Gov. Rick Scott has a pair of newspaper editorial board sit-downs on his schedule for Friday. A week after meeting for an hour with the Sun-Sentinel editorial board, Scott is expected to visit two papers from his hometown area. According to his schedule, at 2 p.m. Scott will be at the Naples Daily News and at 4 p.m. he's to appear before the Fort Myers News-Press.

Gov. Rick Scott, along with the state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard Jr. and the South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Melissa Meeker, traveled to Washington on Thursday in support of Floridas Everglades. During a meeting of state and federal principals, Scott presented the states restoration efforts on lands already in public ownership and offered to help with federal water flow projects in the Everglades, the governor's office reported.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has signed a consent order that allows underwriters at Lloyds of London to operate in Florida as a reinsurer. Lloyds is committed to providing insurance and reinsurance to protect people and businesses in Florida, Sean McGovern, general counsel and director of Lloyds America, stated in a release. McGovern added that the state office has given us a clear signal that Florida is pro-business and actively encouraging investment.

Sen. President Mike Haridopolos pushed off to his successor at least for now -- talk of reopening the waters off Floridas coasts to oil exploration. But he cautioned that the state and nation need to keep an eye on Chinese oil-drilling off Cuba. The concern I do have off the island of Cuba -- the Chinese are in the process of putting rigs there, with the support of the Cuban people, at least the Cuban government, Haridopolos told reporters during a sit-down with the media Thursday in the presidents conference room.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos clarified that the Tea Party Networks presence in the Capitol is only temporary. They are not going to have a full-time office in the Florida Senate, Haridopolos said Thursday. The Tea Party Network, a coalition of 70 tea and patriot groups around Florida, had announced it was holding a grand opening of its Tallahassee headquarters in a Senate office building meeting room on Thursday and Friday.

Spinning off the Occupy Wall Street protests entering their third week, demonstrators were massing in downtown Tampa Thursday morning for what they hope will swell into a similar long-term occupation. Tampa Police set up barricades around the demonstration's epicenter, Lykes Gaslight Park, in an effort to contain the crowd that is protesting "corporate greed" and taxpayer-funded bank bailouts. One sign captured the mood of the morning: "Non-violent but Pissed." Stay tuned to Sunshine State News for continuing coverage.

With revenues below projections for the past couple of several months, state legislators may have to confront a budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year that could reach $2 billion to $3 billion. Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, said legislators may now be faced with such numbers as he commented on the future of funding for a state-sponsored drug treatment program during a Senate Justice Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday. Bennett said shortfall numbers had been discussed during a morning meeting with Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

The Tea Party Network, a coalition of 70 tea and patriot groups around Florida, is holding a grand opening of its Tallahassee headquarters Thursday and Friday. Housed in the Senate Office Building, Room 227, the headquarters will be open to the public beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday. Broadcasting live from the location, Gainesville talk-show host Tom Hayes-Morrison will conduct on-air interviews with lawmakers and tea party members from 11 a.m. to noon.

On Thursday, BOOM! Studios, a publisher of comic books, announced the winner of its presidential straw poll. Boom! held a contest to see which presidential candidates it would publish biographical comics of. If more than 1,500 supporters ordered a comic of their candidate, the book would be published. President Barack Obama topped the poll -- no surprise since he was the only Democrat in the field of 10 candidates. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who announced on Wednesday that she would not seek the presidency in 2012, placed second.

The conservative Florida Family Association (FFA) claimed a big win this week when NBC announced it was canceling the Playboy Club television show. David Caton, the executive director of the FFA, sent out an email to supporters this week that focused on the role his organization played in leading to the shows demsie.

It may be rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced a major shakeup Wednesday. A dozen assistant directors have been reassigned amid continuing controversy over the feds' Fast and Furious gun-walking scheme. See details of the reorganization here. Read Sunshine State News' coverage here.

Two Florida Republicans who represent districts on the Gulf -- U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller and U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland -- joined congressmen from both parties from the region on Wednesday in introducing the RESTORE Act. The bill would require that oil spill funds from the Clean Water Act go to Gulf communities hurt by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Gov. Rick Scott appointed four to the 20th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission Wednesday. The nominating commission appointments are: Reginald S. Gibson Jr., Russell T. Kirshy, F. Joseph McMackin III and Pamela Stewart.

A task force focused on prescription drug abuse, specifically its impact on newborns, would be created by legislation announced Wednesday by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. The task force would be charged with examining the scope of the problem, the costs associated with caring for babies with neonatal withdrawal syndrome, the long-term effects of the syndrome, and strategies for preventing prescription drug abuse by expectant mothers, a release from the attorney generals office stated.