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

Joe Gruters, chairman of the Sarasota County Republican Party, is blasting Vice President Joe Biden's rhetorical attack on the tea party. "This rhetoric is not just insulting, inappropriate and dangerous, it is simply embarrassing to hear coming from the first person in the presidential line of succession," Gruters said. Biden, during a closed-door Democratic Party caucus on Monday, was quoted as saying tea party Republicans "... have acted like terrorists."

There was hardly a dry eye in the House Monday when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords entered the chamber to cast a vote on debt-ceiling legislation. "This is what we all needed," an emotional Florida Congressman Bill Posey was heard saying. "This is the uplift we all needed." Posey, of course, is a Republican, Giffords a Democrat. Giffords' appearance nevertheless set the campaign wheels in motion in her home state of Arizona, where speculation is increasing whether she'll seek re-election next year or run for retiring Sen. Jon Kyl's U.S. Senate seat.

Less than a week after Republican U.S. Sen. Craig Miller took a page from Bob Grahams old playbook and started a series of workday events, on Monday Gov. Rick Scott announced that he will also work alongside Floridians, visiting their job sites to help them out and learn about their concerns.

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee, announced Monday afternoon he would oppose the debt-reduction deal proposed by congressional negotiators. Southerland, who previously voted against House Speaker John Boehner's proposal as well as an alternative plan from Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, stated in a release: