I've lived in Central FL for thirty years now. Bill McCollum was a US Congressman for twenty of those thirty years (at times my Congressman). He is very intelligent and is known as a man of his word. Many of the statistics thrown around about him come from his long career and the ability of some to go through his entire history of voting and portray things out of context.

Some of his strong points:
He is a fiscal conservative.
He is well connected and respected in Washington.
He is well known and respected in Tallahassee.
He is considered by friend and foe alike, a man of his word.

Weak Points:
Not an especially charismatic man and does not come across as someone you can relate to - He is not a Jeb Bush.
He has been a politician for virtually all of his adult life.