Five of today’s top Florida political stories at your fingertips:

Republicans aiming to register voters at NASCAR – Reince Priebus won’t be behind the wheel of a stock car, but the Republican National Committee is going to Daytona International Speedway. Spectators at this weekend’s NASCAR races in Florida will be encouraged to register to vote. You might say the party’s staff and volunteers will be “at the races” — literally. Read more

Florida nets more than $3 billion in multi-state BP settlement— Florida will land about $3.25 billion as part of a multi-state federal settlement with BP over widespread damages caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The deal announced Thursday requires London-based BP to pay $18.5 billion in economic and natural resources damages to the five Gulf Coast states affected by the disaster, which pumped at least 3.9 million gallons of oil off the coastlines of Alabama,Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Read more

Related: A look at how 5 Gulf Coast states will divide and use BP oil spill settlement money

Melissa McKinlay raises $180,000, Rebecca Negron raises $175,000 in congressional race – Democratic Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay’s campaign says she topped $180,000 in contributions in her first seven weeks as a candidate in the crowded and nationally watched race to replace Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter. Republican Rebecca Negron raised about $175,000 in the quarter that ended Tuesday, her campaign said. Candidates aren’t required to submit reports to the Federal Election Commission until July 15, but several offered preliminary numbers today. Read more

Teachers may get $10,000 bonus for high SAT scores – Florida teachers may be eligible for bonuses of up to $10,000 if they scored well on their SAT or ACT college entrance exams, no matter how many years ago they took them. The state’s new budget, which went into effect July 1, provides $44 million for “highly effective” teachers to get bonuses if they scored in the top 20 percent of students who took the test when they did. It applies to both district and charter school teachers. If more than 4,400 teachers apply, the state would make the reward smaller but wouldn’t change eligibly criteria. Read more

Florida at center of presidential gun debate— Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who turned Florida into a model of gun ownership a decade ago, is sticking to his gun-rights stance in the 2016 presidential race. “Florida is a pro-gun state,” Bush asserted while campaigning in Nevada recently, proudly touting his A+ grading by the National Rifle Association. Read more

Calendar note: Hillary Clinton to speak to National Urban League in Fort Lauderdale  

Summer vacation spot: ‘Redneck Riviera’ no more, south Walton now draws celebs

For more Florida political news, visit BPR’s FLORIDA NEWS page

This post was updated to make a correction to the headline.

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Cheryl Carpenter Klimek

Administration
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Latest posts by Cheryl Carpenter Klimek (see all)

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