Executive Director Melissa Meeker isn't fooling around. The new executive director of the South Florida Water Management District said she would rein in district spending and that's just what she's doing.

At Thursday's board meeting she told governors that she will pink-slip between 80 and 100 SFWMD workers before Aug. 17 -- which is in addition to the 123 staffers who accepted a buyout and left last month. When all is said and done, the district will be operating with 280 fewer staff, Meeker said.

Mosaic Co.'s woes continue as a federal judge Monday extended an order keeping the fertilizer producer from expanding one of its Florida phosphate mines. Mosaic's stock opened the day Tuesday 5.2 percent down.

The company has vowed to fight both the ruling and a related lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club. The environmental group claims Mosaic's South Fort Meade mine operations damage not one but two watersheds.

The White House confirmed Tuesday morning that President Barack Obama will officially nominate former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek to serve as one of three representatives to the United Nations General Assembly, which convenes its next session Sept. 13.

"We can confirm that the former congressman from Florida is one of the president's nominees," White House communications aide Inez Labella told Sunshine State News.

Former corporation boss Herman Cain defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in a straw poll of conservatives in Nevada Saturday, but, according to the Washington Times, the surprise was Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Cain and Romney have declared their candidacies for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 but Perry has not. Nevertheless, he placed third in the straw poll conducted by The Washington Times and Conservative Leadership Conference in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Democrat leaders galore staged a town hall meeting in Central Florida Saturday to gain the support of the 300,000-or-so Puerto Ricans living in the area. The event at the Asociaci Borinque de Florida Central in Orlando was attended by dozens.

Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station at 11:06 a.m. EST Sunday, two days after blasting off on a historic flight that marks the final liftoff of the U.S. shuttle program. A spokesman at CNN told Sunshine State News the network will carry the maneuver live.

Atlantis' job is to deliver supplies and spare parts to the space station, and pick up a broken pump so that it can be inspected back on Earth.

According to the NASA website, the crews of Atlantis and the space station will also research the potential for a space refueling system.

Gov. Rick Scott, in consultation with Herschel Vinyard, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), instructed the Florida Park Service Friday not to proceed with plans for camping at Honeymoon Island State Park.

In addition, the Florida Park Service will evaluate how to proceed at Fanning Springs, DeLeon Springs, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs and any other parks being considered for campsite expansions.

The following is the complete text of Gov. Rick Scott's radio address, released Friday:

"This is Governor Rick Scott. This week, all Americans witnessed the final launch of Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center.

"This is a historic time, and its sad to see the program end. However, I am optimistic that we can attract high-tech aviation and aerospace jobs to the space coast because of our highly skilled work force.

Space shuttle Atlantis displayed its breathtaking power, rocketing into space from Kennedy Space Center at 11:26 a.m. EST Friday. It marked the final launch after 30 years for NASA's storied fleet of shuttles -- and there were more than a few damp eyes watching.

"I wasn't prepared for this," said Mavis Shannon, 34, a tech support worker in Tallahassee, who watched the launch from Po'Boys restaurant on East College Avenue. "So soon it's gone. A couple of years ago, who knew we would have a president prepared to lose a national tradition like the shuttle program?"

Republican presidential candidate and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann slammed President Obama Friday, criticizing his administration for the latest unemployment report that shows the nations jobless rate rising one-tenth of a percentage point, to 9.2 percent.

Todays unemployment report is another stark reminder of the failure of President Obamas economic policies, Ms. Bachmann said. The president promised if we passed the massive stimulus package that unemployment wouldnt go above 8 percent. We are now at 9.2 percent.