Gov. Rick Scott announced on Wednesday that Florida tourism continued to boom with a record-high number of guests visiting the Sunshine State in the first half of the year. 

U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., needed some conservative help as he runs for the U.S. Senate in 2016 -- and on Wednesday, he got just that. Jolly’s left flank isn’t exactly secure in a Republican primary. Soon after upsetting former state CFO Alex Sink in a special election last year, Jolly announced that he supported same-sex marriage. This quickly drew fire from the right, including from conservatives who backed Jolly over Sink. More recently, Jolly has teamed with U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., to extend the federal drilling ban in the eastern part of the Gulf even as conservatives push for more energy exploration. 

U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., who is running to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the U.S. Senate in 2016 is wanting an investigation into the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department in light of last month’s report that tens of thousands of Americans were living in public housing despite exceeding the maximum earning level required to live there. 

“With an ever-growing waitlist for housing assistance from those truly in need, these incidences of waste, fraud and abuse must be eliminated immediately,” Jolly said. “It is time to clean house at HUD.”

The Florida Farm Bureau announced its Legislators of the Year and Champions for Agriculture awards even as the Florida Legislature continues to hold a special session in Tallahassee this week. On Tuesday, the Farm Bureau named state Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and state Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Sunrise, as Legislators of the Year. The group also recognized Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, for his work on agriculture issues. Both Crisafulli and Edwards have garnered buzz as potential candidates for higher office, including state agriculture commissioner.

Things are getting dicier for U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., as a major Democratic contender jumped in the race this week while another is contemplating getting in. 

A triple murder in Lehigh Acres has garnered national attention even as it adds another factor to the debate over immigration, leading a Southwest Florida congressman to speak out against the Obama administration. Brian Omar Hyde, an illegal alien from Belize was arrested last week, accused of the murders of his aunt Dorla Pitts, her pregnant teenaged daughter Starlett Pitts and her boyfriend, Michael Kelly Jr. Hyde had a history of violence in his native Belize. 

With U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., moving up in the polls and memories of her collapse in the 2008 primaries in their minds, Democrats are starting to hedge their bets, looking at alternatives to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. Speculation is growing.

Central Florida might be as hot as Tatooine and as swampy as Dagobah but apparently the Force is strong at Walt Disney World. On Saturday, the Walt Disney Co. doubled down on its commitment to the "Star Wars" universe, announcing the largest themed-land expansion at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World and the Disneyland park in California. 

Trying to catch businessman Donald Trump in the polls, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., is increasingly relying on U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, for help to rally the GOP faithful. 

This week, news emerged that Warren G. Harding had, in fact, fathered a child with Nan Britton, a far younger woman with whom he had an affair during his rise to power and during his presidency.