Congressman Connie Mack, who is running in the Republican primary to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November, unveiled the endorsement of a prominent conservative on Tuesday afternoon -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2012 election cycle.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced that a federal fugitive, an alleged sexual predator wanted since 1983, was arrested by insurance fraud investigators in Madison County. Charles Leon Parker, 69, was arrested after the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud investigated a suspicious home fire claim filed by Parkers wife, Rose Healan. Parker had been using the name R.M. Healan, and a fingerprint check revealed his identity, according, to Atwaters office.

Newt Gingrich let out the worst-kept secret in politics on Tuesday when, in a video to supporters, he revealed that he was suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday. While there has been buzz that he would back Mitt Romney, Gingrich did not mention the GOP front-runner in the video.

Richard Myers, the former chief of police in Colorado Springs, Colo., has been named the interim police chief in Sanford, now at the heart of a shooting that is getting international attention. City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. announced Myers, who also served as a police chief in Appleton, Wis., Detroit and Chicago.

Over the weekend, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain announced that he was backing former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. The LeMieux team highlighted the backing from Cain, who won the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando back in September in a major upset.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll opened the first meeting of the 19-member Citizens Safety and Protection Task Force on Tuesday by saying there are no preconceived outcomes with the group she chairs. The group was pieced together out of the public outcry from the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman who has claimed he acted in self-defense under the states Stand Your Ground law. However, Carroll added this task force is not here to try the Zimmerman-Martin case.

Battling for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack scored some endorsements in South Florida on Monday as he continues his bid for the Senate seat his father held for 12 years. Mack won the support of much of the Hialeah Republican leadership, including Mayor Carlos Hernandez, former Mayor Julio Robaina and all the members of the City Council. Mack also unveiled the support of Mayor Yioset De La Cruz of Hialeah Gardens.

From his perch on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose name continues to garner buzz about ending up as Mitt Romneys running mate, went to bat for Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese activist who opposed that nations one child policy. In April, Guangcheng escaped house arrest and reportedly made his way to the U.S. embassy.

The Florida Supreme Court has disciplined 21 attorneys, with six disbarred and 13 suspended, the Florida Bar announced. Some attorneys received more than one discipline. One attorney's license was placed on probation, four received public reprimands and one was ordered to pay restitution. Go here for the list of attorneys disciplined.

On Tuesday, Citizens Property Insurance, which has made it a goal to reduce exposure and reliance on assessments, announced closing on a $750 million, two-year collateralized reinsurance transfer using catastrophe bonds issued by Everglades Re Ltd. The transaction was given a "B+" rating by Standard & Poors, as the notes cover losses from Florida hurricanes on a per-occurrence basis, with the cover coming for Citizens coastal accounts.

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the Republican presidential candidate who lost out to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, announced that he was backing Ozzie deFaria to challenge U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., best known nationally for being the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Gov. Rick Scott, who has made it a point to visit each daily newspaper in the state, is scheduled to sit down with the Sun-Sentinel editorial board Tuesday afternoon. A one-hour block of time has been set for Scott starting at 3 p.m. in the newspapers Fort Lauderdale headquarters.

Gov. Rick Scott is heading to the Freedom Tower in Miami Tuesday where he is expected to sign a bill that aims to punish companies doing business with Castros Cuba.

The United States Department of Justice has granted Floridas request for administrative preclearance of the state Senate, House and congressional redistricting plans under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The announcement that the redistricting efforts for the three maps are in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act in Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe counties means local election officials statewide can begin implementing the redrawn and new districts for the 2012 elections.

Most presidential and vice presidential candidates do not emerge from the Cabinet. There have been exceptions, of course. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan used being secretary of state as a launching pad for their successful bids for the presidency. But since the Civil War there have been only a handful of presidents -- William Howard Taft and Herbert Hoover -- and vice presidents -- Henry Wallace and Dick Cheney -- who have moved up from the Cabinet. George H.W.