Woody Allen said 80 percent of success is showing up. He hadn't met Gov. Charlie Crist.

Crist passed on an offer to stand next to his hard-charging rivals for the U.S. Senate at an Orlando forum sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors, preferring to appear at the group's breakfast in his official capacity as governor. He also canceled an appearance at Friday's meeting of the Latin Builders Association (LBA), leaving the influential Miami group in the lurch with two weeks notice.

A few ruffled feathers, and that's about it. Even on a day when the headlines roared that 23 percent of Florida's home loans are past due or in foreclosure -- the worst in the nation -- the governor received an enthusiastic reception from the Realtors group.

``The governor's speech was incredible and very positive,'' said John Sebree, the group's vice president. ``Of course he got several standing ovations and people mobbed him for photos.''

At the Latin Builders Association, president Anthony Seijas said there were no hard feelings over the governor's cancellation.

``The governor has been a friend in the past to the association,'' he said. ``You can't let one instance taint the relationship.''

At a time when President Barack Obama's honeymoon is becoming a memory, Crist's love affair with Florida is still going strong. Polls show him with a 20-point-plus lead over his Republican challenger for the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio, and an approval rating of at least 60 percent.

You almost feel sorry for the person who follows in his footsteps. The two leading candidates for governor in 2010 gave adequate but uninspired speeches Friday in their first back-to-back appearances.

Both Republican Bill McCollum, the attorney general, and Democrat Alex Sink, the chief financial officer, said they opposed a tax on services and a constitutional amendment giving voters say over major development. No sparks from Sink, a self-described ``math nerd,'' or McCollum, an all-around nerd who tweets about finishing his yard work and the new Sandra Bullock movie.

Yet there are cracks in Crist's political foundation.

In an obvious jab at the governor after his cancellation, the Republican-leaning builders group turned around and invited his likely Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami. Privately, some members see Crist's action as a snub of the Hispanic community, especially in light of his opposition to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The latest Rasmussen Report survey noted that ``the fact that Crist is barely above 50 percent in a primary against a much lesser known opponent suggests at least a potential vulnerability.''

What Rubio lacks in polling numbers and fundraising he is making up for in positive buzz. He is this month's cover boy of the National Review magazine, a conservative standard bearer, which insists ``Yes, he can.''

``He's got all the tools,'' Jeb Bush, the former governor, says in the article. ``He's charismatic and has the right principles.''

Bush's word is gold among many Florida Republicans, and though he hasn't endorsed Rubio, his praise has to rankle Crist's camp.

At the Realtors forum, board member Alejandro Morin of Miami said the governor hadn't followed through on campaign promises to lower taxes.

``We're on the ground, and we see what is happening to families,'' he said. ``There's a lot of room for improvement and I think that [Crist] fell short.''

Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.

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