The photo-op at the Guenette house came between stops at factories, where Romney touted his plan to give businesses a bigger tax break to make investments for such things as new machines or updated technology. He continued to play up his status as a Washington outsider and businessman, tying McCain's long tenure in the Senate to his overall "Washington is broken" theme.

"I don't think somebody from the inside is going to be able to turn Washington inside out," Romney told an audience at ValPak, a direct-mail company in St. Petersburg.

After touring the company's coupon-printing factory, Romney said that if the economy continues to go south, people will cut back on their marketing, meaning fewer coupons, and consumers will buy less.

Later in Lakeland, Romney said at the Citrus Mutual Headquarters, a growers association, that fixing the economy would put more money in consumers' pockets "so they can buy more Florida orange juice."

Outside the Opinicus Corp. in Lutz, where Romney spoke to a crowd of supporters and tried out a flight simulator the company builds, he said his tax breaks would allow other companies to invest in what they make, which would call for more simulators and which would lead to more jobs.

"I know what it is like to work in the real economy," Romney said.

His business background is resonating with supporters in Florida.

"Out of all the candidates that are out there, both Republican and Democrat, he just seems more presidential, he seems to command the issues, especially on the economy being a part of the private sector and his years in that business. I think it is kind of a given for me," said Jose Casas of St. Cloud, Fla., who had Romney autograph a shirt he was wearing.

"The federal government is gargantuan compared to a private business, but the principles are the same in that you can't overspend, basically," Casas said. "I think a man like Mitt Romney knows business and how businesses run. I think he can bring those principles into the government and rein in the spending that we need to and get this economy started again."

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign continued to send out statements about Romney's position on the Iraq war.

"The only people who are owed an apology are the men and women fighting for our country in Iraq, who have a right to expect their leaders to stand by them and their mission, not just when it is easy, but when it matters most — when it is hard," McCain said. "I understand if Governor Romney has changed his mind given the obvious success of the surge. But the fact is, like on so many other issues, Governor Romney has hedged, equivocated, ducked and reversed himself."

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Contributing: Associated Press

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com