Floridians in the front row for Obama's speech

Many of you watched President Obama's address last night, if viewing numbers are any indication. In case you missed these Floridians of note:

Our Washington correspondent Lesley Clark was quick to note in her political blog that Rep. Vern Buchanan, the Republican who represents Manatee and Sarasota in Washington, got himself settled on the aisle to shake hands with Obama's cabinet and the President himself on the way in, and then snag a signature on the way out. (But we don't think he switched his vote on the stimulus package...)

And Leonard Abess Jr., the Miami banker who quietly gave $60 million of his own money to his loyal staff, was hailed by Obama as a symbol of hope in uncertain times. Here's the full story from our sister paper, the Miami Herald.

Joan