After almost 130 amendments, the U.S. House passed the “Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act” on Thursday, funding federal transportation projects through 2021. 

Conservative leader Dan Bongino, an ally of former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., opened the door to running for the U.S. Senate in 2016. 

With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-Nov. 14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids.

Former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson ended his dark horse bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday. 

On Thursday, as the special session in Tallahassee continued to draw up new state Senate lines, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, announced that he would be the next Senate president as Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, ended his bid to lead the chamber.

On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott unveiled a $1 billion tax cut proposal, the bulk of it resulting from targeting taxes on manufacturers.

Scott insisted tax cuts would spur Florida’s economy and lead to further job creation. 

With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-Nov. 14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed U.S. Rep. Bill Posey’s, R-Fla., bill to ensure insurance policies won’t be used to bail out financial institutions.

Currently battling businessman Donald Trump to lead the national polls and surveys of key states in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Dr. Ben Carson will be speaking at the Republican Party of Florida’s (RPOF) Sunshine Summit in Orlando next week. 

Two Florida representatives reached across the aisle on Wednesday to urge high schools to offer more civics education, giving seniors the same test the Department of Homeland Security uses for naturalizing citizens.