TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Floridians came out to pay their respects to Bob Graham, the late U.S. senator and Florida governor, and his family as his body lay in state at the Florida Historic Capitol Museum on Friday in Tallahassee.

Graham, who passed away on April 16 at the age of 87, was to be buried at Oakland Cemetery in a private service.

A public memorial will be held May 11 at Miami Lakes United Church of Christ. The time will be announced at a later date.

Among the dignitaries who turned out Friday was former governor Bob Martinez, a Republican from Orlando who succeeded Graham in 1997 after his second term as governor.

“He always made time for you," Martinez said of his Democratic predecessor. "Even when he didn't agree, you couldn't get mad at him. He was just a really likable guy, so it was pretty hard to deal (politically) with someone like that."

Many people recalled Graham's focus on transportation and the environment, among the issues that inspired a former intern of Graham's who later became a lawmaker.

“The man never stopped thinking," said Florida Rep. Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee). "He had a million ideas. He was never out of them, and he was always looking for ways that we could invest in our state to make it better."

Graham's legacy in Florida transcended party lines, and he is remembered as a distinguished politician. He started his political career as a state lawmaker, was elected governor twice and served three terms as one of Florida's two U.S. senators.

In a state long politically divided and now dominated by Republicans, he earned support among Republicans and Democrats alike with a folksy charm that belied the fact that he was a millionaire, Harvard-educated lawyer. He fit in just as easily in conservative, rural north Florida as he did in bustling Miami. A leader like Graham would be a unicorn in the hyperpartisan politics of today.

While he was a senator, he led the intelligence committee that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York and Washington and was co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling following the massive spill off Florida's Gulf Coast in 2010.

“He was able to bring people together, regardless if they were a Democrat or a Republican," Florida Democratic Party Chairperson Nikki Fried said. "It was all about the people first, and so, bringing everybody together meant that the right policies were going to get passed because it was bringing all interests together, and he understood that."

Graham's legacy also is defined in part by his "workdays."

Throughout his career, Graham traveled the state and would spend a full shift in what he considered the ordinary jobs held by Floridians. He cleaned stables, taught in the classroom and worked alongside farmers in their fields.

The workdays began when he was a state senator and became a regular feature in his campaigns and time in office. It was his way to meet and connect with everyday folks. His 408th and final workday was wrapping Christmas presents for a Florida Keys charity.

“I don’t know why there hasn’t been other efforts, either to emulate a walk or workdays or some other way to establish a special relationship with the people,” Graham said at the time.

After he retired from politics, Graham made it his goal to encourage people — all people — to get involved in civic affairs, from the local level on up. He established the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, which lists its mission as “three central principles: civic engagement, public leadership and public service.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.