Bill Galvano
| Bill Galvano | |
|---|---|
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| Florida Senate Majority Leader | |
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Assumed office November 18, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Lizbeth Benacquisto |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 21st district 26th (2012-2016) |
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Assumed office November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 68th district |
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In office November 5, 2002 – November 2, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Mark G. Flanagan |
| Succeeded by | Jim Boyd |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 16, 1966 Liberty, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater |
Manatee Community College (A.A.) University of Florida (B.A.) University of Miami Law School (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Catholic |
William Saint "Bill" Galvano is a Republican politician who has served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2012. He currently represents the 21st district, encompassing Manatee County and southern Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay area. Previously, Galvano served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Bradenton area from 2002 to 2010.
Galvano was born in Liberty, New York, and moved to the State of Florida in 1969, where he was a student at Sebring High School. He then attended Manatee Community College, where he received his associate degree in 1986, and then the University of Florida, graduating with his bachelor's degree in political science in 1989. Following graduation, Galvano attended the University of Miami School of Law, graduating with his Juris Doctor in 1992. After working in private practice for several years as an associate attorney, he became a partner at Grimes Goebel Grimes Hawkins Gladfelter & Galvano, a law firm in Bradenton.
In 2002, when incumbent State Representative Mark G. Flanagan was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, Galvano ran to succeed him in the 68th District, which was based in western Manatee County and included a small segment of southern Hillsborough County. He faced Brian Murphy, an optometrist; Benjamin Milks, a Cedar Hammock Fire Control District Commissioner; and David Miner, an attorney, in the Republican primary. Galvano campaigned on his support for providing a clean-up fund to deal with the fallout from phosphate mining operations attracting more federal dollars to the state, reforming the state's charter school program by requiring a "parental contribution" for families who use vouchers, strengthening corporate fraud laws, enacting a clear air policy statewide, and providing "community-based care" for children in foster care. Though the Sarasota Herald-Tribune praised Galvano's candidacy as "appealing on several key issues," including his "keener interest in environmental protection" and growth management, they ultimately endorsed Murphy, citing his "greater breadth of leadership experience." Ultimately, however, Galvano defeated his opponents by a fairly wide margin, winning 46% of the vote to Murphy's 31%, Milks' 13%, and Miner's 10%. He advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Arlene Sweeting, the Democratic nominee, and James Wallace, the Libertarian nominee. During the general election, he attacked Sweeting's platform, noting, "She wants to do a lot of things for everybody. The question is: Where will the money come from?" He called for the implementation of zero-based budgeting in light of the state's revenue shortfalls. The Herald-Tribune endorsed Galvano in the general election, noting that, despite the fact that both candidates are "thoughtful, well-versed on the issues, and deeply involved in their community," Galvano's "more practical, fiscally conservative approach" would help create a "moderate, bipartisan consensus in Tallahassee." Owing to the conservative nature of the district, Galvano won his first term in a landslide, defeating Sweeting and Wallace with 62% of the vote.
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