With parts of the Panhandle and the Big Bend getting 10 inches of rain, and floods a real threat in North Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Wednesday morning for the following counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Alachua counties. This allows emergency services operations to be ready to spring into action if needed.

Gov. Rick Scott was scheduled on Wednesday to be in Largo with Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., to focus on how Floridas economy benefited from the elimination of the manufacturing sales tax. But severe weather conditions in the Panhandle, which is facing heavy rains and possible flooding, forced the cancellation of that event as well as Scotts event in Orlando urging President Barack Obama to protect human rights in Venezuela.

The governors office announced at 7 a.m, on Wednesday morning that the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee has been activated to Level Two.

With the Florida Senate preparing to vote on Wednesday on a measure giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens who attended high school in Florida, a new poll finds a majority of registered voters in the Sunshine State support the idea.

A poll from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday morning finds 55 percent of those surveyed support the proposal while 41 percent oppose it.

Unlike other polls which show a narrowing race, Quinnipiac University released a poll on Wednesday morning which finds former Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Democratic gubernatorial contestant despite holding three statewide offices as a Republican, with a solid lead over Gov. Rick Scott in the Florida gubernatorial contest. The poll shows Crist taking 48 percent while Scott garners 38 percent. Quinnipiac had Crist leading Scott by 8 percent in a January poll while he was up by 7 percent in a November poll.

This week, appearing on Univision Americas Zona Politica with Helen Aguirre, a popular radio show in Spanish, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left the door open to running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Asked by Aguirre if he was thinking about running for the White House, Rubio said it was on his mind but he also could stay in the Senate or go into the private sector.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be taking center stage in Florida politics on Wednesday.

Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) and a possible candidate for the GOPs 2016 presidential nomination, is headed to the Sunshine State to help Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida.

A new poll shows a close race between former Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Democratic candidate despite spending most of his political life in the GOP, and Gov. Rick Scott.

A News Channel 8 poll of likely voters taken by Survey USA shows Crist leading with 44 percent followed by Scott with 41 percent while 8 percent are undecided and 6 percent support other candidates. Two weeks ago, a News Channel 8 poll had Crist with 46 percent while Scott had 41 percent.

Broward College on Wednesday, Oct. 15: On Tuesday, Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association announced they would be holding the Florida gubernatorial debate on that date with television coverage across the state.

Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Cutler Bay, will be the next chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, starting on Thursday with his term ending at the end of next years session. He replaces Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee.

Im thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as the Legislative Black Caucus chair, Bullard said on Tuesday. We have made incredible strides thus far and I look forward to continuing to elevate the dialogue and needs of our diverse caucus.

One of the top Republican targets in the nation, U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., got some help on from a fellow Florida Democrat who is a much larger figure on the national stage: U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

Joe Garcia is in the race of his life, Wasserman Schultz insisted on Monday. We know that the GOP has put the 26th District at the top of their target list.