Floridas political leaders are weighing in after news broke on Thursday of the death of Nelson Mandela.

State Attorney Willie Meggs announced on Thursday that star quarterback Jameis Winston from Florida State University will not be facing charges resulting from an investigation of a sexual assault accusation.

Winston has been a key player in leading the FSU Seminoles to the ACC title game on Saturday. If FSU wins, they will be playing for the national title. Had Meggs decided to prosecute Winston, the star football player would not play on Saturday and any games during the case.

Winston is a front-runner for the Heisman Award.

Former state Rep. Carl Domino is running for the Republican nomination to challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, R-Fla., in 2014. Domino came out swinging against Murphy, hammering the Democrat as part of the problems plaguing the Beltway.

Washington is broken and Patrick Murphy is part of the problem, Domino insisted on Thursday. We need new leadership in Washington before it's too late. That's why I'm challenging Murphy.

Governor Rick Scott announced on Thursday that Brinks Regional Services will locate itsLatin American headquarters in Florida, bringing 105 jobs and more than $2.5 million in Miami-Dade over the next three years.

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., ripped into State Department expenses in an email sent out to supporters on Wednesday night.

The government is having a party ... and the drinks are on you, West wrote. While the government was preparing to shut down and furlough workers across the country, the State Department was enjoying a drinking binge!

On Thursday morning, Gov. Rick Scott said around 1,600 Floridians, up from around 750, will be leaving the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waiver waiting list. Scott highlighted $36 million from the 2013 budget played a large part in getting Floridians off the waiting list.

With President Barack Obama demanding on Wednesday that Republicans provide their economic plans, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., took him up on his offer. Santorum, who offered a surprisingly strong challenge to Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, is looking at running again for the GOP nod in 2016.

On Thursday, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) continued to pile on former Gov. Charlie Crist, looking to connect him with President Barack Obamas federal health-care law. Despite spending most of his political career as a Republican and joining the Democrats last December, Crist is the front-runner for his new partys nomination to challenge Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., concluded his trip to London on Wednesday. A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence, Rubio had been in London for a three-day trip where he met with key British leaders and spoke on foreign policy on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott showcased the $80 million in his budget for graduate medical education, including $13 million to Tampa Bay hospitals to support internship programs.