Decades before the Pilgrims gathered around a table in Massachusetts in 1621, Florida had seen at least two separate Thanksgiving celebrations and, as in the more familiar tale from New England, they involved native Americans and religious liberty.

The first one took place in 1564 on the southern bank of the St. Johns River in modern-day Jacksonville.

At the request of Sunshine State News, award-winning professional photographer Steven Martine spent a few days this past week at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, in and particularly around the Tampa Bay Times Forum and Innisbrook Resort.

Here's a scrapbook-sampling of photos of downtown Tampa he left for our readers.

Incidentally, Martine, a former newspaper photographer, is a resident of Stuart.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and to get more details.