Tom Grady, a 57-year-old wealthy securities lawyer from Naples and former state lawmaker, is perhaps best known in Florida for his hefty travel spending during his brief tenure in 2012 as interim president of Citizens Property Insurance.

Grady defended the spending, saying he was actually “very frugal.” He lost the permanent job to a Maryland insurance executive, amid questions raised by the Tampa Bay Times about his spending habits. He returned to the private sector.

Grady is not known for education issues — a fact which some education advocates lamented after Scott announced the appointment Friday. Scott’s office did not respond to a request seeking comment on why Grady was chosen to fill the state board’s vacancy.

“Just what we needed. Another non-educator to have zero understanding of best education practices and policy,” Opt Out Orlando leader Cindy Hamilton said.

Weekly Roundup

"Weekly Roundup: Family Feuds."

"Loss of clout for Central Florida in Senate"

"Term limits, higher-office ambitions and the ongoing redistricting saga will likely mean Central Floridians will lose influence in the state Senate after next year's elections."

The turnover could make it harder for lawmakers from the region to have major roles in the Capitol on education, the environment, health care, the budget and even key local projects.

That, in turn, can lessen the area's clout. Freshman members are often given less important committee posts and don't usually receive starring roles from leadership in shaping policy on politically sensitive issues.

"House map sets up fight"

"House map sets up fight over South Florida Senate districts." See also "House Pitches New Redistricting Senate Map, But Hutson’s District Would Still Shift South" and "House Offers New Map in Senate Redistricting."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "Jeb’s past campaign – Rubio’s exile roots – Grayson’s giving glitch – FL wine outpacing OJ? – Seminole Tribe keeps gambling tables open – Solar wars heat up." "Florida Playbook."

The Villages

"GOP candidate Ben Carson to sign books in The Villages, Kissimmee."

Will Gwen Graham run for governor?

"With Rep. Gwen Graham’s district set to be sliced up by the Florida Supreme Court as the state’s congressional lines get redrawn, speculation has run rampant about the Tallahassee Democrat’s next move." "Graham fuels speculation about possible run for governor."

To quote, Declan Patrick MacManus, "I hope you're happy now"

"More than a quarter of the female bears killed in last weekend's hunt were lactating and about two-thirds of all bears were killed on private land, according to a POLITICO Florida analysis of partial data from the hunt." "Review of bear-kill records suggests at least 28 females could have had cubs."

Latvala says Gaetz owes Floridians an apology

"A leading candidate to be the next Senate president wants Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, to apologize to the people of Florida for mishandling redistricting efforts in 2012."

Lawmakers convened their third special session on redistricting Monday. A coalition of voters groups had filed suit complaining the Legislature violated an anti-gerrymandering law when they drew new statehouse and congressional districts following the 2010 census. The Senate ended the lawsuit by conceding it had violated the constitution.

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said he is surprised that the man who is responsible for the debacle is not being held accountable.

Jeb! Belittles Liberal Arts

"Jeb Bush Has a Bad Habit of Belittling Liberal Arts Degrees, Even Though He Has One."

To Replace Rubio

"Export-Import Bank Factors in Race to Replace Marco Rubio in the Senate."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "‘Jedi’ Marco ‘rocked’ Jeb – Hillary’s low-info voters – Naked politics on the beach – SeaWorld’s undue influence? – exploding cigarette threat." "Florida Playbook."

Seminole Tribe sues Florida

"Seminole Tribe sues the state despite progress in gaming talks."

Florida's empty suits debate who is lazier

"Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio at the debate Getty Verbatim: What happened when Jeb and Marco went toe-to-toe last night." See also "Marco Rubio deflects question on missed votes as Jeb Bush goes on attack | Video" and "Fact-checking the Republican CNBC debate."

"The new abolitionists"

"Critics of the Florida Standards Assessment came out in full force to voice their distaste for the statewide education standards at the State Board of Education meeting Wednesday in Orlando."

Wendy Bradshaw, a former Polk County teacher who resigned last week, said she was frustrated that public schools no longer promoted a “love of learning,” instead opting to reinvent the wheel and take a different path.

“Professional educators have been leaving the [education] field at an alarming rate because of these misguided reforms, and that is a problem for you [board members] because your edicts are not what results in student success,” she said. “Teachers, parents and students working together is what results in student success.”

Bradshaw told board members the reason why there was a teacher shortage is because people are “waking up” and realizing the high-stakes testing system is not fair to students.

Similar concerns have led many to join an “opt out” movement which, if successful, would allow parents to withdraw their students from taking the standardized test. Opting out has gathered significant support.

One opt-out parent said Florida was witnessing a “new Jim Crow era” due to high-stakes standardized testing.

“We are the new abolitionists,” she said of her fellow opt-out supporters.

See also "Senate Approves Amended Map for South Florida Senate Districts."

