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The statewide Professional Educators Network provides legal counsel, liability insurance and professional training to teachers, but doesn't engage in collective bargaining, doesn't contribute or endorse political candidates and doesn't consider itself a union. The state Public Employee Relations Commission, however, does, but two bills advancing in the Legislature would exempt it from state laws governing public employee unions.

A Senate committee did not take up SB 1158 during its last committee meeting of the 2012 session because of concerns raised by the governor's office. Sen. Greg Evers, the bill's sponsor, said he is unlikely to introduce the bill next year after The Florida Current reported on Monday that he owned land surrounded by Blackwater River State Forest, where a company wants an agreement to explore and drill for oil and gas.

The agreement would increase base rates by $150 million and refunds $288 million in replacement fuel and power costs for the Crystal river nuclear plant over five years. The Florida Retail Federation, the Office of Public Counsel and the Florida Industrial Power Users Group support the agreement but the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy urged the PSC to reject the deal.