by John Kennedy Florida's best-known bachelor, Gov. Charlie Crist, is getting married. Crist on Thursday popped the question to his girlfriend of nine months, New York socialite Carole Rome, presenting her with a blue sapphire and diamond ring in his gulf-side condo in St. Petersburg. "I'm very happy," Crist said Thursday evening. "I had a nice ring. It was very romantic. And she said `yes.' No date has been set for the wedding. But Crist said the fall was the likely time -- in St. Petersburg, where he is a member of a Methodist church. A reception will probably also be held in Tallahassee, he said. Crist, 51, said he managed to get down on one knee to propose, but it wasn't easy after his recent knee surgery. He's off crutches only a few days. Rome, 38, is president of her family's century-old costume business. She has two children, ages 11 and 9, with former husband, New Yorker Todd Rome who is chief executive officer of Bluestar Jets. She lives in Miami, but will likely soon begin dividing her time between St. Petersburg and Tallahassee, Crist said. Read the full story at Central Florida Political Pulse , the Orlando Sentinel 's political blog. For more on Crist as a possible McCain veep, read Kennedy's article here . (Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Carole Rome photo by Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo) ...
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by John Kennedy Florida's best-known bachelor, Gov. Charlie Crist, is getting married. Crist on Thursday popped the question to his girlfriend of nine months, New York socialite Carole Rome, presenting her with a blue sapphire and diamond ring in his gulf-side condo in St. Petersburg. "I'm very happy," Crist said Thursday evening. "I had a nice ring. It was very romantic. And she said `yes.' No date has been set for the wedding. But Crist said the fall was the likely time -- in St. Petersburg, where he is a member of a Methodist church. A reception will probably also be held in Tallahassee, he said. Crist, 51, said he managed to get down on one knee to propose, but it wasn't easy after his recent knee surgery. He's off crutches only a few days. Rome, 38, is president of her family's century-old costume business. She has two children, ages 11 and 9, with former husband, New Yorker Todd Rome who is chief executive officer of Bluestar Jets. She lives in Miami, but will likely soon begin dividing her time between St. Petersburg and Tallahassee, Crist said. Read the full story at Central Florida Political Pulse , the Orlando Sentinel 's political blog. For more on Crist as a possible McCain veep, read Kennedy's article here . (Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Carole Rome photo by Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo) ...