With President Donald Trump getting ready to meet with the leader of the North Korean regime next week, a congressman from Florida is calling on the president to push Kim Jong-un for the remains of American military personnel who are still missing from the Korean War. 

On Thursday, as Trump readies to meet the North Korean dictator in Vietnam, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.. noted that the fates of more than 5,000 POWs held by  North Korea during the war remain unaccounted for.  

Business leaders from throughout Florida were in the Capital City Wednesday as part of the Florida Chamber’s 2019 Legislative Fly-In and have been sharing the 2019 Jobs Agenda, which the Chamber believes will help Florida create at least 150,000 new jobs this year.

Good jobs and economic growth are essential to Securing Florida’s Future, the Chamber says on its Agenda. The Chamber is calling on lawmakers to make Florida more competitive by:

• Lowering the Cost of Living,

• Reducing the Cost of Doing Business, and

Florida is one of the nation's top three consumers of surplus lines insurance -- coverage that must be purchased from a company not licensed by the state because it is not available through licensed companies. 

Shore-based anglers will no longer be able to use fish parts, bones and blood to attract sharks, as critics of shark fishing would like to see lines cast farther away from beachgoers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, meeting Wednesday in Gainesville, approved several shore-based shark fishing changes that will go into effect July 1.

Despite a major hurricane, a lingering bout of red along the Gulf Coast, and a national press that focused on the worst of Florida's problems, 2018 was a record year for tourism in the Sunshine State.

VISIT FLORIDA announced Wednesday that Florida welcomed an all-time record number of visitors last year with 126.1 million out-of-staters in 2018. This announcement marks the eighth consecutive record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous record of 118.8 million visitors in 2017 by an astounding 6.2 percent.

The Space Caucus is ready for takeoff in the Florida Legislature. 

State Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Cocoa, announced the creation of the caucus during this week’s “Space Days” at the Capitol. Sirois and state Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, the chairman of the state Senate Military and Veterans Affairs and Space, will lead the new caucus. 

“The Space Caucus will be instrumental in educating members of the Florida Legislature about the importance of space and Florida remaining the launch pad to America’s future in space exploration,” said Sirois on Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast was the man of the hour during the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' two public meetings in Stuart Tuesday. The Republican congressman's impassioned comments were first -- and untimed -- at both sessions, convened by the Army to get public input on the Corps' new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, which will replace the Army's former Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS).

Many speakers, primarily from Martin County, acknowledged and directed their comments to the congressman, encouraging him, “Don't let up.” 

President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration that diverts $8 billion in already appropriated money for border security -- most significantly, $3.6 billion from the Defense Department’s construction account – is unlikely to have a direct impact on Florida, although it is uncertain what projects on what military bases could be affected.

What will have a direct impact on Florida, specifically the Panhandle, is the $333 billion bipartisan spending package adopted 83-16 in the Senate and 300-128 in the House on Feb. 14.

An effort to ensure local governments in Florida fully comply with requests from federal immigration authorities passed a key Senate panel on Tuesday, after lawmakers voted to strip penalties for local officials who favor so-called sanctuary cities.

The measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 4-2 vote, along party lines, showing that the proposal has greater momentum this year than in the past when similar proposals stalled in the committee.