Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law the Florida Legislature's2013-2014 Florida Families First Budget, vetoing nearly $370 million of what had been a $74.5 billion budget.

Among the vetoes was a 3 percent tuition increase for state colleges and universities. The following is the letter Scott sent to Secretary of State Ken Detzner:

Dear Secretary Detzner:

As SSN reported Wednesday ("Meet Florida Conservatives Targeted by Obama's IRS"), the Sunshine State apparently hasn't been spared the harassment and obstruction to which the Obama administration's IRS has subjected countless conservative organizations that have applied for tax-exempt status.

Northwest Florida Tea Party leader and small business owner Mike Hill has won the Republican primary for the Florida House District 2 seat formerly held by the late Rep. Clay Ford. Hill is expected to cruise to an easy June 11 general electoral victory.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, Hill received 42 percent of the votes, followed by Ed Gray at 34 percent. The remaining candidates trailed far behind, with Mark Taylor at 9 percent, Jack Nobles at 8 percent, Scott Miller at 5 percent, and David Radcliffe at 2 percent.

Among the half-dozen candidates to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford for House District 2, perhaps none has been the object of more attacks than Ed Gray, a former mayor of Gulf Breeze. Gray's been accused of everything from shady financial dealings, to soliciting Obama stimulus dollars, to working to raise taxes on Floridians.

Now he's being accused of an ethics violation. And there seems to be something to it.

In an exclusive interview with Sunshine State News, the de facto head of the Santa Rosa County Tea Party has endorsed Mike Hill to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford of Florida House District 2:

AP reports thatLois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt organizations, "isapologizing for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election."

The practice was allegedly instituted by "low-level workers" inCincinnati.

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In a major setback to the rising libertarian wing of the Miami-Dade County Republican Executive Committee, lifelong conservative Republican Byran Avila has just been elected vice chairman of the local party.

Avila, 28, an English Professor at Miami-Dade College, beat financial manager Manny Roman (a grassroots libertarian activist and GOP newcomer) by a vote of 61 to 49.

The race was seen in some quarters as a proxy battle for the future direction of the Miami-Dade GOP, which is one of the Republican Party of Florida's largest county affiliates.

In an exclusive interview with Sunshine State News, multibillionaire Norman Braman -- owner of Braman Honda car dealerships, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, and lead public opponent of "corporate welfare" for the Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium -- has issued a strongly-worded endorsement of liberty-activist Manny Roman for the No. 2 position at the Miami-Dade GOP.

Braman tells SSN:

The top three complaints received by theFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' hotlinein April revolved around theDo Not Call list, charitable solicitations, and motor vehicle repair, according to a Monday announcement by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

The calls were made to the agency's1-800-HELP-FLA.

By a vote of 27 to 13, the Florida Senate has passed an election reform bill that now heads to Gov. Rick Scott for approval and signature.

HB 7013 ("Florida Election Code") will substantially increase the the hours and days allowed for early voting, impose word limits on ballot summaries for Legislature-proposed constitutional amendments, and allow voters to correct absentee ballots that contain missing signatures. Earlier today, the House rejected a Senate amendment that would have given the Department of State authority to discipline noncompliant elections supervisors.