Marco Rubio's new campaign director

Brandon Patty will be joining the Marco Rubio U.S. Senate campaign next week as Campaign and Political Director, while former Rubio field director Jessica Corbett leaves to take a job at the state party. Patty was special Assistant to Gov. Bush in "06, was northeast Florida field director Mitt Romney’s campaign, managed Angela Corey for State Attorney in the Jacksonville arearace and consulted on a Lake Ray's state house campaign and WC Gentry's school board race.

Corbett, 23, will be working on the RPOF's voter registration drive in congressional districts 8 and 24, and told Buzz the move does not signal her souring on Rubio, though she is officially neutral: "I respect Marco and wish him the best." 

Crist tanks in CPAC poll, gets booed

Mitt Romney won the straw poll today at the Conservative Political Action Conference with 20 percent of the votes among the nearly 9,000 attendees. Charlie Crist finished dead last with 1 percent.

The Hill: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), who publicly supported President Obama's economic stimulus plan, finished last with 1 percent. Crist, who did not attend the conference, was booed by attendees, and pollster Tony Fabrizio, in announcing the results, called him "Barack Obama's favorite Republican."

Full straw poll results: Mitt Romney - 20 percent; Bobby Jindal - 14 percent; Sarah Palin - 13 percent; Ron Paul - 13 percent; Newt Gingrich - 10 percent; Mike Huckabee - 7 percent; Mark Sanford - 4 percent; Rudy Guiliani - 3 percent; Tim Pawlenty - 2 percent; Charlie Crist - 1 percent; Undecided - 9 percent

Huckabee's back

Mike Huckabee will bring his book-signing bus tour to Tampa on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. at Hyde Park Village. Huckabee has just released Do the Right Thing, which offers an inside look at his presidential campaign. Apparently, the book also rehashes his sparring with Mitt Romney, with Huckabee saying his opponent in the primaries was "anything but conservative until he changed the light bulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president," according to Time magazine. But Huckabee's  web site says the book "shows how the Republican Party can heal its divisions -- between social and fiscal conservatives, the wealthy and the middle class, the religious and the secular -- and become a true majority party again."

The Tampa book event is sponsored by independent bookseller Inkwood Books. Huckabee is also scheduled to sign books Dec. 7 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, and make stops in Panama City, Orlando, Sarasota, Pensacola, The Villages and Southwest Ranches.

Obama pushing Huizenga to sell Dolphins

Like Joe the Plumber, Wayne Huizenga is worried. The former Bush Pioneer fundraiser and multi-milloionaire from Broward, who backed Mitt Romney in the primary, says he's eager to sell his 45% share of the Dolphins to avoid Barack Obama's capital gains tax increases.

"I'd rather give it to charity than to him" said Huizenga, who gave $2,300 to John McCain in late May.

Drafting Romney for Veep

The Republican Women of Okaloosa Federated passed a resolution last week calling on John McCain to pick Mitt Romney as his running mate "for the purpose of uniting the Party and restoring faith in the fundamentals of Republican Principles" and is encouraging other FFRW clubs to do the same. Romney won northeast Florida three to one, and it sounds like Republican Federated Women of Duval will pass a similar resolution on Thursday.

VP Crist, Mitt or Jeb?

Spotted this bumper sticker in Tampa today. And check out Jonah Goldberg's veepstakes chart where Jeb Bush is pegged as the best governor from either party in 20 years and Crist's liabilities include the potential to alienate fans of natural tanning.

McCain's N. Florida weakness may help Mitt

Yesterday we wrote about John McCain's life in Orange Park outside Jacksonville, a formative time in his political career. In the course of reporting, something stood out: Despite strong Navy ties and family roots, Orange Park favored Mitt Romney in the January primary.

Even precinct 210 -- McCain's old neighborhood -- voted nearly 2-to-1 for Romney. "I was just very impressed by him. He seemed energetic, a younger man," said Rose Powell, 72, who still lives down the street from where the McCains did. "McCain just wasn't conservative enough for me."

That sentiment was true across northeast Florida. With primary over, it may not matter. Certainly those voters will not look at Barack Obama. But it does seem to strengthen the case for Romney as VP.

Romney and McCain have buried their nasty primary struggle, giving way to speculation about them sharing the Republican ticket. The buzz is Romney has made it to the top of the shortlist, which is bad news for Gov. Charlie Crist.

Romney courts black GOPers in FL

Former Massachussetts governor Mitt Romney, a onetime runner-up for the whitest man in America award and current Charlie Crist rival for VP, will keynote this weekend's Florida Federation of Black Republicans conference in Jacksonville. Other speakers include Bob Martinez, Carole Jean Jordan, John Kirtley, Darryl Paulson, Sharon Day, Bob McClure, Carol Saviak, Allison DeFoor, Princella D. Smith, Allen Cox, Lance McCarthy, Gary Mormino.

It's not the first time Romney has courted African-Americans in Jacksonville. There's a popular YouTube of Romney on MLK day showing his edgy urban side. [AP Photo]

Romney returns to Florida to raise money

Looks like Mitt Romney is coming back to the Sunshine State to help out U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney.

FL GOP money going slow to McCain

John McCain should be sitting pretty — catching his breath, building his campaign organization and filling up his campaign account — while Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton rip each other to shreds.Except that in the must-win state of Florida, many of the top Republican money-raisers have yet to step up for their presidential nominee.

Consider that of Florida's 66 so-called Pioneers or Rangers who raised at least $100,000 for Bush-Cheney in 2000 or 2004, only nine have contributed to McCain, a St. Petersburg Times analysis finds. While losing election after election throughout February, Clinton raised more than twice as much money from Florida — $1.25-million — as McCain, who drew $489,000. So did Obama, taking in more than $1-million from Florida.