Florida officially has a budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year as of Tuesday morning, when Gov. Rick Scott signed the newly-passed $78.7 billion budget into law.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released a report on Monday claiming Israel committed war crimes during its attack against Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip last year, producing outrage from members of the Florida congressional delegation. 

Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, insisted “the council has lost all credibility” and the “U.N. Human Rights Council is not a fair tribunal.”

On Monday, the U.S. Senate amended and passed with unanimous consent  a bill from a Florida congressman which ensures every veteran receives an ID card from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs without burdening taxpayers. The House passed the bill last month with 402 representatives backing it and no votes cast against it.

This month, members of the Florida delegation joined the efforts of U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, to add a memorial wall to the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Johnson served in the Korean War with the Air Force. 

Johnson’s bill would allow the creation of a privately funded Wall of Remembrance bearing the names of the armed forces personnel killed in the Korean War and include the number of POWs and MIAs.  

A conservative-advocacy group is telling Gov. Rick Scott it'll have his back if he vetoes projects crammed into the state budget just before the nearly $80 billion package was completed last week.

"We are making everyone aware that we are not happy with the $301 million in last-minute projects," Americans for Prosperity-Florida spokesman Andres Malave said Sunday. "AFP stands with Floridians who wouldn't be disappointed if the governor vetoed projects not beneficial to all taxpayers."

Insisting the Legislature has ignored Florida voters, environmental litagator Earthjustice filed suit Monday to compel lawmakers to comply with Amendment 1, Water and Land Legacy, in the state Constitution.

The suit (see attached document below) was filed in Leon County Circuit Court on behalf of the Florida Wildlife Federation, the St. Johns Riverkeeper, and the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida.

With the 2015 legislative session behind state lawmakers, Florida Republican senators are wasting no time, already gearing up for 2016 campaign efforts. In a move widely expected to energize Republican Senate fundraising efforts come next year, Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, will take the helm of the 2016 Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

GOP leader Joe Gruters is running for the Florida House in 2016 and is drawing the support of the some of the leading Republicans in the Sunshine State. 

Gruters, the current vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), filed earlier this month to run for the House seat currently held by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, who is expected to run for the Florida Senate seat currently held by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, who is expected to run for country office. On Friday, Gruters played up his Republican credentials in an email to supporters. 

Despite carrying Florida twice, President Barack Obama remains underwater in the Sunshine State, a new poll shows. 

Quinnipiac University released a poll on Monday morning which finds a majority of those surveyed -- 51 percent -- disapprove of Obama while 43 percent approve of his performance in the White House. Florida is expected to be a swing state in next year’s presidential election. Only 5 percent are not sure how they feel about Obama. 

A new poll shows Democrats start off with the early advantage in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016 but the top candidates remain largely unknown. Rubio is running for the Republican presidential nomination and has said he will not run for a second Senate term in 2016.