The American Conservative Union (ACU) announced on Wednesday that conservative pundit Ann Coulter will be speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event being held in Orlando on Sept. 23.

There are rumors flying that U.S. Rep. Bill Young, the dean of House Republicans, will retire and not seek another term in 2012. Despite Young not making an announcement yet, if he will stay in Congress or head back home, a candidate jumped in the race this week -- Christian leader Madeline Vance who will run as a Republican. Vance is active with Mustard Seed Ministries based out of Clearwater.

With a key straw poll looming next Friday, the field of Republican presidential candidates continued to focus on Iowa this week, the site of the first caucus. On Wednesday, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann released a television ad running across the Hawkeye State as she looked to solidify her credentials as the leading conservative threat to front-runner Mitt Romney. In the ad, Bachmann takes aim at President Barack Obama on the economy and repeats her opposition to raising the federal debt ceiling.

Pam Bondi isn't hiding and she's apparently unafraid of the truth.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is co-sponsoring a balanced budget amendment to be voted on in the Senate by the end of the year. Nelson signed on to the Democratic proposal by Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo. A year-end vote on a balanced budget amendment was required as part of the debt deal that was signed into law Tuesday. The amendment states that federal spending could not exceed revenue, except in special cases, such as when the nation is in a war declared by Congress. And it could be suspended only if three-fifths of the members of the House and Senate agree.??

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed former state Rep. Tom Grady as commissioner of the Office of Financial Regulation. Grady, a former lawyer and stockbroker, served in the Florida House from 2008 to 2010, but did not seek re-election. He was not only Scott's representative, but lives on the same street as Scott in Naples.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio explained his opposition to the deal raising the debt ceiling on Tuesday.

NASA claims its scientists are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Emily in the Caribbean as they prepare a powerful Atlas V rocket for launch Friday. It's a very big, post-shuttle deal for the space agency -- a $1.1 billion mission to Jupiter. The United Launch Alliance Atlas and its payload -- NASA's Juno spacecraft -- are scheduled to blast off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 11:34 a.m. Friday. NASA says the launch window that day will extend until 12:43 p.m.

Rick McAllister, the president and CEO of the Florida Retail Foundation, weighed in on Tuesday on the back-to-school sales tax holiday being held in the Sunshine State from Aug. 12 through Aug. 14. The tax holiday covers up to $75 in clothing and up to $15 on other school supplies. This is one of the better sales periods for retailers, with or without the sales tax holiday, McAllister told the media on Tuesday. He said the weekend would provide a glimpse into the upcoming holiday sales period -- and economic recovery.

Florida Emergency Management issued a warning about continued high temperatures on Monday, noting that the heat index could rise to as high as 115 degrees and that North Florida will be heavily impacted. Heat advisories have already been issued for the following counties in North Florida: Franklin, Liberty, Gulf, Calhoun, Jackson, Bay, Washington, Holmes and Walton.

Businessman Craig Miller, who is running in the Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, weighed in on Gov. Rick Scott announcing that he was going to be holding Bob Graham-style workdays. Miller started a series of them last week when the former Ruth's Chris CEO worked at a pizzeria in Winter Park.

Joe Gruters, chairman of the Sarasota County Republican Party, is blasting Vice President Joe Biden's rhetorical attack on the tea party. "This rhetoric is not just insulting, inappropriate and dangerous, it is simply embarrassing to hear coming from the first person in the presidential line of succession," Gruters said. Biden, during a closed-door Democratic Party caucus on Monday, was quoted as saying tea party Republicans "... have acted like terrorists."

Tropical Storm Emily formed Monday in the Caribbean Sea about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the island of Dominica, says Bloomberg News, and is expected to take a turn over the next couple of days that could bring it to Florida.

There was hardly a dry eye in the House Monday when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords entered the chamber to cast a vote on debt-ceiling legislation. "This is what we all needed," an emotional Florida Congressman Bill Posey was heard saying. "This is the uplift we all needed." Posey, of course, is a Republican, Giffords a Democrat. Giffords' appearance nevertheless set the campaign wheels in motion in her home state of Arizona, where speculation is increasing whether she'll seek re-election next year or run for retiring Sen. Jon Kyl's U.S. Senate seat.

The House of Representatives on Monday night approved a plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling and cut future federal spending. The vote wasn't close. The final tally for passage was 269-161, with Republicans backing the measure 174-66. But approval of the deal was bittersweet at best, as the debt and deficit package was thrashed by conservatives and liberals alike. Full story upcoming at Sunshine State News.