Five of today’s top Florida political stories at your fingertips:

Florida lawmaker pushing to allow guns on school campuses – Almost 2 months after 3 students are shot at Florida State University, a lawmaker pushes for guns on campus. The scary scene in front of FSU’s Strozier Library is still fresh in the minds of some students. Now state representative Gregory Steube from Sarasota is filing legislation to legalize guns on campus. Steube argues that shooters like Myron May, who shot 3 students before being killed by officers, can be thwarted if students and others carried guns on campus. Read more

Florida GOP bucks Rick Scott, chooses Rep. Blaise Ingoglia for chair – The Republican Party of Florida’s grassroots bucked Gov. Rick Scott on Saturday by choosing to replace his hand-picked chairwoman with a leader of its own choosing, state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia. In the end, many Republicans say, the decision to pass over sitting Chair Leslie Dougher was less about Scott and more about her campaign and Ingoglia’s bid.”Her campaign was top heavy and aggressive. They took it for granted. The grassroots didn’t go for it,” said one voter. “This was not a rejection of Scott. He’s very popular here. It was a rejection of a top-down approach.” Read more

Obama speech to detail proposals affecting Florida – President Barack Obama enters the last two years of his presidency with his approval rating languishing below 50 percent and Congress under Republican control. Despite the unwelcome political terrain, the president has aggressively pushed his priorities in recent weeks, opening up relations with Cuba and promoting a middle-class agenda that includes free community college tuition and extra housing assistance. In the days leading up to his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Obama has laid out a number of proposals he wants to pursue in the coming year, many of which would affect Florida. Read more

Democrats see map and math working to their advantage in 2016 Senate races – The Senate map is the Democrats’ friend in the 2016 cycle. They are defending only 10 seats, while Republicans have two dozen to hold. But wait, it gets better. Seven of those 24 Republican seats are in states that President Obama won not once but twice: Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. To win the majority, Democrats need to win five of those seven seats in November 2016. (If Hillary Clinton, or another Democrat, wins the White House in 2016, then Senate Democrats need to win only four of those seven.) Read more

Free Lolita push threatens Miami Seaquarium’s future – Animal rights protesters have been fighting to get Miami’s most famous killer whale released from captivity for decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may be about to grant them their wish. Lolita, the oldest killer whale in captivity, sparks passionate debate from both sides. Read more

Of course they were: After brazen crime spree, ‘teen Bonnie and Clyde’ nabbed while napping in Florida, according to Kentucky police

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Cheryl Carpenter Klimek

Administration
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Latest posts by Cheryl Carpenter Klimek (see all)

• Florida Five: DWS draws serious primary opponent, Legislators haul in $28.5 mil. pre-session - January 18, 2016
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• Florida Five: Trump rallies ‘noisy as hell majority’ in Fla., Senate passes historic water bill - January 14, 2016

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