Crist and McCain appeared in the Everglades the campaign this summer.

MIAMI (CNN) — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist today announced the final terms of a deal with the U.S. Sugar Corporation that would give the state control of more than 180,000 acres of the Florida Everglades, and allow the company to remain in business.

Crist’s announcement of an $1.34 billion agreement to purchase of almost 300 square miles of land, which comes after months of negotiations, is billed as one of the largest environmental acquisitions in U.S. history.

The original terms of the deal would have resulted in the eventual closure of U.S. Sugar, but the new agreement — which lets the company retain much of its infrastructure, and continue to operate on its current land for several more years — may allow it to transition to new industries and preserve some local jobs.

Critics of the deal note that this purchase comes at a time that the state of Florida faces a budget shortfall, its already-precarious economic situation worsened by the nation’s financial crisis, which may limit its ability to raise the money to pay for the deal. If U.S. Sugar is not able to effectively re-focus its core business, the loss of the sugar industry could affect thousands of Florida workers. And the logistical challenge of restoring the Everglades remains a daunting one.

But the Everglades purchase has drawn praise from environmentalists – the same environmentalists who criticized Crist’s decision to support lifting the federal moratorium on drilling for oil off of the Florida coast. Scientists have called the land some of the most valuable in the Everglades, which they estimate has shrunk by half over the past hundred years.

Crist’s announcement comes as GOP governors gather in Miami to discuss how to rebuild the Republican Party.

Mahoney admitted to affairs.

NEW YORK (CNN) – A Democratic lawmaker who won his seat after his predecessor became mired in scandal lost his bid for re-election after becoming embroiled in scandal himself.

Rep. Tim Mahoney of Florida's 16th district was defeated by Republican Tom Rooney, a lawyer and former Army officer.

Mahoney recently admitted having two extramarital affairs and paying one woman to keep quiet. He won his seat in 2006 partly by stressing family values after Republican Rep. Mark Foley resigned in disgrace. Foley had sent racy Internet messages to male former Capitol Hill pages.

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) loses his re-election bid.

NEW YORK (CNN) — In what appears to be a stunning defeat, CNN projects that Florida Rep. Tom Feeney has lost his re-election bid. The three-term Republican was defeated by Democrat Suzanne Kosmas.

Though not himself charged with any wrongdoing, Feeney was linked to disgraced and imprisoned former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. During the campaign, Feeney ran a TV ad apologizing to voters for going on an Abramoff-sponsored golf trip to Scotland in 2003.

McCain robo-calls say Obama policies will be like his.

NEW YORK (CNN) — John McCain's presidential campaign is making an 11th hour appeal to Cuban Americans in Florida with a robo-call that says Barack Obama would pursue "political policies like those of Cuba."

The automated Spanish-language telephone calls began late this afternoon into Cuban households, particularly in and around the southern part of the state, and quote a Reuters story that says former Cuban leader Fidel Castro prefers Obama win the presidency.

McCain and Obama are in a fierce battle for Florida's 27 electoral votes.

Translated script:

Urgent: I am calling on behalf of John McCain to tell you that today at 1:28 this afternoon the independent news organization of Reuters reported that the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, has given his support to Democrat Barack Obama for being smarter and more sophisticated than John McCain. Just like Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and Evo Morales - the brothers of Castro prefer Barack Obama. Don't give Castro what he wants. Go vote right now for John McCain and avoid establishing in the United States political policies like those of Cuba. There are only a few hours left today to vote for John McCain. This call has been paid for by McCain/Palin 2008.

Listen: McCain's Spanish Election Day robo-call

Voters in Florida wait to cast their ballots Tuesday morning, despite problems at some polling stations.

West Palm Beach (CNN) - Florida's Palm Beach County is reporting problems at a couple of polling stations: so-called "undervotes," where machines reject ballots because some voters are not filling out the second page of the ballot, a spokesman for the county Board of Elections confirmed. The page contains proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution.

The spokesman said these undervotes are legal. The scanner spits the ballot back and reminds the voter to vote on the second page, the spokesman said, adding that the voter then has the choice of voting or registering the undervote.

Watch: Floridians vote

He said in some cases people simply forget to fill out the second page, but most voters seem to be intentionally skipping that part of the ballot.

The town of Palm Beach is also reporting minor sporadic voter machine failures, the spokesman said. A handful of machines had to be replaced.

One polling station in the county opened one hour late because of a problem with their precinct voting list.

Voters waited in long lines to vote early in Florida.

