U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the South Florida Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement on Thursday on the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, now in a crowded Republican primary to take on Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, issued a statement on Thursday regarding the death of former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

As he files his paperwork in New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, on Thursday, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania can count on the support of 14 legislators from the Granite State -- three of whom endorsed him on Wednesday.

Santorum announced on Wednesday that he had received the backing of state Sen. Fenton Groen, R-Rochester, and two Republican state representatives -- John McDonnell of Chichester and John Sedensky of Hampstead.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas released a Web video on Wednesday in which he takes aim at one of his chief rivals for the Republican presidential nomination -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. The ad slams Romney for being misleading on a number of issues including health care, his political experience and hiring illegal aliens.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will meet with a trade delegation from South Korea in Ocala on Wednesday night and insisted that the new free-trade agreement with that nation -- as well as deals with Colombia and Panama -- will help farmers in the Sunshine State.

Florida agricultural commodities are exported to more than 130 nations and 50 have agriculture-related imports of more than $10 million annually, said Putnam. The free-trade agreements will allow us to continue to focus on promoting Fresh From Florida commodities around the globe.

Dark horse Republican presidential hopeful Fred Karger, a veteran political operative and activist, sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning on the Sunshine States early primary date.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, now running in a crowded Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, called on the incumbent to reject comments by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., that private-sector jobs were doing fine but public-sector jobs were in bad shape.

Sunshine State News is hitting the radio airwaves on Wednesdayat 2:30 p.m. I will be on the Ed Dean radio show, which is hosted by one of the most feisty, informative and entertaining conservatives in Florida. It can be heard online here and on two stations in South Florida -- 89.3 on the west coast and 90.3 on the Atlantic coast.

A day after Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam became the first state Cabinet officer to back a presidential candidate, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts unveiled the endorsement of Florida CFO Jeff Atwater on Wednesday.