Pleading ignorance, Gov. Charlie Crist says he knew nothing about women for hire on an island junket he attended. The "see-no-evil" governor may not be oriented or interested in such affairs, but investigators perked up when former RPOF operative Beth Kigel related her tawdry tale as part of the Jim Greer, ahem, probe. Kigel said she had heard about a 2008 party-sponsored men-only trip to the Bahamas and that "women were involved and paid."

Vince Champion, president of the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association, endorsed former Ruth's Chris CEO and Republican congressional candidate Craig Miller to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, announced on Friday afternoon that the Senates Select Committee on the Economy will meet on July 12 in Pensacola to examine the impact of the oil spill on the economy. Gaetz also announced that he was asking Gov. Charlie Crist for a schedule of when funds received from BP will be used to combat the oil spill.

World Cup fever has hit the U.S. Senate and both Floridas senators have caught it. A bipartisan group of senators has sent off a letter to FIFA pushing for America to host the soccer tournament in either 2018 or 2022. Both Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican George LeMieux signed the letter, along with more than 20 other members of the Senate. The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup was 1994. No comment from either Nelson or LeMieux on the Netherlands upsetting Brazil on Friday morning.

The dean of Floridas congressional delegation, Republican U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, proposed the SAFEGUARDS Act (Secure All Facilities to Effectively Guard the United States Against and Respond to Dangerous Spills) in Congress to avoid future disasters resulting from oil spills.

While it appears increasingly likely that Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Barack Obama, appears headed for confirmation, Beltway insiders are now speculating how many Republicans will back the nomination. One of the Republicans on the fence is U.S. Sen. George LeMieux from Florida.

Having won the backing of Florida Right-to-Life PAC on Thursday over two rivals in the Republican primary to be Floridas next attorney general, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp stressed his conservative credentials on abortion on Friday morning.

Big boost for Republican candidate Doug Broxson who is running for the House seat that Rep. Greg Evers, R-Baker, is vacating to run for the Senate. Broxson won the backing of the Associated Builders & Contractors of Florida, a group that represents more than 2,500 businesses employing more than 200,000 Floridians. "ABC stands for free enterprise, lower taxes and fiscal responsibility, and Doug Broxson shares our philosophy," said ABC of Florida Chairman Gary Stout. "We look forward to doing all we can to elect Doug Broxson in House District 1.

The Florida Democratic Party fired away at the Republicans on Thursday afternoon. Going through the documents on the criminal case against former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, Democratic spokesman Eric Jotkoff blasted the GOP leadership in Tallahassee.

U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Tom Rooney, both R-Fla., want to eliminate financial-liability caps on oil companies responsible for offshore spills. By eliminating the cap on financial liability for oil companies responsible for spills, this bill requires companies like BP to pay the full cost of offshore oil spills," said Rooney, R-Tequesta. "Taxpayers should not pay one dime of the costs associated with the Deep Horizon spill.BP must bear the full costs of stopping the leak, cleaning up the spill and compensating the victims.

With health care executive Rick Scott ahead of him in the polls for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Attorney General Bill McCollum came roaring out on Thursday on immigration, taking shots at President Barack Obamas plans for immigration reform.

Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, 48, entered a not-guilty plea Thursday to six felony counts of money laundering, fraud and theft -- all involving contributions sent to the party. Greer, appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, worked for the RPOF from January 2007 until early this year. An Orange County Circuit Court judge set his trial for Oct. 18. Neither he nor his attorneys appeared in court.

NASA today announced that it would extend the Space Shuttle program until "at least" February 2011. That's welcome news to Florida's Space Coast, which has been bracing for the loss of up to 15,000 direct and indirect jobs with the shuttle's retirement. Initial plans called for the program to end in September. U.S. Rep.Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, hailed the decision as a "welcome development," but added:

Independent gubernatorial candidate Bud Chiles is up in arms about two members being knocked off the Florida PSC and is calling for a grand jury to look into the matter. Never in Floridas history have special interests so actively and effectively subverted the will of the people," said Chiles. The message to new commissioners is clear: side with consumers and well have you removed. The people have a right to understand how this travesty happened.

Mired in third place in the polls behind independent Gov. Charlie Crist and GOP candidate Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, one of their Democratic rivals in the race for the U.S. Senate, hopes to link his two foes to the continuing legal problems surrounding the Republican Party of Florida.