I'll continue to fight for school choice and home schooling. Do I believe in accountability? You bet I do.

Half a century ago, Ronald Reagan, the man whose relentless optimism inspired me to enter politics, famously said that he didn't leave the Democratic Party; the party left him. I can certainly relate. I didn't leave the Republican Party; it left me.

As Realtors, you live and breathe the American dream.

I'm not a scientist either, but I can use my brain, and I can talk to one.

I'm a conservative, and I'm a compassionate conservative. And I think it's important that Florida continues to move in that direction.

As a former lifelong Republican, it pains me to tell you that today's Republicans - and their standard-bearers, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan - just aren't up to the task. They're beholden to 'my way or the highway' bullies, indebted to billionaires who bankroll ads and allergic to the very idea of compromise.

I've decided to do it, for the pure and simple reason that I just think it's the right thing to do.