The unemployment rate continues to fall in the Sunshine State, with the latest figures noting a 6.4 percent unemployment rate for the month of November. November's number is the lowest Florida's unemployment rate has been since July 2008. Unemployment in Florida continues to stay below the national average, which is 7 percent.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., bashed the Obama administrations decision to offer hardship exemptions for people who lost coverage due to the federal health-care law.

Despite pleading guilty to cocaine possession back in November, U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., announced on Thursday he would not resign his office. After finishing rehab in Naples, Radel met the media in Cape Coral when he said he planned to stay in Congress. A chorus of Republicans -- including Gov. Rick Scott and Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chairman Lenny Curry -- have called for Radels resignation.

On Thursday, Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, teamed up with Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, to propose making committing crimes outside of the county the criminal lives, works or goes to school a third-degree felony. Criminals that commit felonies outside of their home county are going out of their way to break the law and make it more difficult for law enforcement, said Hukill. We need to provide law enforcement with the tools to make our communities safe for our citizens.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., a favorite of conservatives and the tea party movement, endorsed former Marines Gen. Mark Bircher in the Republican primary in the special election for the open congressional seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla. West endorsed Bircher late on Wednesday over former Young aide David Jolly and state Rep. Kathleen Peters, R-St. Petersburg.

For $100,000, a painting by George Zimmerman can hang in your house.The former neighborhood watchman has listed an original piece of artwork on eBay. The 18-by-24-inch canvas features a blue, waving American flag with the words, "God, one nation, with liberty and justice for all" across it.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been waving the banner for free trade in recent days and that proved to be the case on Wednesday at a meeting of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Holding a hearing on Economic Engagement in the Asia-Pacific Region, Rubio insisted free trade helped American workers and the economy.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) turned up the heat on Democratic congressional hopeful Gwen Graham who is challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla. Lenny Curry, the chairman of the RPOF, looked to link Graham -- the daughter of Florida political legend Bob Graham -- to liberals in her party. Graham worked for the presidential campaigns of John Kerry and Howard Dean after her father dropped out of the 2004 presidential campaign.

A record number of Florida high schools and combination schools earned an A school grade this year, with 240 schools or 48 percent making the highest grade, according to a press release sent Friday by the Florida Department of Education. The department also noted that since 2010-11, the number of A high schools and combination schools has jumped by 92 schools, an increase of 17 percentage points. The results are preliminary pending an appeal window that ends Jan. 22, 2014.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) continues to pound away at former Gov. Charlie Crist over President Barack Obamas federal health-care law. Crist is the favorite for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 despite being a Republican for most of his political career.

Florida TaxWatch released a commentary on Wednesday which stresses the importance of angel investors in launching startup and small businesses in the Sunshine State. "Angel investors help startups grow and develop, and that helps Florida's economy grow," said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. "Providing these funding opportunities in Florida brings capital and high-wage jobs to the state while diversifying Florida's economy.

Martin County commissioners voted Tuesday to repay the city of Stuart more than $500,000 in the next two budget years because an error that went unnoticed for more than a decade in the property appraisers office resulted in unpaid property taxes. And those tax dollars were lost specifically to the citys Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs). In fact, millions of dollars were lost to CRAs in the county, too.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott headed to Orange Park on the First Coast to push his call for reducing vehicle registration fees. Scotts proposal to cut $400 million in fees is setting up to be one of his chief legislative priorities of the new year.

Pointing to a federal judge calling the National Security Agencys (NSA) surveillance programs almost Orwellian, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called for major reforms to the NSA. Buchanan is a member of the Congressional Privacy Caucus. I believe that our strength as a nation flows from the values and freedoms set forth by our Founding Fathers, including the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, Buchanan said on Tuesday. Its imperative that both parties work together and institute reforms to protect the privacy and liberties of the American people.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., ripped into President Barack Obama on Tuesday, pointing to Politifact giving him the Lie of the Year award for his claim that Americans would be able to keep their current health-care options under his signature law.