The Obama administration's pledge Tuesday to quintuple funding for high-speed rail projects drew immediate raves from train makers worldwide. Alstom Transport North America, a division of the French train giant, was among the cheerleaders. "We applaud the Obama administration for proposing a $50 billion-plus investment in both high-speed and traditional passenger rail," said Alstom North America Managing Director Guillaume Mehlman.

While Politico ranks freshman U.S. Rep. David Rivera as the most vulnerable congressional incumbent in 2012, the Florida Republican is carrying on as if it's business as usual.

Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, took aim at a Florida law, passed after some debate last year,that allows cameras over traffic lights. Garcia filed a bill to do away with the lights. It is an unwarranted, big-brother initiative, said Garcia. We need to ensure that citizens are treated fairly, and this bill will protect Floridians from intrusive snapshots and inaccurate ticketing. Local governments have used these cameras to tax their citizens under the disguise of safety.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was an early backer of Marco Rubios ambitions to land in the U.S. Senate -- and the once and perhaps future candidate for the Republican presidential nomination took aim at Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Tuesday.

Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, the chairwoman of the House Economic Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Ken Feinberg who is handling claims resulting from the Gulf oil spill, confirming the fact that he will be testifying to the committee next Friday -- and he should be in store for some tough questions. From the onset of the spill, the structure and efficiency of the BP claims process have been items of particular concern, noted Hukill.

Court documents filed by the state of Florida reveal that the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. is accused of overcharging the state pension fund. Florida and three other states are investigating whether banks overcharged public pension funds for foreign-exchange transactions. FX Analytics is listed with the state of Florida as plaintiff in the case filed in the circuit court of the Second Judicial Circuit in Leon County.

Together again. Look for two of Florida's most recent formers, Gov. Charlie Crist and CFO Alex Sink, on the front steps of the Old State Capitol at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

With federal Judge Roger Vinson's ruling last week that the federal law backed by President Barack Obama was unconstitutional, the presidents supporters in the Sunshine State struck back on Tuesday vowing to continue the fight.

Sen. Mike Fasano came out against a small portion of Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget Tuesday, knocking the governor for defunding and eliminating the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the Office of Drug Control. Fasano was instrumental in getting the PDMP up and running two years ago, and Attorney General Pam Bondi and other law enforcement officials praised the program at a press conference last week where they also urged legislators to do more to crackdown on "pill mills."

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica, chairman of the powerful House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, expressed skepticism on Tuesday over the Obama administrations plans to spend more than $50 billion on rail projects in the next six years. This is like giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio, Mica said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who moved to Florida last year, reaffirmed his commitment to life on Monday as speculation continues to grow that he will take another shot at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Tea partiers in Eustis were ecstatic about Gov. Rick Scott's lean and mean budget. The Florida Progressive Coalition, not so much. "Governor Scott's budget proposal is disappointing to say the least.What he's trying to do here is shift the costs of government from those who can afford it -- the wealthy and corporations -- to those who can least afford it. Cutting jobs, slashing education funding and reducing state employee compensation is no way to improve the state," said FPC leader Kenneth Quinnell.

Appearing on CNN News Tuesday morning, Gov. Rick Scott described his "jobs budget" to a national audience. It's a budget, he said, that calls for more than $5 billion in spending cuts and returns $2 billion to taxpayers. For Floridians who paid attention to Monday's budget unveiling at a tea party event in Eustis, the governor didn't say much new. CNN News anchor C.J. Holmes pressed Scott on the dichotomy of a governor calling himself a "jobs governor" yet slashing 8,700 jobs from the state payroll.

The leaders of the Florida Senate and House weighed in on Monday after Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his $65.8 billion proposed budget in Eustis. The GOP leadership that controls both houses praised their fellow Republicans proposed budget -- which is $5 billion less than the one the Legislature passed the year before under Gov. Charlie Crist -- for cutting back on state spending and not raising taxes.