U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, may not have been elevated to the long-speculated role of a vice presidential candidate, but he will still get to play a prominent role at the Republican National Convention.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus announced Tuesday that Rubio will introduce Mitt Romney for his acceptance speech on Thursday, Aug. 30, as soon as the former Massachusetts governor is nominated for president.
If Charlie Crist is going to try a comeback for the governors mansion, he would be seeking to work with a Legislature that would be even more conservative than when he was in office just two years ago. And it could be counted upon to be more hostile to his newfound leftward shift.
In fact, Tuesday showed that Tallahassees continued rightward focus in the past couple of sessions, backed by powerful business interests in the capital city, should continue through the decade.
Republican voters declared they want to send former Senate President Tom Lee back to Tallahassee, opting for the longtime legislator in an ugly contest against Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview.
Lee drew support in the new District 24 contest from Senate President-designate Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and the two senators contending for the 2016 presidency, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.
State Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, is a small speed bump away from moving to the upper chamber.
Stargel defeated two GOP opponents -- Auburndale Mayor Jack Myers and businessman and conservative activist Ron Rushing -- in the primary Tuesday for the new District 15 that essentially is the seat held by Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, who is out because of term limits.
Stargels next step is Stego Blue, a Navy veteran from Lakeland whose campaign has spent most of the $3,715 so far raised, of which $1,600 was a self-loan.
After eight years in the state House, Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, is heading to the Florida Senate.
Legg survived one of the most high-profile primary battles that featured a sitting senator being pushed aside from a re-election effort and a last-minute withdrawal that left the Democrats without a general election candidate.
Legg released a statement Tuesday night crediting his volunteers and staff for the victory.
After a single term in the House, Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, is crossing the Capitol rotunda for the 2013 session.
In a wildly negative contest, Brandes defeated House Majority Whip Jim Frishe, R-St. Petersburg, Tuesday for the new District 22 seat in South Tampa and south Pinellas in a battle that played heavy in the statewide fight for the 2016 Senate presidency.
State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, easily dispatched a Republican challenger Tuesday to set up one of the few anticipated general election clashes among sitting senators.
Bogdanoff, who was redistricted into a more favorably Democratic district, will square off in what should be a more hotly contested battle against Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, for the new District 34 seat.
At stake is a four-year seat paying $29,697.
On Tuesday, Bogdanoff routed Lake Worth businessman Mike Lameyer.
Former Rep. Aaron Bean moved a step closer to returning to Tallahassee, surviving a costly Republican primary expected to decide who will replace Sen. Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville, representing parts of Duval County and all of Nassau County.
The contest for the Republican-leaning district is considered one of the keys to the future Senate presidency, with Bean in the camp backing the 2016 term for Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, over Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.
Bean called the victory a conservative mandate.
Florida customers of Progress Energy could be on the hook for the growing repair costs to the Crystal River nuclear plant if the new owner decides to fix the faulty reactor without full coverage from its insurer.
Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers told the Florida Public Service Commission on Monday that the Charlotte, N.C.-based companys $18 billion merger with Progress Energy could mean lower costs for 1.6 million consumers in Florida through bulk natural gas purchases, combined backroomservices and the ability to respond to disasters from crews now in six states.
