Floridas Insurance Consumer Advocate Robin Westcott updated the insurance assessment calculator in preparation for the start of the 2012 hurricane season. The assessment calculator can be used by consumers to estimate their liability in case of a one-in-25-year storm, a one-in-50-year storm and, as a worst case scenario, a one-in-100-year storm.

Republican congressional hopeful Ron DeSantis, running in the newly created district hugging the Atlantic coast south of Jacksonville to Daytona Beach, received the backing of state CFO Jeff Atwater on Wednesday.

Speculation in the media has grown about Attorney General Pam Bondis pre-wedding celebration weekend in the Cayman Islands, but one guest, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, offered the media few details. I went there for a celebration with Pam, Scott responded Wednesday during a semi-private bill signing ceremony at the Capitol. Scott said he spent a day in the Cayman Islands as part of Bondis party following his business trip to Spain.

Nearly doubling his lead over Rep. Sandy Adams, Rep. John Mica has opened a 30-point advantage in the 7th Congressional District, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by Conquest Communications of Richmond, Va., showed Mica with 55.3 percent of likely voters versus 24.8 percent for Adams. The results indicate a 9.3 percentage point increase in support for Mica and a 5.2 percentage point decrease in support for Adams since a Feb. 22-23 Public Opinion Strategies poll of 300 voters commissioned by Adams, when Mica led Adams by 16 points.

The president of a Florida higher education faculty union is busy in Wisconsin as we speak, helping the Democrats and other national advocacy groups for education drum Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker out of office in a June recall election. "What is happening in that state is of national significance," says United Faculty of Florida president Tom Auxter, a professor of philosophy at the University of Florida. The recall election, he says, will help determine what politicians "can get away with" in dealing with faculty unions.

The governors Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection will hold a meeting June 12 at Northland Church, 530 Dog Track Road in the Central Florida town of Longwood. The 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. meeting -- with an hour break scheduled at noon -- will be opened to public comments after 1 p.m. A release from the governor's office states that speakers will appear on a first come, first served basis. The Florida Channel will stream the meeting online at http://thefloridachannel.org.

On Tuesday, Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, announced that he would not seek re-election to the Florida House but would instead seek to be the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.

State Attorney Angela Corey, now gaining national attention for her role in the Trayvon Martin case, announced on Tuesday that she is backing former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in November,

State Sen. Mike Fasano, New Port Richey, was named 2012 Outstanding Student Advocate by the University of South Florida student body. During the 2012 session, Fasano had opposed the separation of the University of South Floridas branch campus in Lakeland into the independent Florida Polytechnic University, which was also opposed by the students. Fasano also fought university budget cuts during the session.

Gov. Rick Scott appointed Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst to the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. Oberst, 68, succeeds Greg Chelius. The term begins May 29 and ends Jan. 23, 2013.

With the Memorial Day weekend over, the team behind Mitt Romney -- who should win enough delegates in the Texas primary on Tuesday to secure the Republican presidential nomination -- launched two lines of attack against President Barack Obamas economic record. The Romney team took aim at the Democrat incumbent on Tuesday, arguing that his administration has been hostile to job creation.

Florida recorded $6.3 billion being spent at its seven cruise ports as the number of cruise passengers grew from 12.8 million in 2009-2010 to 13.5 million in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, according to the Florida Ports Council's Five-Year Mission Plan released Friday. Port of Miami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral retained the top spots among the nation's cruise industry. Overall, Florida accounted for 59.7 percent of all U.S. cruise embarkations. Florida Cruise numbers*

Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall in Mayport, just east of Jacksonville, shortly after midnight on Monday. At 8 a.m., Tropical Storm Beryl was sitting over northeast Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Flagler Beach north to the Savannah River.

Oy Vey! Five days after getting trounced in a GOP straw poll in Tampa, Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente went partisan at a synagogue in Delray Beach. One of three justices facing merit retention in November, Pariente made a case to keep her job -- by raising the specter of Republican Gov. Rick Scott. "This is on the ballot every six years and will be the fourth time I have participated in a merit retention election," she told an audience at Temple Emeth.

Florida Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson will be the keynote speaker at the 3rd Annual Education Summit on Tuesday at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. The conference theme is Building for Student Success. The summit is a collaboration between the Florida Sterling Council and the Florida Department of Education. For information, visit www.floridasterling.com.