The state Board of Education will meet in Tampa next week to discuss a variety of education policies, including Common Core and new assessment tests to measure academic achievement for Florida's students.

Liberal group Democracy for America (DFA), founded by former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont who won national attention for his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, endorsed former state Rep. Rick Kriseman to be mayor of St. Petersburg Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean, the brother of the former presidential candidate, praised Kriseman'sliberal credentials and pledged the group would fight for him.

U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., announced on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2014. Young made the announcement in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times.

With tourism ranking as one of the foundations of Floridas economy, its only fitting that a congressman from the Sunshine State was named as the co-chairman of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus this week. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., announced on Tuesday that he will join U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., to co-chair the caucus. Bilirakis takes over from former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., who retired from Congress. Farr has helped lead the caucus since 1997.

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott honored businesses which are committed to employing the disabled. "These businesses have done an incredible job in providing jobs and opportunities for individuals with disabilities, Scott said. We have to support families efforts to find jobs for their loved ones, and thats why my Florida Families First Budget invested $500,000 to provide job training skills for individuals with disabilities.

Florida won high marks for its tax climate in a report released Wednesday by the Tax Foundation. The State Business Tax Climate Index ranked Florida fifth in the nation for tax climate in 2014, the same place the Sunshine State held last year.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., had rare kind words for President Barack Obama on Wednesday as the administration cuts foreign aid to Egypt.

Chris Sprowls doesnt rank as the luckiest politician ever (that would be U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., who won the lottery three times) but the baseball gods (sort of) smiled on him on Tuesday night.

Bikers from across the nation will be converging on Washington on Sunday at the World War II Memorial on the Mall to protest the Obama administrations decision to close the memorial and bar entry to World War II vets who had traveled here probably for the last time in their lives on Honor Flight visits. World War II veterans have won national attention for their rallying at the monument during the continued federal government shutdown.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, who has opened the door to a political comeback in 2016, offered a round of endorsements to Republicans across the country on Wednesday. The Allen West Guardian Fund PAC endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is running against U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., in 2014. West also backed Republican congressional candidates Mia Love, who is angling for a rematch against U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Don Bogino who is looking to challenge U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Md. West also backed tea party favorite E.W.

On Tuesday, Second Amendment defenders Florida Carry testified in defense of the states Stand Your Ground law. Eric Friday, the lead attorney for Florida Carry, testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee in defense of the law. Florida Carry promised on Tuesday night to defend the law in the political and judicial arenas. "The idea that a person who acts to save a life should be punished along with the criminal is disgusting." said Sean Caranna, the executive director of Florida Carry.

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers (STCN) he's "feeling the momentum building toward a President Obama visit" to the polluted St. Lucie estuary and Indian River Lagoon.

A group connected to former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, took aim at President Barack Obama on Tuesday over the continuing federal shutdown. The Campaign for Liberty, which Paul chairs, came out swinging at Obama as Norm Singleton, the vice president of policy for the group, bashed the president in an email to supporters.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced that Saturday, Oct. 12, will be a saltwater license-free fishing day.

A new poll finds a major partisan divide on the federal shutdown. Rasmussen Reports released a survey on Tuesday which finds 82 percent of Democrats want to end the shutdown and keep President Barack Obamas health care law funded. But a majority of Republicans -- 71 percent -- want the shutdown going until the law is defunded. Voters outside the two major parties are divided, with 47 percent wanting the shutdown to continue in order to defund the health care law and 44 percent wanting the shutdown to end.