Ritch Workman | |
---|---|
Member of the FloridaHouseofRepresentatives from the 52nd district | |
In office November 20, 2012 –November 8, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Jeff Brandes |
Succeeded by | Thad Altman |
Member of the FloridaHouseofRepresentatives from the 30th district | |
In office November 18,2008 –November 20,2012 | |
Preceded by | Thad Altman |
Succeeded by | Karen Castor Dentel |
Personal details | |
Born | Belleville,Ontario | May 3,1973
Political party | Republican |
Children | Bailey Richard Workman,Sofia Grace Workman |
Alma mater | Appalachian State University (BS) |
Profession | Mortgage broker |
Ritch Workman (born May 3,1973) is a former Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives,who represented the 52nd District,which includes southern Brevard County,stretching from Melbourne to Palm Shores,from 2012 to 2016,and previously representing the 30th District from 2008 to 2012.
Workman was born in Belleville,Ontario,in 1973. In 1980,his family moved from Canada to the U.S. state of Florida. Workman graduated from Satellite High School in Satellite Beach and then attended Appalachian State University,where he graduated in 1995. Following graduation,he served in the National Guard from 1990 to 2005,including as a Battery Commander in Operation Noble Eagle. When incumbent State Representative Mike Haridopolos was elected to the Florida Senate in a 2003 Special Election,Workman ran to succeed him in the 30th District,which stretched from Rockledge to Palm Bay in southern Brevard County. Workman lost to Thad Altman in the Republican primary,receiving 29% of the vote to Altman's 41%.[ citation needed ]
When Altman opted to run for the Florida Senate rather than seek re-election in 2008,Workman ran to succeed him. In the Republican primary,Workman faced Tres Holton,whom he easily defeated,winning 62% of the vote. He faced Amy Tidd,the Democratic nominee,and,following a contentious campaign,narrowly defeated her,winning 54% of the vote to Tidd's 46%. When running for re-election in 2010,Workman once again faced Tidd,and he campaigned on his sponsorship of legislation similar to SB 1070 in Arizona,which would allow police officers to "detain a person who cannot prove their citizenship or legal status." [1] When Tidd responded that she was "still waiting to see his papers," Workman responded,"Is it because I'm white that this is not a racial slur? I'm offended,but she makes my point for me. I'm pro-immigration reform because when someone comes here illegally,it diminishes my struggle." [2] The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Tidd over Workman,criticizing Workman's "dubious priorities," including "aligning himself with a fringe group that rejects federal authority over states,though he sees no contradiction in Florida taking billions of dollars in stimulus money from Washington,D.C." [3] Despite this,Workman managed to expand his margin of victory over Tidd,defeating her in a landslide with 61% of the vote.
In 2012,when the state's legislative districts were reconfigured,Workman was moved into the 52nd District,which included most of the territory that he previously represented in the 30th District. He faced no opposition in the Republican primary or the general election,and won his third term entirely uncontested. Workman was re-elected to his fourth and final term in the House in 2014 without opposition.
During the 2011 legislative session,Workman authored several pieces of legislation that would have repealed a number of what he considered to be "inane" laws. The most controversial of the laws he aimed to repeal was a statute banning the practice of "dwarf-tossing," a "competition in which little people are literally turned into human shot puts." Workman asserted,"[Little people] don't need government to decide for them. This is insulting. Their actions aren't endangering anyone else. For every law that's on the books a little piece of your liberty and freedom is lost." [4] He argued that his legislation could help improve the economy,noting,"All that [the ban on dwarf-tossing] does is prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get. In this economy,or any economy,why would we want to prevent people from getting gainful employment?" [5] Little People of America,an advocacy group for individuals with dwarfism,condemned Workman's legislation,and Jennifer Arnold,one of the stars of The Little Couple ,argued against the proposal,saying,"My biggest concern is that we're going backwards. It seems okay today to still make fun of little people. It's not okay to do that for races,religions and other disabled people." [4]
After losing the 2016 primary election for the state senate,Workman was appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission by Republican Governor Rick Scott. Before he could assume office,Workman was accused of being vulgar by State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R) who claimed he made vulgar comments and gestures at a charity event. She asked him to stop,but he persisted. When he refused to stop,others had to intervene. [6]
Senator Benacquisto announced she would not schedule Workman for confirmation by the Senate. Following Benacquisto's announcement,Workman contacted Scott and immediately withdrew from consideration. Workman apologized to Benacquisto and agreed to step aside from the PCS appointment to keep from becoming a distraction to the Governor. [7] [8]
Dwarf-tossing,also called midget-tossing,is a pub/bar attraction or activity in which people with dwarfism,wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes,are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to throw the person with dwarfism the farthest. Dwarf-tossing was started in Australia as a form of pub entertainment in the early 1980s. A related,formerly practiced activity was dwarf-bowling,in which a person with dwarfism was placed on a skateboard and used as a bowling ball.
