After starting his day at private meeting with people in the housing industry, Mitt Romney appeared Thursday morning at a printing company that is about to close its doors after 99 years in business.

It's the former Massachusetts governor's only scheduled public appearance in Jacksonville in advance of taking the stage with his three Republican opponents at the University of North Florida on Thursday night for the final presidential debate before Florida's primary.

Romney jokingly suggested his supporters "storm in" to cheer him on at a the debate.

"There may be some give and take," Romney said. "That's always fun and entertaining, I know. If you all could get there, we'd love to see you all there cheering."

Images | Uncut video of Romney's speech | One-on-one with Ann Romney

Romney said he expected the candidates would discuss President Obama's record, adding they might talk about each other's records as well.

"We're going to have some choice time talking about the President and his failures, we'll probably talk a great deal about his State of the Union Address and how badly mischaracterized he has described our nation at a time when so many people are suffering in this state and across the country," Romney said. "We may talk about the differences between ourselves as well, there may be some give and take. That's always fun and entertaining, I know."

Under a large banner saying "Obama Isn't Working," Romney was introduced by Paramount Printing CEO Jon Cummins, who told Channel 4 he got a call Wednesday from the Romney campaign asking if it could hold a rally at Paramount's St. Augustine Road plant.

"Between the technology shifts, work is going oversees, we've seen our health care costs go up every year, we've seen government regulations and OSHA. Everybody's created problems for the business," Cummings said.

Romney said he wants to lower business taxes and do other things to help small companies like Paramount.

"This is not a happy day at this plant, of course, but it's an indication of what's gone wrong with this administration," Romney said. "John asked how long this is going on, and I said this is going to go on until January of 2013 when we take over."

Newt Gingrich's only public appearance in Jacksonville on debate day was a speech to Veterans for a Stronger America at the UNF University Center on Thursday afternoon. [Full story]

Rick Santorum had an event scheduled in Lake City on Thursday, but it was canceled so the former senator could make appearances in Tallahassee and Pensacola before attending Thursday night's debate.

While Texas Rep. Ron Paul is not actively campaigning in the state, given Florida's primary is a winner-take-all event, he has confirmed that he'll participate in debate.