Likely Democratic nominee for governor Alex Sink announced Tuesday that former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith will be her running mate for the general election contest.

The fate of several proposed constitutional amendments lies with the Florida Supreme Court after six of nine proposals set for the November ballot wound up facing legal challenges.

Rick Scott, candidate for governor, is running as the consummate outsider in a year of outsiders. Hes never held office, and he hits the theme often people are tired of career politicians he says as he campaigns around the state.

The two major Republican gubernatorial candidates are battling over the best way to spur the struggling state economy with almost a month to go before GOP voters decide who will be their nominee for governor.

A Republican state lawmaker is calling for a censure of Gov. Charlie Crist over his move to bring legislators back to Tallahassee next week to vote on a proposal that would constitutionally ban offshore oil drilling in Florida.

A week before the Legislature goes into special session, there was little agreement on just what oil-related items it plans to take up, though it became clear Monday that the Senate, at least, wants to go beyond the governors call and provide economic relief to the spill-weary Panhandle.

The Senates Select Committee on the Economy on Monday discussed a list of economic issues lawmakers should address when the Legislature convenes a special session ordered by Gov. Charlie Crist to vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban offshore oil drilling in Florida.

Florida lawmakers are set to arrive in Tallahassee later this month to address issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that has sent oil toward Florida beaches, but lawmakers in other states have already beaten them to the punch.

Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey and South Carolina have all introduced bills relating to oil spill cleanup plans, recovery for damages and moratoria on offshore drilling. But really, it's anyone's best guess what will happen when the Florida House and Senate return to Tallahassee July 20.

Hours after a judge threw out a legislatively-proposed constitutional amendment dealing with the rules for drawing political boundaries, backers of two other ballot questions seeking to change the way redistricting is done were in court defending theirs.

The two remaining proposals still slated, as of now, to be decided by voters in November, seek to keep lawmakers from trying to protect incumbents or political parties when they take on the once-a-decade task of redrawing Senate, House and congressional boundary lines.

Former Florida Republican Party Executive Director Delmar Johnson has been ordered to pay $65,093 restitution to the state GOP but faces no jail time nor criminal record for partnering with ex-party boss Jim Greer in what prosecutors called a scheme to steal political contributions.

The probability that Florida will see $1 billion in extra federal Medicaid money is growing dimmer with U.S. Senate Republicans blocking the measure from advancing this week and drawing concern from Florida lawmakers who partially built the state budget around the likely delivery of those dollars.

Oh my God, that's devastating. That will kill this state, said Sen. Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, the chair of the Senate's Health and Human Services budget committee.