6:19

PM EDT August 16, 2017 Jordan Ferrell

Sen. Jack Latvala launches campaign for

governor of Florida
Florida State Senator Jack Latvala formally launched his campaign for
governor amongst family, friends and supporters at a re station in the
highly conservative South Florida city of Hialeah.

Rumors that the state senator would be tossing his hat into the
gubernatorial ring were rst put to rest last week when Latvala
informally announced his run over Twitter.

The Clearwater Republican led o cial paperwork declaring his

intention to run for Florida governor in 2018 on Friday, Aug. 11. With
plenty of room left in the candidacy pool, Latvala's entrance will most
likely rock the boat of Adam Putnam, who so far, has been the only
major GOP name in the race.

— Senator Jack Latvala (@JackLatvala) August

11, 2017

Joining the 65-year-old career politician on stage for his

announcement in Hialeah Wednesday morning was Florida State
Senator Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, and former Senator Roberto Casas.

“His word is his bond,” Garcia told the crowd. “And something that I
have learned from Jack Latvala is that through his time in the
legislature, he is someone who really cares about the State of Florida.”

Before taking the stage, Latvala received further praise for being a man
of his word and for following through on promises, something that
would quickly become the central theme of his campaign in its nascent
state.
The white-bearded, rebrand politician – whose fatherly demeanor is
a far cry from the status quo – took the stage to a backdrop of
supporters holding up campaign signs in both English and Spanish that
read, “Hialeah Backs Jack!”.

“I’m going to cut my remarks short because obviously, it’s very hot out
here,” said Latvala in his opening remarks. He then asked the crowd to
partake in a moment of silence for the three who were recently killed
during the events in Charlottesville, Va.

“Very senseless violence cost us three lives up there this week, two rst
responders, who were just trying to do their job,” said Latvala, followed
by a contextual nod to those who were working at the re station that
morning.

"The most important journey in my political career starts right here at

this re station with these rst responders in the city of Hialeah," he
said.

Latvala also paid respects to a few of his more prominent conservative

supporters in attendance that day including, Jim Tolley, CEO and
president of the Florida Professional Fire ghters, John Rivera,
president of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, and Robert
Jenkins, president of the Florida Fraternal Order of Police.

— Senator Jack Latvala (@JackLatvala) August

16, 2017

“And one of the reasons I am running for governor and announcing

today in front of this re station is in acknowledgement to these people
who put their lives on the line every single day and many of my colleges
in government have no appreciation for that,” said Latvala.

The Republican senator quickly, yet subtly, started the windup into his
announcement speech by discussing law enforcement pension issues
that have frequented various cities around the State of Florida over the
past few years, and were most recently on display in Jacksonville.

“They want to give them the same kind of pension you can get for
working at Walmart,” Latvala said. “A 401(k) instead of a real pension
and I think that’s the least we can do for people who put their lives on
the line every day is show some appreciation in giving them a good
retirement.”

After the greetings and salutations, Latvala cut right to the heart of his
candidacy by discussing some of the conservative issues he plans to
address as governor. One of the rst topics Latvala brought up was
business and how he is the only candidate currently on the GOP ticket
that has run one.

“I’ve run a business,” Latvala said. “I’ve made a payroll. I’ve made that
slow walk to the post o ce box or to the mailbox on Friday, just
praying that there is a check big enough to cover the payroll that comes
into the mail in the morning on Friday.”

The senator referenced his experience working blue-collar jobs in

Bartow and running his printing business in Largo in an e ort to
connect with the audience and separate himself from other politicians.
Latvala said being governor is a “tremendous responsibility” and the
“lifetime of experience” as a state legislator is not enough to qualify a
candidate for the top position in the state.

“All those guys do is pass laws,” Latvala said. “We, you and I, have to
live by those laws when we run businesses.”

— Senator Jack Latvala (@JackLatvala) August

14, 2017

Latvala rolled his blue-collar rhetoric and thoughts on gubernatorial

qualifying conditions into a backhanded compliment to Governor Rick
Scott and the job growth the State of Florida has experienced over the
past eight years.

