By STUART KORFHAGE of the St. Augustine Record 

With one deadline already passed, the Florida Department of Transportation and the attorney for Virginia Whetstone are in discussions about the fate of the fence on her property by the Bridge of Lions.

@Mdixon55

Welcome to the silly season.

With the legislative session in the rearview mirror and the 2014 election cycle still in its infancy, this summer is likely to be devoid of meaty political news. Enter the state political parties.

@Mdixon55

Gov. Rick Scott Friday signed legislation crafted by lobbyist Paul Sanford to help insurance companies he represents, including Jacksonville-based Florida Blue.

A provision specific to Florida Blue was tacked onto the bill (HB 356) as an amendment on the Senate floor.

That amendment, which was opposed by other insurers, allows Florida Blue to expand by owning other not-for-profit insurers and corporations in Florida, which is not allowed under current law.

A Smart Politics analysis finds “Smith” is the most popular surname in U.S. House history with 115 Representatives, and, with the addition of Missouri’s Jason Smith to its rolls, the name now extends its lead to 50 over “Johnson” which comes in second with 65.  

After learning that his speech to the Pinellas Republican Party had been cancelled — in no small part to the attention put upon it by this blog – Dr. Jonathan Matusitz, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, emailed me to express his “dismay” at the cancellation of his speech, which he says “is the first time that some Republicans have openly expressed their objection to my presentation on Islam.”

Paul Tash, chairman and CEO of the Tampa Bay Times, believes the political culture in Tallahassee is “in many ways corrupt.”

In a luncheon Friday afternoon, Tash was in the “Tiger’s Den,” speaking to a group of Suncoast Tiger Bay members and guests, which included several local government and business leaders.

Attorneys take note – and for that matter, dissatisfied clients as well. The Florida Supreme Court ordered Thursday that professionalism complaints against attorneys will now be subject to local “professionalism panels” that will determine if complaints get sent to the Florida Bar for further action.

When President Barack Obama adopted a policy last year aimed at allowing some young, undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States, he likely didn’t know it would cause heartburn for Gov. Rick Scott about a year later.

Democrat Ed Narain will meet with supporters for a sit-down spaghetti dinner Saturday, July 13 in his campaign for House District 61.  

Narain will be discussing the details of his plan he calls “People. Not Politics.”

Narain is a community activist running for the seat held by Democrat Rep. Betty Reed, who faces term limits after the 2014 session.

he Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Trust for Public Land and landowner M.C. Davis are partnering to conserve 20,850 acres of critical habitat land east of Eglin Air Force Base after being awarded $1.75 million from the U.S. Department of Defense as part of the 2013 REPI Challenge.

A bill that would prevent local governments from setting sick-leave standards for workers hasn’t reached Gov. Rick Scott’s desk yet, but it certainly has reached his office, reports Margie Menzel of the News Service of Florida.

Last week, Miami Gardens State Rep. Barbara Watson visited the Yeshiva Toras Chaim in her district, a school serving the diverse needs of South Florida’s Orthodox Jewish community from early childhood to post high school.  The YTC provides both Jewish religious education and outstanding secular education to its 600 students, and looks to foster intellectual curiosity and awareness.

A day after describing a planned speech from a controversial anti-Islam professor as “much ado about nothing”, Pinellas GOP chairman Michael Guju announced that Monday’s “educational forum” has been postponed.

Gov. Rick Scott signed nearly three dozen bills on Friday, raising to 156 the number of pieces of legislation he has turned into law so far this year.

Bills approved include a measure that speeds up the residential mortgage foreclosure process (HB 87), one that denies parental rights to…

Here's a good way for police to temporarily stop people from complaining against them -- only to wind up in jail. The press release: