A new hard-hitting ad attacking Rick Scott's tenure at Columbia/HCA drew heavy umbrage from the gubernatorial candidate's camp today. "It's outrageously false," said Scott's spokeswoman Jennifer Baker, who pointed out rival Bill McCollum's attempt to publicly distance himself from the TV spot. "(McCollum's) TV producer produced the ads. His media buyer is placing the ads. He is personally making calls to fund the group that's running the ads," Baker said.

As anyone who ever studied the Clinton/Gore operation in 1992 can tell you, a campaign needs to put together a rapid response team. Its even more important in 2010 with the continued expansion of cable television and internet based news organizations. Jeff Greenes team gets this. They sent out a media release earlier this morning with their candidates response to President Obamas call for BP to set up an escrow account for problems resulting from the oil spill in the Gulf.

Republican Party of Florida Chairman John Thrasher of Jacksonville kicked off his re-election bid for state Senate Tuesday in Jacksonville at a fund-raiser with 2008 -- and probable 2012 -- presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Romneys Free and Strong America PAC endorsed Thrasher on Monday.

The score 37-7 sounds like a lopsided football final, but it's actually how many sheriffs backed Adam Putnam over Scott Maddox -- though it may be more like 36-6, since one sheriff apparently wanted to hedge his bets and endorse both of them.

Frustrated with attempts to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Okaloosa County has voted to give itself the ability to do whatever is needed to protect its beaches and waters, without federal or state approval or approval from British Petroleum. This means the county will need to rely mostly on its own money and is leaving itself open to litigation from federal or state authorities.

Sunshine State News will be live-blogging President Barack Obama's Oval Office speech Tuesday night, starting at 8 p.m. All eyes will be on the president, as he outlines his administration's new response to the Deepwater Horizon spill in a rare televised address to the nation from his office.

Democratic congressional candidate Heather Beavens challenge to veteran U.S. Rep. John Mica is starting to gain some national attention. Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is now backing Beaven, arguing that Mica is vulnerable.

This is an interesting tactic to get visitors to a political Web site. State CFO Alex Sink is using the Web site for her gubernatorial campaign to send messages to her fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama, about the Gulf Coast. It's not every day you have the president's ear, wrote Sink in an e-mail to her supporters. But tomorrow I will be with President Obama as he tours Florida's Gulf Coast, and sees for the first time how BP's oil leak is impacting Floridians.

Is your business going green? The state agency that tracks work force statistics wants to know. The Agency for Work Force Innovation is completing the first statewide registry of green jobs, and is sending surveys to 60,000 businesses to find out how many green jobs are being created.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scotts campaign struck back against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney backing Attorney General Bill McCollum, Scotts chief rival for the Republican nomination. While McCollum supporters say the Romney endorsement shows that conservatives can back the attorney general, the Scott team said it was a matter of one political insider backing another.

Peter Allen, who pulled out of the gubernatorial race on Thursday, is back in the race. The founder of the Independence Party said this morning that he had decided to run. He filled out his paperwork and sent it off to Tallahassee. Allen, a small-business owner, founded the Independence Party as an alternative to the two major parties. While the Independence Party of Minnesota, best known for backing Jesse Ventura, helped with some of the paperwork at the founding, the Independence Party of Florida is not affiliated with any national parties.

Attorney General Bill McCollums campaign for governor just won the backing of one of the most prominent Republican leaders in the nation -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. With McCollum facing a challenge on the right from health care executive Rick Scott, Romneys endorsement comes at a moment when the attorney general needs a boost. One poll last week showed him losing to Scott by 13 points.

Me, first! Me, first! cries Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. As soon as the media reported that President Barack Obama was about to ask BP to establish an escrow account for Deepwater Horizon claims, here comes McCollum with a press release announcing he had thought of it a week before the president. "I called for (that) last week," McCollum said. ..."'All right already, Bill. Lots of people said the same thing a week ago. For pity's sake, find something else to bolster your sagging campaign.

The perpetually left-leaning towers of Florida journalism are falling all over themselves excoriating the evils of money in state politics. Sunday's Palm Beach Post and St. Petersburg Times carried commentaries that collectively flailed their new, favorite whipping boys -- GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott and Democratic Senate hopeful Jeff Greene. What exactly is the "problem" with Messrs. Scott and Greene? These guys are billionaires, they're spending their own money to run for office, and they're surging in the public opinion polls. How awful.

A good end for what has been a rough week for Attorney General Bill McCollum as the Florida State Firefighters Association endorsed his gubernatorial campaign. McCollums status as Republican front-runner in the race was upended when a poll came out showing his chief rival, health care executive Rick Scott, was ahead by 13 points. McCollums lawsuit against the federal government over new health care laws backed by President Barack Obama suffered a blow when Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a measure, HB 1143, on abortion matters.