Supporters of Martinez, including Gov. Jeb Bush, rallied Thursday to his side, but some Republicans anguished privately that the latest and most high-profile misstep marks a major debacle for the freshman senator.

The memo and Martinez's handling of it, those supporters said, could damage his relationship with other senators and portray him as driven more by political partisanship than conviction. It also could lead to questions about his level of oversight of his staff and raise doubts about his attention to detail, as Martinez acknowledged that ''unbeknownst'' to him, he handed the explosive memo to Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa.

None of the images of Martinez, supporters say, are particularly attractive.

Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary apologized Wednesday for rebuking a woman who criticized his deputies' use of stun guns -- and his physical condition.

But Beary defended his use of a restricted database to obtain the home address of Alice Gawronski to write her last month.

"I never, in any way, sent that letter to you with the intent of intimidating you or diminishing your desire and right to openly express yourself," Beary wrote to Gawronski on Wednesday.

"Please know that I remain confident that I was within the purview of the Florida Public Records Law when I obtained your mailing address," Beary added in his most recent letter, which he released to the media.