Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is considering a run to replace retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a Republican strategist with Sunshine State ties confirmed Wednesday morning.

Martinez announced Tuesday that he would not seek a second term in 2010. Jeb Bush, the younger brother of President George W. Bush, was thought to be uninterested in a legislative post after two successful terms as Florida’s chief executive (1998-2006), but sources now suggest otherwise.

“He is encouraged to run by all sorts of people but is in no hurry to make a decision,” said the Republican strategist with Florida ties.

Jeb Bush, a policy wonk at heart, was long thought to be the likely future president among the sons of former President George H.W. Bush, but all of that changed when his brother, George W. Bush, a former Texas governor, was elected to the White House in 2000.