The office of Attorney General Pam Bondi has frozen the assets of a company that allegedly preyed on distressed homeowners through a mortgage relief scam. The temporary injunction, issued Wednesday in Broward County circuit court, alleges Edward Cherry, Lawrence Diodato, Paul Gellenbeck, Shane Frankovic, Anthony C. Pintsopoulos and their numerous businesses charged homeowners $3,500 in upfront fees in exchange for a guaranteed reversal of the homeowners upside-down mortgage.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, R-Miami, was one of five GOP committee chairs to fire off a letter demanding the Obama administration further explain its response to the Libyan consulate attack in Benghazi that left U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens dead. The letter, which criticizes the administration for having a pre-9/11 mindset, questions the White House's initial commentthat the attack was a protest that went wrong, instead of what it truly was a terrorist attack on the United States on the anniversary of 9/11."

Sixteen accounting majors have been awarded scholarships worth a total of $99,000 through money raised by the CPA Education Minority Assistance Program, Gov. Rick Scott and the Department of Business and Professional Regulations Division of Certified Public Accounting announced Wednesday. The CPA program is funded by a $5 fee on all individual and firm licenses.

Paul Anderson, chief executive officer of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPort), was elected chairman of the Florida Ports Financing Commission. The commission assists in the financing of port projects. FPFC has funded hundreds of millions of dollars to strategic seaport projects statewide through the financing of two significant bonds since 1996, Doug Wheeler, president of the Florida Ports Council, the administrator of the FPFC program, stated in a release.

Look for a big Democratic push to register voters this weekend all over Florida -- in fact, all over the nation. Jeremy Bird, Obama for America's national field director, emailed a call to the Obama faithful early Wednesday morning to come out and help "make sure as many people as possible are ready and fired up to support President Obama and other Democrats." Bird, who calls it "a national weekend of action," is looking for volunteers "to talk to voters at their doorsteps, in their communities, and over the phones about the choice in this election."

Oh-oh, trouble on the Love Boat ... The Democrats and the teachers' unions, entwined for many decades, find themselves in something of a lovers quarrel. And the fierce debate over the future of education playing out in Chicago now has sent the unions looking for love in new and unexpected places.

The Governors Office released a video of Gov. Rick Scott offering a message for the start of Yom Kippur.

The National Federation of Independent Business released the following endorsement for U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, in the race for U.S. Senate: In a race that could determine the balance of power in Washington, the countrys leading advocate for small-business owners today endorsedCongressman Connie Mack (R-14) in his bid to unseat United States Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

In the important race for the Electoral College numbers, Florida and Ohio, two key states, are leaning toward President Obama over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, according to the Washington Post. The poll put Obama up 51-47 among likely voters in Florida, 52-44 in Ohio.

In a brief teleconference call Tuesday morning, members of the Florida State Board of Education unanimously voted to extend the deadline for commissioner of education applications. The state is seeking to replace Gerard Robinson who resigned after one yearas he faced criticism over a dramatic drop in school test grades. The newly-approved timeline: November 30 Deadline for applicants.

Notices have been sent to approximately 167,398 Florida borrowers that lost their homes to foreclosure between the start of 2008 to the end of 2011 that they could be part of a large class settlement, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday. The postcards will precede claims forms that will be mailed out by Oct. 12. Eligible borrowers, eligible for a piece of$1.5 billion through a national mortgage foreclosure settlement, had mortgages serviced by Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

Sunshine State News has obtained a draft copy of an as-yet-unpublished press release announcing the airing of the secondtelevisionadvertisement of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan's congressional re-election campaign. The 30-second ad calls attention to Buchanan's fight for lower taxes, a balanced budget, and incentives for small businesses to create jobs. Buchanan campaign manager Sally Tibbetts says the ad highlights Buchanan's strength as a successful businessman and common-sense problem solver.

Three years after U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Charlotte, first submitted the name of the Treasure Coasts most prominent jurists for the new $56.3 million federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, the Senate has finally agreed. And now the building just needs President Obamas signature to take on the moniker of Alto Lee Adams Sr., the founder of the vast Adams Ranch and who was twice appointed to the states highest court.

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Judge Thomas Portuallo, of Flagler Beach, to the 7th Judicial Circuit Court. Portuallo, 50, has served as a judge of compensation claims for the Daytona Beach district since 1996. For the past 16 years, Judge Portuallo has gained a reputation as a diligent, fair jurist who strictly adheres to the law as enacted by the Legislature. I am confident he will continue doing so as a circuit court judge, Scott stated in a release.

Nationally renownedpolitical scientist and political analyst Larry Sabatothis week movedFlorida's 16th Congressional Districtrace from a "lean" Republican seat to a "likely" win for U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan. The move comes days after a series of fortunate happenings for the Buchanan campaign.