In 2007,Clemens ran for Mayor of Lake Worth,challenging incumbent Mayor Marc Drautz in a crowded field that included Mary Lindsey,John Jordan,William D. Coakley,and Andrew Procyk. He won 48% of the vote to Drautz's 41% in the election on March 13,[2] but because he did not win a majority,he had to run against Drautz in a runoff election held on March 27. Clemens campaigned as the most experienced candidate and condemned the negative advertisements against him funded by "outside interests," noting,"Usually an incumbent spends his time talking about the positive things he has accomplished,but in the absence of accomplishments the only recourse is to use negative attacks."[3] Ultimately,Clemens narrowly defeated Drautz by 149 votes,winning 52% of the vote to Drautz's 48%.[4]
Clemens spent his time as Mayor rebuilding city parks,helping to bring a Publix to downtown,[5] and starting the city's beachfront rebuild. He was also a main proponent of moving the area's LGBTQ support group,Compass,and its headquarters to Lake Worth,pushing the City Commission to lease a building in a close 3-2 vote.[6] He did not run for re-election,instead deciding to run for a vacant Florida House of Representatives seat.
Florida House of Representatives
In 2010,following the inability of incumbent State Representative Bradenburg to seek re-election,Clemens ran to succeed her in the 89th District,which stretched from Greenacres to West Palm Beach and Hypoluxo in eastern Palm Beach County. In the Democratic primary,he defeated Brandenburg's husband,Peter Brandenburg,winning 60% of the vote. Advancing to the general election,Clemens faced Steven Rosenblum,the Republican nominee and a former pharmacy manager. He campaigned on his support for increasing funding for education,declaring that the state's low level of spending per student is a "source of embarrassment for every Floridian," and on opposition to offshore drilling,noting,"It's not just an environmental issue. It's an economic one. Florida's economy is largely based on tourism."[7] Ultimately,Clemens defeated Rosenblum in a landslide,winning his first term in the legislature with 60% of the vote.
While in the House,Clemens filed the first-ever Florida bill seeking to legalize medical marijuana.[8] While the bill did not receive a hearing,it began a larger discussion that culminated in the passing of a constitutional amendment (Amendment 2,2016) legalizing medical marijuana in 2016.[9] He also sponsored a bill that would expand the possible locations for early voting to various government buildings and university campuses.[10]
Florida Senate
Following the reconfiguration of Florida Senate districts in 2012,Clemens was drawn into the 27th District. In the Democratic primary,he faced fellow State RepresentativeMack Bernard. Clemens won the endorsement of labor unions AFL-CIO and SEIU,while Bernard received the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.[11] In the end,Clemens was able to narrowly defeat Bernard by only seventeen votes in the primary election.[12] Bernard held out hope,however,that Clemens's victory would be overturned and filed a lawsuit to have forty absentee ballots counted. A judge in Tallahassee ruled against Bernard but allowed nine provisional ballots to be counted,which would not have been enough to allow Bernard to emerge victorious[13] In the general election,Clemens remained on the ballot as the Democratic nominee,and was elected unopposed.
During the 2014 legislative session,Clemens introduced legislation that "regulates the cultivation,manufacturing,distribution,prescribing,and retail sale of marijuana for medical purposes," a version of which he introduced in every legislative sessionhes was a part of since he was elected to the legislature.[14] Additionally,he worked with RepublicanState SenatorJeff Brandes to co-author and pass legislation that would allow the Florida Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit to 75 miles per hour on certain state highways,[15] though Governor Rick Scott vetoed the legislation following opposition from law enforcement officials and the American Automobile Association.[16] Clemens was also the sponsor of the Competitive Workforce Act,which would have banned discrimination in hiring and firing for members of the LGBTQ community.[17]
On October 27,2017,Clemens resigned from the Senate after admitting to an extramarital affair with a Martin County employee registered to lobby the state on the small county's behalf. The affair became public a day before.[18][19]
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