After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

When the Florida Supreme Court knocked Amendment 7 off the ballot, the folks behind the FairDistricts campaign (Amendments 5 and 6) may have figured they had a clear shot to victory Nov. 2. But hold on. On Friday, a political action committee called Protect Your Vote announced it will work to defeat the amendments that purport to "reform" how legislative and congressional districts are drawn. The anti-group is headed by former Secretary of State Kurt Browning.

On Monday, the campaign team of Pam Bondi, the Republican attorney general nominee, attempted to draw differences on gang issues between its candidate and Democratic nominee Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "As a prosecutor, I handled many cases of gang-related violence and crime, and I know firsthand that gangs are a very real and growing danger in our state," said Bondi. "As attorney general, I will do everything in my power to fight crime and keep Floridians safe.Locking up dangerous gang criminals is a personal and top priority of mine."

In words that could have been scripted by Marco Rubio's campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headlined its latest news release: "Crist and Handpicked Chair Face Heat for Lavish 'Inappropriate' Personal Spending on Party Dime." While Crist scrambles to explain away the damning results of the Republican Party audit, Democratic Party leaders no longer appear interested in playing footsie with the guv. They're just kicking him in the rear.

Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, the Republican CFO candidate, was thrilled to be endorsed by the NRA on Friday -- the day when America celebrates the passage of the Constitution. The NRA gave Atwater an A-plus for his record on Second Amendment issues. "On a day that celebrates the wisdom of the founders who established our nation and created our Constitution, it is a great honor to have my work to protect our freedoms acknowledged," said Atwater.