With buzz growing that President Barack Obama will call for more than $300 billion in federal spending as part of his jobs speech on Thursday night, the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is looking to link incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who is running for a third term in 2012, to the president and big government.

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough, the former Republican congressman from the Panhandle turned MSNBC show host, released a country song this week to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Scarborough wrote and performed on Reason to Believe which he has compared to the anti-war songs from the Vietnam War era. The former congressman is calling for less American military involvement in the Middle East.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis took to the House floor on Thursday to weigh in on the continuing high unemployment rate plaguing the state and nation. Bilirakis called on the federal government to get out of the way of business and ease off on burdensome regulations.

With the bicameral Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction meeting for the first time on Thursday, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan repeated his call for greater transparency in the supercommittee, which is entrusted to cut $1.2 trillion in federal spending over the next 10 years.

Dave Bitner, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida since January and due to resign for health reasons Sept. 23, died Thursday due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The team behind Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah slammed the two favorites for the GOP nomination -- Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts -- on Social Security.

Following the debate among the Republican presidential candidates on Wednesday night, the team behind Congressman Ron Paul took aim at primary rival and fellow Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Paul and the chairman of his presidential campaign, sent a letter to Perry continuing the attacks on the Texas governor.

There is a new public policy organization in the Sunshine State pushing for free-market solutions -- the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) which is based in Naples.

Former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico arrived in Cuba on Wednesday to negotiate with that nations communist regime over Alan Gross, an American the Castro regime accuses of spying while his defenders maintain he was helping with setting up communications technology for that nations Jewish community. Florida Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera, a freshman on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, came out firing away at the Obama administration for sending Richardson, who does have experience in international negotiations, to meet with the Castro government.

Fresh from beating primary rival Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, in a straw poll held on Saturday, Central Florida businessman Ron Rushing pledged on Wednesday to make abolishing Internet cafes one of his chief priorities if elected.

When I first looked into this issue, I immediately questioned the legality of these Internet cafes, since unregulated gambling is illegal in Florida, said Rushing. "However, due (to) the 1971 Florida sweepstakes provision of the law, these gambling locations are allowed to conduct business.