More: "Senate modifies redistricting map by altering Miami-Dade districts," "Support for Senate redistricting plan remains uncertain" and "Senate Changes Map amid Miami-Dade Questions.

This From the Far Right

Ed Dean: "David Jolly, Lake County Commission Flying High, Bill Nelson Not Taking Off."

Webster's last grasp

"U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., made a last minute pitch to become the next speaker of the U.S. House even as U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. is the favorite to be selected later this week. "

With U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announcing at the end of last month that he would step down at the end of October, Webster threw his name into the hat for another speakership bid. Earlier this year, Webster was Boehner’s main challenger, gaining 12 votes against the speaker but getting kicked off the powerful U.S. House Rules Committee after his bid failed.

They Got Them Sum Bars

"In a court hearing three weeks before the hunt, a bear expert for Speak Up Wekiva predicted virtually every single thing that went wrong: the speedy, mass killings; the orphaned cubs; all of it. Yet state wildlife officials mocked him." "In Florida's bear hunt, emotion and agendas trumped facts."

Background:"Scrutiny, controversy led officials to halt bear hunt early." More: "Florida’s bear hunt ends, but arguments go on," "Florida’s bear hunt ends, but arguments go on" and "Wildlife officials stop bear hunt after two days."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "Jeb v. Marco, onstage – Ben Carson’s hits FL mixed martial arts gym and… – FL redistricting drama – a DCF horror story -- RIP Juanita Evangeline Moore." "Florida Playbook."

"Marco, the ‘GOP Obama,’ & Jeb’s ‘failed playbook’ – Seminoles sue FL over gambling –Sen. Nelson to run for reelection -- Why FL closed its bear hunt." "Florida Playbook."

Sunshine Summit

"With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-Nov. 14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids." "Rick Santorum Ready to Go Back to Work at the Sunshine Summit."

"Rubio 'The GOP Obama'"

Kevin Derby: "Jeb Bush Shrewd to Paint Marco Rubio as 'GOP Obama'."

The Jebbites are calling "Rubio “a GOP Obama” and noted their 'strikingly similar profiles: first-term senators, lawyers and university lecturers, served in part-time state legislatures for eight years, had few legislative accomplishments, and haven’t shown much interest in the process of advancing legislation and getting results.'" "Bush camp disses Rubio as 'GOP Obama'."

Term Limits

"An effort in Tallahassee to propose congressional term limits is getting some national play as a political group showcased it on Monday." "Florida Legislators Propose Article V Convention for Constitutional Amendment on Congressional Term Limits."

Florida's benefits, which temporarily help for laid-off workers, not the chronically unemployed, are already among the chintziest in America — averaging $239 a week for as few as 12 weeks.

How long that would pay your mortgage? Or pay your light bill? Or feed your family?

So we have some of the lowest benefits. And now comes word from the National Employment Law Project that we grant those chintzy benefits to the lowest percentage of unemployed workers in America.

Actually, we're tied for last with South Carolina.

As Floridians often say: Thank God for the SEC states.

Even the Orlando Sentinel editors believe "Fla. must stop picking on jobless."

Drilling in the 'Glades, fracking in the fragile Apalachicola

"A Texas oil company’s plan to search for oil and gas in North Florida is stoking fears that drilling and possibly even fracking could come to areas around the fragile Apalachicola and Chipola rivers."

Fueling the fears are GOP-backed bills moving through the Legislature that would create a regulatory framework for fracking in Florida. The controversial drilling technique is actually legal now, but it’s believed to have occurred only once in the state near the Everglades. Democrats, meanwhile, are offering bills that would ban fracking, though similar measures have gotten little traction in the past.

The fracking legislation comes at a time of renewed interest in oil and gas exploration in Florida. Energy companies are hoping to conduct seismic testing in the Big Cypress National Preserve and exploratory drilling in the Everglades.

"Trump mocks Jeb, Rubio"

"Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mocked former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his own state on Saturday, saying recent campaign cuts show he's not ready to be president." "Trump jabs at Bush in Florida: Not ready to be president." See also "Trump mocks Jeb, Rubio on their home turf in Florida."

Rubio's "backward approach"

The Tampa Bay Times editors: "Rubio's penchant for saying one thing and doing another was on full display during his energy speech earlier this month in Ohio."

The Republican candidate faulted Democrat Hillary Clinton for an "outdated" energy strategy even as he called for expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, rolling back the Obama administration's clean air rules and blocking any international effort to combat climate change. His campaign appearance at a company that manufactures pumping equipment was aimed at promoting hydraulic fracking — the practice of pumping water and chemicals underground to release natural gas buried deep in rock formations. He promised to allow the Keystone XL pipeline, and he would permit more oil and gas drilling. He would reverse the Obama administration's limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and he would essentially cancel the outgoing president's efforts to reach an international agreement on combating climate change.

