Ben Carson draws hundreds to downtown Sarasota book signing

Ricardo Zamarripa weaved his way through the crowd of more than 600 in downtown Sarasota today waiting his turn to meet Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson.

"I'm undecided," said Zamarripa, who as an 18-year-old State College of Florida student will be voting for the first time next year. "But, this election will definitely be exciting because the two frontrunners are outsiders."

While Zamarripa may not yet know who he wants to see as the next president, most of the attendees at Carson's book signing at BookStore1Sarasota waved signs and chanted support for the former neurosurgeon who is at the top of the latest polls.

"I feel he's honest," said Bradenton resident Judy Mann, who arrived before 10 a.m. for the noon event.

The event required attendees to purchase "A More Perfect Union," which is Carson's latest book. The book store expected as many as 1,000 people to line Main Street.

Carson’s visit comes less than three weeks after fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced plans to open his first state office in Sarasota, and picked local GOP Chairman Joe Gruters as his campaign manager in Florida.