Jack Latvala
Jack Latvala (b. November 3, 1951) is a former Republican member of the Florida State Senate, representing District 16 from 2016 to 2018. He previously served in the state House from 2010 to 2016 and from 1994 to 2002.
Latvala was removed from his position as chairman of the Appropriations Committee in November 2017 due to sexual misconduct allegations. He later announced his resignation from the state Senate on December 20, 2017, effective January 5, 2018. To read more, click here. Latvala would have been ineligible to run for re-election in 2018 to the Florida State Senate because of term limits.[1]
Biography
Latvala's professional experience includes operating a printing company in Largo.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
Latvala was removed from his position as chairman of the Appropriations Committee in November 2017 due to sexual misconduct allegations. To read more click here.
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations, Chair |
| • Commerce and Tourism |
| • Environmental Preservation and Conservation |
| • Rules |
| • Joint Legislative Budget Commission, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Latvala served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce and Tourism |
| • Governmental Oversight and Accountability |
| • Regulated Industries |
| • Rules |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Latvala served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Ethics and Elections, Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Community Affairs |
| • Environmental Preservation and Conservation |
| • Gaming |
| • Judiciary |
| • Rules |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Latvala served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Transportation, Chair |
| • Environmental Preservation and Conservation |
| • Governmental Oversight and Accountability |
| • Health Regulation |
| • Reapportionment |
| • Public Counsel Oversight |
Campaign themes
2010
Latvala's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
- "Creating a strong and resilient economy by reducing the burden of taxes on Florida’s business and families, improving Florida’s business climate to promote economic development, and reforming Florida’s welfare system."
- "Protecting citizens and businesses by cracking down on violent crimes and criminals."
- "Helping Florida’s consumers by enacting tough consumer protection laws and lowering the costs for healthcare and prescription drugs."
- "Championing efforts to protect Florida’s ecological treasures and safeguard the state’s environmental future."
- "Supporting excellence in education by meeting the needs of our school children. Sufficiently funding Florida’s public school system, enforcing accountability in education, and providing opportunities and resources to children and families who need additional support to succeed."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.
Incumbent Jack Latvala ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 16 general election.[3][4]
| Florida State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Jack Latvala Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||
Incumbent Jack Latvala ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 16 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Florida State Senate, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jack Latvala Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Incumbent Jack Latvala defeated Zahid Roy in the Republican primary and defeated Tony Caso (L) in the general election.[7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Latvala Incumbent |
71.6% | 120,277 | |
| Libertarian | Tony Caso | 28.4% | 47,652 | |
| Total Votes | 167,929 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jack Latvala Incumbent |
87.2% | 31,836 |
| Zahid Roy | 12.8% | 4,672 |
| Total Votes | 36,508 | |
2012
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2012
Latvala won re-election in the 2012 election for Florida State Senate District 20. Latvala defeated Zahid Roy in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012 and defeated Ashley M. Rhodes-Courter (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Latvala Incumbent |
57.8% | 127,927 | |
| Democratic | Ashley M. Rhodes-Courter | 42.2% | 93,296 | |
| Total Votes | 221,223 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jack Latvala Incumbent |
85.7% | 33,147 |
| Zahid Roy | 14.3% | 5,517 |
| Total Votes | 38,664 | |
2010
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2010
Latvala did not have any opposition in the August 24 primary. He defeated Nina Hayden (D) in the November 2 general election.[11]
| Florida State Senate, District 16 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jack Latvala (R)
|
83,396 | 63.98% | ||
| Nina Hayden (D) | 46,942 | 36.02% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 7 through May 8. There was also a special session from June 7 to June 9.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stance on public records access as it relates to Florida's "Sunshine Law"
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on healthcare related issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 12 through March 11.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 1.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
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Noteworthy events
Resignation following sexual misconduct allegations (2017)
Latvala announced his resignation from the Florida State Senate on December 20, with his effective resignation date on January 5, 2018. In his resignation statement, Latvala denied the sexual misconduct allegations against him and said that he disapproved of the process used in his investigation.[12] State Senate President Joe Negron (R) ordered an investigation into claims of sexual harassment against Latvala on November 3, 2017. The claims came from a Politico report where six women affiliated with the state Capitol said Latvala had either touched them inappropriately or verbally harassed them.[13] Latvala denied the claims and said they were made to harm his 2018 gubernatorial bid.[14]
On November 29, Republican Senate staffer Rachel Perrin Rogers revealed that she had filed the confidential complaint accusing Latvala of sexual harassment and that she was one of the six women interviewed for the Nov. 3 Politico report. She said she revealed her identity because Latvala had already publicly suggested that she was one of his accusers. On November 19, Latvala apparently referred to Perrin Rogers in an interview when he said that one of his accusers had a husband who was a political consultant working for one of his gubernatorial opponents. At the time of the allegation, Perrin Rogers was married to Republican political consultant Brian Hughes. According to Politico, Hughes was not openly working for a gubernatorial campaign at the time Perrin Rogers revealed her identity.[15]
Also on December 5, state Sen. Lauren Book (D) filed a formal complaint alleging that Latvala broke Senate rules in his response to the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Specifically, Book alleged that Latvala broke two rules: conduct unbecoming of a senator and the use of undue influence. The complaint said, "We simply must stop the continued degradation of our institution and the destruction of the life of a woman who lawfully and rightfully filed her complaint."[16]
On December 19, an independent investigation by retired Judge Ronald Swanson suggested that criminal charges could be filed against Latvala for allegedly sexually harassing Perrin Rogers and asking a lobbyist for sexual favors in return for supporting her legislation. The report identified four findings of probable cause that involved seven incidents between 2013 and 2017 where Perrin Rogers was allegedly groped or subjected to inappropriate contact by Latvala. The unnamed former lobbyist was the seventh woman to come forward alleging that Latvala had engaged in sexual misconduct. She said that she and Latvala had had an intimate relationship since 1995, and, from 2015 to 2017, she was repeatedly groped by Latvala when she went into his office. She said her experiences with Latvala caused her to leave the lobbying profession.[17] Another independent report compiled by Gail Golman Holtzman was released on December 20. It contained testimony from women who said that Latvala attempted to touch them without their consent in exchange for legislative favors.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Latvala and his wife, Susan Richardson, have four children.
See also
- Florida State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Florida State Legislature
- Florida state legislative districts
External links
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010
- Jack Latvala on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Jack Latvala resigns from the Florida Senate," December 20, 2017
- ↑ Jack Latvala Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed April 15, 2012
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Official Primary Results," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "November 2, 2010, Election Results," November 2, 2010
- ↑ Miami-Herald, "State Sen. Jack Latvala quits in face of corruption investigation, possible expulsion," December 20, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Six women accuse Florida Senate budget chair Latvala of groping, sexual harassment," November 3, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Top Senate investigator recuses herself from probe of Latvala sex harassment case," November 4, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Senate staffer who accused Latvala of sexual harassment, groping goes public," November 29, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Book slaps Latvala with complaint for ‘scorched earth’ tactics against sexual harassment accuser," December 5, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Investigator recommends criminal probe of Latvala for sexual harassment, sexual ‘quid pro quo’," December 19, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thad Altman (R) |
Florida State Senate, District 16 2016-2018 |
Succeeded by Ed Hooper (R) |
| Preceded by Alan Hays (R) |
Florida Senate District 20 2012–2016 |
Succeeded by Tom Lee (R) |
| Preceded by Charlie Justice |
Florida Senate District 16 2010–2012 |
Succeeded by Thad Altman |
| Preceded by - |
Florida Senate District 19 1994-2002 |
Succeeded by - |
