Gas prices in Florida have shown a slight uptick in the past month as global pressures have kept crude prices on the market hovering around the $100-a-barrel mark. AAA Florida expects little movement through the week at Floridas pumps as efforts continue by the European Union, U.S., the U.K., and Canada to curb Iran's nuclear program. A lot is happening around the globe that is putting both upward and downward pressure on oil prices, making it hard for any consistent trending in the market, Jessica Brady, AAA spokeswoman, stated in a release.

John M. Martinez, the son of former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Orlando, has been named by Gov. Rick Scott to take the seat once held by Mildred Fernandez on the Orange County Commission. Martinez, 30, is vice president of Gardnyr Michael Capital Inc. Johns leadership ability is evident through his professional service and his broad community involvement, Scott stated in a release from the governors office.I am confident he will bring the highest levels of integrity and ethics to the commission.

Veteran California Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a former aide to Ronald Reagan, announced on Monday that he is backing former Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination. I am honored to have Danas support, Romney said in a statement. A committed public servant, he understands that President Obamas policies are hurting the middle class and have only burdened future generations with debt. I am glad to have Danas endorsement as I travel the country, meeting with voters who are concerned about the future of our country.

Congressional Democrats are spinning so fast they just can't keep their numbers straight. In the latest statistical flub, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz denied Monday that the U.S. unemployment rate has climbed during the Obama administration. Despite her claims to the contrary, government reports state that the jobless rate has risen up from 8.2 percent in February 2009, the first full month Obama was in office, to 8.6 percent last month, after having peaked at 10.1 percent in October 2009. The jobless rate was 7.8 percent in January 2009.

Despite getting out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination after being confronted with allegations of sexual harassment and marital infidelity, businessman Herman Cain, who rocketed to prominence in the polls and then quickly spiraled downward, shows no signs of going away. Cain sent out an email to supporters on Monday in which he writes that he will continue to remain active.

Pro-life activist Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, unveiled new television ads on Monday as he continues his bid to topple President Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. Terry appeared in front of the White House on Monday to talk to the media about his campaign. While Terry has made no bones about the fact that he expects to lose to Obama in the primaries, he hopes to ensure that 7 to 8 percent of the Catholics who voted for Obama in 2008 will not back him in 2012.

Former New Mexico governor and GOP presidential hopeful Gary Johnson will be in West Palm Beach Tuesday. The libertarian-leaning Johnson is scheduled to appear at a Christmas/Town Hall event hosted by the South Florida Tea Party at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Airport Hotel, 150 Australian Ave. Due to his almost-invisible poll standing, Johnson has been excluded from most of the televised debates.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas took aim at fellow Republican presidential hopeful former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Monday, hammering the former congressional leader in a Web video released on Monday. The aim attacks Gingrich on ethical matters.

Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is going all out to win the Iowa caucus. On Monday, Bachmann, who won the Iowa Republican straw poll back in August, announced that she would hit all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State before the Jan. 3 caucus.

A poll unveiled on Monday by Hamilton Campaigns and Ayres McHenry & Associates revealed how Floridians from both parties and all parts of the Sunshine State overwhelmingly wanted to see monies collected from the federal government in penalties from the BP oil spill stay in the Gulf States instead of going to Washington -- but it also had troubling news for both President Barack Obama and Gov. Rick Scott.

Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that he was on the sacred Mount of Olives on Monday. Scott is leading a 48-member delegation in Tel Aviv as part of the weeklong mission to Israel that was put together by Florida Enterprise.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, endorsed his fellow member of the Florida delegation, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Bill Nelson in 2012.

Veteran Florida Republican political strategist Susie Wiles -- who had worked for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsmans bid for the Republican presidential nomination -- announced on Monday that she is backing former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Wiles will serve as a co-chairwoman of Romneys Florida Advisory Council. With Romney leading in polls of New Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary, Huntsman, who has invested heavily in the Granite State, has been aggressive in attacking the former Massachusetts governor.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to enjoy a healthy lead over the rest of the field for the Republican presidential nomination in Florida according to a NBC/Marist poll released over the weekend. Gingrich takes 44 percent of likely Republican primary voters in the Sunshine State while former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts places second with 29 percent.

Will Newt Gingrich's "humane" musings on immigration blow up in his face in New Hampshire, home of the nation's first presidential primary? The New York Times reports that an influx of immigrants to Manchester has prompted local leaders to seek a moratorium on refugee resettlement there.