TALLAHASSEE — It looked like a wedding.
Sixty or 70 guests at a luxurious Caribbean resort, such as the governor and an old Tampa gran. A beaming bride in a white gown with a flower inside her locks. A photographer flown in to need photographs regarding the cheerful pair with aqua h2o in it.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi states no ceremony took place from the Ritz-Carlton large Cayman on Saturday 
. And many questions continue to be about when and just why Bondi generated the last-minute choice never to have hitched.
Performed Bondi bow to conservative critics just who experienced this lady jaunt across seas had been politically tone deaf? The 46-year-old now states she will be wed in limited, personal ceremony at a Tampa-area Baptist chapel.
Performed leakage on news blogs and social media sites result in the pair to scared from the visibility? An image of Bondi offering cocktails during the plane ride towards the Cayman Islands quickly made the rounds online.
Or perhaps is something considerably private and sad included? Bondi and her fiance, 62-year-old ophthalmologist Greg Henderson, spent the sunday enjoyable relatives and buddies and tend to be still on holiday together. But that featuresn’t stopped folks from thinking whether the two have cold foot or if there clearly was a prenuptial disagreement.
From holiday, the couple emailed the Times/Herald to say the speculation try inaccurate. Stated Henderson: “Our company is enjoying a happy and blessed trip and are usually deeply in love with one another.”
Bondi has become planning this lady wedding to Henderson for several months. In November, she told the Tampa Bay hours that she was hoping for a spring event. Political insiders sooner or later caught wind that a location wedding ceremony was actually in the offing for Memorial time week-end, but info are restricted and also the guest list got special.
Initial info discussed publicly originated from an unlikely origin: county Sen.
Paula Dockery, just who coincidentally got on the same industrial airline into Cayman countries on Thursday. She clicked a picture of Bondi offering cocktails into the wedding party and posted it on her behalf myspace page.
“She searched so delighted and I asked authorization to need an image and blog post on FB,” Dockery told the Times/Herald in a Twitter trade. “My intent would be to display the lady happiness with others.”
Southern Florida blogger Jose Lambiet caught wind of Dockery’s post and followed up with a call with the Ritz-Carlton. The guy said a staffer affirmed the important points.
“She said the marriage is at 5 o’clock on Saturday and they were at rehearsal” at that time the guy known as tuesday, Lambiet stated.
Things altered the following day. Hotel associates denied Bondi or Henderson are friends when Lambiet called once again and there is don’t mention of a ceremony.
“Saturday I got to wondering, there will be something cooking there,” he said.
Bondi confirmed toward Tampa Bay hours on Saturday the wedding is delayed for several weeks but would not state why. She outlined the weekend as a “celebration of coming nuptials.”
Also a number of the guests invited to join the happy couple in Cayman failed to realize about the change in systems as they embarked when it comes to Caribbean. Former Tampa Mayor penis Greco said he’sn’t certain as he read here wouldn’t become a marriage, maybe on the jet trip around.
“Some realized, several failed to,” said Greco, whom journeyed together with his girlfriend, Linda McClintock. “But everybody knew before Saturday.”
There is nonetheless hanging out plus nice terminology for your wedding couple, but no formalities, Greco stated. “they’d a prayer and a few Bible scriptures and asserted that is exactly what they’d decided to manage.”
Greco mentioned he knows if the few conformed that a ceremony in a chapel near residence could well be considerably suitable.
“that does not shock me understanding Greg provided I’ve identified him,” Greco mentioned. “he is someone who resides his religion.”
The unique encourage listing integrated Gov. Rick Scott with his wife, Ann. None of different drawer members or perhaps the lieutenant governor comprise discussed one of the guests.
Lots of the pals and colleagues called of the Times/Herald declined to comment. Asked whether he believed a wedding was going to take place, Scott answered vaguely on Wednesday: “we moved for Pam’s party.”
As Scott invested Saturday for the Cayman countries, tropic violent storm Beryl threatened northeast Fl. Scott’s personnel said he checked the storm directly and gone back to Fl for planned happenings on Sunday and Monday.
“we stayed in addition to they the complete opportunity,” the governor mentioned. “the moment we decided to go to an amount 1, I found myself right here.”
Bondi have experienced the quintessential complaints during the weekend, not just your privacy related the girl wedding methods nevertheless facts on their own.
Greco, who has got have their display associated with the spotlight, bristled at some unfavorable opinions visitors inclined to the attorney general. The lady initial choice getting partnered at a Caribbean hotel versus a Florida chapel had been private, maybe not political, the guy said.
Dockery, who is nonetheless visiting in Cayman, in addition mentioned she was actually surprised at the response and called they “absurdity.” She removed the picture from her Twitter wall, it had been copied onto various web pages.
“basically have understood this would be anything except that a very happy and lighthearted moment for Pam, I undoubtedly wouldn’t bring shared even with her consent,” mentioned Dockery, a Lakeland Republican.
However, Lambiet thinks Bondi produced just what the guy thinks a publicity problem.
She got naive to believe that Floridians wouldn’t become interested in learning their wedding ceremony, the guy stated, and ought to currently most impending as to what she in the pipeline.
Past Gov. Charlie Crist started using it right in his extremely publicized 2008 wedding ceremony to Carole Rome, according to Lambiet. Interesting residents gathered beyond your St. Petersburg chapel to perk on the partners, and Crist made sure the mass media got the photographs they wished, the writer stated.
“i believe she were not successful miserably at a possible PR coup,” Lambiet mentioned, generating note that Bondi’s term has-been floated as a future gubernatorial applicant. “assuming you can’t manage this, how could you manage a campaign?”
Aside from the couple’s e-mail belated Wednesday nights, Bondi hasn’t been observed or read from. We understand she’s on a break with Henderson yet not a lot more.
However, something is clear: It’s not a vacation.
