Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, now running for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, came out swinging on Tuesday, attacking Nelson, Barack Obama and his main rival for the Republican nomination -- U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.

Gov. Rick Scott and the former president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, are slated to speak at the second annual Palm Beach Strategic Forum, hosted by the International Economic Forum of the Americas, April 16 and 17 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. As a follow-up to last years trade mission to Brazil, Scott will host a delegation from Brazil at the 2012 forum. He also will give the keynote address at the forums opening day luncheon.

Touting the so-called Buffett Rule, President Obama and his sidekick, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, are at Florida Atlantic University today to lecture students on the need for more taxes. Reiterating his call for still higher levies on the "wealthy," including small-business owners, Obama echoed Warren Buffett's populist complaints about an "inequitable" tax code (though not the billionaire's unpublicized personal wrangling with the IRS over his tax bills). Republicans are unimpressed.

With 155 delegates to the Republican convention in Tampa, some of the Republican presidential candidates have the Lone Star State on their mind even though it doesn't hold its primary until May 29. Despite his decades on the Texas political stage, Ron Paul did not exactly shine in the 2008 Republican primary when he took less than 5 percent. The maverick Texas congressman is looking to change that this week as he is running a new commercial in the Lone Star State and is making campaign stops there.

After six months of gains, a small-business optimism index fell by almost 2 points in March, the National Federation of Independent Businesses said Monday. "After a promising start to the year, nine of 10 index components dropped last month, most notably hiring plans and expected real sales growth each taking a significant dive," NFIB said in a statement.

The Florida Supreme Court wont stay the scheduled execution of David Alan Gore. The justices rejected Gores appeal request Monday to halt his planned April 12 execution.

Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the Miami Marlins, will be flying back to Miami Tuesday, during a break in the ongoing series in Philadelphia, to address remarks he made in a Time magazine story, where he is quoted as saying, I love Fidel Castro.

There will be no grand jury called for the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, the Miami Herald is reporting. The grand jury -- called by the former prosecutor on the case, Seminole County State Attorney Norm Wolfinger -- was scheduled to meet on Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday welcomed the visit of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to the White House on Monday as a step toward boosting trade ties between the U.S. -- particularly Florida -- and the Sunshine States biggest South American business partner. In a statement released Monday, Rubio said the visit could have wider implications as well.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater believes he will be able to better crack down on those in the check-cashing services industry that aid in workers compensation premium fraud now that Gov. Rick Scott has signed HB 1277. The bill allows investigators from Atwaters office to examine the services without prior notice. I am eager to begin using these new fraud-fighting tools to tackle this complex and insidious type of fraud and to eliminate an inexcusable cost-driver on honest small businesses throughout the state, Atwater stated in a release.

Hailing from states heavily invested in the space industry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, jointly released a column declaring that it is vital that NASA remain committed to our national space exploration plan.

Amid Attorney General Eric Holder's (selective) campaign against "voter suppression," this video reveals how easy it is to cast a ballot on Election Day -- no questions asked. Feel better now? In today's edition, Sunshine State News knocks down claims of voter suppression in Florida.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, released the following statement following Gov. Rick Scotts signing HB 667 into law, which increases the penalties against those who kill anyone while fleeing law enforcement: Law enforcement officers risk their lives each and every day. When an officer steps onto the street at the start of their shift, they dont know what to expect that day. Deputy Mecklenberg was no exception. On the day he was killed, he left behind a wife and two young children. The bill was one of 80 Scott signed into law on Friday.

Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Monday endorsed Craig Miller's bid for the 6th Congressional District. McCollum, a former Republican congressman from Central Florida, said in a statement: "While we have several good conservative candidates that have come forward to run in the new coastal congressional district, only Craig Miller has the depth of experiences to best address the most pressing issues of the day.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, representing Florida's 20th Congressional District and chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, had plenty to say Sunday about the latest national jobs report. Appearing on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Wasserman Schultzdefended the progress the president has made recovering from the economy and accused the GOP of rooting for economic failure.