Tampa-based Magistrate Judge Mary S. Scriven moved a step closer Tuesday to a lifetime appointment as a United State district judge for the Middle District of Florida, with an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. ...more

September 10, 2008

With Hispanic voters in Florida and nationally seen as a key to the presidential race, Sen. Mel Martinez on Thursday night told the Republican National Convention that John McCain is the presidential candidate best prepared to lead "in a dangerous world." ...more

September 5, 2008

Terrible luck involving two storms, particularly Hurricane Gustav, threatens to distract America from a Republican National Convention in which John McCain hopes to convince voters he's the one ready to lead the nation. ...more

August 31, 2008

The high point of the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul this week will be Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech on the last night. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez will speak just before John McCain accepts the Republican nomination for president Thursday evening. ...more

August 31, 2008

Karen Lynch says her late husband was "a once-in-a-lifetime man on a once-in-a-lifetime mission." ...more

August 31, 2008

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has been scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on the same night Arizona Sen. John McCain will give his acceptance speech for the nomination. ...more

August 21, 2008

New federal help for the big mortgage lenders and first-time homebuyers could help revive Tampa's housing market. The quicker markets stabilize, the less taxpayers will have to pay in the complex bill with an unknown price tag. ...more

August 5, 2008

Barack Obama has shifted his position on offshore oil drilling, saying he favors a proposal by a bipartisan "Gang of 10" U.S. senators. ...more

August 2, 2008

A reader looking for juicy gossip or insider dope about Florida and Washington politics will come away with something quite different from Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez's soon-to-be released first book, "A Sense Of Belonging." ...more

July 28, 2008

A little-noticed provision co-authored by Sen. Mel Martinez and contained in a massive Senate housing bill would create a national licensing registry for mortgage loan workers, requiring them to undergo fingerprinting and background checks. ...more

July 12, 2008