Way behind in the polls, former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah took off the gloves Sunday morning in an interview on ABCs This Week and ripped into some of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. Huntsman hammered Gov. Rick Perry of Texas for taking exception with global warming and called him unelectable. Huntsman also slammed U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota for pandering with her claim that she wouldl lower gas prices to below $2 a gallon if she were in the White House.

Thrashing Puerto Rico and aiming for Florida, Hurricane Irene strengthened on Monday. On a track to strike or brush by Florida as early as Thursday night, Irene is forecast to grow to a Category 2 storm, with winds topping 100 mph. It is the first named storm to emerge as a full-blown hurricane this season. The National Weather Service said that if Irene stays to the west side of the current cone of probability, it will be less severe, weakened slightly by the mountains of Cuba. If it veers to the right side of the cone, Irene will strengthen over open water.

Michele Bachmann's press secretary on Saturday reiterated the campaign's intention to skip Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll on Sept. 24. "As you know, we entered this race late and have focused on building an organization, participating in two debates, voting on key issues in Washington and executing a winning Iowa Straw Poll strategy," Alice Stewart told Sunshine State News via e-mail. "While we are aware that Florida is a critical state, we simply don't have the resources to participate in the Florida Straw Poll at this time," Stewart wrote.

The HP TouchPad is dead, apparently,48 days after the device went on sale. In spite of the huge potential such reviewers as PCMag.com saw in the TouchPad, obviously HP didn't. It announced that in the fourth quarter of this year, the company will cease producing it. Hence, the gigantic fire sale going on right now.

Gov. Rick Scott was in Miami Friday to kick off the 500-day countdown to the 500th anniversary of the European discovery of modern-day Florida. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first reached the peninsula in 1513. He was joined by Ambassador Cristina Barrios, consul general to Spain and Secretary of State Kurt Browning to mark the beginning of "Viva Florida 500," the state's quincentennial celebration.

After announcing 500 new Central Florida jobs last week, Convergys Corp. plans to add nearly 900 more customer-service and sales jobs at its Jacksonville facility. The self-described "global leader in relationship management" currently has 1,200 employees in the Jacksonville area and is adding positions to serve an unidentified telecommunications client.

After five straight months of declining unemployment, Florida's job growth appears to have stagnated, if not reversed.

National Review Online (with a helpful hand-off by SaintPetersblog.com) writes today that Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll will be an important gauge of the GOP field. In making the case, Katrina Trinko notes how P5 differs substantially and significantly from the circus at Ames, Iowa. She also points out the historic reliability of Florida's polls in predicting the GOP nominee.

TheHomeland Security Departmentsaid Thursday it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria such as attending school, having family in the military or are primarily responsible for other family members care. The move, announced in letters toCongress, won immediate praise from Hispanic activists and other open-borders advocates.

U.S. Senate candidates will speak to the Republican Party's Presidency 5 summit on Sept. 23. The RPOF said Thursday that four leading candidates for the Republican nomination -- Adam Hasner, George LeMieux, Mike McCalister and Craig Miller -- will address the delegates in Orlando as part of the three-day P5 event.

With Texas Gov. Rick Perry catching him in polls at the state and national level, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts looked to secure Florida behind his bid for the Republican presidential nomination by unveiling the endorsements of several state legislators. I am honored to receive the endorsements of so many great legislators in the Sunshine State, said Romney on Thursday. I look forward to working with these leaders to put Floridians and all Americans back to work, turn around the economy and make Barack Obama a one-term president.

The Florida Realtors offered some good news for the Sunshine States economy on Thursday when they announced that home and condo sales jumped 12 percent in July when compared to July 2010. More than 15,500 homes sold in Florida in July as opposed to less than 13,900 in July 2010. Realtors in markets across the state are reporting increased activity from potential homebuyers who are ready to [take] advantage of historically low mortgage rates and current availability of affordable housing options, said Patricia Fitzgerald, president of the Florida Realtors.

Politico has a rundown of the "veepstakes" -- potential vice presidential nominees that could bolster the eventual GOP presidential nominee's ticket. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is "in everyone's top five" because of the assets he could bring to the ticket. The story notes he's from Florida, a large swing state; Hispanic; and appeals to both the tea party movement and Republican establishment alike.

The Republican National Committee wants to turn President Barack Obama's Midwest bus tour and following nine-day vacation in Martha's Vineyard into a fundraising opportunity.

Businesswoman Karen Harrington, who was the Republican nominee who ran against Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in 2010, is looking for a rematch in 2012. Harrington launched a new web video on Wednesday, attacking the incumbent -- who is now chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) -- and President Barack Obama on the economy.