Gov. Rick Scott believes the University of Florida Gators basketball team will go all the way during this year's March Madness, according to an image posted on Twitter. The governor also picked Florida State University to defeat Auburn in the BCS football championship game.

The Tea Party Express announced on Wednesday it was backing businessman Curt Clawson in the Republican primary to replace former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., in Congress. Clawson battles Florida Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto and fomer state Rep. Paige Kreegel in the April 22 primary.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., went after President Barack Obama and the Democrats on Tuesday. West painted the Democrats as a party of defeatists in an email sent out on Tuesday night. I call it as I see it, West insisted. Obama is the weakest American president since Jimmy Carter or maybe even in our entire history. He's just plain scared to fight for America.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., took aim at Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan regime and called for congressional support of the Venezuelan Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.

Florida TaxWatch released a report on Wednesday which insists that paying assistant state attorneys and assistant public defenders more would actually save taxpayers. The report shows that the current pay leads to high turnover and costs more than $15 million each year. Currently new lawyers starting in those positions make around $41,700, about $20,000 below the national average for states with as much crime as Florida.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) lodged a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission on Tuesday regarding how trial attorney Morgan & Morgan are running billboards across the state featuring former Gov. Charlie Crist. Despite spending most of his political career as a Republican, Crist is the favorite for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Rick Scott in November. Crist worked for Morgan when he left office after the 2010 elections.

Tim Chastain, who told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers he had to detour his kayak eco-tours of the Indian River Lagoon to avoid bloated manatee carcasses and dead pelicans, has filed a lawsuit in federal court against state permitting of hundreds of thousands of private septic systems.

Gov. Rick Scott cheered the news that the Florida Senate passed his call to roll back almost $400 million in vehicle registration fees without opposition on Tuesday. The proposal is one of Scotts chief legislative goals this session.

The Florida Senate passed a tax cut of nearly $400 million on Tuesday. The tax cut will roll back motorist fee increases approved by the Legislature in 2009. It passed the Senate with a unanimous vote of 40-0. Gov. Rick Scott has pushed for the $395 million in tax cuts as a top priority as part of his $600 million tax cut pitch for Florida families. Should the Florida House concur with the Senate, average motorist fees would be reduced by about $25 per vehicle.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., is handing some of his office budget back to the federal government. Ross announced on Tuesday that he was sending $87,789 from his office budget back to the U.S. Treasury.

Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., has won national attention from Democrats as she offers a major challenge to U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla. But, on Monday, Graham garnered the notice of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The NRCC released a letter asking President Barack Obama to campaign in the North Florida district for Graham and supporting his signature health-care law.

Newly elected U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., unveiled a Web video on Monday night showcasing his win over former state CFO Alex Sink in last weeks special election to replace the late U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., in Congress.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott and Lt. Gov. Lopez-Cantera held a round-table in Miami Gardens to talk about the costs of higher education. Scott stressed the importance of clamping down on tuition increases.

Anti-Common Core groups across Florida will be holding a statewide eventin Orlando on Saturday opposing the national education standards. The free event will feature speakers David Barton of WallBuilders, Laura Caruso of Florida Family Policy Council and Stephen Guschov of Liberty Council.

Former state Rep. Paige Kreegel responded to attacks from Republican congressional primary foe Curt Clawson on Monday. A super-PAC backing Kreegel is running attack ads against Clawson and the Clawson camp, after a phone call from Kreegel last week, insists there are questions about how involved Kreegel is in the operations of the Values are Vital super-PAC.