Allen West Says Goodbye to Florida at Holiday Party

Tea party hero Allen West is making his final Florida appearance before moving to Texas.

The one-term congressman is appearing at a holiday party for his self-named foundation Saturday in Palm Beach Gardens.

He announced last month he will become CEO of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis in January.

West lost his bid for a second term in Congress two years ago after a close race with Democrat Patrick Murphy that resulted in court fights and recounts.

He is well-known nationally among conservative Republicans, some of whom have lobbied for him to run for president.

He was a career Army officer until firing a gun near an Iraqi prisoner's head and threatening to kill him, an incident that resulted in him being relieved of his command.