Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, did not exactly impress with his fundraising at the start of 2013. Between Jan. 22 and when the Legislature convened in early March, he raised $18,000, loaned his campaign $1,500 and spent around $4,570. Simmons clearly ramped up his efforts in the second quarter of 2013. Between when the Legislature adjourned in early May and June 30, Simmons reeled in $84,810 and spent around $4,850.

With Gov. Rick Perry of Texas announcing earlier on Monday that he would not seek another term, Gov. Rick Scott praised his record in Austin.

Gov. Rick Scott has joined forces with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant in sending a letter to President Barack Obama, calling for an immediate end to the National Guard furloughs. The furloughs (forced leave without pay) began Monday. "We are deeply concerned that the furlough will impact the readiness of the National Guard of our states to respond to state and regional emergencies during this traditional period of extreme weather," read the letter.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas announced that he would not seek another term. Perry had been serving as governor since George W. Bush became president in 2001. This makes Perry the longest serving governor in Texas history. The time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership, Perry said at a media event in San Antonio on Monday.

The second quarter of 2013 fundraising reports for candidates for the Florida Legislature are starting to trickle out -- and two Republican incumbents representing parts of the First Coast underwhelmed in that period. While members of the Legislature are prohibited from raising during session, neither Rep. Doc Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra, nor Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, did much in the way of fundraising during the entire period.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined with U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., to write a piece in The Hill on why tax breaks for higher education costs need to be reformed. Rubio and Schock bring in their personal experiences as to why the reform needs to be enacted:

On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott took part in a ribbon-cutting for Advanced Disposals corporate headquarters expansion in Ponte Vedra. With the waste service companys move to St. Johns County, there will be 85 new jobs and $4 million more capital on the First Coast.

Rep. Ross Spano, R-Riverview, announced he was backing Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Vice Chairman Blaise Ingoglia to replace Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, in the Florida House. "Blaise Ingoglia has a long history of holding government accountable and being a fiscal watchdog," Spano said in a statement. "I am looking forward to having him join me in Tallahassee fighting for responsible, accountable government and fiscal restraint. I am pleased to endorse his candidacy for state representative, District 35."

With the Department of Defense holding a gay pride event in Afghanistan last week, former Congressman Allen West, who has opened the door to a political comeback, ripped into the Obama administration for backing the event -- while discouraging public expressions of Christian faith in the armed forces.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) continues to staff up as it prepares for the 2014 political cycle. On Monday, the RPOF announced it was teaming with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to bring on Tim Saler to serve as deputy executive director for political strategy while the RNC is bringing John Vinson in as its state director for Florida and Andrew Abdel-Malik is the new director of digital strategy.

Tropical Storm Chantal formed in the Atlantic Ocean late Sunday evening and began her path toward the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier this year, Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville, announced he will not seek another term in the Florida House come 2014. With Davis taking over as the new leader of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, a major Republican candidate filed for his seat which covers much of the Westside of Jacksonville -- prominent attorney and Navy vet Paul Renner.

The U.S. added 195,000 private-sector jobs in June, according to the newest Bureau of Labor Statistics report on unemployment across the country. June's job numbers were higher than expected, but the percentage of unemployment remained unchanged at 7.6. The U.S. Department of Labor also revised its job estimates for April and May, adding an additional 70,000 jobs to its previous estimates.

A new report released Friday by Generation Opportunity, a national, nonpartisan youth advocacy organization, revealed the unemployment rate for 18-to-29-year-olds is 16.1 percent -- well above the national average of 7.6 percent.

Former Congressman Allen West, a favorite of the tea party movement despite losing his seat to Patrick Murphy in 2012, weighed in on Wednesday on the Obama administrations decision to delay implementing the employer mandate part of the federal health care law until 2015. Posting on Facebook on Wednesday, West took aim at Obama and quoted a popular classic rock band.