U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., who serves on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, voted to back the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Appropriations Bill which prevents three Navy ships based in Mayport on the First Coast from being decommissioned.

New Florida House Rep. Mike Hill is being praised by a fellow African-American Republican from the Sunshine State. Former U.S. Rep. Allen West congratulated the new legislator who won a Florida House seat after a special election in the Panhandle on Tuesday. West took to Twitter and Facebook late on Tuesday to praise Hill. Congratulations to USAF (ret) Rep. Mike Hill on his very solid victory in the Florida House District 2 special election! West wrote. Exactly the kind of leader this state and country needs.

RPOF Chair Lenny Curry is consulting with staff members to discuss ways to obtain a platform for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich to address Democrats gathering for the annualJefferson-Jackson Gala, set for June 15-16 in Hollywood.

June 12 marks the 89th birthday of President George H.W. Bush, who served as the country's 41st President from 1989-1993. Prior to his presidency, he served as Vice President under former President Ronald Reagan.

In recent days, U.S. Marco Rubio, R-Fl, has been buffered by criticism from conservatives over his role in championing immigration reform. While Rubio is trying his best to keep his bridges to conservatives intact, by calling for more border security and by supporting a constiutional amendment aimed at repealing the federal healthcare law, he is still getting the support of one of the nations leading right-of-center pundits. Fred Barnes looks at Rubio in the latest issue of The Weekly Standard:

Former Congressman Allen West continued his attacks against President Barack Obamas handling of foreign affairs. We're in grave danger of sacrificing our liberty in the name of safety, West wrote in an email to supporters send out on Wednesday. The president and his security advisers have prioritized intruding on the privacy of patriotic Americans, like you and me, over monitoring the actions of known and suspected terrorists. But they aren't succeeding at keeping us safe!

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fl, took to the pages of the Lakeland Ledger, Brandon Patch and Lake Wales Daily Ridge on Wednesday to argue that President Barack Obama dismiss U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder who is at the center of a host of controversies. Other Republicans in the Florida delegation, including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and freshman U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, have been calling for Holders resignation.

The Campaign for Liberty, chaired by former presidential candidate and former Congressman Ron Paul, is going to bat for a bill from a Florida Republican.

Gov. Rick Scott and his administration continued to engage with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fl, over sequestration and the National Guard on Wednesday. Nelson and Scott had sparred over the issue, especially in regards to hurricane preparedness, last week and earlier this week.

Florida added 17,440 private sector jobs in May, according to the ADP Regional Employment Report released Wednesday by ADP, a leading provider of global human capital management solutions. Florida had the second-highest number of jobs created in May, trailing Texas by only 1,410 jobs. The U.S. saw 135,000 jobs generated in May, according to the report.

On Wednesday, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater said the 2013 Unclaimed Property Auction which had taken place in Tampa on Saturday brought in $1.16 million for public schools. This makes it the second highest grossing Unclaimed Property Auction ever held by the state. The property--which included a 1776 Continental Note--was found in abandoned safe deposits at Florida banks.

Three editions of George Orwell's '1984' have seen huge increases in Amazon sales in the wake of the National Security Agency surveillance program leak. Orwell's novel focuses on a Big Brother government andtotalitarianrule.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) launched a new line of attack against former Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday by noting that prominent Democrat Dan Gelber bashed Crist for running for the U.S. Senate instead of for a second term. The RPOF is highlighting a quote from Gelber in 2009 when he said Crist left so much hanging during his term as governor. Gelber had been a candidate for the Democratic nomination in that same U.S.

Tea party leader Mike Hill of Pensacola has been declared Florida's newest state legislator, and the Florida Legislature's only black Republican. He cruised to an easy victory in the House District 2 race to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze. With 72 percent of precincts in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties counted, Hill leads Democratic opponent Jeremy Lau, 58 percent to 42 percent. Lau, also a Pensacolan, is president of the local chapter of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott presented a Great Floridian award to Brenda Schwarzkopf honoring her late husband Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, best known for his leadership in Desert Storm. General Schwarzkopf was an American hero who brought his leadership from the battlefield in the Persian Gulf to communities of Florida, fighting against prostate cancer and for children, Scott said. His leadership and determination to remain active after retirement is an inspiration to us all. It is my distinct honor to recognize General Schwarzkopf with the Great Floridian Award.