Adding more drama to an already colorful election, Lawton “Bud” Chiles III, son of a Florida political legend who served three terms in the U.S. Senate and two terms as governor, announced Thursday he was leaving the Democratic Party and launching a gubernatorial campaign with no party affiliation.

Bud Chiles, the son of Florida political legend and longtime U.S. Sen. and Gov. Lawton Chiles, is set to make announcement in Tallahassee on Thursday about his political future -- with rumors swirling that he intends to run for governor in the Democratic primary or, possibly, with no party affiliation.

If he does announce, Chiles will join an inordinately long line of politically strong families in recent years who have charmed Sunshine State voters into keeping the dynasty going:

With the budget out of the way – and a little more than $200 million lighter – Gov. Charlie Crist can return his attention to oil in the Gulf of Mexico, an abortion bill he still awaits from the House and his U.S. Senate campaign – though some might say the first two things are directly connected to the last.

Virtually the entire political class of Florida's leadership wishes you and yours a happy Memorial Day and wants you to honor the men and women who lost their lives in the country's defense. Here are some of their voices:

Adding more drama to what already promises to be a gripping political season in Florida, Lawton “Bud” Chiles III, education advocate and son of the longtime U.S. senator and governor, is seriously considering announcing a run for governor.

Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul issued a ringing statement Tuesday, accusing Gov. Charlie Crist of unnecessarily wasting taxpayers' money, playing political games and distracting state leaders from solving the state's real problems right now.

Responding to questions from state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner Kevin McCarty offered a presentation to the Cabinet on Tuesday on what his office has done about two financially unstable insurance companies.

The Republican Party of Florida released credit card records Friday containing more than $7 million in charges racked up by 31 Republicans -- not all of them household names, not all of them even party leaders.

Nevertheless, the release of such records would have been virtually unnecessary had Gov. Charlie Crist not vetoed a bill that would have allowed more transparency in fundraising and expenditures. The bill would have created so-called party affiliation committees through which expenditure reports by both Republicans and Democrats would have been more detailed.