At the end of media availability today, Senate President Mike Haridopolos said potential Republican presidential contenders will be visiting lawmakers in Tallahassee during the upcoming legislative session.

The first of them, still unnamed, is set to appear next week.

Haridopolos said Florida will likely be the most important state in the 2012 presidential election. He also said the timing of the state’s primaries is fine as it is.

“We’re going to most likely decide who the next president of the United States is. I think it would make a lot of sense if we did it early in the process,” he said. “I’m still open to discussion on it. The good news is we have the [Republican Party] convention right here in Florida.”

Bills introduced by Democrats in both the House and Senate seek to move the January primary back to March. In 2008, both major parties stripped Florida delegates of half their votes after the state moved its presidential primaries immediately behind those of Iowa and New Hampshire.