Joe Negron
| Joe Negron | |
|---|---|
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| President of the Florida Senate | |
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Assumed office November 8, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Andy Gardiner |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 25th district 28th (2009-2012) 32nd (2012-2016) |
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Assumed office October 7, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ken Pruitt |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 82nd district |
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In office November 7, 2000 – November 7, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Art Argenio |
| Succeeded by | William Snyder |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 9, 1961 West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Horton Negron |
| Children | David, Jonathan, Becca |
| Alma mater |
Stetson University (B.A.) Emory University School of Law (J.D.) Harvard University (M.P.A.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Protestant |
Joe Negron (born October 9, 1961) is a Republican member of the Florida State Senate, representing the Treasure Coast area since 2009. He has represented the 25th district, encompassing Martin County, St. Lucie County, and part of northern Palm Beach County, since 2016, after being redistricted from the 32nd and 28th districts. Before winning election to the Florida Senate, Negron served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Martin County-based 82nd district from 2000 to 2006.
Negron was born in West Palm Beach, and attended Stetson University, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper and graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1983. He then attended the Emory University Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1986, and received a Zuckerman Fellowship to attend Harvard University, receiving his Master of Public Administration in 2009. Following his graduation from law school, Negron worked as a private practice attorney in Stuart, specializing in business litigation and land use law.
In 1999, when State Representative Tom Warner resigned from his seat in the legislature to accept an appointment as the state's first solicitor general, a special election was held to replace him in the 82nd District, which included parts of southern Martin County and northern Palm Beach County. Negron ran to replace him, and faced Art Argenio, John Whitescarver, Melinda Tumminia, and John Carroll in the Republican primary. Negron placed first in the primary, winning 47% of the vote to Argenio's 30%, but because he did not win a majority, a runoff election was held that Argenio narrowly won with 52% of the vote. When Argenio ran for re-election in 2000, Negron once again challenged him in the primary, along with David Traill, and received a plurality of the vote, thus necessitating another runoff election. During the course of the campaign, the two candidates signed an agreement aimed at stopping the personal attacks on one another. Though both agreed that water discharge from Lake Okeechobee was harming the St. Lucie River, they disagreed on the solution to the problem; Argenio indicated that he would introduce legislation to set a maximum depth of the lake, which Negron blasted, arguing, "I don't think [a] legislator should be setting feet and inches of a lake. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if water managers who need flexibility can't make adjustments to the water level? I think it's nuts." The two also disagreed on health care policy, with Negron suggesting that patients should be able to sue HMOs and announcing that he would sponsor legislation that would allow patients to see specialists without approval from their primary care physician, and Argenio calling Negron's plans a "lawyer's bill of rights." Ultimately, Negron narrowly defeated Argenio to win the Republican nomination for the seat, and was unopposed in the general election. He won re-election uncontested in 2002 and 2004 as well.
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