PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist could have appointed himself to fill Sen. Mel Martinez's seat when the U.S. senator announced his resignation Friday but instead said he would name someone else.

Crist said there are seven names he is considering, including a South Florida lawmaker who reached out to him on Wednesday.

"He and I did have the opportunity to speak briefly this morning. I expressed my interest and he accepted that, and so we'll have to just wait and see how the next couple of weeks play out," said State Rep. Anitere Flores.

Flores, 32, is a rising star in the state Legislature, a social conservative and a Cuban-American, like Martinez.

Another contender is former Rep. E. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale, who lost his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives four years ago after serving for 26 years.

"It's got to be somebody who can hit the ground running, who knows the ways of Washington," said GOP consultant Ana Navarro.

Shaw does, and he said he would like to go back for the next 15 months, the remainder of Martinez's term.

So would Jim Smith, the former secretary of state. Former Gov. Bob Martinez is a possibility, as are former Miami U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez; former Florida Speaker of the House Allan Bense; Fort Lauderdale attorney George LeMieux, who ran Crist's campaign for governor; state Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Jacksonville, a retired U.S. Navy officer; and conservative lawmaker Daniel Webster, of Orlando.

The governor has several qualified people to choose from, but he is limited by the political considerations, which include choosing someone who satisfies the party's conservative base.

"He's got many political considerations. He seems to have recently read the memo informing him that he's in deep trouble with the conservatives. We've seen him shift to the right, so he clearly needs to make up some ground with that faction of the party," Navarro said.

When asked what advice he would give Crist if asked who would make a good senator, former Speaker of the House Marco Rubio said he would recommend himself. Rubio already is running for the U.S. Senate in 2010.

"I think he has a difficult decision to make. There could be a lot of good candidates out there that could fill that role," Rubio said.

Crist is expected to make a decision by the end of the month.