Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is the second member of the state Cabinet to back the state Senate bid of former Rep. Aaron Bean. State CFO Jeff Atwater has already backed Bean who is running for a state Senate seat based in parts of Duval and Nassau counties.

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton announced on Wednesday that he was backing Ron DeSantis for the Republican nomination in the new congressional district hugging the Atlantic Coast between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach.

State Rep. Ana Rivas Logan, R-Miami, has been named the Florida Retail Federation's Legislator of the Year. I am honored to have been selected as this years Legislator of the Year, Rivas Logan stated in a release. It is especially important in the current economy we keep Florida businesses up and running as smoothly as possible. The award will be presented June 20 during the federations annual midyear board meeting in Orlando. Prior federation honorees: 2004 - Sen. Nancy Argenziano.

Kevin Doyle, Consumer Energy Alliance--Florida executive director, issued the following statement on the Public Service Commissions decision to approve a plan to connect a 1.6-megawatt renewable energy generating facility at Tropicanas facility in Fort Pierce with the Florida Power & Light power grid. The agreement requires Tropicana to pay the $95,000 cost needed for FPL to be able to handle the plants new power-generating facility that will incorporate burning landfill gas.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday finds that Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has the lead over Barack Obama in the crucial swing state of Florida. The poll finds Romney taking 47 percent followed by Obama with 41 percent. Obama led Romney 49 percent to 42 percent in a Q-Poll taken at the end of March but Romney led 44 percent to 43 percent in one taken in early May.

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, released the following statement on Tuesday regarding the successful launch by Space Xs Falcon 9 Rocket from Cape Canaveral: Congratulations to Space X and all their employees who achieved a great milestone this morning with the successful launch of their Falcon 9 rocket.

Clearwater Police Chief Anthony Holloway was named to The Florida Bar board of governors as one of the two public members. Holloway will be sworn in at the Bar's annual convention on June 22 for a two-year term. He is replacing retiring public member Alvin Alsobrook of Gainesville. Holloway was selected from among 23 applicants. Holloway, who began his career with Clearwater in 1985, left in 2007 to direct the police department of Somerville, Mass.He returned to Clearwater as police chief in 2010.

The agenda for day three of the Gov. Rick Scott-headed Enterprise Florida business development mission to Spain:8:30 a.m. Central European Summer Time: Meeting board of directors of Camara de Madrid. 9 a.m.: Team Florida breakfast, Cara de Comercio de Madrid. 10:30 a.m.: Economic development meetings.

Rep. Connie Mack, R-Naples, on Tuesday endorsed Trey Radel to succeed him in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mack, who was first elected to Congress in 2004, said in a statement: "Trey Radel is the perfect person to represent Southwest Florida in Washington." Mack, who splits his time between Florida and California, where his wife, Mary Bono Mack, is a Republican congresswoman, called Radel "a trusted voiced in this community for years." Radel, a former radio talk-show host, returned the compliment:

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, the chair of Space Florida, released the following statement upon the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon rocket and Dragon space capsule from Cape Canaveral:

The presidents of eight of Floridas public universities combined to make more than $4 million in the 2010-2011 school year, according to the journal The Chronicle of Higher Education. John Hitt, University of Central Florida president, was atop the list at $741,500, which made him the ninth highest paid public school president in the nation, in the journal's analysis of 190 institutions and universities.

Former U.S. Rep. Ric Keller announced on Tuesday that he is backing restaurant executive Craig Miller who is running in a crowded Republican primary for the new congressional seat stretching on the Atlantic Coast south of Jacksonville to Daytona Beach. "Im pleased to endorse Craig Miller, Keller said in a statement. Hes a conservative leader who knows how to create jobs and cut wasteful spending. Hell make a great congressman. We need him in Washington to stand up against Obamas reckless spending and liberal agenda.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., endorsed businesswoman Karen Harrington in the Republican primary to take on U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., best known for leading the Democratic National Committee.

Agriculture Commission Adam Putnam introduced a new summer nutrition program called Summer BreakSpot, featuring Florida produce, for needy kids. More than 1.6 million students in Florida rely on free and reduced-price meals during the school year, Putnam stated in a release on Tuesday.

The firefight between two Republicans looking for their party's nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson intensified on Tuesday, as one candidate insisted that the other would lose to Nelson and help keep Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., as Senate majority leader.