Obama Leads Romney in Florida, Two Other Swing States

 A New Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times polls find President Obama leading Mitt Romney in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Florida: Obama 51%, Romney 45%; Ohio: Obama 50%, Romney 44%; Pennsylvania: Obama 53%, Romney 42%

Key takeaway: "But a torrent of television advertising in the states, particularly in Ohio and Florida, appears to be resonating in Mr. Obama's quest to define his Republican rival. The polls found that more voters say Mr. Romney's experience was too focused on making profits at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he led, rather than the kind of experience that would help create jobs."

Rubio to Campaign for Mitt in Orlando

Rubio plans to stump as a surrogate for Romney in Orlando in advance of President Obama’s speech at Rollins College Thursday. Rubio will be appearing at an 8 a.m. rally at Harbco General Contractors, Inc., 3700 34th St., in Orlando.

Nelson Has Comfortable Lead Over Mack

In Florida’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson leads U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the likely Republican challenger 47 – 40 percent, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac.  Independent voters go 43 percent for Mack and 40 percent for Nelson.

Crist to Attend Nelson Fundraiser

Nelson's campaign confirmed Wednesday that former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican turned unaffiliated voter, will be on hand at a fundraiser for Nelson on Thursday.

"President Clinton will be the featured guest at an Orlando fundraiser tomorrow night for Bill Nelson. The event will be attended by many officials including the former governor," deputy campaign manager Marley Wilkes said in an email.

"We’re glad to have all their support."

Crist bolted the GOP in 2010 after his support in the primary for the party's U.S. Senate nomination that year collapsed; he eventually lost the general election to Republican Marco Rubio. Since then, observers have been looking for signs that he would attempt a political comeback as a Democrat.

Voters Still Unhappy With Gov. Rick Scott

Florida voters disapprove of the way Gov. Rick Scott is handling his job by a 52-to-36 percent margin according to a poll released by Quinnipiac University.

Floridians Continue Unplugging Home Phone Lines

Floridians are continuing to turn off traditional home phone lines as they rely on wireless phones and voice services from Internet providers, according to a new report by the Florida Public Service Commission.

The report, sent to state leaders annually, shows that traditional residential lines declined 16 percent between Dec. 31, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2011, for what are known as "incumbent" phone companies such as AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink.

During the same period, business lines for those carriers increased 8 percent.

The report also says about 17.6 million wireless handsets were in service as of June 2011, or nearly one for every Floridian. Overall, the report said 93 percent of Florida households had telephone service as of July 2011, slightly lower than the national rate of 96 percent.