As the holiday shopping season begins, Attorney General Bill McCollum warned Floridians on Wednesday that more toys are being recalled this year and that parents need to check toy recall lists. Parents should always do their research and be aware of the recalls made this year before purchasing toys and other gifts for their children, said McCollum who noted that there have been a number of recalls on infant toys, rocking horses and building sets. For updated lists of recalled toys see here.

Two Florida Republicans in Congress are holding events to help out with the states continuing sluggish economy. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis will be holding a career fair at Spartan Manor in New Port Richey on Thursday, Dec. 2. More than 20 companies will be on hand.

Attorney General Bill McCollum announced on Tuesday morning that he filed a motion late Monday night in response to the U.S. Department of Justices motion for summary judgment on the constitutional challenge filed against new federal health-care laws. Incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi, who joined in the announcement, has pledged to continue the case.

The Florida real-estate report for October followed the trend that's been in place for months: higher home sales, lower home prices. The state Realtors' association reported that 143,398 single-family existing homes sold during the month -- a 7 percent increase over the same period a year ago. The association also reported a 33 percent rise in statewide year-to-date condominium sales, with a total of 59,966 units sold. Meantime, prices continued to slump. October's median price of $136,600 was off 3 percent from $140,900 a year earlier.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who is considering running for the U.S. Senate in 2012, said on Tuesday that he opposed the new pat-down technique that TSA officials are using to search airline passengers. TSAs new enhanced security screenings are outrageous and have gone too far, said Mack. We all want our nation to be safe, but this security must not come at the expense of our freedoms. Im extremely concerned that TSAs enhanced pat-downs infringe on individuals privacy rights and give the federal government unprecedented power.

Former Florida Republican Party boss Jim Greer took another hit in court today when a judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against his old employer. Greer claimed the party reneged on a $123,000 severance package after he resigned amid a cloud of controversy. The longtiime crony and handpicked choice of Gov. Charlie Crist was subsequently indicted by a statewide grand jury on charges that he stole $125,000 from the party through a money-laundering scheme.

On Tuesday, Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, announced that he was bringing Interim Secretary of State Dawn Roberts on board as staff director for the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee.

With families hitting the roads for the Thanksgiving holiday, the police will be out in full force looking for speeders. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) announced on Tuesday that they will increase their usual efforts from Wednesday until Sunday, bringing in reserve and auxiliary troopers as well as administrative personnel to monitor the highways. Theyll be looking to crack down on aggressive driving.

Veteran Republican political operative Fred Karger took a large step to announcing a presidential campaign on Tuesday, unveiling a television commercial and hiring staff in Iowa for a possible longshot bid at the White House. If he runs, Karger will be the first openly gay candidate for a major partys nomination in American history. A political operative who served as an adviser to presidential candidates John Connally, Bob Dole and Paul Laxalt, Karger also worked with the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Incoming Gov. Rick Scotts transition team announced on Tuesday that they were soliciting ideas on how to streamline state government at their website through Florida 2.0

The staff of the National Journal released their list of the 10 worst commercials of the 2010 election cycle -- and outgoing Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson made the list twice. Grayson won the dubious honor of having the worst commercial of the year with his ad featuring little children chanting Alan Grayson saved our schools. Graysons shot at Republican opponent Dan Webster -- who beat Grayson on Election Day -- where he called his foe Taliban Dan also was on the list, coming in seventh.

Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham is getting out while the getting is good. According to a terse statement issued by the DCA's Public Affairs Office on Tuesday morning: "Secretary Tom Pelham of the Florida Department of Community Affairs has announced that he will be leaving the department at the end of Governor Crist's term of office. His resignation is effective at the close of business January 3, 2011."

On Tuesday, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and Mayor Vladimir Evlanov of Krasnodar, the Russian town that is Tallahassees sister city, wrote to outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, urging him to vote for the START Treaty currently before Congress.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came out swinging at the controversial new TSA search procedures and the use of full-body scanners to inspect airline passengers -- and took aim at President Barack Obama for backing them.

Gov. Charlie Crist gave Floridians one last notice about Tuesdays deadline to submit damage claims that resulted from the Gulf oil spill. With the deadline to submit a claim for Emergency Advance Payments approaching tomorrow, I encourage all individuals and business owners to quickly finalize and submit their applications, said Crist. These emergency payments can help Floridians economically hurt by this summers oil spill, as well as boost our statewide economy.