On Tuesday, members of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators officially chose State Representative Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, to be the Chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus. The Florida Legislative Black Caucus is an organization dedicated to focusing on issues and legislation that are important to the black community. Williams has been the representative for the 8th District since 2008. The 8th District covers Gadsden County and parts of downtown Tallahassee in Leon County.

On Tuesday, following a recently passed law, Governor Rick Scott tapped Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel to lead a national search to find a new inspector general for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-backed insurer of last resort.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fl, took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to explain why he is backing an amendment to the immigration reform bill ensuring that residential provisional immigrants (RPIs) need to be proficient in English to receive a green card. Rubio weighed on the idea earlier in the day and even appeared on the Mike Gallagher radio show to promote it.

It seems as if the 2013 Florida Legislative Session just ended--and theyre already preparing for the 2014 Session.

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam announced Sergio Alvarez as the newest addition to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on Tuesday. Alvarez will be the departments Chief Economist.

Governor Rick Scott came to the First Coast on Tuesday as McCallum Sweeney Consulting certified the Crawford Diamond Industrial Park in Nassau County as a mega-site, making it the second one in the state. Besides having 1,800 acres, the site has rail access, making it attractive to businesses looking to tap into nearby Jacksonvilles increasingly important role in logistics.

On Tuesday, Lutz businessman and consultant Scott Landry Jr. filed to run against Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, as a Democrat. The seat Lee currently holds represents parts of Hillsborough County and is generally considered to lean Republican. Im really excited to do it, Landry, a first time candidate, told Sunshine State News on Tuesday. I saw there was a need. Landry said he had talked to business owners in the district and found they were concerned about the direction of the state government.

Former Congressman Allen West is now turning his fire towards entertainer Bill Cosby. Over the weekend, Cosby took to the pages of the New York Post to argue against apathy and to support New York City Mayor Michael Bloombergs crackdowns on smoking and unhealthy foods and soda. Towards the end of his piece, Cosby pointed towards Muslims as positive role models.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL, announced on Tuesday morning that he plans to amend the immigration reform bill to ensure that residential provisional immigrants (RPIs) need to be proficient in English to receive a green card. On the day we announced the principles that would shape the immigration bill, we made it clear that English proficiency would now be required for permanent residency for the first time in American history, said Rubio. This amendment ensures that will be the case.

Students who receive a 3 or higher on their FCAT will be receiving congratulatory notes from Gov. Rick Scott in addition to their score reports. The notes will go out to any student who receives a 3 or higher on any section of the FCAT 2.0. Students who earned a 3.5 or higher on the FCAT 2.0 writing section will also receive a congratulatory letter from the governor, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Dont look know but Ed Markey is starting to sweat in the battle for an open U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts later this month. Earlier polls showed Markey with a double-digit lead but two polls released on Monday show the Democratic congressman with a smaller margin over Republican challenger Gabriel Gomez in the special election for the seat vacated when John Kerry became secretary of state. Suffolk University released a poll showing Markey with 48 percent and Gomez with 41 percent with the rest undecided or backing minor candidates.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced on Monday that the Florida State Parks are a finalist for the 2013 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., is not happy that a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) assessment will be released next week, arguing it could shrink the 28-day red snapper season currently in place for the Gulf.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been appearing a great deal on national cable shows in the past few days, mostly to weigh in on immigration reform. But hes also been pushing his proposed amendment to the Constitution taking aim at President Barack Obamas health care law. Rubio appeared on The 700 Club on Monday to pitch his proposed Right to Refuse amendment. He explained why, after a Supreme Court ruling last year upholding the law, the amendment was needed.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday shows over half of Americans distrust the president, executive branch, Congress and federal judges to make sure national surveillance programs are abiding by the Constitution.