A warm and fuzzy meeting of Muslims leaders and Broward County sheriff's officers is giving a congressional candidate the chills. The first-ever gathering earlier this month, set up by the Florida Muslim Congress, was designed to improve communication and understanding between cops and members of the Islamic community. "At times, the speeches sound like a PR campaign for Sheriff Al Lamberti," reported Broward New Times. All agreed that the level of trust between law enforcement and Muslim could stand improvement.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has jumped ahead of potential Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Connie Mack in a poll from Quinnipiac University released Thursday morning. Nelson takes 44 percent to Mack's 36 percent. Two polls taken earlier by Quinnipiac showed a dead heat, with Nelson leading by 2 percent in November and by 1 percent in January.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced on Wednesday night that he is backing Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.

The governor's office announced Wednesday two appointments to the Florida Historical Commission. MaryLeigh "Mimi" Hardman, 76, of Lake Wales, is the president of Historic Lake Wales Society. She is reappointed for a term beginning March 28 and ending Dec. 31, 2014. Kathy A. Fleming, 50, of Jacksonville, is the chief administrative director of the First Light Maritime Society. She succeeds Nancy H. Maddox and is appointed for a term beginning March 28 and ending Dec. 31, 2015.

Two of the leading Republican candidates looking to defeat Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson weighed in on national issues on Wednesday as they looked to gain momentum for their campaigns. U.S. Rep. Connie Mack announced at a media event at a gas station in the Tampa area that he is going to launch petition drives to support the Keystone XL Pipeline.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced on Wednesday that he is co-sponsoring a measure to make the death tax repeal permanent.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses -- which joined Florida and 25 other states in contesting the constitutionality of Obamacare -- is feeling pretty good about its chances after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded three days of hearings Wednesday. Shortly after the last court session adjourned, Karen Harned, executive director of the NFIB's Small Business Legal Center, said, "What a day it was. If youre a small-business owner, you have a lot of reason to hope.

How bad was the Obama administration's oral-argument defense of Obamacare on Tuesday? Even one of the most left-wing publications in America hated the presentation on behalf of one of the most left-wing administrations in American history. The Mother Jones critique starts like this:

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he has talked daily with Attorney Pam Bondi as she attends the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, and he expressed optimism on Wednesday that the individual mandates in the law will be blocked by the justices.

David Wilkins, Floridas secretary of the Department of Children and Families, has been named the states chief operating officer for government operations by Gov. Rick Scott. I have asked David to serve in a chief operating officer role for the state, taking an enterprise-wide approach to improving agency productivity and reducing government bureaucracy, Scott stated in a release.

A poll from Rasmussen Reports unveiled on Wednesday finds that most Americans are unsure about what happened in the Trayvon Martin shooting in Sanford last month and what George Zimmermans fate wil

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced that three people will collectively receive $25,000 for providing information that led to convictions in five major insurance fraud cases. These individuals had the courage to come forward and report suspected insurance fraud, ultimately helping protect their fellow Floridians from this costly crime, Atwater said in a statement released Wednesday. Without their assistance, these fraudsters would still be on the streets, stealing your hard-earned dollars.

Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida, released the following statement after Gov. Rick Scott signed the 2012 economic development bills on Wednesday: Florida just became a brighter place to do business thanks to a landmark economic development and job creation package advanced by Governor Rick Scott and passed by the Florida Legislature.

Gov. Rick Scott signed four bills Wednesday -- HB 7023, HB 7027, HB 7029 and HB 7087 -- that are part of his Job Creation and Economic Growth Agenda. The passage of these important bills is a tremendous victory for Floridas families and businesses and will ensure private-sector jobs can continue to grow, Scott said.

According to a new poll, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is closing in on GOP rival Rick Santorum in his own backyard -- delegate-rich Pennsylvania. The Keystone State, which will bring 72 delegates to the Republican convention in Tampa come August, holds its primary on April 24 along with four other states in the region -- Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island.