Campaigning in Jacksonville on Tuesday night, Republican nominee for governor Rick Scott said he has "pretty much" made up his mind on his choice for a lieutenant governor running mate.

A well-placed Republican source said Scott had a short list of three finalists -- two men and a woman -- and from that trio selected Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Green Cove Springs to join the ticket. Scott would not discuss names.

 "This person is going to do a wonderful job," Scott said, according to WOKV radio in Jacksonville. Asked whether the choice would be a surprise, he said: "This person will do an absolutely wonderful job." Scott said the person has been vetted for "a long time," adding: "Whoever it's going to be, you guys will all be proud of," Scott told reporters.

Carroll was at a Bill McCollum rally in Jacksonville three weeks ago featuring former Gov. Jeb Bush. But when Bush returned for a similar rally Tuesday night with Scott, Carroll was not in attendance, and was at the meeting of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women in Gainesville

Carroll, who turned 51 last week, would be the first African-American woman to be a candidate for lieutenant governor. A retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, she was born in Trinidad and has been a Florida resident since 1986 and a member of the state Legislature since 2003.

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