(CNN) – In the final hours before Election Day, callers to CNN’s Voter Hotline are reporting misinformation that is circulating in some of the battleground states, including some that were intended as jokes.

David Ashley, of Florida, called to report hearing incorrect information broadcast Monday morning on local radio in the Ocala/Gainesville area. After a call into WSKY’s morning show about many Florida residents complaining of not being able to vote early due to long lines, a host on the station’s morning show said “that [Florida Gov.] Charlie Crist had decided because of the voter polling crowds to open the polls on Wednesday for Obama supporters to vote,” Ashley said in his hotline call.

When CNN contacted Ashley, she said that the morning hosts on WSKY often use sarcasm during their program. But, Ashley was concerned that the statement sounded factual, and that less informed listeners might not have realized the statement was incorrect about the date for Election Day.

In response to CNN’s inquiry about Ashley’s call, WSKY allowed CNN to listen to a recording of Monday morning’s broadcast. While the host did state that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist had decided to open polls on Wednesday, November 5 to accommodate supporters of Sen. Barack Obama, subsequent remarks by the two hosts make it clear that the statement was intended as a joke. WSKY would not comment any further.

Tuesday, November 4, is the date for voting in this year’s general election, according to information available from the Florida Division of Elections.

If you live in Florida, click here to go to the Web site for the Florida Division of Elections.

CNN will be tracking voter problems through Election Day. If you have a problem or see a problem, call the CNN Voter Hotline at 877-462-6608. See what issues are a concern in each state by clicking on the interactive Hotline map at cnn.com/hotline.

Gov. Palin campaigned in Florida Saturday as the state's governor, Charlie Crist, looked on.

NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida (CNN) — With a smiling Gov. Charlie Crist at her side, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin kicked off a three-city bus tour of central Florida on Saturday by focusing on the financial concerns of the nearly three million Floridians over the age of 65.

Palin promised that she and John McCain will “keep our defining commitments to our senior citizens.” But she wasted little time on the Republican agenda and turned her sights, as usual, on Barack Obama, who has accused McCain of wanting to cut Medicare funding and place Social Security benefits in the stock market.

“Barack Obama goes around promising a new kind of politics,” she said, “but then he comes here to Florida and he tries to exploit the fears and the worries about Social Security and Medicare to our retirees and that is the oldest and cheapest kind of politics there is. And enough is enough of that.”

Palin added that Obama favors a government takeover of health care, an accusation that drew boos from the audience.

Referencing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who said this week that Obama’s tax cuts would only go to those making under $120,000, Palin called the Democratic tax plan “so phony” and said she was thankful that “it’s starting to unravel” and that “the light is being shown on his tax plan.”

According to the Obama campaign, Richardson meant to say that people making under $250,000 won’t see their taxes increase.

Palin also repeated a debunked claim that “according to an independent analysis, our opponent’s new policies will destroy nearly six million jobs over the next decade.”

That analysis was actually conducted by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, which concluded in a recent report that “total employment” would fall an average of 589,000 a year under Obama's tax plan.

According to Heritage, that number represents the number of jobs that would exist over a ten year period, compared to the potential number of jobs that would exist under current tax law. The study itself says that while McCain’s plan would create more jobs, the number of jobs in the country would grow under either candidate.

As Palin wound down her remarks, a group in the rear of the audience began a noisy chant of "John McCain! Not Hussein!" — but the governor did not appear to hear or acknowledge them.

Call CNN's voter hotline with your concerns or problems with voting.

(CNN) — With just three days to go before Election Day, calls were streaming into the CNN Voter Hotline.

More than 21,500 people have called in to the hotline as of Saturday.

More than 7,300 of them registered a complaint regarding voting issues. The largest number of complaints continues to be issues surrounding registration. With the deadline approaching for submitting absentee ballots, many callers are asking what to do if they still haven't received their forms.

Concerns about vote counting are the third most logged complaint on the line. Many callers also cited long lines and other difficulties at polling locations for early and absentee voting. Problems with voting machines are the fifth most discussed topic on the Hotline.

Watch: An iReporter on the early voting experience

Florida voters have called the Hotline more than any other state's, with many of the calls coming from Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties. Georgia voters have also called in high numbers with complaints about the long lines and other voting location problems.

CNN will be tracking voter problems through Election Day. If you have a problem or see a problem, call the CNN Voter Hotline at 877-462-6608. See what issues are a concern in each state by clicking on the interactive Hotline map at cnn.com/hotline.

