The Chiefs for Quality Law Enforcement, a committee of continuous existence affiliated with the Florida Police Chiefs, backed Pam Bondi, the Republican candidate for attorney general, over Democratic rival Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach -- the first time the group ever made an endorsement for that Cabinet position.

Early on Wednesday, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, Inc. (ABC), representing more than 2,500 companies with more than 200,000 employees across the Sunshine State, announced they were backing Republican candidate Rick Scott in the gubernatorial race.

While her daughter Bristol survived the first week of Dancing With the Stars, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continued to lay the groundwork for a possible bid at the Republican presidential nomination. Her leadership group SarahPAC launched a new video that is increasing the buzz that Palin intends to aim for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. The video presents Palin as the natural candidate for the tea parties to back.

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate election, expressed his disappointment on Tuesday to 43 senators -- 41 Republicans and two Democrats -- mounting a succesful filibuster to a defense appropriations bill which contained amendments to repeal the dont ask, dont tell policy on gays serving in the armed forces and the DREAM act. Meek also took the opportunity to take a shot at Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running in the race without party affiliation, as well as U.S. Sen.

While U.S. Sen. George LeMieux is leaving Washington in a few months, the Sunshine State Republican continues to make more of an impression in the Capitol than most appointed senators. Opposed to Democrats adding the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors act (DREAM act) to a defense appropriations bill and another attempt to change the militarys dont ask, dont tell on gays being allowed to serve, LeMieux came out swinging on Tuesday, arguing that the measure needed to be stripped of any provisions that had nothing to do with military matters.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who moved to Florida earlier in the year after making a spirited bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, has been active in helping politicians in the Sunshine State -- and on Tuesday, he unleashed action-movie legend and longtime backer Chuck Norris to raise money for HuckPAC, his leadership group. Norris was a vocal backer of Huckabees presidential campaign in 2008, and looks ready to help out if the former Arkansas governor makes another bid for the Republican nod in 2012.

The Florida Professional Firefighters, backed by the International Association of Firefighters and the AFL-CIO, endorsed Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, over Republican nominee Pam Bondi.

With the terms of Nancy Argenzenio and Nathan Skop ending on the Public Service Commission, Gov. Charlie Crist announced his choices to replace them -- West Palm Beach Assistant City Administrator Eduardo Balbis and Tampa-based attorney and Realtor Julie Brown. An environmental engineer by training, Balbis also served on the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council -- experience that Crist said would help him on the PSC.

Florida Libertarian Party Chairman J.J. McCurry has stepped down for personal reasons and Vice Chairman Vicki Kirkland has taken the helm of the state's fifth largest political party.* Though McCurry has taken heat from various factions of the highly fractious party this campaign season, U.S. Senate candidate Alex Snitker said there was no coup d'etat at Libertarian headquarters. Kirkland confirmed that account and said she expects to hold the chairmanship until May, when the party's annual convention elects new officers.

On a busy Tuesday, with television ads being released across Florida, Rick Scotts campaign team released a new commercial looking to humanize the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Esther Scott, the candidates mother, attempted to offer a bit of insight into her son -- and (shades of Jeff Greene?) even portray his successful career in business as a rags to riches Horatio Alger story.

A group called Citizen2Citizen, partnering with the Central Florida Tea Party Council, is campaigning against state Supreme Court Justices Jorge Labarga and James Perry this fall. Labarga and Perry, who are up for retention votes Nov. 2, were among the justices who threw Amendment 9 (the Health Care Freedom Amendment) off the ballot. In a news release, the "Restore Justice" campaign stated:

The Rick Scott for Governor campaign launched a creative new adshowing Alex Sink backing higher taxes in almost every aspect of Floridians' lives. But Sink, while only briefly attacking Scott for not understanding the issues, focuses most of her ad on her platform policies.

In an ad launched Monday Congressman Ron Klein paints his opponent Allen West as a right-wing extremist. West's new ad criticizes the incumbent for failed policies and extreme support of Nancy Pelosi and union bosses. The two are fighting to represent Florida's 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from Fort Lauderdale to Jupiter.

A month after losing to Rick Scott in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Attorney General Bill McCollum released a letter late on Monday that he sent to Ken Feinberg, the Beltway attorney handling the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund. McCollum reviewed a meeting that he held with Feinberg on Wednesday and offered his take on what had occurred -- and the attorney generals attempts to ensure a more prompt and responsive claims process.