From his perch on the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., cheered the passage of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s, R-Fla., Veterans ID Card Act. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed the “United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015” which expedites aid to Jordan as the U.S. looks to help that Middle East nation against Islamic State (IS) terrorism.

All Aboard Florida (AAF) will be working with Archer Western focusing on the Orlando International Airport, part of its efforts to build high speed connecting Orlando to Miami. On Wednesday, AAF announced the agreement which will created 75 new jobs and “hundreds of additional opportunities for subcontractors and suppliers” Archer Western is already responsible for working on the AAF line between West Palm Beach and Miami. 

The Florida Department of Education will name the Macy's/Florida Department of Education 2016 Teacher of the Year Thursday in Orlando. 

Gov. Rick Scott announced on Monday that United Technologies will expand in Palm Beach County, creating 380 new jobs and investing $115 million in the area. 

Mike Elfenbein makes a good point on the questionable Florida panther numbers Florida records. Elfenbein, 38, a Charlotte County hunter who has studied the panthers at length and supports taking the animal off the endangered species list, sent Sunshine State News the photo on this page. It was taken on private land in Lee County.

Teacher Sean Ashby is making another effort to win a Florida House seat. Ashby announced on Thursday that he will run for the seat currently held by state Rep. Tom Goodson, R-Titusville, which represents parts of Orange and Brevard counties. Goodson is gunning for the seat currently held by term-limited House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, and Rep. Rene “Coach P” Plasencia, R-Orlando, who currently represents just Orange County, will run for the seat Goodson is giving up. 

On Thursday, BP announced a settlement with the federal government and states impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf in 2010. Gov. Rick Scott announced on Thursday that Florida will receive at least $3.25 billion, including $2 billion for economic damages and $680 million for natural resource damages. Florida is set to receive at least $572 million from the RESTORE Act with another $250 million headed to entities in the Sunshine State. 

With the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine and the establishment of Catholicism in the United States being celebrated this summer, the Diocese of St. Augustine announced on Wednesday that, after talks with the Vatican and Italy, a relic of Augustine of Hippo, the theologian the city was named after, will be featured on the First Coast. 

Five restaurants in Florida made Wine Enthusiast’s top 100 wine restaurants in the nation.  

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined a host of conservative senators, including two rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, in writing Fred Hochberg, the chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank, about plans for an “orderly liquidation” of the Export-Import Bank. Other senators who signed on to the letter were Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas,  Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and  Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Cruz and Paul, like Rubio, are running for their party’s presidential nomination in 2016.

Hillary Clinton is taking notes from her former boss President Barack Obama as she makes moves in her presidential campaign, using social media to soften her image to appeal to younger voters.

President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday the full normalization of relations with Cuba including opening an embassy in Havana on July 20. 

U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, brought out a resolution condemning Syrian strongman Bashar Hafez al-Assad for using chemical weapons on the Syrian people. The resolution has the support of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North African Subcommittee. 

Government affairs firm Ballard Partners announced Wednesday the addition of Brady J. Benford as a partner in its Tallahassee office.