U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez left Washington on Wednesday with some regrets, some accomplishments and some frustration with a process he says often puts politics ahead of policy. His farewell speech to the Senate came 16 months before his first term was to expire. His resignation leaves one Hispanic in the Senate, Robert Menendez, D-N.J. Gov. Charlie Crist picked his former chief of staff, George LeMieux, to replace Martinez. ...more

September 10, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to name former aide and political strategist George LeMieux to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez was immediately controversial Friday. ...more

August 28, 2009

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist will announce his 2010 political plans Tuesday, and the head of the state Republican Party said Sunday that he thinks Crist would run for U.S. Senate instead of seeking another gubernatorial term. ...more

May 11, 2009

Sen. Mel Martinez expressed support for more bailout money for General Motors and Chrysler, saying the federal government cannot allow the U.S. auto industry to fail. ...more

March 31, 2009

Sen. Mel Martinez expressed support for more bailout funds for General Motors and Chrysler, saying the federal government "cannot allow" the U.S. auto industry to fail. ...more

March 30, 2009

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez is being bashed on right-wing blogs because of his answer to a constituent who asked him about the persistent rumor that Barack Obama wasn't born in America. ...more

March 11, 2009

A $410 billion spending bill to fund the federal government through September is drawing criticism for the more than $7.7 billion it contains in so-called "member items." That funding for favored projects of lawmakers includes hundreds of millions of dollars for the Tampa Bay area and other parts of Florida. ...more

March 5, 2009

Hundreds of millions of dollars for Tampa Bay area projects ranging from money to dredge the Port of Tampa to youth-gang prevention and municipal beautification efforts are at stake in a catch-all spending bill the Senate is expected to vote on today. ...more

March 5, 2009

The House on Wednesday approved language that would allow Cuban-Americans to visit relatives on the island more frequently and also ease some U.S. restrictions on trade with Cuba. ...more

February 26, 2009

The House on Wednesday approved language that would allow Cuban-Americans to visit their relatives on the island more frequently and also ease some U.S. restrictions on trade with Cuba. ...more

February 25, 2009