* Attorney General Bill McCollum sent a letter on Wednesday to Leadership Florida that says he is willing to hold a third debate with GOP rival Rick Scott in Jacksonville. Scott had turned down a request for a debate in Orlando, saying there was already one scheduled for Central Florida and that he wanted one scheduled for North Florida.

* Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Kendrick Meek is planning to start a 10 day bus tour next Wednesday titled the “Real Dem Express.” The bus tour will begin in Orlando and will travel all over Florida before its last stop in Miami on August 14. Meek said in a statement that “The Real Dem Express tour will send a clear message -- there is just one Democrat in this race and only one candidate who will fight for middle-class Florida families.” Democratic rival Jeff Greene sent out his own mocking message say it should be nicknamed the "Crooked Express" tour, a shot at Meek's ties to an indicted South Florida developer.

* Jeff Greene’s campaign hired a new media consultant, Devine/Mulvey, reported the St. Petersburg Times. The newspaper noted that current media consultant Joe Trippi is still with the campaign.

* The Sunday debate between Democratic candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene will be aired on Central Florida News 13 at 8 p.m. on Monday, reported the Orlando Sentinel. The Saturday debate with three Republican candidates for attorney general, Holly Benson, Pam Bondi and Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, will also air on News 13 on Sunday at 8 p.m.

* Pam Bondi, Republican candidate for attorney general, denied accusations that she had told a former boyfriend and employee of the Morgan & Morgan law firm that she would hire his company for consumer protection if elected. According to the St. Petersburg Times, GOP rival Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp received an email from Morgan & Morgan stating that Billy Howard had the conversation with Bondi last fall, which both Bondi and Howard have stated that they did not have such a conversation.

* In endorsement news, Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach and candidate for attorney general, received an endorsement from the Tallahassee Democrat. Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Oviedo and Congressional District 24 candidate, was endorsed by Central Florida Veterans Sergeant Bill Coleman, Lieutenant Colonel Earle Denton and Former Oviedo Mayor, Colonel Tom Walters. Rudy Moise, Democrat candidate for Congress District 17, announced that he has been endorsed by Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober. Mike Hill, Republican candidate for State Senate District 2, was endorsed by the Washington County Tea Party. Jason Sager, Republican candidate for Congressional District 5, received an endorsement from the Tampa 912 Project. Chris Nwasike, Republican candidate for Congressional District 3, was endorsed by the Black America’s Political Action Committee.

Originally published in the Florida Current - exclusively distributed via Lobbytools  - Florida's Premiere Legislative and Media Monitoring Service.