Donald Jay Gaetz is an American businessman and Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016,representing parts of Northwest Florida. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014.
Daniel Alan Webster is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 11th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party,he first entered Congress in 2011. He represented Florida's 10th congressional district from 2011 to 2017. Before his congressional service,he served 28 years in the Florida legislature,and was the first Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives since Reconstruction.
Thad Altman is a Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of the Melbourne area in central Brevard County since 2016. Previously,he represented a similar area in the House from 2003 to 2008,and served in the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016.
Kevin Rader is an American politician from Florida. A Democrat,he represented parts of northern Broward and southern Palm Beach Counties in the Florida House from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2016. He was elected to one term in the Florida Senate,serving from 2016 until he retired in 2020.
Joseph Abruzzo is a Democratic politician from Florida. He serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court &Comptroller for Palm Beach County,an independently elected office established by Florida’s Constitution.
Debbie Mayfield is an American politician serving as a Republican member of the Florida Senate who has represented the 17th district,which includes Indian River and southern Brevard Counties,since 2016. She previously served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of the Treasure Coast from 2008 to 2016. She has been majority leader since 2020.
Andy Gardiner is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate,representing the 9th District from 2008 to 2012,and the 13th District,which stretches from Orlando to Titusville,from 2012 to 2016. From 2014 to 2016,Gardiner served as the President of the Florida Senate. Prior to Gardiner's election to the Senate,he served in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 40th District from 2000 to 2008.
Aaron Paul Bean is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 4th congressional district since 2023. A Republican,Bean represented the 4th district in the Florida Senate,which included all of Nassau County and parts of Duval County,from 2012 to 2022. From 2000 to 2008,he represented the 12th district in the Florida House of Representatives.
Jack Latvala is a Republican politician from Florida. He represented the Pinellas County area in the Florida Senate from 1994 to 2002,and again from 2010 to 2018.
Lizbeth Benacquisto is a Republican politician from Florida who served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2020. She was a candidate in the 2014 special election for Florida's 19th congressional district.
Dane Eagle is an American politician from Florida. A Republican,Eagle was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis as Secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in September 2020. Eagle was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020,where he represented Cape Coral in Lee County and served as Majority Leader and Majority Whip. Eagle resigned from the House to accept his appointment as head of DEO. Eagle unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Congress in Florida's 19th congressional district in the 2020 election.
The 2016 Florida House of Representatives election was held on Tuesday,November 8,2016,with the primary election held on August 30,2016. Voters in the 120 districts of the Florida State House elected their representatives. The elections coincided with the elections for other offices,including for U.S. President,U.S. Senate,U.S. House,and the Florida Legislative.
Joe Gruters was the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 2018 to 2022,and is a member of the Florida Senate representing the 22nd District,which consists of Sarasota County and part of Charlotte County. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Earlier in his career,Gruters worked on the campaign of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan as campaign manager and was vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota.
In the elections to the Florida State Senate that were held on November 6,2018,20 of the 40 seats were contested in regular elections and two seats in special elections. The winners of the 20 regular elections will serve four year terms from November 6,2018 to November 6,2022,and the winners of the two special elections will serve two year terms from November 6,2018 to November 6,2020.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida was held on November 3,2020,to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from Florida,one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the U.S. Senate,and various state and local elections.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Florida will be held on November 5,2024,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Florida. Incumbent one-term Republican Senator Rick Scott was elected with 50.05% of the vote in 2018. He is running for re-election to a second term in office,despite earlier rumors of him running for president. Primary elections will take place on August 20,2024.
Laurel Frances Lee is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representatives for Florida's 15th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party,she was a judge on Florida's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit from 2013 to 2019 and was the 30th Secretary of State of Florida from 2019 to 2022.
The 2020 elections for the Florida Senate took place on Tuesday,November 3,2020,to elect state senators from 20 of 40 districts. The Republican Party has held a Senate majority since 1995. The result was a one-seat gain for the Republicans,thus maintaining their majority.
United States gubernatorial elections are scheduled to be held on November 3,2026,in 36 states and three territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2022,except in New Hampshire and Vermont,where governors serve two-year terms and will elect their governors in 2024.