This is a backward approach from a politician who continues to fan the myth that the energy sector is under attack and that new investments in renewable energies are too expensive and threaten too many jobs. U.S. oil and gas production is expected to remain robust for years, even as demand is constrained in part by new fuel economy standards. Rising costs for new fossil fuel resources and dropping prices for renewable technologies are expected to boost market demand for clean energy solutions.

"Gunsmoke style"

Bill Cotterell updates us on the Fla-NRA agenda in Tally:

• A bill by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, allowing concealed-weapon permit holders to carry their guns openly in public. Appearances aside (opponents worry “open carry” will frighten foreign tourists, for instance), there’s a certain logic to this. If someone is a licensed, law-abiding citizen, what’s the difference whether they pack a pistol in a shoulder holster or strap it on Gunsmoke style? . . .

• A bill by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, that shifts the burden of proof in “stand your ground” cases to the state. Normally, if you make a motion to dismiss the charges, you have the burden in a pre-trial hearing to show that the case shouldn’t proceed. If SB 344 passes, the state attorney would have to show that a defendant did not have a legitimate fear of death or injury, or was not protecting someone else, when a tense confrontation turned deadly.

Bradley also proposed that the get-out-of-jail card come with up to $200,000 for attorney fees and court costs, reimbursed by the state. To collect, defense attorneys would have to prove “the state willfully or substantially violated the rules of discovery” in arresting defendants who claim to have been standing their ground. Judges could also award reimbursement when a criminal filing “violates the court’s sense of fundamental fairness.” . . .

• That old standby, guns on campus. This one didn’t get through in the 2015 session, but Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, brought it back for next year’s session. It will probably pass this time, despite vocal opposition from university police forces, students and faculty members.

Jeb "stands with far-right extremists"

The Sun Sentinel's Daniel Vasquez writes that, "over the last few months, one thing has become increasingly clear: Jeb Bush is not on the side of the Latino community. The rhetoric he has used throughout this campaign and the policy positions he’s pushed throughout his career have shown that he stands with far-right extremists at our expense." "What Jeb Bush Won't Tell to Latino Audiences."

Yee Haw!

"Seek Cover, Teddy: 3,500 Hunters Take Guns and Bows to Bears Across Florida."

The FlaGOP's "worst nightmare"

Joe Henderson: "When the Florida Supreme Court ruled the boundaries of congressional District 13 violated the state Constitution, many might have seen that as another dense political story filed under 'W' for 'whatever.' Gerrymandering these districts to suit the political party in power has long been a sport in Tallahassee. Pundits and losing candidates might grumble about that tactic, but that’s as far as it usually goes. In this case, though, the court’s remedy for the boundary shenanigans may result in the Republican Party of Florida’s worst nightmare." "Ghost of candidates past is back, and his name is Charlie Crist."

"We're not known as Flori-Duh for nothing"

Daniel Ruth shares the sad story of Bill Johnson, "who heads up Enterprise Florida, [who recently did] his best subway panhandler impersonation before a Senate committee, insisting he simply needs an additional $80 million to help finagle more jobs to the state. And great hilarity ensued."

On Scott's watch, Tallahassee has appropriated $398 million to fund various incentive programs to attract jobs to Florida. . . .

Does offering bribes to companies to create jobs in Florida make some sense? Sure, although you have to wonder if part of the problem is whenever a CEO sees Scott, the Uncle Fester of Tallahassee, walking through the door that is hardly an appealing incentive to take up residence in Florida. . . .

For the sake of argument, imagine a CEO running down a checklist while considering establishing a presence in Florida, perhaps even relocating a thousand employees to the state. . . .

What about schools? Well, Florida public schools rank 28th nationally and let us not forget Tallahassee's stumblebum, bizarre, garbled approach to testing that practically turns underpaid teachers into villains.

Public health? Well, consider the state set aside nearly $400 million to lure jobs that have yet to exist, while also refusing to accept federal Medicaid funding to help a half-million poor Floridians who do exist.

Public safety? Oh boy! Florida is awash in guns. . . .

Tolerance? Let's say 10 percent of the jobs the CEO is planning to relocate represent nonwhites. The CEO decides to take a tour of the state and as the executive drives into Tampa from Orlando what is the first thing he or she sees? A giant, honking, massive Confederate flag fluttering at the junction of I-4 and I-75, advertising for all the world to see that one is now entering redneck, yahoo, racist Gooberville. . . .

Miscellaneous? There are Floridians who keep cobras for pets. George Zimmerman calls Florida home. The Church of Scientology has its spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. Florida leads the nation in identity theft. Florida leads the nation in weird, from hanging chad to Duke Energy charging customers for a nuclear reactor that will never be built, to the election of a governor who ran a company that later paid a record fine for Medicare fraud. Three final words: stand your ground.