Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam joined with the Florida Department of State and the Society of American Foresters in commemorating one of the nations oldest steam engines, the Luraville Locomotive, at a ceremony Wednesday at the Florida Department of Agriculture Conner Complex in Tallahassee that dedicated a newly constructed train depot and state historic site marker.

Few people doubt that standout performances by Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in the final debate before Florida's Jan. 31 primary helped both men's campaigns -- and may even have saved Santorum's. Few doubt that Newt Gingrich's miserable performance on the same stage (he looked like he had gas most of the time) hurt his once surging candidacy. So, there's no doubt debates are important in the Republican nominating process. But is doing them according to mainstream media rules, with mainstream media moderators, really such a good idea?

The Westboro Baptist Church, and anyone else who for some reason desires to protest a military funeral, would have to stand at least 500 feet away under a bill that received unanimous support Wednesday from the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. SB 632 by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, expands on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed a 100-foot distance between military protesters and those involved with a military funeral.

The House State Affairs Committee backed an effort to speed up the oil exploration-to-drilling process in the Blackwater River State Forest northeast of Pensacola a day after the companion bill was halted in the Senate. The bill, HB 695 by Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, would authorize state land-management agencies to enter public-private partnerships on state-owned lands with the private company that explored for oil if the yield can produce near-term revenue for the state.

As Ernest Hemingway once put it, there are only three true sports, because they involve the very real risk of dying in the process: mountain climbing, bull fighting and auto racing. The House State Affairs Committee today is discussing a bill to make auto racing the official sport of Florida. And if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

Before heading to Florida to raise more campaign cash this week, Barack Obama floated "news" that his administration is getting serious about soaring energy prices. Late Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney tweeted out a Houston Chronicle story that reported increased offshore drilling. The article said that shale oil fields and increased offshore drilling -- as well as a dip in the value of natural gas -- are fueling stepped-up oil production.

A bill permitting student-led "inspirational messages" at Florida's public schools easily cleared the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Senate Bill 98 overcame objections from Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, and other Democratic lawmakers who warned it would trigger constitutional challenges by blurring the line between church and state.

House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, who was directed to oversee the House efforts to reform education, released the following statement on his committees approval Tuesday of the State Universities of Academic and Research Excellence and National Pre-eminence Act:

Former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana said on Wednesday he will drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination but will continue his bid for the American Elects nomination. He also said he will seek the nomination of the Reform Party. Roemer was first elected to Congress in 1980 and as governor of Louisiana in 1987 as a Democrat. During his term in office, he changed his party affiliation and joined the Republicans. He placed third in the 1991 Republican primary, losing to former state Rep. David Duke, best known for his ties with the Ku Klux Klan.

Auto racing narrowly grabbed the pole position over college football and baseball on becoming the state's official sport. A majority of the House State Affairs Committee supported a bill to place auto racing as the sport of Florida.

A bill crafted as a result of an emotional murder trial last summer in Orlando, received support from the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. HB 37, would require a caregiver to report if any child 12 or younger is missing. Failure to do so would be a third-degree felony, the penalty bumped up to a second-degree felony if the child is harmed while missing.

A new estimate of illegal immigrants living in the United States indicates that the numbers have grown since Barack Obama took office. Based on preliminary data used by the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 10.9 million illegal aliens were in the United States on Jan. 1, 2011. That number -- up from 10.8 million -- reverses a decline of roughly 1 million registered during the last two years of the Bush administration.

An NBC News/Marist poll released on Wednesday finds Mitt Romney with a small lead over Rick Santorum in the Michigan Republican presidential primary. While Santorum led in polls of the Great Lakes State last week, polls unveiled this week have found the race much closer and some have had Romney ahead. The Michigan primary will be held on Tuesday.

Florida is among the states with the strongest REAL ID standards for driver's licenses, a new study shows. The Center for Immigration Studies released its second comprehensive assessment of the status of secure driver's license standards this week. The report fills a void left by the Department of Homeland Security, which has been silent on the implementation of state license standards in the REAL ID Act of 2005.

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum leads the GOP pack in a national poll unveiled on Wednesday. Santorum tops a national poll from Quinnipiac University with 35 percent followed by Mitt Romney with 26 percent. Newt Gingrich stands in third with 14 percent followed by Ron Paul with 11 percent. When pitted head-to-head, Santorum takes 50 percent and Romney garners 37 percent.