The State Board of Administration (SBA) of Florida announced on Tuesday that investments in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan increased 17.4 percent during the second half of 2013 and the first half of 2014. The SBA had been targeting an increase of 17 percent.

On June 30, the FRS contained investments totaling $149.1 billion in market value, an increase of $16.7 billion from a year before.

Ash Williams, the SBAs executive director and chief investment officer, said the gains were the result of prudence, patience, and diversification.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet issued a resolution indicating Floridas support for Israel during the current crisis in the Middle East. The resolution reads as follows:

WHEREAS, Israel remains a force of freedom and democracy in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, Florida continues to foster a strong relationship with Israel and is home to one of the largest Jewish populations outside of Israel; and

WHEREAS, Israel is a steadfast ally of the United States; and

A poll released by Rasmussen Reports on Tuesday leaves little room for doubt that Americans view clinical depression as a major burden for those diagnosed with it.

Adrian Wyllie, the Libertarian candidate challenging Gov. Rick Scott, announced on Tuesday that he had been invited to a debate being held by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association at Broward College on Oct. 15.

We are pleased that Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association has extended this invitation to us, and have acknowledged that there is a viable third option in this race, said Wyllie. I gladly accept their invitation without preconditions.

Gov. Rick Scott said on Tuesday that tourism was continuing to set records across the Sunshine State. According to Visit Florida, 24 million tourists visited Florida in the second quarter of 2014, a 3 percent increase from last year and a record high.

Tourism jobs are also growing with more than 1.15 million Floridians employed in the industry, an increase of 43,600 from the same period last year.

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., issued a warning on Monday on the rise of Islamist terrorism in northern Iraq. In an op-ed over at National Review published Monday, Rubio supported President Barack Obamas efforts to provide humanitarian relief in the region and backed airstrikes:

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., joined with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Monday to showcase his proposal to ensure the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps will not expand their jurisdiction over bodies of wanter managed by states or in conjuction with them. Southerland's proposal would also force the federal government to talk with state and local governments as to which waters should be regulated at the federal level.

A poll from the Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI) unveiled on Monday shows Gov. Rick Scott has taken the lead over former Gov. Charlie Crist. Despite having spent most of his political life as a Republican, Crist is the favorite to win the Democratic primary next week.

Scott takes 44 percent in the poll of likely voters while Crist garners 41 percent. Scotts lead expands when Libertarian Adrian Wyllie is added into the mix. In that scenario, Scott takes 41 percent, Crist gets 35 percent and Wyllie takes 4 percent.

Three members of the Florida Cabinet -- Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and CFO Jeff Atwater -- will be taking the ice bucket challenge to help raise funds to combat ALS. In recent weeks, the ALS Association has raised more than $13 million, in part due to viral videos of people dumping buckets of ice water on their head, then challenging others to do the same.

The Florida Cabinet members will be taking the challenge on Tuesday at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee to help the Florida chapter of the ALS Association.

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott said 2,100 new private-sector jobs were created in July. The unemployment rate stayed at 6.2 percent, the same as June.

Scott noted on Friday that more than 620,000 jobs had been created in the private sector since he took over from then-Gov. Charlie Crist at the start of 2011. Despite spending most of his political life as a Republican, Crist is the favorite to win the Democratic primary later this month which will determine who takes on Scott in November.