Attorney General Pam Bondi has the lead over her two Democratic rivals according to a poll from Gravis Marketing commissioned by conservative magazine Human Events which was released on Wednesday. The poll has Bondi with 45 percent while Florida House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, takes 38 percent as the Democratic candidate. Libertarian attorney Bill Wohlsifer takes 7 percent while 11 percent remain undecided.

Conservative magazine Human Events commissioned a poll from Gravis Marketing which was unveiled on Wednesday, showing Gov. Rick Scott edging former Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Democratic candidate, in the Florida gubernatorial contest. Earlier in the day, Quinnipiac University found Crist beating Scott by 10 percent.

Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston, who led the Seminoles to a national title and won the Heisman award, has been cited for shoplifting less than $33 in seafood from a Tallahassee Publix. Leon County Director of Law Enforcement Michael Wood held a media conference on Wednesday and said Winston was issued an adult civil citation which should lead to 20 hours of community service. According to Wood, Winston said he simply forgot to pay for the crab legs. Winston was investigated but cleared of rape earlier in the year.

With North Florida impacted by major rains and flooding on Wednesday, Florida state CFO Jeff Atwater issued a statement on what Floridians impacted by the storms should do in the aftermath:

Could Maria Sachs be whizzing past Jeremy Ring as the Senate's gold medalist for driving violations? Sen. Ring, D-Margate, took a break from a hectic Senate session to inform Sunshine State News that the original Scripps Florida Investigative Team report, which said Ring has received 24 tickets, is incorrect. Ring says he's actually only received six tickets since he started driving, but provided no further clarification beyond an updated number.

Former Democratic Gov. Buddy MacKay called on Democrats to throw their support behind former state Sen. Nan Rich, who is currently running as a Democrat in the Florida gubernatorial campaign. On Wednesday, MacKay reinforced his support of Rich, saying she has what it takes to take on Gov. Rick Scott. MacKay has been a fervent supporter of Rich since February but reiterated the need to get behind the South Florida Democrat. In an email to supporters, MacKay praised Rich and asked Democrats to donate to Rich's campaign, writing:

Gov. Rick Scott is heading out to Pensacola to meet with leaders in response to the poor weather conditions impacting the Panhandle and the Big Bend.

Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), was scheduled to attend a fundraising event for Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) in Lakeland on Wednesday but with heavy rains hitting North Florida and a state of emergency declared in 26 counties, the event has been canceled. An event Scott and Christie were holding in Largo to showcase the elimination of the manufacturing sales tax was also canceled.

With parts of the Panhandle and the Big Bend getting 10 inches of rain, and floods a real threat in North Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Wednesday morning for the following counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Alachua counties. This allows emergency services operations to be ready to spring into action if needed.

Gov. Rick Scott was scheduled on Wednesday to be in Largo with Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., to focus on how Floridas economy benefited from the elimination of the manufacturing sales tax. But severe weather conditions in the Panhandle, which is facing heavy rains and possible flooding, forced the cancellation of that event as well as Scotts event in Orlando urging President Barack Obama to protect human rights in Venezuela. The governors office announced at 7 a.m, on Wednesday morning that the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee has been activated to Level Two.

With the Florida Senate preparing to vote on Wednesday on a measure giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens who attended high school in Florida, a new poll finds a majority of registered voters in the Sunshine State support the idea. A poll from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday morning finds 55 percent of those surveyed support the proposal while 41 percent oppose it.

Unlike other polls which show a narrowing race, Quinnipiac University released a poll on Wednesday morning which finds former Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Democratic gubernatorial contestant despite holding three statewide offices as a Republican, with a solid lead over Gov. Rick Scott in the Florida gubernatorial contest. The poll shows Crist taking 48 percent while Scott garners 38 percent. Quinnipiac had Crist leading Scott by 8 percent in a January poll while he was up by 7 percent in a November poll.

This week, appearing on Univision Americas Zona Politica with Helen Aguirre, a popular radio show in Spanish, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left the door open to running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Asked by Aguirre if he was thinking about running for the White House, Rubio said it was on his mind but he also could stay in the Senate or go into the private sector.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be taking center stage in Florida politics on Wednesday. Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) and a possible candidate for the GOPs 2016 presidential nomination, is headed to the Sunshine State to help Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida.

A new poll shows a close race between former Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Democratic candidate despite spending most of his political life in the GOP, and Gov. Rick Scott. A News Channel 8 poll of likely voters taken by Survey USA shows Crist leading with 44 percent followed by Scott with 41 percent while 8 percent are undecided and 6 percent support other candidates. Two weeks ago, a News Channel 8 poll had Crist with 46 percent while Scott had 41 percent.