On Monday, the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) unveiled its endorsements for the Legislature, wading into some hotly contested races but also backing incumbents who look like locks to return to Tallahassee.

On Monday, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Unified Sportsmen of Florida waded into two of the more competitive Republican legislative primaries in Florida when the groups backed House Speaker Pro Tempore John Legg, R-Port Richey, and former Rep. Aaron Bean for Senate seats.

On Monday, former Gov. Jeb Bush announced that he was backing Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, in her bid for a third term in the Florida House of Representatives. Adkins, who currently represents all of Baker, Nassau and Union counties and parts of Bradford, Clay and Duval counties, has focused on education issues during her time in the House, rising to serve as vice chairwoman of the Education Committee and the Pre-K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. Bush noted Adkins work on education in his endorsement on Monday.

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the favorite to win the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, announced his leadership teams for Lee and Collier counties on Monday morning.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is slated to become president of the Florida Senate after November provided he wins another term and the Republicans keep control. The GOP is in solid shape to keep the Senate and Gaetz appears to be on track for staying in Tallahassee. Gaetz raised more than $160,000 in the second quarter of 2012 and spent almost $272,000. Despite that heavy spending, Gaetz continues to have a healthy war chest. So far this campaign cycle, Gaetz has raised more than $632,000 and spent almost $354,000.

Did State College of Florida President Lars Hafner, a former Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, forge signatures on college documents? The investigation into whether he did or didn't became a formal criminal probe when the case was referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Friday. In June, College trustees reported Hafner to the commissioner of education after a former employee claimed in an affidavit that Hafner forged the signature of former BOT Chairman Steve Harner.

The federal government has agreed to open up a Homeland Security database Gov. Rick Scott has repeatedly said is needed to help clean noncitizens from the county lists of registered voters. Access to the SAVE database will ensure that noncitizens do not vote in future Florida elections. Im appreciative that the federal government is working with us cooperatively, Scott stated in a release on Saturday.

Gov. Rick Scott has made four of his six appointments to the new board of trustees for Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland. The four are R. Mark Bostick, Robert H. Gidel, Scott Hammack and Kevin Hyman. Bostick, 58, of Lake Wales, is president of Comcar Industries. He had been appointed to the Governors Commission on Reform and Education by former Gov. Bob Martinez.

Gov. Rick Scott recapped the recently completed economic development mission to England as a sign that Florida must remained focused on its aviation and aerospace industries that account for more than 2,000 companies and 83,000 workers. Florida is clearly a national leader in aviation and aerospace, and in order to be competitive, we must remain focused on long-term results and growing this thriving industry in our state, Scott stated in a release.

Florida wont be opening its prisons doors to allow people jailed on drug charges to walk free just yet. The Florida Supreme Court, in a 5-2 ruling released Thursday, reversed a circuit judge's decision that the 2002 drug law violates constitutional due process requirements.

On Thursday, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she was backing U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams over U.S. Rep. John Mica in a Republican primary battle pitting two Central Florida incumbents against each other.

Mosquito control is headed to areas pounded by Tropical Storm Debby. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has activated the departments Mosquito Control Incident Response Team for providing assistance treating communities in eight North Florida counties: Suwannee, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Bradford, Union, Taylor, and Madison. The heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby have resulted in flooding and standing water in a lot of our northern counties, and this has created tens of thousands of acres of mosquito breeding areas, Putnam stated in a release.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich hit the First Coast on Thursday to promote the candidacy of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the man who beat him for the Republican presidential nomination. But there was another Republican that Gingrich was supporting on Thursday -- U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the favorite to emerge in the August primary to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Speaking to Republicans in Jacksonville, the former congressional leader said that the Sunshine State would be in the political frontlines come November.

The Florida Board of Governors has made four of its five appointments to the inaugural board of trustees for Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland. Sandra Featherman, Ph.D., of Highland Beach.Retired president of University of New England and form faculty senate president at Temple University. Richard Dick Hallion, Ph.D., of Shalimar. Retired aerospace analyst and executive with the U.S. Air Force, also worked at the U.S. Army War College.

A multistate settlement involving price-fixing with makers of LCD panels has doubled as additional electronic goods manufacturers have reached agreements.Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that an additional $543.5 million in settlements has been added to the $538.5 million announced in December. The states had alleged the companies conspired to prevent competition and increase prices for TFT-LCD panels, the most common form of LCD panels used in popular electronic devices.