Looks like a national conservative organization is gearing up for political battles here in Florida. Apryl Marie Fogel, the state director for Americans for Prosperity, send out an e-mail announcing the chapter kick-off rally which is being held in Orlando on Saturday and she is coming out swinging on certain issues.

The New York Times has just reported that BP has agreed to escrow $20 billion to pay claims over the next several years against its disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the newspaper the claims program will be overseen by Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who ran the compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. President Obama met with oil executives in the White House on Wednesday.

CNNMoney.com has an interesting story up about the fastest growing counties in America over the last decade -- and a county in Florida places on the list. The population of Flagler County, nestled in on the First Coast, along Interstate 95, grew 84 percent from 2000 to 2010. The county, with Jacksonville and St. Augustine to the north and Daytona Beach to the south, includes Palm Coast, Bunnell and Marineland.

Former Ruth's Chris CEO Craig Miller, running in a close Republican primary to take on U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, won a big endorsement from conservative former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon who represented Florida for over a decade. "Craig Miller is a lot like me; he is not a career politician, but a conservative 'citizen lawmaker' like our nation's founders had in mind," said Weldon. "He can protect our Constitution from the liberals now in the majority who seem to be ignoring its precepts, if not subverting its intent.I know that he will stand up for families and the unborn.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate election in Florida, offered his take on President Barack Obamas speech to the nation last night. While critical of the president, Rubio is not blasting Obama the way that some Florida Republicans, such as U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, are.

Reactions are coming in on President Barack Obamas speech on the oil spill in the Gulf and, not surprisingly, they are echoing party lines. Two congressmen from Florida provide an excellent example. The American people, and especially those living along the Gulf Coast, are extremely frustrated with the lack of urgency by the Obama administration to respond to this disaster, said U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, a Republican. So am I.

President Barack Obama announced he is appointing Michael Bromwich, formerly of the U.S. Justice Department, as head of the Minerals Management Agency, which he criticized for favoring deregulation of oil-drilling operations. Americans need to work together to develop and advance renewable energy and seek a move away from fossil fuels, he said, and he has worked since his presidential campaign to promote clean energy. It's a transition he acknowledges as costly. "There are some who believe we can't afford this right now," he said. "I say we can't afford not to change."

President Barack Obama wants British Petroleum to set up a fund to repay the fishermen, shopkeepers, hotels and others impacted by the spill and put it in the hands of a third party to manage. He said he will go to the BP chairman to demand it tomorrow. His administration had been dropping hints about this earlier today, but this is his official confirmation, and a direct response to criticism of the federal response to the spill not being strong enough.

Fresh from a trip to northwest Florida and other Gulf Coast areas, President Barack Obama is starting his historic Oval Office speech by telling us what we already know: A way of life is in peril; his trip has given him an understanding of the Gulf Coast, trying to cap the spill has tested the limits of human technology. Then, a promise ... "We will fight the spill with everthing we've got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay." He also said he has authorized 17,000 National Guardsmen and has 30,000 federal workers in the Gulf.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill may be worse than expected. Tuesday, scientists raised their estimate of daily leakage from 1.47 million to 2.42 million gallons a day, the Associated Press reports. Previous estimates had it at 2.1 million gallons daily. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Busy day for Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Besides kicking off his campaign for re-election in Jacksonville at a fund-raiser with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Thrasher was also named Most Valuable Legislator by the Florida Chamber of Commerce -- but he also drew a major Democratic opponent.

Rothenberg Political Report updated its predictions for the U.S. Senate battles coming up in November. Republicans are seen making gains across the nation but not picking up enough seats to take control from the Democrats. The report has the U.S. Senate election in Florida as Toss-Up/Tilt Republican, giving GOP candidate Marco Rubio the slightest of edges over independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

President Barack Obamas idea to establish a fund to compensate people who are economically hurt by the oil spill in the Gulf is being supported by one of Floridas leading Democrats. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has become our nations worst environmental disaster and the economic impact brewing in our state deepens as the oil reaches our shores, said Sen. Dan Gelber, D-North Miami, who is locked in a tight battle with Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, for the Democratic attorney general nomination.

Big campaign donations may have the potential to influence political agendas andcorporate cooperation, but most voters feel the potential for corruption is worse with media bias. A Rasmussen report released Tuesday showed 55 percent of voters think media bias is a bigger problem today than big campaign contributions.

On Monday, Bill McCollum claimed to be the first to call for a BP escrow fund (though that was quickly disputed by state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who said he floated the idea previously). Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., called for BP American President Lamar McKay to quit. "It's really outrageous that you sit here and tell us that you're going to punt to the unified command when we have 11 people killed, we've had huge environmental damage, and you're still sitting here as a CEO of BP," Stearns said at a congressional hearing.