With the U.S. Senate passing the “USA Freedom Act” on Tuesday after letting the Patriot Act expire, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tore into President Barack Obama’s security policies. Rubio, who voted against the “USA Freedom Act,” also took a shot at Republican presidential primary rival U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for helping kill the Patriot Act due to concerns about the National Security Agency (NSA) gathering phone records of American citizens. 

The Daytona State College District board of trustees turned to a familiar face to serve as college president in Thomas LoBasso who has been serving on an interim basis since the start of the year. With a search committee having finished up its work, the board will formally vote on a 12-month contract later this month. 

From his perch on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., offered his take on Takata airbag failures and the impact on public safety. 
 

National Democrats are starting to take Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera seriously as a potential U.S. Senate candidate in 2016. On Tuesday, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) hit Lopez-Cantera for bringing in Washington lawyer Charlie Spies to set up his super-PAC. Spies had set up former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise PAC. 

Sadie Weiner, the national press secretary for the DSCC, tried to tie Lopez-Cantera to questions about how Bush has used Right to Rise. 

The U.S. House reauthorized the National Estuary Program (NEP) on Monday with two of the four main sponsors of the bill coming from Florida: Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Posey and Democrat U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. Both Posey and Murphy noted how the legislation will help improve Indian River Lagoon. 

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, announced on Monday that they will launch a new congressional caucus later this week, focusing on ties between people and animals. 

The New York Times reported on Monday that former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., is having a tough time drawing support from staffers who served under his brother, former President George W. Bush.

From his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues Subcommittee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, promising to oppose an ambassador to Cuba unless certain conditions are met. 

With Monday marking the kickoff on hurricane season, Gov. Rick Scott urged Floridians to prepare. 

Scott was at the Jose F. Caragol Jr. Emergency Operations Center in Hialeah on Monday and called on residents of the Sunshine State to have a plan for hurricane season. Last year, Scott’s budget included $750,000 to open the center. 

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., launched a dark horse bid for the Republican presidential nomination.