(CNN) – A CNN poll of polls released Saturday suggest the presidential race may be tightening in Pennsylvania — a state John McCain’s campaign has made a top target in the campaign’s closing days.

Sen. Barack Obama’s lead over Sen. John McCain in Pennsylvania stands at eight points, according to CNN’s latest poll of polls in the state. Fifty-one percent of likely voters in the state back Obama while 43 percent back McCain. Six percent are undecided. CNN’s previous Pennsylvania poll of polls, released October 30, showed Obama leading McCain by 11 percentage points – Obama had 53 percent support and McCain had 42 percent.

The race in Indiana is tied in CNN’s latest poll of polls in the historically Republican state. Both nominees have the support of 47 percent of likely voters in Indiana, with 6 percent are unsure about their choice for president. In CNN’s previous Indiana poll of polls, released October 30, McCain had a one-point advantage over Obama – 47 percent to 46 percent.

In Florida, Obama is ahead of McCain by four points. The Illinois senator garners support from 49 percent of likely voters in the state and 45 percent support the Arizona senator. Six percent of likely Florida voters are unsure about who should be the next president. In CNN’s October 31 Florida poll of polls, Obama was ahead of McCain by 3 points – 48 percent for Obama and 45 percent for McCain.

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CNN's voter hotline has received call from voters who are still waiting to receive their absentee ballots.

(CNN) – With Election Day approaching fast, many voters have called into CNN’s voter hotline to report that they are still awaiting absentee ballots.

CNN got in touch with some of the counties where those calls originated, and has some guidance for voters in those areas.

The deadline for returning absentee ballots in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania has passed, according to information available on the Philadelphia County Board of Elections Web site. Bill Rubin, the Supervisor of Elections for Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania, told CNN the best thing for voters registered in the county to do at this point is to go to the polls in person and vote on Election Day.

Voters waiting on absentee ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida should call Bob Bartelsmeyer, the county’s absentee ballot coordinator, at 561-656-6234. Click here for more about voting by absentee ballots in Palm Beach County.

If you are still waiting on an absentee ballot and you are registered in the City of Chicago, Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, recommends calling the city’s absentee ballot department at 312-269-7967. For more information on absentee voting in the City of Chicago, click here.

If you are registered in suburban Cook County in Illinois and have not received an absentee ballot, Courtney Greve, spokeswoman for the Cook County Clerk, advises calling the clerk’s absentee ballot line at 312-603-0944. For more information about voting absentee if you’re registered in suburban Cook County, click here.

Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters, recommends that voters still waiting on absentee ballots check the status of their ballot request on search engine available at www.lavote.net. Logan also told CNN that early voting is available at the L.A. County Registrar’s Headquarters in Norwalk, California through Monday evening. Click here to read an October 28 press release about early voting in L.A. County. Absentee ballots that have already been received may be returned in person to the headquarters by the time polls close on Election Day or to any polling place on Election Day as well. Click here to read an October 31 press release/update about early voting and voting by mail in L.A. County.

For information on early voting in other jurisdictions, click here for a list of links.

CNN will be tracking voter problems through Election Day. If you have a problem or see a problem, call the CNN Voter Hotline at 877-462-6608. See what issues are a concern in each state by clicking on the interactive Hotline map at cnn.com/hotline.

Palin signs made an appearance at a Florida rally – McCain signs did not.

POLK CITY, Florida (CNN) — At a boisterous Sarah Palin rally in Polk City, Florida on Saturday afternoon, one name was surprisingly absent from the campaign décor — John McCain’s.

Watch: Palin campaigns in Polk City, FL Saturday

Looking around the Fantasy of Flight aircraft hangar where the rally took place, one could see all the usual reminders that it was a pro-McCain event. There were two large “Country First” banners hung on the walls along with four enormous American flags meant to conjure the campaign’s underlying patriotic theme. Many of the men and women in the audience wore McCain hats and t-shirts.

But on closer inspection, the GOP nominee’s name was literally nowhere to be found on any of the official campaign signage distributed to supporters at the event.

Members of the audience proudly waved “Country First” placards as Palin delivered her stump speech. Those signs were paid for by the Republican National Committee.

The other sign handed out to supporters read “Florida is Palin Country,” but those signs were neither paid for by the Republican National Committee nor the McCain campaign. In small print, the signs were stamped with the line “Paid for and authorized by Putnam for Congress" — as in, the re-election campaign of Florida congressman Adam Putnam, whose district skirts Polk City.

In fact, Putnam’s name was considerably more prominent than was McCain’s — his campaign had placed a number of large “Putnam for Congress” banners around the event site.

