Rick Santorum Staffs Up in Florida

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who was only eight votes away from defeating former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts to win the Iowa caucus, unveiled his campaign team for Florida on Friday. The Florida primary will be held on Jan. 31, 10 days after South Carolina Republicans hold their own primary.

Santorums team in the Sunshine State will be chaired by Florida Republican operative and businessman Jesse Biter, the president and CEO of Biter Enterprises. Biter also helped out on Mike Huckabees presidential campaign in 2008 and Rick Scotts gubernatorial bid in 2010.

Santorum tabbed Michael Phillips, who worked for Pat Buchanans and George W. Bushs presidential bids, to be his director in Florida. Phillips was very active with businessman Herman Cains bid for the Republican nomination. Cain, who won the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando back in September, rocketed to the top of the national polls before bowing out of the race after a series of gaffes and accusations of marital impropriety. Phillips was the architect of Cains national call team and served as his chief of staff in Florida.

"I am thrilled to announce this great team of Floridians who have joined the fight for conservatism and a restoration of our founding principles, Santorum said in a statement on Friday. Through Jesse and Michael's leadership, I have no doubt that this talent team will successfully get our hopeful and positive message of a better America out to all Floridians. I look forward to working with them as we build the operation for our team to win the Florida primary."