Accused of being a "cyber-squatter," or worse, GOP congressional candidate Trey Radel on Wednesday began shutting down Web pages that carried the names of three rival candidates in District 19.

Radel's campaign also said it would surrender the rights to some 23 domain names of his opponents.

As first reported by Sunshine State News, personal domain names for Chauncey Goss, Paige Kreegel, Gary Aubuchon and Brian Owens were purchased early last year by the "Friends of Trey Radel," some 11 months before Radel announced his candidacy.

Two GOP candidates vying to take on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fort Lauderdale, are taking potshots at each other's war chests while the national Republican Party has them both "on the radar."

Ozzie DeFaria reported last week that he had collected "nearly $400,000 in total receipts, an amount greater than any challenger to Debbie Wasserman Schultz has ever reported."

DeFaria's campaign declared more than $181,000 in first-quarter receipts and more than $200,000 cash-on-hand. Among his top donors was business magnate Wayne Huizenga, who pitched in $5,000.

Republican insiders say Jeff Atwater's decision to stay out of the U.S. Senate contest means it's now Rep. Connie Mack IV's race to lose.

Some say Mack is doing a pretty good job of it.

Javier Manjarres, the Shark Tank blogger who broke the story that Atwater was "considering" a run, said the courting of the state's chief financial officer "showed that grassroots/tea party activists around the state are not convinced that either Congressman Connie Mack or former Senator George LeMieux can beat Democratic Senator Bill Nelson."

While publicly posturing for "fairness" in redistricting, a group of top Florida Democrats privately pushed for maps that would benefit party brass, according to documents obtained by Sunshine State News.

Among the maneuvers detailed in intra-party emails and other correspondence about Senate district boundaries that would ultimately come under review by the state Supreme Court:

Virtually every day between now and Nov. 6, voters will be bombarded with political endorsements in campaigns ranging from county commissions to the White House.

Do they matter?

In some cases, a big-name supporter with a large following can have an impact at pivotal moments. But most political analysts say the electoral effect of endorsements is overblown and fleeting at best.

Several congressional candidates in Florida have been tripped up by arcane rules governing their qualifying petitions, Sunshine State News has learned.

In lieu of paying a $10,000 fee to get on the ballot, candidates can gather 2,298 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the upcoming elections.

Karen Harrington, seeking the Republican nomination to run against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fort Lauderdale, started circulating petitions last year. The signatures were collected quickly, but then hit a snag.

Web pages bearing the names of three Republican candidates in the 19th Congressional District aren't their websites at all -- and they're not very complimentary.

In fact, the sites -- chaunceygoss.com, kreegelforcongress.com and aubuchonforcongress.com -- blast the candidates with a series of talking points and Internet links.

The faux sites are the latest weapon in a cyber war waged by Trey Radel, a rival GOP hopeful. Each site contains a link to "Friends of Trey Radel," where viewers can see a compendium of complimentary websites and articles about Radel.

A Florida Department of Revenue tax specialist pleaded not-guilty to loan-sharking charges Wednesday, nearly two weeks after quitting his job.

Dorian Harper, a 12-year employee, submitted his resignation April 5 -- nine days after he was arrested on eight counts of loan sharking. Harper allegedly used his Tallahassee office computer to track the transactions.

Appearing in Leon County Circuit Court, Harper was arraigned on the charges, which are second-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to 60 days in jail for each criminal count, plus court costs.

Rep. John Mica says the Las Vegas follies by federal employees are "just the tip of the iceberg" and vows to reform or replace the General Services Administration.

"It's not just the millions of dollars of waste and abuse at these junkets, but the billions of dollars in waste," said Mica, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The Orlando Republican called the GSA, the government's primary land agency, "out of control."

A House report, "Sitting on Our Assets," documented hundreds of cases of waste and neglect at GSA properties.

A Florida law that bars candidates from switching parties in the year before an election could face a court challenge on the grounds that it amounts to a lifelong ban.

Fred O'Neal, founder of the Florida TEA Party, cited Section 99.021(1)(b) of the law, which says a candidate must attest that he "has not been a registered member of any other political party for 365 days before the beginning of qualifying preceding the general election for which the person seeks to qualify."