Republican lawmakers are trying to make it harder to amend Florida’s Constitution.

But amid the debate in the Capitol, backers of proposed constitutional amendments for the 2020 ballot continue to raise chunks of money and gather piles of petition signatures.

Newly filed finance reports and updated signature totals offer a glimpse of why GOP leaders might be focused on trying to change the amendment process.

Accusing Gov. Rick Scott of a “malicious and politically motivated” executive order, suspended Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes has filed a federal lawsuit against Scott and Senate President Bill Galvano as she tries to regain her job.

Bipartisanship is hard to come by these days.

The abortion wars are back in Tallahassee.

But while the usual script involves Republicans proposing abortion restrictions, Democrats raising myriad objections and the resulting laws ending up in court, a House bill that drew debate Thursday takes a somewhat-different approach.

Since Gov. Rick Scott took office slightly more than six years ago, he has focused --- some would say almost singularly --- on a message of jobs, jobs, jobs.

But Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who could run to replace the term-limited Scott next year, says economic-development efforts continue to lag in rural communities. In fact, Putnam said this week, rural economic development has been given "short shrift."

Gov. Rick Scott will leave office in January 2019. But the decision he announces Friday likely will have ramifications long after that.

Scott will name a successor to retiring Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry, a move that will almost assuredly mean adding a conservative to the court. It also will be Scott's first chance to appoint a justice, as the court has been made up of the same members for nearly eight years.

"I look forward to announcing my first pick to the Florida Supreme Court tomorrow," Scott tweeted Thursday afternoon.

He's a blustery rich guy with a penchant for media attention and a catchy slogan.

When Florida lawmakers approved changes in 2013 to the campaign-finance system, the effort was repeatedly billed as a way to increase transparency.

As Republican incumbent Marco Rubio and Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy square off Tuesday for a U.S. Senate seat, independents and minority voters could be two groups to watch.

That was a takeaway from a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday that showed Rubio opening a six-point lead over Murphy, a congressman from Jupiter, in the high-stakes race.

Overall, the poll showed Rubio leading by a margin of 50 percent to 44 percent. But among independents, he was ahead 54 percent to 38 percent.