Some voters still haven't received absentee ballots.

(CNN) – With less than a week until Election Day, some voters are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of their absentee ballots.

Max Lohrey of La Junta in Otero County, Colorado called CNN’s voter hotline concerned that a missing absentee ballot might have “fallen into the hands of the wrong people . . . is this going to be used for fraud?”

Chawnte Williams, is registered to vote in the Denver area but is currently out of state.  Williams reports that she requested an absentee ballot earlier this month and was informed that it would not arrive until the end of October because of printing problems. When the ballot did not arrive as scheduled, she called to check on it again, and was told by her local election officials that they had no record of her requesting an absentee ballot.

“So because of somebody’s clerical error, now it looks like I might not be able to vote,” Williams said on the hotline.  "I feel like I'm not going to be able to vote and there's no reason why," Williams also told CNN in a telephone interview Thursday.

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A caller from Florida reached out to CNN's voter hotline about voting when a home is in foreclosure.

(CNN) – The economy has been Issue #1 for voters in CNN’s polls for several months. As Election Day approaches, the foreclosure crisis means new concerns for some voters who have reached out for information on CNN’s voter hotline.

“My home was recently foreclosed on and I don’t know if I’ll be able to vote in my registered precinct,” a caller for Jacksonville, Florida said in a recent call to CNN. “I was able to for the primary but I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

Florida has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Now the rumor that a foreclosure may disqualify someone who is otherwise a properly registered Florida voter has become so widespread that the Secretary of State has addressed the issue on its “Election Myths vs Facts” Web page.

Here’s what the Web page says about foreclosures and voting in Florida:

MYTH: If your house is under foreclosure, you will not be able to vote.

FACT: A foreclosure notice does not necessarily mean that a person no longer resides in the home, as people often remain in the home after foreclosure begins and are sometimes able to refinance the home. Voters whose homes have been foreclosed but who remain in their homes may continue to vote in their assigned precinct. Voters who have physically moved from their foreclosed residence with no intention of returning to that address as their residence may still vote, but should provide a change of address to the supervisor of elections. You must vote in your correct precinct.

If you live in Florida, click here to go to Florida's Election Myths vs. Facts Web page

If you don't live in Florida, click here for a list of links to info on other states

CNN's Sean Callebs explains Florida's new voter registration law.

(CNN) — Watch Sean Callebs' report about Florida's so-called "no match, no vote" voter registration law.

Sen. McCain spoke in Sarasota, Florida Friday.

Note: The McCain campaign says Sen. John McCain has been delivering his closing argument “every day for the past week.” The CNN Truth Squad looked at Obama’s "closing argument" speech and one McCain delivered Friday, October 23, in Sarasota, Florida.  To help sort out the reality from the rhetoric, a transcript of the speech is reproduced in full below with links to related Fact Checks from the CNN Truth Squad.

. . . .

You know, my friends, we've heard a lot of words over the course of this election. After months of campaign trail eloquence we'vefinally learned what Senator Obama's economic goal is. As he told Joe the plumber up in Ohio, he wants to spread the wealth around.

He believes in redistributing in wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Americans. Senator Obama is more interested in controlling who gets your piece of pie than he is growing the pie.

Senator Obama may say he's trying to soak the rich but it's themiddle class who are going to get wet.

You know a lot of his promised tax increases miss the target. Pay for nearly a trillion dollars of new government spending, his tax increase would impact 50 percent of small business income in this America and the jobs of 16 million middle class Americans who work for those small businesses.

So I ask our small business people to raise your hands so we can thank you. Thank you, Joe the doctor, Joe the plumber, the car dealer, thank you all.

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Residents in Florida have run into long lines as they vote early.

(CNN) – November 4 is still more than a week away, but voters are already encountering long lines in their efforts to vote early.

Callers to CNN’s voter hotline have reported long lines in Gary, Indiana. James Brown, a Gary resident, told CNN that there were only two machines available to cast ballots at the city’s courthouse for the 25-40 people who were there with Brown when he went to vote early.

A local official told CNN the problem is not limited just to Gary. “There are long lines everywhere,” said Ruth Anne Hoagland of the Lake County Elections and Registrations Board. “They are out the door.” Hoagland also said that turnout has been strong during early voting and voters should expect at least an hour wait.

Another Lake County election official told CNN that early voting centers in Gary and other parts of the county need more computers to check voter registrations. The official assured CNN that the issue would be resolved by Election Day.

