A poll released Tuesday confirms that Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson will be vulnerable in 2012 when he seeks a third term.

The race to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012 is starting to heat up as a crowded field of Republicans continues to get ready to run -- and takes aim at Florida’s senior senator.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University Thursday showed that Florida will be in the front lines in the 2012 political wars when both President Barak Obama and Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson face challenges for re-election.

More than nine years after the 9/11 attacks, two Florida Republicans in Congress, both of whom are receiving some attention as possible candidates to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, introduced measures on how the United States tries captured terrorists.

Gov. Rick Scott continues to have a busy first month in office. He touched base with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in a telephone call on Friday before heading off to Orlando to speak to the Florida Realtors Forum in Orlando. Earlier in the week, he met with golf legend Jack Nicklaus …

Florida’s congressional delegation, like the overwhelming majority in the U.S. House, broke on party lines when the new Republican majority voted Wednesday to repeal the federal health care bill enacted in 2010 with the support of President Barack Obama. Those divisions filtered down at the state level as Republicans in Florida praised the repeal measure, while Sunshine State Democrats continued to back Obama and the health care laws.

While the new Congress has only been in session for little more than a week, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan is off to a fast start.

Florida’s political leaders are continuing to pressure the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), hoping that more than half of the state will be declared as a disaster area due to the inclement weather.

As he starts his second term in Congress, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is increasingly visible as he focuses on federal spending.

In a widely expected move, former Sen. Rod Smith was selected to lead the Florida Democratic Party on Saturday in Orlando, replacing former U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman, who has served as chairwoman for almost six years.

Eight Floridians were sworn in as new members of Congress Wednesday, seven of them joining the new Republican majority.