Dockery to run for Florida governor

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida State Sen. Paula Dockery says she will run for governor, challenging Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination.

Dockery said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that she plans to file paperwork Tuesday to enter the race.

The Republican Party of Florida had hoped to avoid a primary. Earlier this year, Republican leaders convinced Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson to stay out of the race after initially saying he would run.

But the 48-year-old Dockery of Lakeland has said she's been encouraged to get into the race.

Should Dockery win the primary, she would likely face Democrat Alex Sink. Either would be Florida's first woman governor.