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

A new poll from WFLA and Survey USA finds Gov. Rick Scott with a small lead over former Gov. Charlie Crist, the favorite in next months Democratic primary despite having spent most of his political life as a Republican. Scott takes 45 percent in the poll of likely voters while Crist takes 43 percent. While 7 percent back other candidates, 5 percent remain undecided. A Survey USA poll released on June 24 had Scott with 43 percent and Crist at 42 percent. The poll of 558 likely Florida voters was taken from June 30-July 2 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percent.

Florida TaxWatch showcased airplane manufacturing in the Sunshine State in a report released on Thursday. "Florida is a great place to do business, and the state's commitment to investing in aircraft manufacturing is ensuring that Florida's economy continues to benefit from this important industry sector," said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, on Thursday.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi nabbed the endorsement of the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police on Thursday. The Florida State Lodge FOP pointed to Bondi shutting down pill mills, cracking down on human trafficking and investigating Medicaid fraud as some of the reasons it supports Bondi in her bid for re-election.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Charlie Crist and Nan Rich are scheduled to appear this week before a gathering of newspaper editors and executives, but not at the same time. The Florida Press Association and Florida Society of News Editors will hold a convention Thursday and Friday at The Biltmore in Coral Gables. Crist is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, while Rich -- who wanted to debate Crist during this event -- will be speaking at 9 a.m. Friday. Republican Gov. Rick Scott is not expected to appear at all.