Five Republican presidential hopefuls have ties to the Sunshine State in the most unpredictable battle for the GOP nod in decades. The past year saw some of them rise to great heights while others who were thought to be major contenders flopped. Here’s a look at how the five candidates with links to Florida did in 2015.

Marco Rubio is unfolding like a flower before American voters. It's a long, slow unfolding; little by little, easy does it. But political insiders now say, if he plays his cards right, Rubio could be the last GOP presidential candidate standing.

Democratic political commentators from James Carville to George Stephanopoulos say Rubio, who at age 44 appeals to the younger generation, understands the struggles of the middle class like no other in the race and speaks directly to first generation Americans, is the only candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton in November.

Pointing to issues such as the emergence of social media and efforts to build support for the judicial branch, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday released a multi-year plan to try to bolster communications about courts throughout the state.

The 41-page plan partly addresses nuts-and-bolts issues such as working with the news media and the public, while it also seeks to ensure a "unified statewide message" about the court system.