Republican activist Jon Mazzaferro, a commercial pilot, businessman and Army veteran, is looking to give voters on the First Coast a conservative alternative to Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville. On Thursday, Mazzaferro filed his paperwork to run against Jones in 2014.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush seems to be getting a lot of press and publicity these days as speculation mounts that he intends to run for president in 2016. Jon Meacham over at Time offers an interesting look at Bush and how his familys legacy has shaped his life and political career.

Meacham offers some insight on Bush and throws open the possibility that America could see a continued war of dynastic ambitions with a certain Democratic family:

Gwen Graham announced on Thursday that her bid to defeat U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., won the endorsements of two prominent national Democrats -- U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

Graham, the daughter of Bob Graham who served as governor of Florida and in the U.S. Senate, posted the news on Twitter that she was proud to have the support of the two senators who she called role models for all women in public service.

Pundit Larry Sabato offered his take on gubernatorial elections taking place in 2014. Sabato released his latest Crystal Ball take on elections on Thursday and argues Florida is a tossup. Arguing Gov. Rick Scott is one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the nation, Sabato expects the Florida gubernatorial race to be one of the most competitive in the nation.

Gov. Rick Scott warned the Florida Board of Governors about raising fees in a letter sent out on Wednesday. Every state university save Florida Atlantic University and Florida Gulf Coast University is increasing tuition in the next academic year. The Board of Governors is meeting on Thursday and raising fees is on the agenda.

On Wednesday night, Gov. Rick Scott wrote U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in support of Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Southerlands amendment to the Farm Bill which will allow states more authority on handling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP).

With the Obama administration meeting with representatives of the Castro regime in Washington this week to discuss establishing mail service between the two nations, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., used her perch on the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee to weigh in on communist tyranny in Cuba.

Sunshine State News is hitting the radio airwaves on Wednesday from 2:20-3 pm. I will be on the Ed Dean radio show, which is hosted by one of the most feisty, informative and entertaining conservatives in Florida. It can be heard onlinehereand on two stations in Central Florida -- 89.3 on the west coast and 90.3 on the Atlantic coast.

At their summer meeting in Orlando on Wednesday, the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) honored their legislators of the year: Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and Rep. Tom Goodson, R-Titusville.

Floridas retailers know that they can count on Senator Latvala to advance policies that help our businesses grow and create jobs, said Rick McAllister, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, in a statement. We are proud to honor Senator Latvala as our Senator of the Year, and we look forward to his continued leadership in the Legislature.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart met with Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel (no, not the Heisman winning Gator quarterback -- thats Danny Wuerffel) on Tuesday and they talked about recent scandals that have plagued that federal agency.