Fla. Attorney General not budging on settlement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is refusing to back down in her feud with the GOP-controlled Legislature when it comes to $300 million intended to help homeowners.

Bondi this week filed her 2013 budget request with state legislators. She did not ask for spending approval over the state's share of a national $25 billion settlement with five of the nation's largest mortgage lenders.

The settlement was finalized in early April but no plans have been announced for the state's share.

Legislative leaders have maintained that legislators need to ok any proposal first. But Bondi's office insist legislators have no say.

Other budget requests filed this week include one from the Department of Children and Families to spend an additional $22 million on substance abuse programs for families receiving welfare.