The third time may be the charm for the controversial Central Florida commuter rail project called SunRail.

A special session dealing with SunRail and South Florida’s ailing Tri-Rail system will begin Thursday at 9 a.m.

House Speaker Larry Cretul issued a memo this afternoon saying he plans for the House to vote on the bill on Monday and for the Senate to vote on it on Wednesday.

Cretul, R-Ocala, said he and Atwater have agreed in principal on the proposal, which apparently exists but has not yet been distributed to most lawmakers, if any.

Money for Tri-Rail will come from the state road project fund and money for Sunrail and other rail projects will come from doc stamps from home sales.

PDF: Summary of proposed statewide rail transit legislation

Tallahassee social services advocate Budd Bell, who spent nearly four decades lobbying the legislature for children and families, died this morning, the News Service of Florida reported.

She was 94.

For more than a generation, Bell was a familiar sight in the halls of the Capitol where she fiercely fought for services for poor children, the mentally ill and the disabled.

Bell pushed lawmakers to create the Baker Act, which allows mentally ill or suicidal individuals to be temporarily hospitalized instead of sent to jail.

Bell, a founding member of the National Association of Social Workers in 1955, was also instrumental in requiring child care centers to be licensed.

On July 1, a yearly ritual takes place in Florida: a crop of new laws passed by legislators and signed by the governor takes effect.

This year is no different. Gov. Charlie Crist and state lawmakers spent much of their time grappling with a $6 billion budget shortfall, but they still managed to pass legislation that will affect nearly every Floridian, whether it’s new taxes and fees, a tougher seat-belt law or changes to college tuition.

Click here to see a rundown from the Sun-Sentinel of new laws that take effect Wednesday.