Tampa will be hosting the 2012 Republican National Convention, and that fact hasn't escaped a bevy of potential presidential candidates who are eyeing the Sunshine State two years ahead of time.

With Florida featuring some of the most intriguing and competitive races in the November elections, Republican presidential-minded candidates are doubling down their bets in Florida, hoping their efforts in 2010 will reap rewards in 2012.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who placed second in the Florida presidential primary in 2008, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, two of the leaders in the pack of Republican presidential hopefuls, will be heading to the Sunshine State in the first week of October. Romney, who backed Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican gubernatorial primary, will go first to The Villages on Oct. 1, to back GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott. Palin will head to the American Airlines Center in Miami Oct. 6 to speak at an event backed by the Liberty and Freedom Foundation.

Romney heads into 2012 with a solid base in Florida. He pulled 31 percent of the vote in the primary, placing second behind U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who claimed all the 57 delegates by winning 36 percent of the vote. Romney carried 18 counties, mostly on the First Coast and in north Central Florida, though he also carried four counties in the southern part of the state and one in the Panhandle.

Looking to improve on his second-place showing, Romney has been busy in Florida. Besides backing McCollum and now Scott for governor, he endorsed former House Speaker Marco Rubio and the Republicans representing Florida in the U.S. House. He has also given his blessing to eight Republican hopefuls looking to win election to Congress for the first time.

Besides supporting candidates for federal office, Romney has backed Republicans running for the Cabinet and for the Legislature. He backed U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, the Republican candidate for state commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, and the GOP’s nominee in the state CFO race, Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach.

Romney also backed a large number of members of the House and Senate -- including Sen. John Thrasher of Jacksonville, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. With Thrasher facing a tough challenge for re-election from Democratic candidate Deborah Gianoulis, Romney hopes to solidify his base in Jacksonville, which he won in 2008 by backing the RPOF chairman.

“John Thrasher has proven that he is a principled leader with strong conservative values,” said Romney when he spoke at Thrasher‘s campaign kickoff in June. “Florida needs leaders in the Legislature right now, like John, who will get the economy moving again and are committed to keeping taxes low and fostering a pro-business environment.”

While Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC has endorsed a host of Republicans in the Legislature, Thrasher is the only member to be profiled on the PAC’s website.

Palin, best known for being McCain’s running mate in 2008, has also tested the Florida waters to some extent through the activities of SarahPAC.

Palin offered former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi a last-minute endorsement in the Republican attorney general primary.

“Pam Bondi and Brenna Findley are running for attorney general in their states – Pam in Florida, and Brenna in Iowa,” wrote Palin. “These are both bold, sharp, selfless women who will respect our Constitution, defend their states, protect our rights, and push back against any overreach of the federal government. We desperately need these conservative leaders who won’t kowtow to the Obama administration’s big government overreach into our states, small businesses, families, and individual lives.”

Bondi won the nomination, defeating Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson who had the backing of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, yet another possible 2012 hopeful.

While Gingrich endorsed McCollum and Benson, who both went on to lose Republican primaries, he has been somewhat active in standing behind candidates for federal office in Florida, giving the nod to Rubio for the Senate and former Rep. Dennis Ross for the congressional seat that Putnam is vacating.