Congressional representatives from across the Sunshine State cheered the passage of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s, R-Fla., Veterans ID Card Act this week. 

The bill, which passed the U.S. House on Tuesday without opposition, is now headed to President Barack Obama’s desk. Buchanan’s bill would ensure all veterans receive ID cards from the VA instead of just those who served 20 years in the armed forces or are seeking medical treatment for service-related wounds. 

The U.S. House Appropriations passed the Agriculture Appropriations Bill on Wednesday which included an extra $2 million to fight citrus disease. 

The money was requested by U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., who sits on the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, to battle Huanglongbing (HLB), better known as citrus greening.

In an interview on WKMG TV in Orlando, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., announced on Thursday that he was entering the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016. 

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., is ready to launch a bid to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., setting up a competitive Democratic primary with U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.

Roll Call reported on Wednesday that Grayson will kick off his bid on Thursday. Over the last few weeks, Grayson has left the door open to entering the Senate race. During July, Grayson has picked up the pace, throwing more hints that he was set to announce a bid and calling on his supporters to open their wallets. 

Businessman Todd Wilcox jumped in the race for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, taking aim at career politicians and promising to fight for change in Washington. 

Wilcox announced last month that he would leave Patriot Capital to focus on an exploratory effort for the Senate seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for the Republican presidential nomination and has said he will not run for a second Senate term.  Last week, Wilcox left Patriot Capital. 

On Tuesday night, the U.S. House approved an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill keeping the moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf until 2022 and preventing exploration efforts in that area until that time. Currently there is an effort in the U.S. Senate from U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., which would allow drilling up to 50 miles off the Florida Gulf Coast.

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, R-Va., announced on Tuesday that he is joining the crowd of candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination. Gilmore told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he plans to launch his bid in early August and said the current crop of Republican hopefuls were ignoring homeland security matters. 

A bill from a Florida congressman which ensures every veteran receives an ID card from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs without burdening taxpayers is headed to President Barack Obama’s desk after the U.S. House backed it without opposition Tuesday. 

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduced the Veterans ID Card Act earlier this year. Buchanan’s bill would ensure all veterans receive ID cards from the VA instead of just those who served 20 years in the armed forces or are seeking medical treatment for service-related wounds. 

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott launched efforts to improve conditions on the St. Johns River for large container ships as Jacksonville gets ready for the Panama Canal expansion. 

President Barack Obama might be turning to an old rival to become ambassador to Cuba, going back to a strategy he relied on during the first days of his presidency. 

With the U.S. and Cuba continuing to normalize relations, the name of former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has been kicked around in the last week as a potential ambassador to that Caribbean nation.