Florida U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who is running for the Republican nomination to run against Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, continues to carry water for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Mack, who was out front and center in Romneys big win in the Florida primary at the end of January, continued to back his presidential candidate on Friday when he spoke on the Martha Zoller show on WXKT-FM in Atlanta.

The team behind Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney continues to pound primary rival Rick Santorum on earmarks.

Senator Santorum now decries the obscene growth in federal spending and our national debt, but he was in Washington as this fiscal crisis grew -- supporting billions in earmarks, repeatedly voting to raise the debt ceiling, and admitting that deficits no longer bothered him, Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Friday. Americans want a president who can offer solutions, not a lifelong politician who was part of the problem in the first place.

Speaking in Washington to the Conservative Political Action Conference event hosted by the American Conservative Union on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in on a number of matters, including President Barack Obama, the role of the federal government and American exceptionalism.

Rubio hammered Obamas management of the economy in his speech.

Cheney Bros., one of the largest food distributors in the world with roots in the Sunshine State since 1925, announced on Thursday that it would be creating a new center in Punta Gorda -- bringing almost 400 new jobs to Charlotte County.

Cheney Bros. growth sets the stage for positive economic effects this new distribution center will create, said Gov. Rick Scott, of the news the company would be investing almost $30 million and creating 380 new jobs in the area. This project is a business gain for Florida, as well as Charlotte County.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul slammed the federal health-care law signed by President Barack Obama on Thursday, insisting that it undermines religious freedom and needs to be repealed.

Forcing private religious institutions to pay for contraception and sterilization as part of their health-care plans is a direct assault on the First Amendments guarantee of religious liberty, Paul said. On my first day as president, I will reverse this policy. Repealing the unconstitutional monstrosity known as Obamacare is a major part of my Plan to Restore America.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney called on Thursday to end congressional earmarks.

With our national debt skyrocketing past $15 trillion, it is a moral imperative to rein in government spending, Romney said on Thursday. Passing a permanent ban on earmarks is an important step toward securing our future and restoring fiscal sanity in Washington.

On Thursday, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux announced that five state House members were backing his bid for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. The five representatives are Chris Dorworth of Heathrow, Bill Hager of Boca Raton, Scott Plakon of Longwood, Ray Pilon of Sarasota and Ritch Workman of Melbourne. This brings LeMieuxs total number of endorsements from legislators up to 21.

Staring April 2, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, best known for his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, will be launching a new daily talk-radio show.

After Rick Santorum swept contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri on Tuesday, Republican presidential rival Mitt Romneys team increased their fire against him -- much like the Romney camp did against Newt Gingrich after that candidate won the South Carolina primary last month.

On Wednesday, the Florida Catholic Conference presented two Republicans in the Legislature -- Sen. Ronda Storms of Bradenton and Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala -- with the Defensor Vitae (Defender of Life) Awards. The conference praised Storms for backing parental notice for teens considering abortion and for sponsoring a bill requiring ultrasounds for mothers considering abortions.