The PAC for 100,000-member Associated Industries of Florida handed Rick Scott his most prestigious recognition yet on Wednesday, endorsing both the health-care executive and his opponent, Attorney General Bill McCollum, in the Republican primary for governor.

Having written a letter on national issues to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson earlier in the month, incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, announced Wednesday that he will conduct a tour of hospitals and health-care facilities across the state, addressing health-related issues, including Medicaid.

Bill McCollum received $1,260,142.17 in campaign matching funds from the state Friday, looking for as much cash as he can to battle billionaire Rick Scott for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. (See the campaign finance documents attached at the bottom of the story.)

The Republican Party of Florida announced on Wednesday that their chairman, Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, would be hosting a dinner in September at Lake Buena Vista with the GOP candidates for statewide office and former RNC boss and possible 2012 presidential hopeful, Gov.

Will this week's special legislative session bring responsible public policy debate or crass political posturing?

With Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, calling for a second special session of the Legislature at the end of summer to tackle economic issues resulting from the oil spill in the Gulf, Florida’s political leaders and candidates are weighing in on its merits.

Even though the 2010 elections are still being waged, speculation has already begun about which Republicans will look to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. The venerable national opinion journal The New Republic ran a piece on energy bills in the Senate and offered an aside building up current U.S. Sen. George LeMieux possibly taking on Nelson. With his recent letter to Nelson on national issues, buzz is building that incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, could also be looking at running for the U.S. Senate come 2012 ...

A week before the Legislature goes into special session, there was little agreement on just what oil-related items it plans to take up, though it became clear Monday that the Senate, at least, wants to go beyond the governor’s call and provide economic relief to the spill-weary Panhandle.

The Senate’s Select Committee on the Economy on Monday discussed a list of economic issues lawmakers should address when the Legislature convenes a special session ordered by Gov. Charlie Crist to vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban offshore oil drilling in Florida.

Florida lawmakers are set to arrive in Tallahassee later this month to address issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that has sent oil toward Florida beaches, but lawmakers in other states have already beaten them to the punch.

Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey and South Carolina have all introduced bills relating to oil spill cleanup plans, recovery for damages and moratoria on offshore drilling. But really, it's anyone's best guess what will happen when the Florida House and Senate return to Tallahassee July 20.

A Tallahassee judge struck Amendment 7 from the fall ballot Thursday, claiming the wording was ill-presented and voters would have no idea what it would actually do.

While BP's oil gusher is an unmitigated disaster for the Gulf of Mexico, a Clean Energy Summit in Orlando warned Thursday that Florida has a power crisis in the making.