With both the regular session and June’s special session of the Florida Legislature now in the rear-view mirror, the leadership of the business community honored legislators this week for their votes in the House and the Senate. 

On Monday, the Florida Chamber announced 23 legislators received the “Distinguished Advocate" award which “recognizes lawmakers who fought tirelessly for the passage of pro-business legislation – no matter how difficult – and furthered the Florida Chamber’s goals of securing Florida’s future through job creation and economic development.”

Out in Iowa this week, when asked about his favorite presidents, Jeb Bush picked an unlikely hero. 

The former Florida governor mentioned his father and brother, of course, as well as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. But Bush also singled out James K. Polk for praise, a Democrat who served four years in the 1840s, the Des Moines Register reported on Monday. 

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama and other Western leaders announced a deal with Iran had been reached with that nation over its nuclear program -- but the president will have a hard time getting voters in the Florida delegation to agree as he now turns his focus to Congress. 

Obama announced the deal on Tuesday morning as Iran ends most of its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. If Iran fails to live up to its part, the sanctions would be returned. 

After the Florida Supreme Court ruled that his current congressional district failed to pass constitutional muster, U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., is running for the U.S. Senate to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016. Rubio is running for the Republican presidential nomination. 

Saint Petersblog reported on Monday that Jolly was moving quickly to enter the race with an announcement coming as early as next week. 

While many Republicans are calling out presidential candidate Donald Trump’s remarks about illegal aliens, a new congressional candidate in Florida hails the businessman for “giving voices to the voiceless” on immigration. 

Retired Army office John Morning, who says he has “strong libertarian leanings,” filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission last week to challenge U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., in next year's Republican primary. Mica has been in Congress for more than 20 years.  

Even as the Confederate battle flag was removed from the statehouse grounds in Columbia, S.C., last week, two South Florida congressional representatives continued the push to remove it off of all government buildings and grounds. 

During last week’s debate in Congress over the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., proposed an amendment which would have reversed an earlier vote and let Confederate flags be displayed at federal cemeteries. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released a final  report on Florida orange production for the 2014-15 season and found it below last year’s numbers. 

At 96.7 million boxes -- up 0.3  million from what the USDA thought it would be in June -- Florida’s orange numbers are down from last season when 104 million boxes were produced. The height of production came in 1997-98 when 244 million boxes were produced. 

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced on Thursday that hackers had obtained the Social Security numbers and other information from more than 21 million Americans -- and now two presidential candidates are calling for OPM Director Katherine Archuleta to be dismissed. 

Last month, reports emerged that hackers had stolen the information of more than 4 million Americans through OPM. Signs indicated the attack originated from China. 

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., might not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2016 but he is starting to assume a larger role in pushing for a balanced budget in Washington. 

Buchanan pointed to the financial crisis in Greece this week as an example of what could happen in the U.S. if government spending is not reined in. 
 
“What is happening in Greece today could very well become the fate of America if we do not take serious steps to control spending,” Buchanan said on Thursday. “It’s a wake-up call we should not ignore.”

With U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., launching a bid for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, the race to replace him is already taking shape. Grayson is running for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for president and has said he will not seek a second Senate term. 

On the Democratic side, Florida Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, told the Orlando Sentinel that he will enter the race.