Florida’s GOP primary may be in the rearview mirror but the reflections will be visible all the way to November.

Now that the non-stop political ad air war is over–for the moment-I caught up with Brian Crowley. He’s a veteran of the political scene in Florida, a savvy, former newspaperman who now oversees his own political blog. The reporting tools have changed but the Sunshine State’s importance in the race for the White House has not.

Crowley said, “Florida’s primary clarified the race. It offered a snapshot to the nation of what a national race could look like with (Mitt) Romney on the ticket. Romney did well with every group of Republicans he needed to do well with.”

The former Massachusetts governor may be riding high after his big week in Florida, but if Romney wins the GOP presidential nomination he will face a far sterner test in the fall.  President Obama’s Democratic Party forces will match him in money, organization and manpower in this all important swing state.

Crowley offered this cautionary note for Romney supporters who might read too much into his victory here.   He said, “That does not necessarily translate into him (Romney) winning here in November. He showed weakness with hard core conservatives. And there are certain issues like the  DREAM Act, other social issues he must work on to win over moderate Republicans and independents. ”

In short, a warm winter welcome for Romney in Florida offers no guarantee about the political climate if he is the  Republican nominee this fall.