Former Republican state Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland says it was "kind of silly" and "dumb" that the Republican Party of Florida mounted a campaign urging that Democratic candidate for governor Nan Rich be given speaking time at last weekend's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Hollywood.

Dockery said that by promoting Nan Rich, Republicans showed their true colors.

Gov. Rick Scott is targeting yet another state in his effort to poach out-of-state jobs -- and this time the other governor is firing back.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, took issue with Scott's characterization of the Bluegrass State as a land of high taxes and anti-business regulation.

Democratic uber-operative Steve Schale, who spent the weekend squiring Charlie Crist around the Democrats’ Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Hollywood, says Gov. Rick Scott’s improvement in today’s Quinnipiac poll is a post-session bump like the one Scott got in 2012, but discounts its importance in a head-to-head matchup.

The poll showed Scott…

On Monday, the Florida Sheriffs Association named House District 36 State Rep. Mike Fasano the 2013 Legislative Champion. The Association, which monitors state legislation ensuring public safety, awards legislators they see as strong promoters of law enforcement.

US Rep. Dennis Ross is hosting town hall meetings in Lutz and Brandon on Tuesday, July 2, where he will spend time answering questions.

Ross has had a full plate these past few weeks, leading a charge to urge President Obama to remove Eric Holder from his position as Attorney General, working to prevent taxpayer funded soccer fields for Guantanamo Bay detainees, and urging his colleagues to support immigration reforms that enforce our laws and provide for earned citizenship.

Quinnipiac University on Tuesday released a poll that shows the Republican-turned-Democrat Crist leading Scott by a margin of 47 percent to 37 percent. While that is a significant edge for Crist, it is down from a 16-point margin in a March poll.

One Republican elected official (speaking anonymously), however, does understand why Scott’s camp is so excited about these new numbers.

Hosts Tommy Boroughs, Alexander Clem, Fred Leonhardt and Dr. John McCutheon invite you to attend a fundraising reception for State Sen. David Simmons on June 19, along with honorary co-chairs Senate President Don Gaetz, and Senators Andy Gardiner, Lizbeth Benacquisto, John Thrasher, Jack Latvala, and Alan Hays.  

Republican Chris Sprowls has planned a fundraising reception for his campaign for House District 65 on Thursday, June 20.

Among the friends and supporters attending will be Rep. Richard Corcoran, State Sen. Jeff Brandes, and State Sen. John Legg.

The Washington Post reported yesterday on the overwhelming unpopularity of Congress, using Gallup polling to show the slope of Congressional approval over time. Today, only about 10 percent of Americans place a great deal of confidence our representative body — a drop of 32 percentage points since 1973.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, is firing back at Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott, after Scott sent letters to Kentucky businesses, asking them to relocate to Florida.

“Gov. Scott’s description of the business climate in Kentucky is so far from the existing reality that one wonders whether he’s…

Political columnist Bill Cotterell has unretired, rejoining the Tallahassee Democrat to offer two columns a week, about a year following his departure.

To Democrat editor Bob Gabordi, Cotterrell’s move follows “many of the great ones before him – Michael Jordan, George Foreman, Roger Clemens and Brett Favre…” who have left and returned to their legendary professions.

The Florida Democratic Party today released an infographic — a well-designed one, not the turds the Florida GOP has pumped out — charting what it describes as “the remarkable success” of the 2013 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, which broke records for attendance and fundraising.

The FDP says its success is not just based on the number of tickets sold, either.

Their infographic offers a complete picture of the 2013 Jefferson-Jackson dinner.

This morning, a new Quinnipiac University poll showed incumbent Republican Governor Rick Scott down “only” ten points to either Charlie Crist or Bill Nelson.

Gov. Rick Scott draws his highest approval ratings from Florida voters since his 2010 election, but still trails former Republican governor turned Democrat Charlie Crist by a double-digit margin in a prospective governor’s race, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

Forty percent of Floridians approve of the job Scott has done in office, compared to 42 percent who disapprove – the best marks Scott has earned and up from a low of  28 percent in August 2010.