Don’t tell members of the Florida delegation that they are in some sort of exile, paying for the sins of legislators who wanted the Sunshine State to have more of a say in the selection of the party’s presidential candidate.

Located nearly 30 miles from the Tampa Bay Times Forum, delegates exhibited no remorse that part of the punishment from the Republican National Committee for Florida’s early presidential preference primary is having to hunker down in the lush Innisbrook Resort and Spa, a gated golf course and spa community in Palm Harbor.

“Who is being punished? I feel like a movie star,” said Melissa Nash, a delegate from West Palm Beach for the Republican National Convention.

“They’ve rolled out the red carpet. They’ve given us great transportation. The hospitality is what you’d expect for a Florida delegation.”

The luxury resort was in addition to having the voting delegation reduced from 99 to 50 because Florida wanted to have a greater say in the selection of the Republican presidential candidate.

Mitt Romney, who will have the "presumptive" tag removed from his title when the convention convenes on Tuesday, won a nine-way primary with 46.4 percent of the vote in January.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam welcomed the South Carolina delegation, which has also been assigned to Innisbrook Resort and Spa in Palm Harbor as a punishment for early voting, as Florida’s “partners in primary purgatory” during the Monday morning “Fresh From Florida” breakfast. 

Away from the rest of the madding crowd that set up in hotels and resorts closer to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Florida’s delegates aren’t being forgotten. 

Besides the swag given out at registration, delegates are able to relax in a partially Disney-themed hospitality room that features well-stocked Tiki-bars, large flat screen TVs providing Fox News coverage of the convention, and tables to play ping-pong, pool and foosball.
 
Daily, the delegates will have a breakfast hosted by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. It will  feature speakers that include South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., former Ambassador John Bolton, and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The Republican Party of Florida has changed some of its plans for the delegates because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac. For example, it has dropped a planned late night excursion to Busch Gardens. 

But group trips are on schedule for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and an excursion to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. 

Steve Zieman, an at-large delegate from Gulf Breeze on Florida’s Panhandle, said rather than a penalty, he views the delegation’s location as an opportunity. 

“I like it out here, I like the atmosphere, and I think it’s an intimate situation,” Zieman said. “I don’t look forward to a two-hour bus ride ... but I think it’s a good time for the delegation to get to know each other.”

Cherie Billings, delegate and chair of the Republican Party of Nassau County, said the state deserved the punishment, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to enjoy the locale.

“We’re going to play three golf courses here, so I’m just fine with being here,” Billings said.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.