House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, announced on Monday that he was naming Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, to the Florida Commission on Tourism, the public/private partnership that works to boost the states tourist economy through Visit Florida.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.3729, the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, and a space group urged the House to follow suit before Oct. 1. With the new fiscal year about to begin, space industry businesses and individual space workers cant afford more months of ongoing uncertainty -- they need to know what future to plan for," Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Bretton Alexandersaid.

Religious conservative leaders are springing to the defense of former House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, the Republican candidate challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. Fresh from running an ad accusing Webster of dodging military service, the Grayson camp launched an ad comparing Webster to the Taliban -- even labeling the former speaker, who has a roomnamed after him in the Capitol, "Taliban Dan."

Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, has introduced legislation to establish a House committee with the sole purpose of reviewing federal regulations that trample on businesses and kill jobs. House Resolution 1649 would target regulations thatforce businesses and local governments to pick up the costs of regulatory red tape. In the last 14 years, 53,000 rules have been issued by federal bureaucrats and thus far only one has been blocked by Congress, Posey said. Federal regulatory mandates cost the average small business about $7,647 per employee."

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson's jihadi-toned TV ad against Dan Webster -- using a Webster voice-over that repeats "Submit to me" to cast aspersions on the former GOP state senator's conservative social views -- drew rebukes today.

Add another name to the growing list of possible Republican presidential candidates in 2012 -- former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain, one of the leading African-American conservatives in the nation. Cain pops up on Fox News on occasion and ran in the Republican primary in the U.S. Senate election in Georgia back in 2004. Cain placed a distant second in the primary behind Johnny Isakson who went on to win the seat.

Former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi, the Republican nominee for attorney general, focused on fraud on Monday -- maintaining that she is ready to handle Medicaid fraud and mortgage fraud matters.

Rachel Maddow? What's a Rachel Maddow? Sorry, MSNBC, apparently not many folks could pick your liberal show-host out of an anchor chair, let alone a crowd.

Amy Walter blogged today on abc.com that Charlie Crist is fading in the U.S. Senate race. Pounding another nail in the guv's political coffin, Walter cited recent polling that shows Republican Marco Rubio holding a substantial lead in the three-way contest. We could say, "We told you so." A Sunshine State News Poll three weeks ago was the first to show Rubio with a double-digit edge.

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, the Republican nominee in the race for agriculture and consumer services commissioner, was named a Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and a Tax Fighter by the National Tax Limitation Committee (NTLC).

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate race, unveiled his first commercial in Spanish on Monday. Not mentioning either of his major opponents -- Gov. Charlie Crist who is running without party affiliation and Democratic nominee U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek -- Rubio focuses on the story of his family in the new ad. When translated the commercial reads as follows:

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, came out swinging on Monday against efforts in Congress to relax the ban of American tourists visiting Cuba.

The Florida chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) endorsed Republican nominee Pam Bondi for attorney general on Monday morning, citing her commitment to continue a challenge launched by Attorney General Bill McCollum against new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama.

Health-care legislation and a continued sluggish economy are contributing to President Barack Obama's diminishing approval levels. In a new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll, 44 percent said they will vote to oust the president in 2012, and 13 percent said they will consider voting for someone else.

Lawyers will be back in court Tuesday to seek more fees for handling the crumbled financial empire of Fort Lauderdale Ponzi king Scott Rothstein. Trustee's attorney Paul Singerman told the Daily Business Review that professional fees so far total $1.7 million, and that ongoing operational costs are running about $20,000 a month. The court-appointed bankruptcy trustee for Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler has $13.4 million, the Business Review reported.