“Governor Scott gets a lot of credit for that, 1.4 million new jobs in
Florida,” Latvala said. “But there’s 36 counties in Florida that have
actually lost jobs in that same period of time.”

Latvala further rolled out his campaign platform by brie y discussing

some statewide issues, such as dwindling infrastructure, water
resources, funding for mental health, elderly care and the opioid
epidemic, which has reached fever pitch on a national scale.

“We are facing a healthcare crisis with one of the fastest growing
elderly populations in the nation and I know Hialeah has a lot of elderly
folks,” said Latvala. “We have an increasing need for e ective
healthcare options.”

Sticking to traditional conservative ideals, Latvala also mentioned the

threat that localized terrorism poses to Florida’s economy.

Thank you to @JackLatvala for supporting the

#Florida sheri s this session. For his hard work,
he is a Friend of the Sheri s.
pic.twitter.com/0dzb5nuNzE

— Florida Sheri s (@FLSheri s) July 26, 2017

“A terrorist attack on one of our theme parks or on one of our tourism

areas would have dramatic and devastating impact on our economy in
Florida,” Latvala said. “So, we’ve got to be proactive and do what we
can to prevent that.”

Latvala made a point to tell the crowd before closing that he would not
use the title of governor as a step stool to a more prestigious and
grandiose position, playing to the abundant rumors that Gov. Scott will
run for U.S. Senate in 2018.

“This o ce is the end of the line for Jack Latvala,” he said. “I’m
running to be the best governor we’ve ever had not to be something
else.”

In closing, Latvala acknowledged he may not be the youngest, best

looking, physically t or even smartest candidate for governor, but said
he will be the candidate who “tells it to you straight.”

“Anyone who I’ve served with will tell you that if you don’t think Jack
Latvala keeps his word, then you don’t know Jack.”

LATVALA’S HISTORY

“I was a Republican in Florida before it was cool to be a Republican,”

Latvala said on Wednesday in Hialeah. “I was a Republican in Florida
when we were in a very, very small minority.”

Woodrow John “Jack” Latvala was rst elected to the state legislature
in 1994, representing District 19 of the Florida State Senate. He was
eventually termed out of o ce in 2002, but reemerged with all new
fervor in 2010 to make a run at District 16.

He led a successful campaign to seize the Democratic-held state senate

seat, swiftly defeating Democrat Nina Hayden in the general election by
36,454 votes. He raised over $800,000 in donations for the 2010
election, the most he has raised in any election since.

Redistricting in 2012 forced Latvala to run for election in Florida State

Senate District 20, which was situated entirely in Pinellas County. He
won by 57.8 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat frontrunner
Ashley M. Rhodes-Courter.

Latvala would go on to win reelection two years later against

Libertarian candidate Tony Caso, maintaining his Pinellas County seat
for 2014.

After running unopposed in 2016, Latvala's district was recon gured to

include northern Pinellas and southwestern Pasco Counties. Prior to his
most recent election, Latvala conceded to rival Republican Sen. Joe
Negron in 2015 for the position of Senate president for the 2016-2018
legislative term.

Since 2010, Latvala has served on as many as 15 di erent Florida Senate

committees and is currently serving as Chair of the Florida Senate
Appropriations Committee. Outside of politics, the 65-year-old senator
is currently CEO of GCI Printing Services, an envelope printing
company based out of Largo, Fla.
In July, Latvala received a total of six distinguished honor awards from
the likes of the Florida Sheri 's Association, the Florida Public
Defender Association and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Latvala wasted no time in campaigning after ling his o cial

paperwork with the Florida Division of Elections last week. One of the
rst stops he made was in Jacksonville for a photo op and handshake
with members of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“Always a great day when Jack Latvala stops by the same day he led to
run for governor,” Steve Zona, Jacksonville FOP Lodge President, said
on Twitter.

Always a great day when Jack Latvala stops by

the same day he led to run for governor.
#IBackJack pic.twitter.com/4DarmJONcm

— Steve Zona (@szonajaxfop) August 11, 2017

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