Speculation is growing that Gov. Charlie Crist's chief of staff, George LeMieux, will leave the administration by Jan. 1 and return to the practice of law. Here's one revealing sign: His old law firm, Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, has established an office in Tallahassee at the SunTrust building at 215 S. Monroe St. (see photo from the lobby directory). The building, catty-cornered from the Capitol, is a major center for lobbying firms.

LeMieux went from serving as Crist's chief of staff in the attorney general's office, to a two-year marathon in charge of the campaign (dubbed "The Maestro" by Crist), then to a hectic seven-week transition followed by a grueling first year in office. Under the state Constitution, LeMieux cannot lobby the governor's office for two years after he leaves.

"Whenever the day is that I decide I need to do something else, it will be with heavy heart, because I'll miss it," LeMieux told The Buzz. "As challenging as it is to work with this governor, you try to do the right thing every day, and really help people. It's awesome."

A competing political blog, The Miami Herald's Naked Politics, was first to report the creation of Gunster Yoakley's new Tallahassee office.