The tea party group that opened a "headquarters" in the Florida Senate building on Thursday says it intends to stay put for the 2012 session.

"This isn't the country club it used to be. We have the lowly people walking the hallways, and it's upsetting the apple cart," Tea Party Network leader Patricia Sullivan said.

Shortly after Sunshine State News reported on the tea party's open house at Room 227 of the Senate office building, opponents raised concerns about the propriety of a private group staking a claim to public space.

The campaign to "soften" Gov. Rick Scott's image got off to a staggering start when it was suggested that he take Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on a trade mission to Israel.

The idea, floated by Scott Chief of Staff Steve MacNamara, was presented as one way for the conservative governor to broaden his appeal, raise his profile and lift his dismal poll numbers.

But while Scott has begun venturing into enemy territory, warming up chilly newspaper editorial boards, the Wasserman Schultz gambit went nowhere.