Having chased state Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, from the race, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam is feeling secure about his chances to be Floridas next Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Besides taking his place alongside Charlie Crist and Bill McCollum on the House floor when the legislative session opened, Putnam now has current Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson on Monday in Plant City predicting a certain redhead will be taking his place.

Call it the beginning of a firestorm. A bill that could render Gov. Charlie Crists August 2009 compact with the Seminole Indian tribe null and void because it never was voted on or ratified by the Legislature moves to a Senate committee workshop early Wednesday morning. Sen. Dennis L. Jones, D.C., R-Seminole, chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee heads up the workshop on SB 622 at 8:30 in Senate Room 110.

One of the keys parts of House Speaker Larry Cretuls, R-Ocala, agenda for this legislative session has been streamlining Florida laws. In his opening remarks to the House last week, Cretul said, State laws should be made smaller and cleaner. That means repealing out-of-date laws so that Florida Statutes will actually be smaller than we started.

Cretul meant it.

Gov. Charlie Crist intends to hold a town hall meeting in Jacksonville this Friday. It's the governor's first town hall in 10 months.

A spokesman said Crist was invited to Jacksonville by Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville. But John Thrasher, the state senator representing Jacksonville and the chairman of the state Republican party, won't be attending, a spokeswoman for Thrasher said Tuesday.

The purpose of the town hall meetingis general in nature and merely allows the governor a chance to answer questions from the public, the governor's spokesman said.