Two bills have been filed in the state House proposing vastly different futures for capital punishment in Florida. One says the state shouldnt kill convicted murders. The other reduces the options for being put to death to either being strapped into 'Old Sparky' or facing a firing squad. Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, has reintroduced her legislation to put down the death penalty in Florida.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board members on Wednesday boosted the standard coverage 6 percent for the majority of its nearly 1.5 million customers, while formally hiking sinkhole policies to a rate lowered last month by state regulators. Sinkhole policies will still jump 32.8 percent, but the amount is down from the initial request from the state-backed Citizens that averaged 447 percent statewide. The board had agreed to cap the sinkhole increase at 50 percent on the eve of an expected contentious public hearing in Tampa on Sept. 13.

Congrats, Charlie, it's your anniversary. Yes, it's been one year exactly since Florida completed its $197 million land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp., when Gov. Charlie Crist bought Floridians what amounts to a draft pick to be named later.

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Mose L. Floyd of Ponte Verde Beach to the Duval County Court and Kevin Carroll of Tallahassee to the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court.

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Adam R. Gelber and Susan C. Grandin to the Environmental Regulation Commission, while reappointing Dr. Joseph C. Joyce to the board. Joyce, 62, of Gainesville, is the executive associate vice president of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He is reappointed for a term beginning Oct. 10, 2011, and ending July 1, 2015.

Though three free-trade agreements were cleared by the White House and passed by wide margins in both the House and Senate Wednesday evening, Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, voted nay. "In the midst of unprecedented long-term unemployment, I cannot support trade agreements that repeat the mistakes of previous trade deals that shipped millions of American jobs overseas and exploded our national trade deficit," Deutch said in a statement.

Bermuda-based Best Doctors Insurance Ltd. has become the first international company to take advantage of the states new rule that allows international carriers to insure foreign nationals working in Florida. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced Wednesday the offshore insurer would operate a Miami office, offering insurance to people from Central and South American countries.

Sunshine State News is hitting the radio airwaves on Wednesday at 2:30 pm. I will be on the Ed Dean radio show which is hosted by one of the most feisty, informative and entertaining conservatives in Florida. It can be heard online here and on two stations in South Florida.

According to Public Policy Polling, a firm with connections to prominent national Democrats, businessman Herman Cain has jumped ahead of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts to lead the pack of hopefuls for the Republican presidential nomination. PPP released a national poll on Wednesday showing Cain with 30 percent and Romney trailing with 22 percent. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich was barely leading Texas Gov. Rick Perry for third place, taking 15 percent with the governor of the Lone Star State right behind him at 14 percent.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts announced the endorsements of prominent Republican leaders on Wednesday as the likes of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert backed the front-runner for their partys presidential nomination. Hastert -- along with longtime U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert of Illinois and former U.S. Rep. Susan Molinari of New York -- came out praising Romney on Wednesday.

Pledging to make Florida "the nations leader in job creation and economic growth," Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday unveiled a seven-point plan to cut corporate taxes and require "re-employment" training for jobless workers. Speaking at a precision metal and plastics fabricator company located in suburban Orlando, Scott also vowed to clean up Florida's troubled workforce development boards and prioritize education spending on technology, engineering and mathematics. Full story upcoming in Sunshine State News.

On Wednesday, former U.S. Sen. Rick Sanorum of Pennsylvania named Mike Biundo, a veteran New Hampshire Republican operative as his national campaign manager. Biundo, who had been very active in Pat Buchanans presidential bid in 1996 when the conservative commentator upset Bob Dole to win the nations first presidential primary in the Granite State, had been serving as Santorums political director, advising the former senator on New Hampshire politics.

Conservative activist Kim Kendall has filed to run against state Rep. Mike Weinstein, R-Orange Park, who currently represents parts of Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. With Kendall living in the northern part of St. Johns County, there is talk that she may end up running for the seat currently held by retiring Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, who represents parts of Clay, Flagler and St. Johns counties.