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

Getting ready for the general election, Gov. Rick Scott is turning toward the environment as he starts his Lets Keep Florida Beautiful tour on Monday. Scott is pointing toward his plan to send $500 million for alternative waters, $500 million for springs and his efforts for the Everglades. The governor is also calling for the state Department of Environmental Protection to increase fines on polluters.

Rasmussen Reports released a poll on Friday which finds Gov. Rick Scott edging leading Democratic rival former Gov. Charlie Crist by a whisker. The poll of likely voters shows Scott taking 42 percent, Crist garnering 41 percent, 8 percent backing other candidates and 9 percent still undecided. A Rasmussen Poll from April had Crist leading 45 percent to 39 percent for Scott. The poll of 900 likely Florida voters was taken on July 29-July 30 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Miller and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla. -- the chairmen of their respective chambers Veterans Affairs Committee, reforming the U.S. Veterans Affairs department -- are sending $17 billion to help its medical facilities. The new funds, which will be used over the next three years, come in the aftermath of reports across the nation detailing altered wait lists at VA facilities. As a result, Eric Shinseki resigned his post as VA secretary back in May. The proposal passed the House earlier in the week and passed the Senate 91-3 on Thursday.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, to introduce a bill putting sanctions on Russia for violating the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Rubios bill would impose sanctions and stop nuclear cooperation with Russia until it is back in compliance with the treaty. The proposal would also ensure the U.S. researches its own intermediate-range weapons, which is allowed under the INF treaty.