Gov. Charlie Crist's veto of a property insurance measure is earning him praise ... from Democrats. Sen. Dan Gelber, D-North Miami Beach, the former leader of the Democrats in the House and now running in a tight contest for attorney general, cheered the former Republican governor for killing the measure.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is going to hold a news conference at 11:30 a.m.in Orlando about the arrest of former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer. The charges have not been announced but Greer was under investigation due to lavish spending and financial irregularities at the RPOF during his tenure in charge. Greer is currently being held at the John. E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County and is being held without bail.

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, today hailed a $15 million grant to assist workers on the Space Coast. The grant was awarded to the Brevard Workforce Development Board to aid thousands of workers who will be laid off by the impending retirement of NASAs space shuttle program. Funds will provide career guidance assistance as well as training and continuing education. The grant was made available through the Department of Labors National Emergency Grants program. But Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, wasn't nearly so impressed.

Democrat Heather Beaven, a Navy veteran who is taking on U.S. Rep. John Mica, is touting the results of a poll her campaign commissioned from SEA. While the polls margin of error is high at 4.9 percent and shows that Micas approval of 56 percent remains fairly strong in this anti-incumbent year, the poll also reveals Beaven has an opportunity. Voters like her biography more than Micas and only 32 percent favor his re-election while 47 percent think its time for someone else.

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the leading candidate in the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate nomination, is supporting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holders plan to hold civil and criminal investigations of BP for the oil spill in the Gulf. "Launching a civil and criminal investigation of BP's role in the Deepwater Horizon tragedy is the right thing to do, said Meek.

The oil spill in the Gulf is not going away--physically or as a political issue. House Minority Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston, is going after reported comments from Jill Chamberlin, the spokeswoman for House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala. Chamberlin said that a study of offshore drilling requested by incoming Speaker Dean Cannon, cost Florida $200,000.

No-hit in a perfect game by the Phillies' Roy Halladay, the Florida Marlins are angling to make the most of it by selling unused tickets to the Saturday game. The tickets are being sold for ... full price. Among the lowest attendance teams in Major League Baseball, the Marlins have about 10,000 ducats to spare. Sports memorabilia experts doubt there will be a big demand for these after-market tickets. And at face value, the margin looks pretty thin.

In a recent Sunday edition of the New York Times Magazine, the paper posed a multiple choice question:How much should raising student test scores count in teacher evaluations? a) 35%b) 50%c) 100%d) Not at all President Barack Obama's Race to the Top program is challenging state legislators all over the country to find a way to improve education performance at public schools. Evaluating teachers and rewarding or punishing them based in part on their students' test scores was one of the points the contest would evaluate.

Talking about the Constitution can be dangerous if you work for a Florida State Attorney's Office. Prosecutor KrisAnne Hall was fired after espousing her "originalist" views at a Tea Party gathering. State Attorney Robert "Skip" Jarvis said such talk was out of bounds.

In a morning that has seen a large number of endorsements, the Associated Builders & Contractors of North Florida (ABC) announced their backing of Steve Southerland, who faces a crowded Republican primary field to take on U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd.

Heres an interesting detail I wasnt able to include in Fridays story on Gov. Charlie Crists budget decisions:

The Associated Industries of Florida PAC endorsed Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, for state CFO today and Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam to serve as commissioner of agriculture and consumer services. These candidates have a longstanding relationship with AIF and their leadership is exactly what we need as we elect a new Cabinet, said AIF President and CEO Barney Bishop. Congressman Putnam and Sen. Atwater both understand the important role business plays in creating a vibrant economy and both have consistently championed sound fiscal policies.

Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp just announced that three more state representatives have backed his campaign for the attorney general nod. The three new endorsements come from across the state--Marti Coley, R-Marianna, J.C. Palanas, R-Miami, and conservative Charles Van Zant, R-Palatka. With these newest endorsements, Kottkamp has secured the backing of 39 members of the Legislature. Kottkamp also announced that he was being backed by former Senate Majority Leader Locke Burt.

Despite having served with Republican congressional candidate Karen Diebel on the Winter Park City Commission, Margie Bridges announced today that she will be supporting one of Diebels rivals for the GOP nod. Bridges is backing Craig Miller, former CEO of Ruths Chris Steakhouse.

As promised, $66.6 million in federal funds rolled into Florida for the planned high-speed rail line linking Tampa and Orlando. The first installment of Washington's $1.25 billion grant will be used for preliminary engineering on the 84-mile project that's scheduled to be running by 2015. While state and federal officials are publicly bullish, their timeline and the projected $3.5 billion price tag may be overly optimistic, critics say.