Amendment 7, pushed to the November ballot by Sen. Mike Haridopolos and others among the state Republican leadership, will no longer be up for a vote in November, a Tallahassee judge has ruled. The amendment had been crafted to balance out -- or oppose -- Amendments 5 and 6, which dealt with gerrymandering districts. Haridopolos says it was important to make sure minority rights were protected in the redistricting process.

While more than a few members of the Legislature have urged Gov. Charlie Crist to call for a special session to deal with the oil spill in the Gulf, Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, has added a twist to his call for one -- make BP fund the session. I understand that calling a special session has financial obligations that this state may otherwise use for other budgetary items, wrote Taylor to Crist. To not burden our taxpayers, I suggest that we call on BP to pay for the expenses associated with calling a special session.

Rasmussen Reports released a poll on Thursday morning showing the U.S. Senate battle remains up for grabs between independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the likely Republican nominee.

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek announced on Thursday morning that his campaign for the U.S. Senate had raised more than $1 million from more than 7,000 supporters in the second quarter of 2010. Meek's camp is arguing that the fact that 85 percent of the donors gave $100 or less shows there is widespread support for its candidate.

Free agent Chris Bosh signing with -- and Dwyane Wade returning to -- the Miami Heat, not to mention the large possibility that LeBron James could be heading to South Beach, has brought attention to one of Floridas greatest economic strengths: there is no state income tax. An AP article pointed out: Trendy spots, great weather and no state income tax make Miami a favorite of many NBA players.

John E. Manning of Cape Coral really is Gov. Charlie Crist's first choice to fill the vacant seat on the Lee County Commission. Honest he is. The governor's FIRST choice. Isn't that right, Charlie (wink, wink)? On Wednesday Crist appointed Manning to fill the vacancy created by the death of Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes four months ago. He had absolutely, positively no idea who he was going to appoint before he interviewed applicants for the position a few weeks ago. Isn't that right, Charlie Crist (wink, wink)?

A new Citigroup report is giving readers a peek at how home builders on the Gulf of Mexico coastline could be affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The report covers all Gulf Coast states, but it breaks down special statistics for the Tampa Bay/Sarasota region.

While both health care executive Rick Scott and Attorney General Bill McCollum, the two leading Republican gubernatorial candidates, have blasted the Obama administrations handling of immigration, the Scott camp does not think much of McCollums position on the issue.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has given final approval to Florida's gambling compact with the Seminole tribe. That means the Indian casinos can start dealing blackjack and other banked card games such as baccarat. The tribe also won exclusive rights to Vegas-style slot machines except in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where voters already approved slots.

The Rick Scott gubernatorial campaign continued to fire away at Attorney General Bill McCollum, its chief rival in the Republican primary, and GOP leadership in Tallahassee. On Wednesday, Joe Kildea, a spokesman for Scott, blasted McCollum over the continued criminal investigation of former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer.

With Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele continuing to reel from gaffes, national pundits are increasingly speculating that he needs to be replaced ASAP -- and some are hinting that former Gov. Jeb Bush should take his place. Over at Politics Daily, Lynn Sweet speculated that Steele needs to be replaced by a big-name Republican and Jeb Bush certainly is that.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio is following up on Chris Matthews comments on the Tuesday edition of the Morning Joe television show when the pundit speculated that independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist would caucus with the Democrats if elected in November. Rubio, running for the Senate seat as a Republican, launched a Web video on Wednesday bringing Florida voters' attention to Crist not revealing which party he would caucus with if elected.

Having already endorsed Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor earlier in the year, former two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes came out swinging at health care executive Rick Scott --McCollums chief rival for the Republican gubernatorial nomination --on Wednesday in the pages of the Tampa Tribune.

With U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder unleashing a lawsuit on Arizona for its new immigration laws, at least one Florida Democrat is standing with the Obama administration -- U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek who is running for the U.S. Senate. "I strongly oppose the recent immigration law in Arizona and will fight attempts to implement similar laws in Florida, said Meek. We need comprehensive immigration reform, not philosophy driven policies and patchwork solutions. The Department of Justice did the right thing in fighting this law.

Trailing behind health care executive Rick Scott in the polls, Attorney General Bill McCollum unveiled a Web video attacking his chief rival for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.