He's still waiting to be the "official" Republican presidential nominee.
That comes in August in Tampa, but Mitt Romney knows the importance of the I-4 Corridor in Florida goes beyond the upcoming GOP National Convention.
The former Massachusetts governor made a pair of stops Tuesday in Central Florida, starting with a rally before a key group in Orlando.
Romney spoke to supporters and small business owners at Con-Air Industries, a local company that makes specialized air filters.
In front of a sign that read "Repeal and Replace Obamacare," Romney was on the attack against President Obama's health care overhaul, saying getting rid of it will help small businesses like Con-Air, which employs just 97 people in Orlando.
"It's going to be up to the next president to repeal or replace 'Obamacare,' and I intend to do both if I'm the president," Romney said to cheers. "I will repeal it on day 1, by sending out a waiver to all 50 states to keep them from having to pursue Obamacare."
As for a replacement, Romney said he has a better plan:
"We can get health care to act more like a consumer market, and if we do that and we stop making it like a big government-managed utility, we're going to see better pricing, lower costs and better care," he said. "It's happened everywhere we've applied consumer market principles. Free enterprise is the way America works. We need to apply that."
Romney also continued to bash the president for his comments that the private sector is "doing fine," calling it a clear sign that Obama is out of touch.
From Orlando, Romney headed to Isleworth Country Club, in Windermere, where he will take part in a private fundraiser.
Tuesday's appearances were not the former governor's first appearance along the all-important I-4 Corridor, nor will they be his last.
Romney kicked off his Florida campaign in January with an event in Volusia County, on the east end of the interstate.
And of course, he'll wrap up the primary season August 30 with what he expects to be a victory in Tampa at the Republican National Convention.
AFL-CIO protests outside Romney rally
While Mitt Romney received a warm welcome from small business owners, not everyone in Orlando was rolling out the red carpet for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
A small group of protesters greeted the former Massachusetts governor outside the event at Con-Air Industries, holding signs and protesting Romney's stance on a number of issues.
The Florida AFL-CIO protested his stand on funding for first responders and teachers, claiming Florida "cannot afford Romney's policies that benefit the 1 percent at their expense."
Overhead, a small plane carried a banner from MoveOn.org, making reference to the planned voter purge in Florida.
Sheena McCleary, who attended the protest with her children, said she felt it was important for them to experience the right to peacefully protest.
She said the lack of a large crowd outside Tuesday's event did not undermine their message.
"I'm standing out here for the 99 percent," said McCleary. "For the workers, the people that could not take off today to come out here, and voice their concerns about Mitt Romney taxing the 99 percent, the teachers, the nurses, the firefighters -- and not the wealthy."
Mayor Dyer: Romney 'detached from reality'
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer echoed the Florida AFL-CIO's comments on Mitt Romney, releasing the following statement Tuesday:
"The Orlando community has had an incredible partnership with President Obama, and that partnership has helped keep Orlando safe by keeping police officers and firefighters on the job. But under Romney’s vision, we would have had a much different result.
If Mitt Romney were in the White House, our community would not have had a helping hand. Romney’s statement that 'We don't need more police officers, firefighters and teachers,' is wrong.
Cutting Police officers and firefighters are not the problem. These are hard-working people who want to make their cities and towns a better place, and they want to make sure every American has a shot at the American Dream and the opportunity to live in a safe, prosperous community.
Mitt Romney may not understand this, but here in Orlando, we appreciate our firefighters. They have our backs, and we have theirs. To say anything otherwise is further proof that Mitt Romney is detached from the reality of what's going on in Orlando."
Romney: First responder, teacher criticism 'absurd'
Mitt Romney said Tuesday it's "absurd" to think he wants to reduce the number of teachers, firefighters and police officers.
Romney told Fox News that President Barack Obama's charges to the contrary are "strange."
Last week, Romney told an Iowa crowd it's time to cut back on government and specifically cited firemen, policemen and teachers. The Obama re-election campaign seized on the comment as evidence that the Republican wants to cut middle-class jobs.
Romney fought back, saying the criticism is "completely absurd." He said the federal government doesn't pay for teachers, firemen or policemen.
While that's technically true in most cases, state and local governments depend on federal aid to supplement their budgets.