Editor's note: This is a pre-recorded episode of the Florida Roundup. There is no live chat this week.
On the Florida Roundup, we talk about the week's top news with the area's top journalists.
National Politics
Marco Rubio's "big" may be about the 2016 presidency. If Jeb Bush decides to run for president too, the election would be especially memorable for Florida voters. Rubio and Bush are well-known names in the state, particularly to South Floridians because the politicians grew up in the same area, says Steve Bousquet. The bilingual political leaders from the same party may have a contentious time grabbing the Hispanic vote. Despite their close and respectful relationship, each has had a different focus in politics - Rubio has spent more time on foreign policy and Bush on domestic issues, says Patricia Mazzei.
Legislative Session Update
Lawmakers are half done with the 60-day legislative session. But not much has been accomplished. The House and Senate continue to differ on tax cuts and other budgetary negotiations, especially on Medicaid expansion, says Margie Menzel. Another debate between the governor and legislators is changing the payment approach to Do they have enough time to negotiate before session ends? It's off track, says Steve Bousquet.
American Dream Miami
The proposal for a mega mall resting where I-75 and the Florida Turnpike meet has won approval so far, but it's early in the process. Doug Hanks calls it "the toughest thing that ever tried." So far there is no timeline for when it would be built nor how traffic will be handled there.
U.S. and Cuba Relations
On the way to normalization, the Cuban officials told U.S. officials their desire to have half the island with Internet access by 2020.
Next week's Summit of the Americas will be the first time the U.S. and Cuba are there together. Tim Padgett says these summits don't get much attention but this one is special because Raul Castro and Barack Obama will shake hands. Also the from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism as a thawing in the process.
For national poetry month, Submissions close April 21, 2015, at noon.
Our host Tom Hudson is joined by from the News Service of Florida, and of the Miami Herald, from the Tampa Bay Times, and from SA国际传谋.