Randy John Ball is a retired law enforcement officer,public policy advisor,and politician who served as a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002.
In 1994,Democratic State Representative Charlie Roberts announced that he would not seek re-election,and Ball ran to succeed him in the 29th District.[5] He faced Canaveral Port Commissioner Jerry Allender in the Republican primary,[6] and ultimately won the nomination with 55 percent of the vote.[7] In the general election,Ball was challenged by attorney Steve Brewer,the Democratic nominee.[8] Ball ultimately defeated Brewer,winning his first term in the legislature with 54 percent of the vote.[9]
In 1996,Ball ran for re-election and was opposed by former Titusville City Councilwoman Joanne Schmidt,who switched from the Republican Party as she challenged Ball.[10] Ball defeated Schmidt by a wide margin,[11] winning 58 percent of the vote to her 42 percent.[12]
Ball was unopposed for re-election in 1998[13] and 2000.[14] He was term-limited in 2002 and could not seek re-election.[15]
Post-legislative career
Ball served as a public safety policy advisor to Governor Charlie Crist after leaving office. Following the election of Governor Rick Scott in 2010,Ball advised Scott's advisors against cutting $1 billion from the prison budget,and was subsequently asked to resign.[16] Shortly after leaving state government,Ball authored an editorial announcing that he was leaving the Republican Party,criticizing the party's "[m]ilitant partisanship" and "seismic shift in how we view and treat humans."[1]
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