The new FL-18 includes all of St. Lucie County and Martin County but only the northern portion of Palm Beach County. http://www.flsenate.gov/PublishedContent/SESSION/HOME/REDISTRICTING2012/PUBLICCOMMENTS/h000c9047_35x42L.pdf Martin County is Republican, but St.Lucie County leans Democrat (Romney got like 45% there; while Palm Beach County as a whole is more Democrat than St. Lucie County, the portion of Palm Beach County in the FL-18 (Jupiter, etc.) actually leans Republican. The heavily Dem parts of Palm Beach County are in the black-majority FL-20 or the heavily Jewish Democrat FL-21, with marginal coastal areas in southern Palm Beach County going to the new FL-22 in which Lois Frankel beat Adam Hasner.
Throw in the fact that Allen West has represented part of Northern Palm Beach County in Congress over the past two years but that he was new to St. Lucie County voters, and it is not surprising that Allen West did better in the Palm Beach County portion of the FL-18 than in St. Lucie County.
But saying that West is "new to St. Lucie County voters" is not exactly true, since he has a very high profile, especially for a freshman, with undoubtedly much exposure in local media there.
What is the racial/ethnic mix in St. Lucie County, if you happen to know? Also the percentage of active military and veterans - above, below, or close to the national average?
At first glance it would seem strange that Romney could hardly do better than McCain there in percentage terms and that West couldn't do better than McCain there as well.