Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush sat down with "Today" show's Matt Lauer Monday to talk about issues ranging from immigration reform to CPAC to sequester ... oh yeah, and possibly a 2016 White House bid.

Jeb Bush said it straight out: He's not out of the presidential picture. Speaking on NBC's "Today" show Monday morning, when asked if he plans to throw his hat into the 2016 ring for the White House, the former Florida governor said, "That's way off into the future. I won't [rule it out] but I won't declare today either."

Having emerged from the shadows of a major 2011 hiring scandal and subequent agency shakeup, the South Florida Water Management District has thrown itself right back into the soup with another high-level hiring faux pas.

The Navys famous air show, the Blue Angels, plans to cancel nearly 30 events, including one in Florida, now that the budget sequester has been enacted. Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, lamented the loss of the air show, which was scheduled for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., April 6-7.

President Barack Obama signed an order to begin automatic federal spending cuts Friday, as the deadline arrived and Congress headed home for the weekend without reaching a deal to avoid sequestration. Obama decried the cuts during a half-hour press conference at the White House. Federal defense and services spending will be cut by $85 billion over the remainder of the year.As one of the largest defense-centric states, Florida is bracing to be hit with the consequences.

A nationwide survey of 1,000 likely voters this week by pollster Scott Rasmussen shows voters dont put a lot of trust in the news reported by the media. Only 6 percent of respondents rated the news media as "very trustworthy." The number drops lower among Republicans at 4 percent. But, even the Democrats seem to cast a critical eye, with only 10 percent saying the media are very trustworthy. Most of those surveyed have all but given up on print newspapers, with only 10 percent saying they still get inky fingers.

Could the pain of looming sequestration get any worse? Never mind the 2 percent cuts to Medicare if sequestration takes place tonight. Or the $902 million in reductions to loan guarantees to small businesses. Or the 766,000 health care-related jobs that could be eliminated because of those Medicare cuts.

Analysis of elections bills filed in the Florida House and Senate for the upcoming legislative session that begins March 5 signals that Florida lawmakers are poised to increase campaign-contribution limits for statewide candidates.

A new poll Friday reveals Americans are more worried about Obamacare than the automatic federal spending cuts that are due to begin today. This from pollster Scott Rasmussen: Despite the inside-the-Beltway warnings about the economic impact [of] the sequester spending cuts, voters are more worried about what President Obamas new health-care law will do to the economy.

Who needs newspapers for the goings-on of the Florida House? Not you, if you've got a smart phone or tablet. House speaker Will Weatherford announced Thursday the advent of a new mobile app that will allow you to read bills, contact your state lawmaker or watch committee meetings -- all on instruments you can hold in your hand.

Want to meet Sen. Marco Rubio at CPAC? Thursday is the last day to enter the sweepstakes to meet the Republican senator of Florida at the conservative convention.Rubios Reclaim America PAC is also accepting donations, if you feel so inclined. But, donations are not necessary to win VIP access with the senator at the March 14-16 event in Washington, D.C.

On the eve of automatic federal spending cuts, the U.S. Senate Thursday voted down a bill by Republicans, then a bill by Democrats, that would have put an end to sequestration.

Florida will become the 43rd state to join Mega Millions in response to consumer demand, the Florida lottery announced Thursday. Floridians will be able to press their luck with the multistate game of chance, which awarded the worlds largest jackpot ($656 million) last year, starting May 15. Florida could be a prime state for Mega Millions, as it is already the top-selling state in the Powerball game.

Business, consumer and conservation groups around Florida, including Associated Industries of Florida and Florida Chamber, have joined together to push for reform of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a new attack on the Koch brothers Thursday, using scare tactics to elicit donations.In an email titled, We might lose it all, the DCCC states, After spending hundreds of millions trying to win the White House, the Koch Brothers are shifting their fortune toward destroying President Obamas progressive agenda.