Gov. Charlie Crist just finished a speech to the AFL-CIO and the crowd adored him. Unlike Congressman Kendrick Meek, the leading Democrat in the race for the U.S. Senate, who recieved tepid applause when he was mentioned by Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, Crist got enthusiastic backing from the rank and file. When Crist left, the meeting came to a screeching halt since a large number of the attendees, especially members of teacher unions thankful for his veto of SB 6, crowded around the governor.

Today's reported drop in Florida's unemployment rate from 12.3 percent to 12 percent is better news than a seemingly minor drop of 0.3 percent might indicate. Nearly 16,000 more people found work than lost work in the month of April. That's the first time that's happened since February of 2006. And for anyone who's keeping track, it's the first time since Gov. Charlie Crist took office in 2007 that the numbers didn't get worse. Unfortunately, according to an AP report, brightening hopes may be tinged with a brown oil sheen come next month.

Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, told the AFL-CIO that Congressman Kendrick Meek would be speaking tomorrow. Hes on his way, said Hill. Floridas newest senator is on his way. While there was some scattered applause, most of the labor leaders sat in silence. This cant be a good sign for Meek as he competes with independent Gov. Charlie Crist for the AFL-CIO endorsement for the U.S. Senate election.

While its not getting the attention that the AFL-CIO Endorsing Convention, the Florida Educational Association is also meeting and offering endorsements. They just backed Democratic CFO candidate Loranne Ausley who made opposition to SB 6 one of the cornerstone issues of her campaign.

With so many races and so many amendments on the ballot, how does a candidate for a state legislative seat get some attention? For Matthew Tisdol, who is in a crowded Democratic primary to take the seat that Rep. Yolly Roberson is vacating, the answer is simple. As he made the rounds at the AFL-CIO convention in Jacksonville today, Tisdol said that a lot of voters were stunned that someone so young-hes only 26 and looks younger-is running for office and can talk about policy.

The Florida AFL-CIO are meeting this weekend in Jacksonville on the south side of the St. Johns. Incoming Democratic House Leader Ron Saunders, D-Key West, is already here and is with Steve Barnes who hopes to join the House Dems. Barnes, from Seminole County, is taking on Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Lake Mary Dorworth is already on the fast track for leadership, even being pegged as a future House Speaker. The biggest issue is the economy, said Barnes. We have to do more to diversify the economy.

Today the Republican Party of Florida released the latest edition to their campaigns, a webpage extolling Adam Putnam's virtues as a Sportsman. Putnam, a Republican U.S. Representative, is running for the Agriculture Commissioner in a tight race against former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox, a Democrat. The site talks about Putnam's own love of hunting and fishing in Florida and comes complete with a "Brag Board," a place for fellow sportsmen to upload photos of their own trophies and adventures.

The Department of Environmental protection appears to be a little concerned that Florida residents and visitors may do more harm than good when it comes to fighting the BP oil spill. Today they released a statement with tips for Homeowners, businesses and consumers. Most of them deal with placing booms and encourage coordination with the DEP, or not getting involved at all. But there are tips for those venturing out on their own with more creative methods. From the Tip Sheet:

The latest membership numbers from the National Education Association show 3,269,523 members as of Dec. 31, 2009 -- up 14,785 from the previous year. The statistics conflict with an earlier report, which showed a decline of almost 37,000. In that earlier report, Florida Education Association membership declined 3.5 percent to 125,033. But Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the FEA, says figures this year are up.

You might want to crack open a bottle of celebratory wine for this, readers. If you can afford it. The state's unemployment rate for April was 12 percent, .3 percent lower than March's rate of 12.3 percent, according to statistics released less than an hour ago from the Agency for Workforce Innovation. This is the first time state unemployment has declined in four years. The state registered 7,196, 600 jobs by the end of April, but job loss continued to outnumber growth, as it has for awhile.

The U.S. House this week unanimously passed a resolution honoring surfer Kelly Slater for winning the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Bell Championship. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, who represents Slater's hometown of Cocoa Beach, offered House Resolution 792 in recognition of the surfer's lifetime achievements. Slater has worked hard to master a sport that so many have tried but so few have actually been able to conquer, Posey said.

While BP has promised to spend $25 million in ads to lure tourists perhaps put off by the oil spill back to Florida, Congressman Kendrick Meek, the frontrunner for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, said it was not enough and sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayworth asking for another $75 million in ads.

Interesting developments in the 7th Congressional district, where incumbent Republican Congressman John Mica is facing a challenge from Democrat Heather Beaven. From his perch on the the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mica said in a hearing on Wednesday that the Obama administration is to blame for oil spill in the Gulf. Mica said the administration had no plan for a spill and should have pushed for more regulation. Mica even labeled it the Obama oil spill.

A legal challenge to Florida's Seminole gaming compact may have crapped out. The Andrew Jackson Institute, an anti-Indian-casino group that vowed to sue over the tribal agreement with the state, announced it was backing off. The group informed Sunshine State News: "Our attorney advised us that although the suit challenging the blackjack portion of the compact has merit -- and the compact is structured in such a way that if any provision is voided it is all voided --the institute faces a standing issue.

With oil now caught in the loop current, Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, is calling for Gov. Charlie Crist to add Miami-Dade County to the counties that will be impacted by the oil spill in the Gulf. It is just a matter of time until the oil spill in the Gulf makes it to the shores in Miami-Dade, said Lopez-Cantera. We need to begin planning ahead so we can minimize the spills impact on our region. This could be an economic and environmental tragedy if we dont have the resources available to deal with this crisis.