Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are putting pressure on lawmakers to approve an all-out ban on Internet cafés now on its way to the House floor but facing a doubtful future in the Senate.

The House Economic Affairs Committee approved the bill (HB 3) this morning, drawing the praise of the Republican governor and Cabinet who want the so-called “casinos on the corner” shuttered.

Critics of the cafés, an estimated $1 billion industry which operates under state “sweepstakes” laws and are largely unregulated, say they prey on the state’s poor and vulnerable. But the café operators say they provide good jobs for their employees and a place to socialize for seniors and others.

Scott believes the store-front casinos found in strip malls throughout the state are already illegal but wants lawmakers to officially ban them.

“These store front casinos are impacting Florida’s neighborhoods and families,” said Governor Scott. “They are and should be illegal. Representative Plakon’s bill closes this loophole and I commend his dedication to shutting down these establishments,” Scott said in a statement released by Rep. Scott Plakon, the Longwood Republican who’s sponsored the bill.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam joined in the chorus demanding the shut-down.

But the Senate is moving forward with a separate measure that would regulate the cafés and impose a $100 fee per computer terminal for operators. Estimates of the number of cafés in the state range from 800 to 1,400 but all agree they have mushroomed in the past few years. Palm Beach County commissioners recently barred new cafés from opening in unincorporated areas.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved a regulation measure and set aside a bill that would make the cafés illegal.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam today endorsed state Senate President Mike Haridopolos in the GOP Senate primary, calling him “the conservative who can win this race” against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November 2012.

Putnam, a former member of Congress and a potential candidate for governor in the future, is the second cabinet member to back Haridopolos. Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach is also backing the Senate president over former state Houses Majority Leader Adam Hasner and former appointed Sen. George LeMieux.

Read Putnam’s statement after the jump….

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Gov. Rick Scott, in the Panhandle as the state’s cheerleader-in-chief, and the Florida Cabinet threw down the gauntlet – at each other – in advance of a “friendly” fishing tournament this afternoon.

In Panama City on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blast that sent 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam held their first out-of-town Cabinet meeting at the Bay County Government Center in Panama City.

Some good news for Florida anglers other than the Cabinet – Putnam’s staff announced the state would hold two free fishing weekends at the open of the red snapper season on June 4 and again for Father’s Day on June 19. And they’ve extended the scallop season for three extra weeks. The season will begin a week before its previously scheduled July 1 kick off and last two weeks longer than the slated Sept. 10 close.

The Cabinet fishing competition began almost as soon as the panel – all clad in Columbia fishing shirts embroidered with the new “Gulf Safe” seafood marketing logo – reached the podium.

“It’s great to be here,” said Scott, who purchased his $17.50 fishing license at C and G Sporting Goods in downtown Panama City earlier in the day. “We’re going to have a fishing tournament. And we all know that I’m going to win.”

Bondi stepped up to Scott’s challenge.

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Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam can’t take over administration of free and reduced lunches in public schools won’t happen, at least for a while.

Under federal law, the state Department of Education must continue to handle the free lunches and other meals unless they get a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture giving Putnam permission to take it over.

Fifty-six percent of Florida school children qualify for the federal lunch program – a 6% increase over hte past two years. To be eligible, a family of four must have an annual income of $28,665 or less.

Putnam proposed taking over the program so he could hook up Florida farmers and schools and get more home-grown fruits and vegetables into kiddies’ diets.

Putnam got a frosty reception from the state Board of Education when he pitched his plan to them earlier this week. The education department would have to request the waiver.

Education department staff say they’re waiting to see if lawmakers approve Putnam’s proposal before they ask the feds for permission to hand the program over to Putnam.

Gov. Rick Scott is holding fast to his support for an Arizona-style immigration reform for Florida despite recent comments from state GOP leaders, including Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, that it could be bad for business.

Scott, who campaigned on the issue, said this morning that law enforcement officers should be able to ask for immigration documentation, including during routine traffic stops.

“The federal government needs to secure our borders. We need to have an overall immigration policy that is logical and that works and is fair to Americans and fair to people that want to come to our country that we invite to come to our country,” Scott told reporters this morning.

“At the same time, I also believe that if you’re in our country and you do something illegally, you should be able to be asked just like I get asked for my ID if I ever get a traffic ticket, they should be asked if they’re legal or not. I clearly don’t believe in racial profiling,” Scott said.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said yesterday he does not favor an Arizona-style law.

And Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, fresh from a decade in Congress trying to address the immigration issue, said he believes an Arizona-style law would be bad for tourism and finance in Florida.

The all-new Florida Cabinet held a very brief meeting this morning, the first since the all-GOP panel took office early this month.

Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam ran through the skimpy agenda in less than half an hour. The highlight: the Cabinet’s confirmation of Scott’s pick for Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard.

“Congratulations. You’ve got a lot of work to do,” Scott told Vinyard, a Jacksonville businessman and lawyer, after the vote. Scott’s transition team was highly critical of the agency and recommended merging it with two other departments to help streamline permitting and regulation.

Scott has revamped the Cabinet procedures and eliminated the until-now routine Q-and-A with reporters before and after the bimonthly meeting, at least for today.

Before the 9 a.m. meeting, Scott’s spokesman advised reporters not to rush the governor on the dais after the meeting ended and that Scott would not answer questions until noon when he is scheduled to address the Associated Press annual editors meeting on the 22nd floor of the Capitol.

Scott’s Cabinet colleagues weren’t so media-shy, however.

Bondi, Atwater and Putnam – all University of Florida alumni – posed for photos and shook hands outside the Cabinet room for about 30 minutes before the meeting started and remained for nearly as long answering questions from reporters after its conclusion.

Scott answered a single question after the meeting.

“Fine. Fine,” he responded when asked how his first Cabinet meeting went. He was then whisked away.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam issued a statement in honor of Martin Luther King asking Floridians to “embrace his vision of partnership and unity” in light of the recent shootings in Arizona.

“As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, I encourage my fellow Floridians to join me in commemorating his legacy. If the tragic events of the past week have taught us anything, it is that moral persuasion, not violence, changes hearts, minds and the world. Dr King’s life was cut short, but his example lives on. May we embrace his vision of partnership and unity, without division by race, religion, class or gender, as we work together to create a better and brighter future for all those who call Florida home,” Putnam, a Republican and former Congressman, said in a statement released this afternoon.

Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner-elect Adam Putnam has his new team ready to go with less than two weeks until he takes office on Jan. 4.

Putnam has hired Sterling Ivey, who’s been Gov. Charlie Crist’s spokesman since Crist took office, as his press secretary. Ivey also served as spokesman for the Department of State under Gov. Jeb Bush.

Putnam’s tapped more than a dozen long-serving government workers such as his chief of staff Mike Joyner, who spent more than 25 years working for the state including a stint as chief of staff at the Department of Environmental Protection.

And Putnam’s hanging on to several of current Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson’s employees, many of whom have worked in the department for years.

See who’s on Putnam’s administrative team after the jump. (more…)

Adam Putnam, the state’s new Agricultural Commissioner, warned that Republicans need to deliver or else they will find themselves in 2012 in the same position as the Democrats this year.

Putnam, who along with North Palm’s Jeff Atwater (Chief Financial Officer) and Tampa’s Pam Bondi (Attorney General), will be part of the state’s second all-Republican cabinet, and the first since 2007.

“If we fail to produce, we will suffer the consequences like the current administration suffered tonight,” Putnam said late Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Bondi is promising to fight against President Obama’s agenda.

“I also look forward to continuing Florida’s leadership in the fight against the federal healthcare takeover,” Bondi said in her victory speech.

For the second time in state history, and the first time since 2007, Florida will have an all Republican cabinet.

North Palm Beach’s Jeff Atwater, celebrating at Duffy’s on PGA and US1, believes the Republican trio of himself, Pam Bondi (attorney general) and Adam Putnam (agricultural commissioner) can help create business in Florida.

“It means a consistent and deep seated belief in the entrepreneurial spirit,” Atwater said. “This will be a cabinet wanting to facilitate a true support for the small business risk takers that are in Florida.”

Atwater said he is looking forward to working with Bondi and Putnam.

“They truly come with a level of expertise into these roles that may have never been matched historically,” Atwater said. “From Adam Putnam’s lifetime experience in the agricultural industry, to Pam Bondi’s hands on real life experiences in the courtroom to my experiences in the financial service industry of 25 years and a governor (if Rick Scott wins) who has made a lifetime of creating jobs in the private sector, it’s (great) for all Floridians.”

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ORLANDO — Republican Senate nominee Marco Rubio is getting rock star treatment as he barnstorms in the final days of the campaign, and it isn’t just because of his big black charter bus.

Rubio appeared with chief financial officer candidate Jeff Atwater and agriculture commissioner candidate Adam Putnam in front of enthusiastic crowds at multiple stops today. In Melbourne, where a crowd of more than 500 showed up at a rally in a park, Putnam compared introducing Rubio to “opening for Elvis.” In Daytona Beach, where it was Atwater’s turn to introduce Rubio, he compared his task to opening for the Rolling Stones.

