Florida's top environmental official was directed Wednesday to rethink a proposal to make state parks more financially self-sustaining, as he and the state's top law-enforcement officer received Cabinet approval for the second time this year.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen received unanimous support from the Cabinet to remain in their $150,000-a-year jobs.

The U.S. is looking to continue its role with the International Space Station (ISS) for almost another decade. This week, the U.S. Senate passed the “U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act" by unanimous consent with two Republican presidential candidates playing a key part in getting it through. 

Two key Democrats from Florida went separate ways on Tuesday over backing President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran on that nation’s nuclear program. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., took to the Senate floor and said he would back Obama’s agreement. Nelson had been on the fence on supporting the Iran deal.

In his first speech as president of The Florida Bar a little more than a month ago, Ramon Abadin urged his colleagues to "go far and do big things."

Six weeks later, Abadin is at the center of a controversy over a proposal that would allow out-of-state lawyers to practice in Florida without taking the state's Bar exam, considered to be one of the nation's most rigorous.

Opponents of the plan have accused Abadin of pushing the idea, the result of a two-year study that is part of the "Vision 2016" agenda launched in 2013 by then-Florida Bar President Eugene Pettis.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Fla., showcased a legislative proposal to ban the import of  lionfish which are invading Florida waters. 

Noting lionfish can decimate the native sportfish population -- eating up to 40 juvenile natives a day -- and lay 2 million eggs and have no predators in the Western Hemisphere, Clawson called for banning the import of all 11 species of lionfish in his bill.  

The validation for Florida’s new and controversial Florida Standards Assessment test is still chugging right along.

Two voting-rights organizations that led the legal battle against congressional districts later found to be unconstitutional called Monday for a new map to be drawn in public -- a demand swiftly rejected by legislative leaders.

The League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause Florida released a letter to Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, taking issue with the top lawmakers' announcement that legislative staff and lawyers would be secluded as they draw a map intended to comply with a Florida Supreme Court decision rejecting current districts.

The nation’s oldest third party -- which had its greatest success in Florida -- nominated a presidential candidate at the end of last week, continuing a tradition which started in 1872.

The Prohibition Party nominated Jim Hedges, who served two terms as the tax assessor of Thompson, Pa., for president on Friday. Hedges will hope to improve on the showing of  Lowell "Jack" Fellure who was the party’s presidential candidate in 2012. Fellure took less than 600 votes. 

Gov. Rick Scott is planning on cracking down hard on hospitals that didn’t certify their contracts for Medicaid to comply with state law, and he’s getting the Agency for Health Care Administration onboard in his quest. On Monday, Scott penned a letter to AHCA Secretary Liz Dudek, requesting the agency to dispatch the Office of Medicaid Integrity to audit each hospital to make sure they’re complying with state law.

Americans for Prosperity’s (AFP) Florida chapter unveiled its legislative scorecard, grading Florida legislators on their commitment to economic conservatism.