US Rep. Alan Grayson, Democrat; and Peg Dunmire, TEA Party candidate

The Central Florida Tea Party Council, an alliance of Orlando-area tea movement leaders, last week demanded that TEA Party candidate Dunmire withdraw her bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson.

Tea activists Tom Tillison and Jason Hoyt cited "financial connections" between Grayson and the Florida TEA ("Taxed Enough Already") Party, which they branded "a tea party in name only."

Both Dunmire and TEA Party Chairman Frederic O'Neal denied any financial links to Grayson, who has no primary opposition.

Dunmire, a former Republican and self-described conservative, said, "I have no intention of withdrawing. I find it appalling that these supposed patriots think their intimidation tactics will make me withdraw."

O'Neal, whose party has been sued in federal court by 33 "tea" organizations and individuals over use of the name, said the attack on Dunmire is revealing.

"The way they're acting, it seems they're more afraid of Peg being elected than Grayson being elected," O'Neal said.

The Orlando dustup may be unique in the United States. Where tea partiers have energized conservatives in races across the country, the tea-TEA clashes in Florida have badly splintered the right and left voters wondering what the "tea" brand really stands for.

The Orlando Tea Party Council insists that Dunmire and O'Neal's TEA Party are bent on ruining Republican hopes of reclaiming the 8th District.

“This appears to be nothing less than a veiled ploy by Mr. Grayson to create a split in the conservative vote and guarantee himself another two years of destructive liberal politics," said CFTP Council member Barbara Seidenberg.

Tillison, who edits the Orlando Political Press Web site, and Hoyt, co-host of the Tea Party Patriots Live radio program in Central Florida, have worked for one of the seven Republican candidates in the Aug. 24 primary.

"I was on the payroll of Todd Long's campaign. I worked two days a week, primarily doing precinct walks, stuffing letters, etc. This was a necessary secondary source of income," said Tillison, who also sits on the Orange County Republican Executive Committee.

"I am no longer working for the campaign," he stated in an e-mail.

Hoyt, who did not respond to an inquiry from Sunshine State News, reportedly contracted on a one-time basis to assist in developing Long's campaign Web site.

(Long recently was endorsed by Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio for taking a strong stand on illegal immigration. Long said, " We will not be fooled any longer by these Republican candidates who are funded by big business, like illegal immigration and want cheap, illegal labor.”)