In spite of confusing messages and midday rain showers, the tea party showed up in force at the local IRS office in Orlando on Tuesday to express its dissatisfaction with the agency.

On a warm, humid Central Florida day, dozens of protestors turned out in spite of an out of the way location and a somewhat inexplicable call to suspend the event amid a series of inconsistent messages from various tea party factions.

The protest was held in Maitland, Florida, a short drive north of Orlando and not surprisingly, North Lake Tea Party, long the standard bearer of the Central Florida tea party movement, was on hand.

The tea party was acting on a call to action by Tea Party Patriots Inc., which bills itself as the nation’s largest tea party organization, in response to recent admissions by IRS officials that the agency had intentionally targeted tea party and conservative groups.

A scandal that continues to grow in scope with each passing day.

Under the watchful eye of Homeland Security — yes, they were present — protestors carried signs that read “We Do Not Consent to Tyranny,” “Abolish the IRS” and “Don’t Target me Bro!,” making it clear they do not condone the use of the IRS as a political weapon.

As one protestor noted, it’s insulting that Homeland Security felt the need to be present as American citizens exercise their first amendment right, but decide to look away when suspected Islamic terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev travels back and forth to his home country.

Today’s action is likely to do little to change the face of a scandal that is now fully owned by the Obama administration, but it does serve notice that the tea party is still around. Even if it’s “leaders” are missing in action.

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