Some of the West Palm Beach coffee party group, from Flickr.com

But the meeting of about 40 people in West Palm Beach was predominantly white, and a perusal of Coffee Party USA photos from around the nation on Flickr.com shows mostly white faces.

“I’m a little surprised that there aren’t more young people and more people of color. I’m glad to see these people, though,” said Phil Stelly of North Palm Beach, who is 54 and black. He left early from Saturday’s meeting at a Panera Bread restaurant, but said he remains interested in the nascent group.

Two black women took part in the West Palm Beach meeting. Local organizer George Papison said he believes several participants were Latino.

“I would have liked to have seen more participants of color, but I don’t know whether we had any control over that….I would have liked to have seen more younger people, frankly,” said Papison, who is 59.

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A picture from the West Palm Beach event from the Coffee Party U.S.A. page on Flickr.com

“To me, government is the answer. I’m really sort of perplexed,” said one coffee partier.

The event was one of hundreds nationwide. Read more here.

A 2009 rant by MSNBC’s Rick Santelli helped launch the conservative tea party movement.

Now an Obama supporter’s Facebook rantings have launched an alternative “coffee party” that will try to gain traction Saturday with gatherings across the U.S., including one in West Palm Beach.

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It isn’t just Republicans who are trying to capitalize on the tea party movement and Scott Brown’s surprise Massachusetts Senate win.

As the April 13 special election approaches to replace former Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler in Palm Beach-Broward congressional District 19, Democrat Ted Deutch’s campaign has sent a mailer to voters in the heavily Democratic district warning that “Republicans & The Tea Party Want To Capture YOUR Congressional Seat!”

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A South Florida Tea Party activist has filed ethics complaints against state Rep. Ron Saunders accusing the Key West Democrat of double-dipping on travel expenses and violating state campaign finance rules.

James K. Barnes of Coral Springs filed complaints with both the state elections and ethics commissions as well as the House of Representatives.

Barnes alleges that Saunders, a veteran lawmaker who returned to the House, charged the state for travel money for trips to Tallahassee from his home in the Florida Keys while also filing for reimbursement for official and campaign work while in his Keys district.

The complaints also allege that Saunders accepted campaign contributions during the legislative session, a violation of state law and that Saunders “requested reimbursement for travel expenses from more than one source for the same travel and has claimed per diem amounts for which he is not entitled.”

“Corruption is running rampant in both Florida parties, from Ray Sansom’s ethical lapses to party credit card abuse to Saunders’ multiple violations,” Barnes said in a press release. “If the Florida Legislature wants to rebuild trust with voters today, Saunders’ apparent violations must also be fully investigated and, if true, punished.”

Read the Barnes ethics complaint here, the elections complaint here, and the House complaint here.