Mayor Alvin Brown of Jacksonville hasnt exactly been waving the flag for his fellow Democrats, raising eyebrows when he did not attend an event with President Barack Obama on the First Coast during the 2012 campaign. But, as Brown starts off the 2015 election as the favorite, hes been reaching out to secure the Democratic base.

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) came out swinging on Wednesday on behalf of former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich who continues her Democratic gubernatorial primary against former Gov. Charlie Crist. The DPCF released a report on Wednesday on education, insisting the primary involved a sharp contrast on education with Crist, who had been a Republican for most of his political life, following policies back by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in on Tuesday on the murder of three Israeli teens and called for President Barack Obama to suspend aid to the Palestinian government.

Florida Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, played up her crime fighting credentials with the endorsement of the Florida Police Benevolent Association and a new TV ad.

As a mother, my greatest priority is protecting our states children, said Benacquisto on Tuesday. Working with Floridas law enforcement officers and childrens advocates, I am proud to say we have passed some of the toughest child predator laws in the nation and I am honored to have the PBAs endorsement.

Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to have little impact on Florida as it moves up to the Carolinas in the days to come. There is a tropical storm watch in effect on the Atlantic coast between Volusia and St. Lucie counties with winds up to 50 mph and heavy rains expected in the area.

Gov. Rick Scott has been focusing on veterans issues this week. On Tuesday, the Scott campaign unveiled a Web ad featuring Sgt. Luke Murphy, an Iraq veteran who received the Purple Heart after losing his leg due to a bomb, praising the governors record on leadership and veterans issues.

Murphy throws a slight jab at former Gov. Charlie Crist, the favorite for the Democratic nomination to challenge Scott, in the ad. What we had before Rick Scott was not leadership, Murphy says.

From his perch on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., called the murder of three kidnapped Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel an outrage and demanded the end of federal funding to the Hamas-backed Palestinian Authority.

Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced on Tuesday that he was endorsing Gov. Rick Scott for a second term. After a bitter primary in 2010 in which Scott won, McCollum refused to endorse his rival.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the vice chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, expressed some hope that businessman Robert McDonald can help reform the VA department. McDonald was nominated to replace Eric Shinseki as secretary of VA on Monday.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, praised the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Monday finding that Hobby Lobby does not have to comply with providing birth control under President Barack Obamas federal health-care law. Rubio hailed the decision as a victory for religious freedom.