A nonprofit charity group created by the National Rifle Association is planning to take Florida fundraising by storm through a series of events hosted throughout the summer.

Florida lawmakers are responding to a shooting on Dallas police officers which left five officers dead and 14 people wounded Thursday evening, pledging to create new laws grouping law enforcement officers and firefighters in the state’s definition of a hate crime.

The number of Florida schools receiving an “F” letter grade for the 2015-2016 school year was cut in half from last year, but the number of "A" schools was also down significantly, according to a new report released by the the Florida Department of Education Friday.

The department said the number of schools earning the lowest possible letter grade -- an  “F” -- dropped by approximately 50 percent from 204 in 2014-2015 to 103 in 2015-2016. 

The report also found 58 percent of schools that earned a “D” or “F” in 2014-2015 improved by at least one letter grade in 2015-2016.

Anti-Common Core activists are throwing their weight behind congressional candidate Rebecca Negron, endorsing her for CD18 to replace U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.

Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, is firing up his campaign for U.S. Congress -- literally. Evers is planning a “full-auto fundraiser” later this month which will allow each donor to fire off hundreds of rounds of ammunition at photos of stimulated terrorists using assault and machine guns.

Florida Republican delegates will descend upon Cleveland later this month for the Republican National Convention and the party has planned a full schedule of events for the three days the 99 delegates and 96 alternates will be in Ohio.

Gun ownership is at a forty-year low in U.S. households, according to a recently-released survey. A CBS News poll found 36 percent of American adults either own a handgun, rifle, shotgun or any other kind of firearm or live with someone who does, which is the lowest percentage since 1978. 

Over 150 bills will go into law Friday, including the state’s $82 billion budget, a bill to allow parents to transfer their children to any public school that isn’t at capacity, and a bill to cut off funding to organizations associated with abortion clinics.

Lawmakers approved nearly 300 bills during this year’s legislative session. The House passed a slightly higher number of bills (129) over the Senate (116). There were 27 local bills passed during this year’s legislative session. Gov. Scott vetoed three bills, leaving the grand total of bills passed at 269.

The voices are growing against Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, for a recent campaign ad where he says he “led the fight to abolish Common Core,” but the well of legislation supporting that claim has run dry.

Florida’s 2016-2017 fiscal year’s $80 billion budget begins Friday, beginning the year with a new set of funding for state departments, education, health and human services and other important projects for the Sunshine State.