Florida, ground zero for many concerns about voting irregularities during the 2000 presidential race, is also experiencing long lines during early voting. One caller to CNN’s hotline reported that her 85-year-old mother encountered a four-hour wait to vote in Broward County. CNN’s John Zarella found similar problems. Watch Zarella’s report about long lines in Broward on the first day of early voting.

Related: Long lines, glitches reported in early voting

If you have any problems or concerns about voting, CNN would like to hear about them. Call CNN’s voter hotline at 1-877-GOCNN-08 (1-877-462-6608) to report your problem.

Sen. Obama and former President Clinton greet supporters in Harlem after their September meeting. (Photo Credit: Getty Images/File)

(CNN) – In yet another sign that Democrats are putting the contentious and hard-fought primary season behind them, former President Bill Clinton will campaign with Sen. Barack Obama for the first time in Florida on Wednesday, according to Matt McKenna of the Clinton Foundation.

Sen. Hillary Clinton will not attend the event but did recently campaign with Obama in Florida, a crucial battleground state that CNN currently considers a toss-up.

The Clintons also recently campaigned together with Sen. Joe Biden and Biden’s wife, Jill, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where both Joe Biden and Sen. Clinton have roots.

Obama met personally with former President Clinton in September at Clinton’s Harlem offices. Then, Clinton predicted that Obama would win in November “pretty handily.”

Sen. McCain accused Sen. Obama of flip-flopping . . . about baseball at a campaign event in Pennsylvania Tuesday.

(CNN) — Fighting for a Pennsylvania victory his campaign has called critical, John McCain accused Barack Obama of flip-flopping on his support for the hometown Philadelphia Phillies.

“I heard that Senator Obama was showing some love to the Rays down in Tampa Bay yesterday,” McCain told a Bensalem, Pennsylvania crowd Tuesday to a chorus of boos. “Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between swing states, but I think I may have detected a little pattern with Senator Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he shows love to the Rays. It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he's elected. Or the way he says he backs the middle class and then goes and attacks Joe the Plumber after he's asked a tough question. What’s that all about?”

On Monday, half a dozen members of the Tampa Bay Rays — pitchers David Price and Edwin Jackson, outfielders Jonny Gomes, Fernando Perez and Carl Crawford, and designated hitter Cliff Floyd — endorsed Barack Obama at a Florida event. “I want to just make the point I’ve said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate, bringing people together,” Obama told the crowd. “So when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays, and the Rays showing some love back, you know we’re on to something right here.” A spokesman later said he was being polite, “saying nice things about the members of the team that came out to support him.”

Earlier this month, Obama told a Philadelphia radio station with the elimination of his own Chicago White Sox, he was pulling for the Phillies because his campaign manager David Plouffe "is a huge Phillies fan."

McCain, an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, may be remaining neutral this October — but he doesn’t have to look far for another politician whose baseball loyalties may seem a bit murky during playoff season: running mate Sarah Palin has used a variation of the same line to rouse fans in at least three battleground states this month.

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Poll workers in Miami-Dade County, Florida, train on the optical scan voting system.

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (CNN) — As Election Day approaches, Brad Merriman does a lot of praying.

"Our motto right now is we're gonna plan for a recount and pray that we don't have one," he said jokingly.

Merriman, a county administrator, was brought in to oversee the upcoming general election after a botched judicial election this August in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Full story

A news report about an alleged affair led Rep. Tim Mahoney, pictured in this 2006 file photo with his wife Terry, to request an ethics investigation into his own actions.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Florida Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney called on the House ethics committee to investigate his own behavior after ABC News reported that he paid a former staffer who was also his mistress $121,000 to avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Mahoney, who is married, did not directly address the ABC report, but said in a written statement, "I was notified this afternoon about a story that ran on ABC News' web site reporting allegations about a former employee. While these allegations are based on hearsay, I believe that my constituents need a full accounting. As such, I have requested the House ethics committee to review these allegations. I am confident that when the facts are presented that I will be vindicated."

The ABC story said Mahoney began an affair with Patricia Allen during his campaign in 2006. Allen was later hired to work for Mahoney's Florida congressional office. In addition to the $121,000 legal settlement, the story reports that Mahoney secured Allen a job at the consulting firm that handles his campaign commercials. A spokesman in Mahoney's campaign office in Florida declined to answer any questions regarding the allegations in the ABC report.

Mahoney's West Palm Beach area congressional seat was formerly held by Republican Mark Foley, who resigned in late 2006 after his own sex scandal involving inappropriate communication with male House pages.

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