State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, one of the authors of the destination gaming bill, expects the proposal will be changed so thatrevenue from theexisting pari-mutuels is placed at the same rate with the mega-casinos allowed in her bill. Theres no doubt in my mind that this bill doesnt get out of the Senate without parity, the South Florida Business Journal reported Bogdanoff saying Tuesday.

State Rep. Franklin Sands, D-Weston, wants companies that sell water bottled from Florida springs to pay 5 cents for every gallon extracted. Sands filed a bill Monday, HB 781, that would require the bottlers to pay a fee that would be used to pay for alternative water supply projects.

Gov. Rick Scott discussed his health care, education and jobs priorities for the 2012 legislative session during a morning appearance on FOX 35 in Orlando Tuesday morning.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will be speaking at the iconic American Conservative Unions Conservative Political Action Conference event in Washington come February.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will enjoy a bit of the national limelight on Saturday night as she co-hosts a forum for the Republican presidential candidates. The forum will be on Mike Huckabees show on Fox News at 8 p.m. and Bondi will be joined by two other state attorneys general -- Scott Pruitt of Virginia and Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia.

On Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts unveiled the endorsements of three prominent Cuban-American politicians based in South Florida: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz Balart and his brother former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Romney named the three of them as foreign-policy advisers to his campaign and as part of his Latin American Working Group.

In a surprise move, Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry for president. Arpaio, who takes a hard line on immigration and earned national fame for housing inmates in tents, said, "The federal government has failed on border crime and border enforcement, and no candidate for president has done more to secure the border than Governor Rick Perry.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported early on Tuesday that his sources told him the Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Jack Del Rio after a 3-8 record so far this season. The Jaguars will make an official announcement later in the day. Del Rio was the second coach in team history, taking over from Tom Coughlin in 2003, but won only one playoff game in that stretch. Del Rio guided the team to 68 wins and 70 losses.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is continuing to gain momentum in New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. On Sunday, Gingrich received the endorsement of the iconic conservative newspaper the New Hampshire Union Leader, and on Monday picked up the support of eight members of the state House of Representatives.

With U.S. Rep. Connie Mack announcing late on Monday that he is entering the crowded Republican primary to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, he drew heavy fire from another GOP hopeful -- former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner.

With the Democratic National Committee releasing a new ad against Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Monday, the Romney team responded by bringing out leaders from the states in which the ad is being aired to defend their candidate. In Florida, the Romney camp turned to former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez who is serving as chairman for the campaigns National Advisory Council.

In a widely expected move, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack announced on Monday night, on an appearance on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News, that he was entering the Republican primary to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. Mack took aim at Nelson in a statement released on Monday night, arguing that he and President Barack Obama have been lockstep liberals.

Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, isn't shedding any tears over the announced retirement of Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. Barney Frank spent much of his career expanding the powers of and defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both of which have been involved in multibillion-dollar scandals that helped enrich their corporate leaders, inflate a housing bubble until it burst, and spark the financial crisis," said Steve Stanek, Heartland's research fellow for budget and tax policy.

Gov. Rick Scott will give the annual State of the State address before the joint session of the Florida Legislature at 11 a.m. on the first day of the 2012 session, House Speaker Dean Cannon announced. The joint session of the Legislature will gather in the House chamber of the Capitol at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 10, 2012, for the start of the regular 60-day session.

The Florida Family Association announced on Monday that another company has agreed not to run commercials during All-American Muslim on The Learning Channel. Pernod Ricard USA -- which has run Kahlua ads during the show -- sent a letter to David Caton, the executive director of the FFA, in which it maintained it would not run any further ads on the show.