Tallahasee, FL (Orlando Sentinal) a Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rick Scott reached into a shallow bench of Republican African-American politicians and tapped state Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his lieutenant governor nominee on Thursday.

Scott unveiled Carroll as his pick with a three-city fly-around that included Orlando, telling supporters gathered at a community center that they would make Florida the most business-friendly state in the nation. Scott said he was "humbled and privileged" to introduce Carroll, describing her as a "history maker" and "barrier breaker."

Carroll, the only African American Republican in the Legislature, focused her remarks on Scott, praising his business acumen and saying he would turn around the state's economy. When asked about Scott's decision to put her on the ticket, she said it shows Scott's "visionary, bold, leadership."

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, who appeared at the Orlando event with a handful of GOP elected officials, called Carroll a "great person" and said Scott had "done a good job balancing the ticket."

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"Hopefully," said Crotty, "she'll bring in a lot of voters."

Carroll, 51, of Fleming Island in the Jacksonville area, is a 20-year Navy veteran who began as a jet mechanic and retired as a lieutenant commander. Born in Trinidad, she moved to Florida in 1986 and was the first black Republican woman elected to the Florida House in 2003. She and her husband have three children, including Nolan II, who was a scholarship cornerback for the University of Maryland and is now playing for the Miami Dolphins.

If elected, Carroll would be Florida's first black lieutenant governor – but she's the second African American woman to run for the post. Claude Kirk, a former Republican governor attempting a comeback as a Democrat in 1978, ran with the late state Rep. Mary Singleton, also of Jacksonville, but drew few votes.