GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott released a new ad attacking Democratic opponent Alex Sink for licensing felons as insurance agents although a recent court ruling found Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, is too harsh on the ex-criminals.

Scott’s campaign released the ad the day of the duo’s first live televised debate set to begin at 7 p.m tonight. His campaign staff first handed out information about Sink licensing felons at their first match-up in Miami at a taped Univision debate on Oct. 8.

The ad claims that Sink “had broad discretion to withhold a license…but after 3 days of searching could not name one case in which she used that authority.”

But civil rights experts and Sink’s staff insist that she has limited authority to withhold the licenses and a judge decided that Sink’s waiting periods before felons are eligible to get licenses is too long. Her office has appealed that ruling.

Read The Palm Beach Post story about the licenses here.

State Sen. Dave Aronberg’s campaign for Florida’s top law-enforcement job is getting fund-raising help from an ex-convict whose latest arrest came as recently as last year.

Jeffrey R. Gibson, a Jupiter boxing instructor and partner in a hormone therapy product Web site, recently recruited contributors to a Palm Beach Gardens dinner to pump up the senator’s run for attorney general. “We need somebody we know and trust in this office,” Gibson wrote in an e-mail to invitees.

But court records from Arkansas, California and South Florida show the champion kickboxer-turned-businessman has an arrest record that doesn’t match the squeaky-clean image a law enforcement candidate might want from someone publicly supporting his campaign and soliciting contributions.

Read the rest of Post reporter Tony Doris’ story here.