Age: 47
Family: Married
Occupation: Attorney & Business Owner
Education: University of Florida & Davidson College | JD & BA in History
Political Experience: For years, I have volunteered for multiple conservative causes and Republican candidates. This is my first campaign for elected office.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
We need to continue to pursue policies that 1) promote economic growth and job creation; 2) expand opportunity through improvements in education. I will also focus attention on ways to 3) increase prosperity and economic development on the Westside (District 15).
Promoting growth and job creation requires fiscally-conservative budgeting priorities that keep taxes low. A key responsibility of every legislative body is to set spending priorities, so that budgets remain in balance just as businesses and individuals are required to do. Spending discipline will allow us to keep taxes low and even reduce taxes. We should also reduce unnecessary regulations that hurt businesses and limit job growth. Regulations that affect the private sector should be subject to periodic review, so that the Legislature can end regulations that unfairly burden businesses and hinder job growth. Free people and free markets create jobs and prosperity, not government, and our policies should reflect that reality.
To allow every Floridian to get ahead in life, we need to expand opportunity through commonsense education reforms. I strongly support school choice, so that parents and students can choose the school that is best suited to the needs of each child. We should also consider every available teaching resource to give each student a customized education. This could include tutors or online learning to supplement classroom instruction, when needed. The goal should be flexibility in the classroom and empowering parents outside the classroom, so that each child stays at or above grade level in all subjects. Finally, we can expand opportunity for students by promoting Early College, which allows high school students to gain college level credit or receive industry certifications prior to graduation and at no cost. For those pursuing a college degree, this will help lower the total costs to earn a degree, so that graduates are not saddled with decades of student loan debt as they enter the workforce. For students who want to start their careers immediately, it will provide the necessary certifications to do so.District 15 includes Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, which is a very important source of employment for our community. As the only veteran in the race and someone who has been assigned there, I have a unique understanding of the Navy's role and importance in our community. I support the Legislature's efforts to take concrete steps to protect our bases from future (BRAC) closure, including NAS JAX. Separately, Cecil Commerce is a key center of economic activity on the Westside that will continue to grow and provide good jobs. I will actively promote aviation and aerospace use of the former Cecil Field, as well as the continued growth of distribution centers and other logistics support businesses that have found a home at Cecil Commerce and will benefit from the deepening of JAXPORT, which I strongly support.
Campaign Website: VoteRenner.com | Facebook | Twitter
