The Hill News

Former Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) is considering a return to politics.

Brown-Waite, who decided not to seek a fifth term in 2010 in Florida's fifth district because of health reasons, did not rule out a future run for federal office, according to The St. Petersburg Times.

Brown-Waite's decision surprised many at the time as she announced her retirement from Congress just before the filing deadline, throwing her support behind Hernando County Sheriff Rich Nugent (R), who filed his candidacy just before the cutoff and eventually went on to comfortably win the seat.

Brown-Waite scheduled a surgery to remove a mass in her pancrease but, according to the St. Petersburg Times, she st! arted feeling better and her physicians said the mass was not growing. Now Brown-Waite is vaguely hinting at a return to politics while also saying she isn't interested in certain state offices. But she isn't closing the door on returning to Congress or seeking office elsewhere at the federal level.

Brown-Waite said she plans to make a decision on whether to run for office later this year, after the six months of time off she promised her husband.

"You just never know," Brown-Waite told the St. Petersburg Times. "I promised my husband I would take six months off, and that's just what I'm doing."

Brown-Waite leaving the door open to a return to politics comes as members of both parties gear up to battle for electoral victories in Florida. President Obama stumped for Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) on Friday and some of the high-profile potential candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination ! have appeared there and scheduled trips.