Rubio is spending more time promoting other GOP candidates — and taking jabs at Democratic governor hopeful Alex Sink.

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With two of the three GOP Florida Cabinet candidates refusing to participate in a debate next month, organizers had no choice but to cancel the event.

Attorney general candidate Pam Bondi and Senate President Jeff Atwater, the Republican nominee for chief financial officer, would not agree to debate their Democratic opponents, Florida Press Association president Dean Ridings said today. The press association and Leadership Florida had planned to host the Oct. 5 event at the University of Florida.

GOP agriculture commissioner candidate Adam Putnam was the only Republican who signed up for the debate, Ridings said.

“Pam Bondi and Jeff Atwater would not confirm. We are pretty much at the deadline. And every indication was that they would not participate,” Ridings said. “It didn’t make sense just to do the one” debate, Ridings said.

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U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam snagged the National Rifle Association endorsement this morning in the race for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Putnam, a scion of a powerful Polk County citrus and cattle ranching-family, is running against former Florida Democratic Party chief Scott Maddox.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has also endorsed endorsed Putnam, a fresh-faced conservative Republican first elected to Congress in 2000 at the age of 26 after serving in the Florida House.

The law firm for Democrat Scott Maddox, the party’s leading contender for the state agriculture commissioner nomination, is one of two firms representing Panhandle fishermen and seafood restaurants in a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court in Pensacola against BP et al.

Maddox, like others, has turned the oil spill in a political issue. Maddox hopes to embarrass his probable Republican opponent, Adam Putnam, for supporting off-shore drilling. “He maintains his hubris even in the face of new proof that even rigs that are hundreds of miles away can threaten Florida’s beaches,” Maddox said.

Putnam’s campaign manager, Trey McCarley, used the lawsuit to shoot back today:

“When in doubt, sue. As a result of his multiple losing campaigns for 3 of Florida’s 4 available cabinet positions, Scott Maddox has confused job descriptions for the one he’s running for this time. While oil continues to pour out of the earth at a rate of 210,000 gallons per day, Scott Maddox runs to the courthouse to sue someone, anyone, in a desperate attempt to make money from misery.

The job of the Commissioner of Agriculture is to solve problems, to reduce our dependency on countries who hate us with homegrown crops that fuel our cars and power our homes and businesses. Once again Scott proves he’s a lobbyist bottom feeder running for a job he knows little about and cares for even less.”

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, a Republican candidate for state agriculture commissioner, released a statement this morning saying he would return contributions that appear to be connected to the Rothstein Rosenfedlt Adler law firm.

What caught our attention was the campaign’s phrase “out of an abundance of caution.”

From the campaign:

Out of an abundance of caution, the Putnam campaign will return several campaign contributions which appear to be from entities connected with the law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfeldt, Adler to the receivership or to charity as is appropriate. The campaign did not receive any personal contributions from the Rothstein’s.

That’s almost the exact same phrase that Gov. Charlie Crist’s campaign used on Tuesday:

In an abundance of caution, the Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate Campaign will return contributions received from Scott and Kim Rothstein. Contributions in the amount of $9600 will be turned over to a proper entity as soon as possible.

The difference between the two Republicans is that Crist is not returning at least another $70,000 from other attorneys at Rothstein’s firm.

“Are there allegations against those other people? Not that I’m aware of,” Crist said Wednesday.

Democratic Agriculture Commissioner candidate Scott Maddox’s campaign didn’t get off to a slow start although he didn’t begin collecting money until yesterday.

The former head of the state Democratic Party put off raising campaign cash until Sept. 1 – nearly two months after he jumped into the race – for a reason: that’s when matching public money kicks in.

“But today is not just the first day of our fundraising campaign, today also marks the first day that you can more than double your impact! If you contribute today, the State of Florida will match your donation on a 2 to 1 basis up to $250! If you give $50 dollars, the state will match with an additional $100. If you give $100, the State will match an additional $200, and if you give $250, the match will be an additional $500! Please help us take on this challenge and make a difference for Florida’s consumers…and watch your donation grow!” reads an e-mail Maddox sent to supporters yesterday.

Maddox is faces two other contenders in the Democratic primary. Former state Rep. Rick Minton, a Ft. Pierce realtor, and former Suwanee County Commissioner Randy Hatch both want the job. Audubon of Florida lobbyist Eric Draper dropped out of the race after Maddox stepped in.

Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, also a former state House member, from Bartow is the favorite in a GOP primary. Putnam was one of the youngest politicians elected to Congress in 2001 at the age of 26. Opponents in the primary include state Sen. Carey Baker, a gun shop owner from Eustis.

Current Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson is leaving office because of term limits.