In a final push before Tuesday's primary elections, House and Senate candidates collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions during the past three weeks -- and, in some cases, wrote big checks themselves, new reports show.

Patrick Sheehan, director of Florida's Office of Energy, believes all of Florida will benefit from the 2012 Florida Energy Summit, convening Aug. 15 in Orlando.

"We want to use this opportunity to talk to the broad range of stakeholders in Florida's energy spectrum and reflect on what we've accomplished," Sheehan told Sunshine State News.

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama claims only that his legislative and foreign policy achievements in his first two years matched those of "any president -- with the possible exceptions of Johnson, FDR and Lincoln" in "modern history." Some Obama enthusiasts are less restrained.

Candidates scurried across their respective districts this week, putting the finishing touches on campaigns aimed at gaining their party's endorsement in this Tuesday's primaries.

In many cases, however, Tuesday's vote will determine the winner, with victors facing no opponent, or only token opposition, on Election Day, Nov. 6.

Judge Thomas P. Crapps of the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings will issue a final ruling in two weeks, regarding implementation of a controversial new elections law, HB 1355, by the Legislature during the 2011 session and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. Crapps announced his intention after adjourning a hearing Friday, at about 2:15 p.m.

The disputed provisions of the law are:

Having been around the electrical energy generation industry for the past three decades, I can tell you that the state of Florida is in desperate need ofa real energy policy.

With the Republicans holding their convention in Tampa later this month, Visit Florida is looking to remind the GOP faithful and political buffs that the Sunshine State has its own important role in presidential history even though none of the chief executives called the state home.

On Friday, Visit Florida launched the Presidential Trail, highlighting sites around the Sunshine State with connections to various presidents.