President Barack Obamas policies in regard to Libya are drawing fire from both the left and the right in Florida. Republican U.S. Tom Rooney, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said on Monday that Obama was being too vague about the mission and needed congressional approval to continue American air strikes.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott announced his picks to head up two agencies he would like to merge, naming Dr. Frank Farmer as Florida's surgeon general and keeping Liz Dudek on as the secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration. As surgeon general, Dr. Farmer will also oversee the Department of Health, which Gov. Scott has sought to consolidate with AHCA and other state agencies.

Jacksonville goes to the polls on Tuesday to help determine who the next mayor is going to be. None of the candidates is expected to pull a majority of the vote on Tuesday -- meaning the two top candidates will square off in a few weeks to see who replaces term-limited Mayor John Peyton.

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota announced on Monday afternoon that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for the Republican presidential nomination. Pawlenty made the announcement via a web video which was only accessible to people who liked his page on Facebook. In the ad, which lasted less than two minutes, Pawlenty focused on the economy and called for optimism on the economy, mentioning Ronald Reagan. Pawlenty is the fourth major candidate to announce that he is forming an exploratory committee, joining former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Gov.

While Congress continues to look to cut the budget, freshman Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams joined Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Olson of Texas in sending House Budget Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin a letter arguing that the budget needs to make human space exploration a major priority.

Florida Commissioner of Education Eric Smith, who has held that position since 2007, announced on Monday that he would step down from his post in June.

A bill limiting the authority of the Florida Public Service Commission to regulate basic land line telephone service breezed through its first Senate committee Monday. Under Senate Bill 1524, the PSC would no longer be able to regulate prices for land line phone services, but would still act as an arbiter for disputes between companies or wholesale service providers. "Thisdeals with the deregulation of the last vestige of regulated phone service in the state of Florida," said Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, who is sponsoring the bill.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Posey is once again pushing for legislation to cut taxes on Social Security benefits and ending the mandatory IRA withdrawals required for 70-year-olds. Posey called for ending Social Security payroll taxes on recipients.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, released the first round of budget allocations to the various appropriations committees on Monday. The Florida Legislature will be called to make difficult choices for the FY 2011-12 budget, insisted Cannon in a memo sent out to House members on Monday. The Revenue Estimating Conference has determined the gap between anticipated revenues and needs to be within a range of $2.9 billion to $4.6 billion. On Friday, the REC revised their General Revenue estimate downward by $215.8 million.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and "I Am America" singer Krista Branch will appear at the Florida Regional Tea Party Rally on Friday in Indian River County. The free event, to be held at the county's fairgrounds in Vero Beach, is scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The first 5,000 attendees will receive a copy of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Rep. Bill Posey is also on the speaking list.

Al Cardenas will keynote the Florida Leadership Prayer Breakfast on Thursday in Tallahassee. The event, sponsored by the Miami-based Christian Family Coalition, returns this year after a four-year hiatus. "This faith-based breakfast used to be a staple in Tallahassee during the legislative session ... and thanks to the generosity of our good friends at the Israel Ministry of Tourism [its return] will now be possible," said Anthony Verdugo, founder and executive director of the coalition.

A new state website shines a light on hefty pension and benefit packages enjoyed by public-sector employees. The site -- FloridaHasaRighttoKnow -- shows six-figure annual benefits going to hundreds of retirees from local and state agencies, including courts and colleges A full employee database can be searched by name.

Even a baseball game between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays gets political when Gov. Rick Scott is in the house. Protesters waving "Dump Scott" signs positioned themselves outside George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Saturday as Scott threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Many fans -- including a prodigious flock of snowbirds -- caught the fever, as a mixture of boos and cheers cascaded down from the stands when Scott was introduced. Scott delivered a strike to Yankee catcher Jorge Posada, and that drew some grudging applause.

Put the vagaries of politics and the Legislature and the state of the world aside Saturday night. If clouds don't get in the way where you live, get ready for quite a sight: You'll be able to look up at the biggest full moon in nearly two decades. Read all about it.

Gov. Rick Scott released his weekly address on Friday afternoon. Scott touched on his trip to Panama in his remarks and called for expanding ports -- namely Miami.