Dan Gelber
| Dan Gelber | |
 | |
| Florida State Senate - District 35 | |
| Former member | |
| Term in office began 2008 | |
| Term in office ended 2010 | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Attorney |
Contents |
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Tufts University (1982)
- Juris Doctorate degree, University of Florida College of Law (1985)
Professional experience
Gelber has worked as attorney for Zuckerman Spaeder Law Firm and Partner for Akerman Senterfitt Law Firm. He was Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 1986 to 1994. He then worked as Chief Counsel for United States Senator Sam Nunn from 1994 to 1996. He also worked as a Staff Director for the United States Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation during this time.
Committee assignments
State Senator Gelber served on the following legislative committees:
- Commerce (Vice Chair) [3]
- Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities (Member)
- Higher Education (Vice Chair)
- Judiciary (Member)
- Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means (Member)
- Public Counsel Oversight (Member)
- Select Committee on Florida's Economy (Member)
Controversies
BP connection
Gelber's campaign for state attorney general was dealt a severe blow on Monday, June 28, 2010, when it was discovered that Akerman Senterfitt, the five hundred lawyer private practice based in Miami with whom the state senator has served as both partner and counsel, agreed to represent British Petroleum (BP) against disaster claims. [4] His primary opponent, jumping on the opportunity presented to him, argued that Gelber's position "would represent a major conflict of interest were he to win the Attorney General’s race — so much so that Gelber would have to recuse himself from any lawsuit his AG office would bring against BP, which hired Akerman to represent it the oil spill claims process." [5]
Shortly after the story first broke, Gelber issued a statement in which he called Aronberg's attack on him frivolous and absurd, noting that he had tenured his resignation from the firm a week before. [6] Furthermore, he argued, "he played no role in the firm's decision and didn't know about it until days afterward." [7] [8] The Florida political news website, The Saint Petersblog, has noted, however, that his resignation isn't effective until early-July. [9]
In spite of his departure from Akerman Senterfitt, Aronberg continued to make the matter an issue in the primary campaign. An email sent to his supporters has Aronberg remarking that he is "not angry" at his opponent, but that "the fact remains, however, that his employment by BP’s law firm could disqualify him from representing Florida against BP as Attorney General." [10]
Other roles
- Volunteer/Former President, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami (1985-present)
- Co-Founder/Volunteer Counselor, Camp Fiesta Summer Oncology Camp (1985-present)
- Board of Trustees, United Way (1997-present)
- Chair, Do the Write Thing (1998-2000)
Campaign contributions
2008
According to Follow the Money, Gelber raised $402,659 in 2008 for his state senatorial campaign. [11]
Listed below are the top five contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Florida Democratic Party | $12,228 |
| Florida Institute of CPAs | $4,000 |
| Hospital Corporation of America | $4,000 |
| Dade County Classroom Teachers Association | $3,000 |
| Florida Hospital Association | $3,000 |
Elections
2000
| 2000 Race for Florida House of Representatives, District 106 - Democratic Primary [12] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Dan Gelber (D)
|
62.4% | |||
| Joseph Geller (D) | 26.3% | |||
| Mitchell Kinzer (D) | 11.3% | |||
| Total votes | 7,488 | |||
| 2000 Race for Florida House of Representatives, District 106 - General Election [13] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Dan Gelber (D)
|
84.8% | |||
| Mike Calhoun (NPA) | 15.2% | |||
| Total votes | 33,882 | |||
2002
- 2002 Race for Florida House of Representatives, District 106 - Democratic Primary and General Election
- Dan Gelber ran unopposed in both contests
2004
- 2004 Race for Florida House of Representatives, District 106 - Democratic Primary and General Election
- Dan Gelber ran unopposed in both contests
2006
- 2006 Race for Florida House of Representatives, District 106 - Democratic Primary and General Election
- Dan Gelber ran unopposed in both contests
2008
- 2008 Race for Florida State Senate, District 35 - Democratic Primary [14]
- Dan Gelber ran unopposed
| 2008 Race for Florida State Senate, District 35 - General Election [15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Dan Gelber (D)
|
72.4% | |||
| Dean Santoro (R) | 27.6% | |||
| Total votes | 140,723 | |||
2010
- See also: Florida Attorney General election, 2010
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election [16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  Dan Gelber
|
59.1% | |
| Democratic Party | Dave Aronberg | 40.9% | |
| Total Votes | 831,690 | ||
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election [17] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Pam Bondi
|
54.8% | |
| Democratic Party | Dan Gelber | 41.4% | |
| Independent | Jim Lewis | 3.8% | |
| Total Votes | 5,263,392 | ||
Personal
Gelber currently resides in Miami Beach, Florida with his wife, Joan Silverstein. The couple has had three children together - Sophie, Hannah, and Max.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
226 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
Phone: (850) 487-5121
E-mail: gelber.dan.web@flsenate.gov
District Address:
1920 Meridian Avenue, 3rd Floor
Miami Beach, FL 33139-1818
Phone: (305) 535-5485
Campaign Address:
Dan Gelber for Attorney General
801 Arthur Godfrey Road
Suite #300
Miami Beach, FL 33140
Phone: (305) 538-8373
Fax: (888) 447-9567
External links
- Florida State Senate - Senator Dan Gelber (D-35) page
- Dan Gelber for Attorney General
- Project Vote Smart Dan Gelber candidate summary
- Project Vote Smart Dan Gelber biography
- The Gelber blog
- Dan Gelber on Facebook
- Dan Gelber on twitter
- State Senate Campaign contributions:2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
References
- ↑ Miami New Times "Dan Gelber Enters Attorney General Race" 8 June, 2009
- ↑ The Miami Herald "Dan Gelber wins, Pam Bondi holds lead in Florida attorney general races" 25 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Florida State Senate - List of Standing Committees
- ↑ The Reid Report "Mo’ clicks: me llamo Freddy Kreuger, the vanishing Mr. Rubio, Gelber’s BP problem **UPDATED**" 28 June, 2010
- ↑ Saint Petersblog 2.0 "Dave Aronberg scores major political victory as Dan Gelber resigns from law firm representing BP" 28 June, 2010
- ↑ Creative Loafing "Gelber calls Aronberg camp’s criticism of his timed departure from law firm representing BP as “absurd”" 30 June, 2010
- ↑ Miami Herald "Gelber says he left law firm representing BP" 30 June, 2010
- ↑ Sunshine State News "Gelber says he left law firm representing BP" 30 June, 2010
- ↑ Saint Petersblog 2.0 "Dan Gelber says he quit law firm “last Thursday” so why is resignation letter effective in “early July?”" 30 June, 2010
- ↑ Saint Petersblog 2.0 "It’s just business, nothing personal: Aronberg fires again at Gelber over connection to BP, but says “he’s not angry”" 2 July, 2010
- ↑ Follow the Money - Campaign Contributions for Dan Gelber, 2008
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2000 State House Primary Election Results
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2000 State House General Election Results
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2008 State Senate Primary Election Results
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2008 State Senate General Election Results
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2010 Democratic Attorney General Primary Election Results
- ↑ Florida Department of State - 2010 Republican Attorney General Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Florida Senate - District 35 2008–2010 |
Succeeded by Gwen Margolis |
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