10 minutes, compared with at least an hour by a regular person.

(The program is a Microsoft product but was customized by Nick Carson, a 31-year-old House staffer. Carson had been experimenting with the software and gave it an unexpected debut, said Rubio spokeswoman Jill Chamberlin.)

2:14 a.m.: No one is laughing any more. After a tense, bitter debate over health care, the vote is called on the final bill of the session. It passes on party lines.

2:17 a.m.: The session ends.

Comments

Yep, if this had happened on the Thursday before Good Friday - Rubio would have had more respect for the members' religious beliefs. But since it was just Jews - Rubio couldn't have cared less and Hafsner should have known better (but it wasn't such an inconvenience for him - he was just going to pop over to a local synagogue's community seder, so catching a plane wasn't an issue).

This is a precursor to more bickering and breakdowns. I predict, the last day of Session, the Democrats stay together and refuse to let bills "roll over for a third reading" which would mean they would die at the end of the last day. In other words, the leadership needs to finish up any must-pass legislation before the last day is here.

The software sounds awesome. Way to go!

[Donald Lance]

Blow by blow? "Down goes Frazier!" I'm all for cage match legislation. Since the govt took us into the 3rd world, maybe they can start acting like 3rd world govt bodies throwing fists and shoes at each other. I buy a PPV for that to help the budget mess THEY created.

[wait until november]

Democrats oppose market based solution to health care for all

This should be published in every single newspaper in Florida to show our citizens how childish and stupid the entire Legislature is acting.

8:51 - Repiglicans reject "market-based" solutions for commuter trains - hence the $700 million subsidy to CSX.

And, by the way, what is the "market based solution" for child abuse, foster care, and nursing home inspections???

Republicans - hypocrits with Grinch hearts.

Eatting candy all night...laughing hysterically at childish jokes...how old is this guy?

Welcome back Johnnie!!!

The Jews are trying to take over the government of Florida. Now the Jews want to fight the Cubans---- we look so stupid--- Jewish treaty-- Jewish honored guests --- all about the Jews. They are the ones that are so worried about vouchers and everytime Gelber opens up his mouth it is about being Jewish.

Dear first poster:

He gave the Jewish members permission to leave, moron.

Dear first poster:

He gave the Jewish members permission to leave, moron.

9:55...he said they could leave but they would lose their ability to vote and their ability to represent the 135,000 citizens they were elected to have a voice for in Tallahassee....he finally showed his true colors...he deliberately hurt African-American members, he ignored the concerns of Jewish members, he insulted to incoming Minority Leader....a real leader doesn't use his power...he only let's you know that he has it.

[JEB Republican]

The Democrats are stoping good legislation. Let's all remember this when the election roles around and it is time to make campaign contributions.

[Ronnie]

I think this was great. If one party insists on having bills read, then everyone should have to sit there and listen. It is too easy to require this and then be somewhere else while it is going on.

In fact, I think we should pass a law that requires all bills to be read and each representative to be present all the time. At least then we would be making them earn their money.

Really, the Democrats are stopping "good legislation." Humm, they're LAYING OFF CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATORS, Fostercare workers, and nursing home inspectors WHILE giving CORPORATE WELFARE to CSX at the tune of $700 million (hey all you freemarketers out there - if this commuter rail is such a great idea why doesn't the "marketplace" ante up the dough????

The Repiglicans are spending money like drunken sailors on shoreleave on all their PORK projects - CSX, Rubio's $265 million contract with his BFFL, Rubio's pork project in Miami.

These fiscal idiots are cutting education (now just where will we get an "educated" workforce for all the "high tech" industries that the Governor and Florida Legislature are trying to bribe to move to Florida?).

There is plenty of money for PRISONS (the #1 Growth industry in Florida) but no money for programs that would keep people from turning to crime (like - education, drug prevention, drug treatment).

These short-sighted, hard-hearted, mean-spirited sheep of Rubio and Pruitt have failed to represent their districts in order to appease the moneybags of the repiglican honchos whow are in bed with the lobbyists.

Come November - remember - remember who couldn't care less about physically and sexually abused children, who couldn't care less about chronically ill children, who couldn't care less if your family members in nursing homes are at the "mercy" of the felons hired to "care" for them. Remember where all the $$$$ went.

Remember in November and vote accordingly.

[Paul D. Harvill]

If one political party wishes to play hardball, then the other political party should do likewise -- until an amicable solution is agreed upon.

This is what we get with term limits. Unfortunately, there's a serious lack of experience and maturity in that chamber. It bodes ill for all of us.

No, actually 8:51, Bean and Rubio are playing politics with their flea market idea and hindering the true reform of the Senate plan. Peaden and Pruitt are showing what a bunch of infans the House reps are.

Actually- it was Rubio who tried to keep the agenda short on Friday...to allow Jewish members and staff the time to celebrate the holiday. He wanted to debate the education amendment/bill next week. It was the DEMOCRATS who chose to throw a hissy-fit and keep everyone in Tallahassee way past a reasonable travel-hour. Get your story straight, 6:13am.

Actually I like the idea that all bills have to at least be read once before voting.

Maybe then these legislators will no more about what they are voting on.

[VOTE OUT DEMOCRATS]

WHERE IS MY PROPERTY TAX RELIEF?

12:21

FYI. No matter how many good points you make in your posts, stooping to name calling only gives people reasons to not take them seriously

WHERE IS MY PROPERTY TAX RELIEF?

Posted by: VOTE OUT REPUBLICANS