The Republican establishment continues to rally behind U.S. Rep. Connie Mack to take on Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney announced that he was backing Mack.

Tony Boselli, best know for his stellar career as an offensive linesman for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, is growing more active politically on the First Coast and, on Monday, he endorsed former Rep. Aaron Bean in an interesting GOP primary for a state Senate seat. Aaron is the conservative candidate we need to represent Jacksonville in the Florida Senate, said Boselli. Aaron knows the importance of strengthening education and creating jobs for our local communities. He has a proven track record of effective, fiscally responsible leadership in Tallahassee.

Rep. Mike Weinstein, R-Jacksonville, is in one of the most intriguing Republican primaries in Florida as he runs against former Rep. Aaron Bean for a state Senate seat on the First Coast. Weinstein unveiled the support of one of the leading social conservatives in the Legislature on Monday when Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Palatka, announced that he was behind him.

Gov. Rick Scott will be at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Zinman Hall in Boca Raton, according to his office, where he will sign a bill aimed at keeping Iranian arms dealers from laundering money through banks chartered in Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott signed four bills in a ceremony at the Lee County sheriffs office on Friday that expands protection of victims of sexual and domestic violence. We are fortunate that Florida has experienced a 41-year low crime rate, but we must continue to provide our law enforcement officers with the tools they need to keep our communities safe, Scott stated in a release. This legislation will protect the rights of individuals affected by crime and help make Florida a safer place. The bills:

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Christopher W. Pole, 60, of Plantation, to the Broward County Court. Over his long career, Chris has gained the respect and accolades of his fellow lawyers and his community, Scott stated in a release. He possesses the integrity, discipline and dedication that will make him a valuable public servant and jurist.

The state attorneys office reported a 39-year-old Central Florida woman was arrested as part of a real estate scam that crossed at least three counties and took four Floridians for at least $700,000 over two years. Renee Manning, of Odessa, was charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tampa Regional Operations Center, Office of Statewide Prosecution, and the Pasco County sheriffs office, Attorney General Pam Bondis office announced on Friday.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio emerged this weekend as the clear favorite potential vice presidential pick of conservative activists, according to two polls sponsored by the Washington Times. Activists at the Conservative Leadership Conference in Las Vegas and at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Chicago on Friday both rated the top choice to be Mitt Romney's running mate.

While Florida officials square off -- some volubly -- with Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department over voter-registration security, his counterpart, state Attorney General Pam Bondi, has remained low key. In response to Sunshine State News' request for comment about the situation, Bondi spokeswoman Jennifer Meale issued this statement: "It's disappointing that the Obama administration has been unwilling to help the Department of State ensure that we have accurate voter rolls." Indeed.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced on Thursday night that he was backing former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts for the presidency. Paul had been a supporter of his father -- U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas -- but Romney has now clinched enough delegates to win the Republican nomination.

While he may have lost out to Mitt Romney in the battle for the Republican nomination to challenge Barack Obama, Rick Santorum said on Friday that he intends to remain politically active and will do all he can to defeat the Democrat incumbent in November. Santorum, who surprised the political world by winning 11 states in his battle with Romney, launched a new organization dubbed Patriot Voices on Friday. The former senator from Pennsylvania insists that his new group will help rally and organize 1 million conservatives to be active in the political process.

Gov. Rick Scott said he is standing up for the citizens of Florida as he will continue to pursue the U.S. Homeland Security SAVE database to better find noncitizens listed among Floridas registered voters. You dont want your vote diluted by people who dont have a right to vote, Scott said Friday during an interview with 92.5 FM FOX in Fort Myers. Im going to stand up for the rights of citizens of Florida, he added.

Urging Attorney General Eric Holder to uphold the law, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is demanding that the Department of Justice stop its efforts to block the state of Florida from verifying the eligibility of registered voters. The Department of Justice under President Obama has become so politicized that it consistently puts aiding the presidents re-election campaign ahead of upholding justice and enforcing the rule of law," the Tequesta Republican wrote in a strong letter of protest and call to action to Holder this week.

Associated Industries of Florida is applauding a ruling by Administrative Law Judge Bram D.E. Canter on Thursday that upheld the Florida Department of Environmental Protections proposed water standards, known as numeric nutrient rules. By doing so, our state is sending a clear message to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the new numeric nutrient criteria rules are ready for implementation, Tom Feeney, AIF president, stated in a release.

Despite word that efforts were underway to keep him from running, Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, has qualified to run. Norman joins what is expected to be an expensive primary battle against House Speaker Pro Tempore John Legg, R-Port Richey. Legg entered the second quarter of the year with more than $120,000 in the bank. Norman, who has raised $177,820 since the start of 2011, had a little more than $104,000 on hand as the second quarter began.