Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and seems near certain to do so again in 2012, announced on Wednesday that his leadership PAC, Free and Strong America, contributed almost $130,000 to Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate in the opening weeks of 2011.

While South Floridians went to the polls on Tuesday to vote in special elections for two legislative seats, both races were very close and the House election could be headed for a recount. Turnout was extremely light with only 6 percent of the registered voters in the districts in Miami-Dade County showing up at the polls and a paltry 1.6 percent of the eligible voters in Broward County casting ballots in the House race.

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack agreed with fellow Florida Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica that the Obama administrations plan to spend $53 billion for high-speed rail projects shows the president is showing no restraint on spending. Mack took aim at the plan on Tuesday, as well as a proposed influx of more than $40 billion to the states for unemployment.

From his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications Subcommittee, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis is charged with, among other things, congressional oversight of FEMA.

After visits to emergency management specialists in Pasco and Pinellas counties last week, Bilirakis met with FEMA chief Craig Fugate on Tuesday to build better communications between national responders and those in the Sunshine State.

While Politico ranks freshman U.S. Rep. David Rivera as the most vulnerable congressional incumbent in 2012, the Florida Republican is carrying on as if it's business as usual.

Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, took aim at a Florida law, passed after some debate last year,that allows cameras over traffic lights. Garcia filed a bill to do away with the lights.

It is an unwarranted, big-brother initiative, said Garcia. We need to ensure that citizens are treated fairly, and this bill will protect Floridians from intrusive snapshots and inaccurate ticketing. Local governments have used these cameras to tax their citizens under the disguise of safety.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was an early backer of Marco Rubios ambitions to land in the U.S. Senate -- and the once and perhaps future candidate for the Republican presidential nomination took aim at Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Tuesday.

Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, the chairwoman of the House Economic Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Ken Feinberg who is handling claims resulting from the Gulf oil spill, confirming the fact that he will be testifying to the committee next Friday -- and he should be in store for some tough questions.

From the onset of the spill, the structure and efficiency of the BP claims process have been items of particular concern, noted Hukill.

With federal Judge Roger Vinson's ruling last week that the federal law backed by President Barack Obama was unconstitutional, the presidents supporters in the Sunshine State struck back on Tuesday vowing to continue the fight.

Sen. Mike Fasano came out against a small portion of Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget Tuesday, knocking the governor for defunding and eliminating the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the Office of Drug Control.

Fasano was instrumental in getting the PDMP up and running two years ago, and Attorney General Pam Bondi and other law enforcement officials praised the program at a press conference last week where they also urged legislators to do more to crackdown on "pill mills."