Gov. to Hold Town Hall in Jax -- Minus Thrasher

Gov. Charlie Crist intends to hold a town hall meeting in Jacksonville this Friday. It's the governor's first town hall in 10 months.

A spokesman said Crist was invited to Jacksonville by Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville. But John Thrasher, the state senator representing Jacksonville and the chairman of the state Republican party, won't be attending, a spokeswoman for Thrasher said Tuesday.

The purpose of the town hall meetingis general in nature and merely allows the governor a chance to answer questions from the public, the governor's spokesman said.

The town hall is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 12, at Florida State College, South Campus, in the Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts, 11901 Beach Road. Since being elected, the governor has held town hall meetings in 10 communities across the state. The last one was in Pensacola in May, 2009.

Crist is running for the seat in the U.S. Senate formerly held by Mel Martinez of Orlando and is badly trailinghis opponent in the Republican primary,Marco Rubio.

Rubio was in Ponte Vedra Beach nearJacksonville a week ago for the Republican Club of Ponte Vedra Beach Lincoln-Reagan Dinner. Sen. Thrasher,delivered the dinner's keynote speech.