From his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to keep Cuba listed as a state sponsor of terror even as the Obama administration tries to normalize relations with that nation. Rubio wrote Kerry on Thursday and made his case.

The team behind former Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chairman Lenny Currys effort to defeat incumbent Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown weighed in on the University of North Florida (UNF) poll released on Thursday and they are pleased with the results. Tim Baker from Data Targeting Research, a general consultant to the Curry campaign, penned a memo on Thursday in which he looked at the results:

Groups opposing high-stakes testing and the Common Core State Standards will be hitting Florida's Capitol Thursday morning to promote two bills which would limit testing and expand options for education standards in the Sunshine State.

Achtung, you folks in Gov. Rick Scott's office: Quite a story just in from the Virgin Islands. Acting Attorney General Terri Griffiths told executives of The Virgin Islands Daily News on Thursday morning that she will prosecute the newspaper on criminal charges because of its telephone calls to obtain comment and information from her.

Running for the Florida Senate seat currently held by Sen. Charles Dean, R-Inverness, in 2016, Rep.Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, made his case to conservatives on Tuesday at the start of the new legislative session. While some laws are good and necessary, many are not, Baxley noted on Tuesday. Thousands of bills are filed every year and only a small percentage are actually passed. I believe this is a good thing! My goal in Tallahassee is not to pass more legislation to regulate your lives, but to kill bills!

U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., rallied his supporters behind Israel on Tuesday, praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address to Congress and warning about the dangers of a nuclear Iran.

The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) launched the Florida Mineral Rights Working Group as they look to further energy exploration across the Sunshine State.

A bill to protect racing greyhounds became the first bill to pass the Florida Senate during this year's legislative session on Tuesday. The bill, titled theVictoria Q. Gaetz 22 Racing Greyhound Protection Act"would require racetrack owners to report greyhound injuries to the state via a signed form within seven days of when the injury occurs. The form would be required to be completed and signed under oath.

Americans for Prosperitys (AFP) Florida chapter announced its Five for Florida legislative agenda on Monday, backing Gov. Rick Scotts $670 million tax cut proposal while continuing to oppose public dollars being used for luring movie projects to the Sunshine State or to be spent on sports complexes.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., took to the House floor on Monday to insist the Obama administration deter Irans nuclear ambitions. Ross traced over recent history from the Iranian hostage crisis to the 1983 Beirut bombing which killed more than 300 Marines and insisted the Islamic extremists running Iran cannot be trusted.

Testing for the writing portion of the Florida Standards Assessment resumed on Tuesday after a tumultuous first day of testing left many students unable to log in or complete the test. Complaints of a lagging computer system arose Monday, forcing some districts to reschedule the test. Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart said Monday the Florida Department of Education would be working to resolve the technical issues. On Tuesday morning, Stewart told district superintendents the issues had been resolved and testing could resume.

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., came out swinging at the Obama administrations efforts to crack down on green tip ammunition. Rooney brought out his Protecting Second Amendment Rights Act on Friday. The bill would ensure the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and other federal agencies wont be able to ban the manufacturing and sale of 5.56 mm/.223 caliber M855 green tip ammo which are commonly used in hunting. The ATF recently proposed to stop the manufacturing and sale of that kind of ammunition.

This photo showing Florida at night was taken by the NASA Expedition 41 crew and today it's splashed all over social media. Check out below the Everglades -- almost light-pollution free.

On Wednesday, Floridas two U.S. senators -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio -- joined together with eight other senators to introduce a bill updating the U.S. State Departments Rewards for Justice Program offering up to $5 million for information on the murder of four Americans by Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order Tuesday to suspend a standardized test for Florida's 11th-graders, prompting state lawmakers to weigh in on the elimination of the Florida Standards Assessment English-language arts assessment. The test was supposed to be given this spring. "Governor Scott's executive order shows that he values feedback from Florida's teachers and parents and will take action necessary to ensure students are prepared for success," said State Board of Education Chair Gary Chartrand.