U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., weighed in on Tuesday after news broke that a North Korean ship headed from Cuba back to North Korea with missile equipment. The ship was stopped by the Panamanian government.

Nathan Gonzales over at Roll Call placed a congressional race in North Florida as one of the Top 5 Races to Watch in the South. Looking at the battle brewing in the Big Bend, Gonzales made U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland a slight favorite over potential Democratic challenger Gwen Graham.

Beth Reinhard over at National Journal has an article on how U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has moved to the sidelines now that his immigration reform bill has passed the Senate and is now in the House, where conservative Republicans who control that chamber are expected to sink it. Instead, Rubio is focusing on other issues:

The prosecution and the defense have had a vigorous back-and-forth since George Zimmerman's acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin, with both sides weighing in on the other's handling of the case.

Monday brought another speedbump in the exhumation of possible bodies at the Dozier School for Boys, as the permit sought to exhume bodies by the team of researchers from the University of South Florida was denied.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi made the cover of the latest Weekly Standard. Conservative writer Fred Barnes profiled Bondi and other Republican state attorneys general in The Last Redoubt which praises them as the unsung heroes in challenging the Obama agenda.

There are no second acts in American lives, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. Fitzgerald was clearly wrong about it since his reputation rebounded considerably after his death in 1940 -- and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is clearly hoping the great writer was mistaken.

After losing a battle for a Florida House seat in 2012, Marco Pe resurfaced on Monday when he was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

Yet another candidate has jumped into the increasingly crowded field battling for the Florida House seat currently held by Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, who faces term limits in 2014.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., looked to expand options for Americans to take part in Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) as he introduced the Providing Accountability and Transparency to Incentivize Economically Necessary Transitions in Health Care Act (PATIENT Health Care Act). Ross argued his new bill will create more competition in the marketplace and lower costs.

A new poll finds former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer are in solid shape to win Democratic primaries for New York City offices despite the sex scandals that drove them from office.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will be taking part in a town hall event at the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast on Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jax) on Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla. In a statement on Monday, Crenshaw welcomed Hagel to the First Coast and brought up the subject of furloughs of civilian defense employees.

Republican Party of Florida Vice Chairman Blaise Ingoglia continues to round up the support of prominent Republicans as he looks to run for the Florida House seat currently held by Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, who faces term limits in 2014. On Monday, Rep. Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, endorsed Ingoglia.

House Republicans are set to vote to delay a portion of Obamacare which would require Americans to purchase health insurance by next year. House Speaker John Boehner explained that the Republican-controlled chamber also will vote to delay the employer mandate because such decisions require congressional authority, then went on to say why delaying only the employer mandate is unfair.

There has been little silence since the late-night announcement of George Zimmerman's acquittal in the Trayvon Martin case on Saturday, as thousands of protesters from Florida to California have taken to the streets to protest the verdict.