Republican political consultant Chris Ingram is leaving Strategic Solutions of Florida, a prominent local political consulting firm headed by April Schiff.

Ingram has been sharply critical of Gov. Charlie Crist in newsletters published by his own company, 411 Communications, calling him a “RINO”—Republican in name only—but neither Ingram nor Schiff called that the reason for the breakup.

Nonetheless, the criticism is unusual, coming from a political operative who’s dependent on the good will of Republican politicians for a livelihood.

“We just had kind of a different view on where we wanted to take things,” said Ingram. He said he has sold back to Schiff his 50 percent stake in Strategic Solutions.

Asked whether Ingram’s criticism of Crist was a reason for the change, Schiff said, “Not specifically. ... We just discovered that we have different goals and are moving in different directions. He’ll pursue his own consulting work and I’ll continue to do what I’ve been doing successfully for the last 10 years.”

Schiff formerly partnered with Anne Voss, a long-time local GOP activist and consultant, who’s now retired but still active in the party. She said she won’t take on a new partner.

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