Advocates from Florida will be attending the Second Amendment Foundations Gun Rights Policy Conference in Houston later this week. Sean Caranna and Rich Nasack, the executive directors of Florida Carry, will be at the event. Caranna will be speaking on state issues regarding the Second Amendment. Other speakers include Alan Gottlieb who founded the Second Amendment Foundation and Larry Pratt who is the executive director of Gun Owners of America.

After his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, former U.S. Sen.Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania took over as CEO of EchoLight Studios which produces faith-based films. Santorum announced on Tuesday that EchoLight would release The Christmas Candle on November 22, based on a Max Lucado novel. The film features British singer Susan Boyle in her acting debut as well as a host of familiar Hollywood faces including Sylvester McCoy and Hans Matheson.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West cheered U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for launching a filibuster as they oppose President Barack Obamas federal health-care law.

Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, reached across party lines on Wednesday to file a bill which would ensure sex offenders cant access pornography when on probation. Stargel weighed in on the current laws deficits.

In a letter released Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott invited President Barack Obama to tour South Florida communities that have been impacted by the Army Corps of Engineers' discharges of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into area estuaries.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, will try to make sure high schoolers can get a little more sleep in the mornings with his new legislation. On Monday, Gaetz filed a bill (HB 67) for the 2014 legislative session that would essentially prohibit school boards from starting high school classes any earlier than 8 a.m.

Florida TaxWatch released a studyon Tuesday which finds teacher preparation and continued training for educators is essential to implementing Common Core and other new standards in the Sunshine State.

Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on 10 out of 15 major issues, according to a new poll released Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports. The poll found the GOP leads by a 44 percent to 37 percent margin on the most important issue on voters' minds: the economy. Democrats had held an advantage on this issue in prior surveys from November 2006 until early 2009, but since June 2009 the GOP has led in all but one survey.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West ripped leaders in Washington on Tuesday for mismanaging the budget. In an email to supporters, West labeled the stand-off between House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the White House as disgraceful. We should be ashamed that Congress and the White House have allowed our country to return to the edge of the fiscal cliff after we should have cut spending and balanced the budget in 2011 when we reached the debt ceiling then, West insisted.

Despite placing second behind Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St.Petersburg, to be the next caucus leader, House Democratic Leader Pro Tempore Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, announced on Tuesday she would not run again. Instead, Jones endorsed Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. Rouson was voted out on Monday night.

After Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, was ousted as the next Democratic leader of the Florida House, Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, announced Tuesday that he intended to run for speaker of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2014-2016 term.

The Democratic minority in the Florida House met behind closed doors in Tallahassee on Monday night to oust Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, from becoming the caucus leader after next year's elections. Rouson garnered the support of 17 members of the Democratic caucus but 24 voted to dismiss him.

Here's a reminder list of the schedule of public workshops to supplement the remaining Senate Gaming Committee meetings Oct. 7, and during the weeks of Nov. 4 and Dec. 9, as approved by Senate President Don Gaetz: -- Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, 47 p.m. (Eastern)Broward College, North Campus, OMNI Auditorium

The Jeb-Bush founded Foundation for Florida's future weighed in on Gov. Rick Scott's executive order regarding PARCC and Florida's education accountability on Monday, showing support for the governor's "continued commitment" to the implementation of Common Core State Standards.

House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz both weighed in on Monday on Gov. Rick Scott's executive orderto remove Florida from thePartnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test. Weatherford and Gaetz issued the following statements regarding the executive order signed by Gov. Rick Scott on Floridas education standards: