Don Gaetz
| Don Gaetz | ||
 | ||
| Florida State Senate District 1 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2006-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| November 15, 2016 | ||
| Years in position | 7 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $29,687/year | |
| Per diem | $131/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | 2006 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Term limits | 2 terms (8 years) | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Superintendent, Okaloosa County School District | ||
| 2000-2006 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Concordia University | |
| Master's | Troy State University | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 22, 1947 | |
| Profession | Legislator | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Gaetz was Town Chair of Seaside, Florida, from 1990 to 1991. He was a member of the Okaloosa School Board from 1994 to 2000. He then served as Superintendent of the Okaloosa County School District from 2000 to 2006. He joined the Florida State Senate in 2006.
Gaetz was Co-Founder/Vice-Chair of the VITAS Healthcare Corporation from 1984 to 2004.
Gaetz earned his Bachelors in Religion/Political Science from Concordia University. He went on to receive his MPA from Troy State University.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Gaetz served on these committees:
- Reapportionment Chair
- Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations Chair
- Budget
- Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations
- Commerce and Tourism
- Health Regulation
- Rules
- Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections
- Joint Legislative Budget
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Gaetz served on these committees:
- Education Pre-K - 12 Committee, Florida State Senate
- Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee, Florida State Senate
- Health Regulation Committee, Florida State Senate
- Rules Committee, Florida State Senate
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Don Gaetz endorsed Rick Perry in the 2012 presidential election. [1]
Elections
2012
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2012
Gaetz won election in the 2012 election for Florida State Senate District 1. Gaetz ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012, and was unchallenged in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[2]
| Florida State Senate, District 1, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Don Gaetz Incumbent |
74.4% | 160,016 | |
| Independent | Richard Harrison | 25.6% | 55,018 | |
| Total Votes | 215,034 | |||
2010
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2010
Gaetz won re-election to the 4th District Seat in 2010. He did not face any opposition in the August 24 primary. The general election took place on November 2, 2010. No Democrats filed to run for the District 4 seat.[3]
2006
On November 7, 2006, Gaetz won election to the 4th District Seat in the Florida State Senate. Gaetz was unopposed and raised $724,128 for his campaign. [4]
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Gaetz is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Gaetz raised a total of $1,796,783 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 23, 2013.[5]
| Don Gaetz's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | Florida State Senate, District 1 |  |
$727,935 | |
| 2010 | Florida State Senate, District 4 | |
$344,720 | |
| 2008 | Florida State Senate, District 4 |  |
$0 | |
| 2006 | Florida State Senate, District 4 | |
$724,128 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $1,796,783 | |||
2012
Gaetz won re-election to the Florida State Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Gaetz raised a total of $727,935.
| Florida State Senate 2012 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Don Gaetz's campaign in 2012 | ||||
| Florida Republican Party | $7,902 | |||
| Florida Retail Federation | $4,500 | |||
| Hospital Corp of America | $4,000 | |||
| Florida Society of Anesthesiologists | $4,000 | |||
| Humana | $2,500 | |||
| Total Raised in 2012 | $727,935 | |||
| Source:Follow the Money | ||||
2010
Gaetz won re-election to the Florida State Senate in 2010. During that election cycle, Gaetz raised a total of $344,720.
| Florida State Senate 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Don Gaetz's campaign in 2010 | ||||
| Florida Retail Federation | $3,000 | |||
| Hospital Corp of America | $2,000 | |||
| Florida Police Benevolent Association | $2,000 | |||
| Northport Health Services | $2,000 | |||
| Compbenefits Insurance | $1,500 | |||
| Total Raised in 2010 | $344,720 | |||
| Source:Follow the Money | ||||
2006
Gaetz won election to the Florida State Senate in 2006. During that election cycle, Gaetz raised a total of $724,128.
| Florida State Senate 2006 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Don Gaetz's campaign in 2006 | ||||
| Gaetz, Don | $50,332 | |||
| Wellcare Health Plans | $2,500 | |||
| Appliance Factory Direct | $2,500 | |||
| Florida Retail Federation | $2,000 | |||
| Florida Hospital Association | $1,500 | |||
| Total Raised in 2006 | $724,128 | |||
| Source:Follow the Money | ||||
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Don + Gaetz + Florida + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Don Gaetz News Feed
- Senator Don Gaetz on Medicaid Expansion - WJHG-TV
- Gaetz: Panhandle 'pathway of growth' - Holmes County Times Advertiser
- Gaetz, Weatherford visit Pensacola - Pensacola News Journal
- Legislators to speak to ECAR, BIA members - The Northwest Florida Daily News
- Senator means what she says, and gets results - Tampabay.com
- Thumbs up, thumbs down - Florida Today
- Gaetz worries about Gov. Rick Scott hurting other Republicans - Tampabay.com (blog)
- Sink column: Stop this bad Citizens insurance deal - Tampabay.com (blog)
- Legislators Gaetz and Weatherford schedule area appearances - Jackson County Floridan
- "More than half of last year's US college graduates are unemployed or ... - PolitiFact
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Personal
Gaetz and his wife, Victoria, have two children.
External links
- Official Florida State Senate website of Senator Don Gaetz
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Don Gaetz
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2008, 2006
References
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Audrey Gibson (D) |
Florida Senate District 1 2012–present |
Succeeded by NA |
| Preceded by Charlie Clary (R) |
Florida Senate District 4 2006–2012 |
Succeeded by Aaron Bean |
| |||||||||||||||||
- 2012 endorsement of Rick Perry for President
- 2012 incumbent
- State Senate candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (winner)
- 2012 unopposed
- 2012 unopposed primary and general election
- Current member, Florida State Senate
- State senators first elected in 2006
- 2010 unopposed
- Republican Party
- Florida
- 2010 candidate
- 2010 incumbent
- State Senate candidate, 2010
- 2010 winner
