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County Commission's Norman To Run For State Senate
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Published: April 3, 2008
Updated: 04/03/2008 12:13 am
TAMPA - Facing term limits in two years, longtime Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman on Wednesday filed papers to run for the state Senate in 2010.
Norman, a Republican, will be running for the seat in District 12, which covers north-central Hillsborough and most of central and western Pasco County.
Norman has been on the commission for 15 years, including five terms as chairman and four as vice chairman.
Term limits mean that he can't run for re-election in 2010, and his name had often been mentioned as a possible candidate for county mayor.
Part of the reason for announcing his Senate bid so early, Norman said, was to put the rumors to rest. He says he plans on running for state Senate even if voters later this year approve the new position of county mayor.
"I don't want to be one of those guys that flip-flops around," Norman said.
An avid sports enthusiast, Norman has championed expansion of the county parks system and helped to form the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.
Norman's passion for sports resulted in his worst political defeat last year when commissioners soundly rejected his proposal for a $40-million sports complex in a rural area near Plant City. Norman said the park would be a big money-maker for the county, drawing soccer, baseball and softball tournaments from across the United States and even overseas.
In his last election run in 2006, Norman received an unusually stiff challenge from Tampa strip club king Joe Redner. Spending little money and confining his campaigning to the city of Tampa, Redner nonetheless received nearly 40 percent of the vote.
State Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz, also filed this week to run for the Senate seat in 2010. Ambler is also running for re-election to the state House in November.
The state Senate seat Norman is seeking is now held by Victor Crist, R-Tampa, who also faces term limits in 2010. Crist has been rumored as a candidate for Norman's county commission seat. Crist said Wednesday that though the commission seat would be a "perfect fit," he is focusing on his job as chairman of the Senate Justice Appropriations Committee.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( Ari_Hinkelberger ) on April 3, 2008 at 1:20 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I really think a democrat could win this seat if he ran a smart race. We need a young fresh face in local politics. It seems like all we do is rotate the same guys from one county commission to the next. I got some advice for Mr. Ambler and Mr. Norman, GET A REAL JOB!! For god sakes. Stop running for every office in town and get out there and contribute something. I loath career politicians. I don't even like Jeb, but I admire his ability to come and serve and then go back to the private sector.
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Posted by ( drdru22 ) on April 3, 2008 at 1:38 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I have lived in Mr. Norman's area for a long time and I think he is taking the right path to achieve many great things in politics. He will be Govener someday! Write that down!
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Posted by ( Fred ) on April 3, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Even an elected official has learning curve. If you keep electing uninformed people with no experience you get a lot of nothing. Quite frankly Jim Norman has a good record of service and I think this would be a good move for some one with good experience.
He's done more for veterans and kids than anyone i know.
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Posted by ( bolador ) on April 3, 2008 at 7:45 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
drdru22- ".Norman...achieve many great things in politics"?? "Governor some day"? The guy is unaccountable to us working folks, with his self-righteous, holier-than-thou approach, as he sits on the BOCC acting as though he's doing the people who pay his salary a favor by listening.
And you admire that?? If this state elects him as Governor, I'm moving to Iceland
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Posted by ( douston ) on April 3, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I will volunteer all my time and donate as much money as i can afford to ANYONE that runs against Jim Norman. The citizens of Hillsborough County have suffered enough!!!
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Posted by ( bolador ) on April 3, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Amen, douston! After Norman and most of these other cartoon characters we have tolerated for so many years (can anyone say Jerry Bowmer? Remember THAT bunch?!!), we need some real people for a refreshing change!
Rhonda Storms and maybe Jim Norman working up in Tally' together. Oh the Humanity!!!
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Posted by ( Garbanzo ) on April 3, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Vote for Kevin Beckner!! http://www.kevinbeckner.com/
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Posted by ( Jetta ) on April 3, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Pa-leeeezze, no more Jim Norman and especially in the Senate.
This guy is a career pol and would love to have his name embedded forever on something in Tampa.
The failed sports complex was his first choice, thankfully the other commissioners didn't go along with his big tax-payer- funded-over-the-top-idea. Hopefully, he won't get a Senate Seat either, there has got to be a better candidate than High Spending Norman.
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Posted by ( Fred ) on April 3, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Enjoy Iceland!
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Posted by ( Reality ) on April 3, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
He should get a real job.
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Posted by ( crc487 ) on April 3, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
All TFR and TPD tell all your friends and relatives to tell all their friends not to vote for this sorry, life time, public trough consuming pol. This is the person who tried to stick it to us with the Tampa Stadium deal. He would be a terrible canidate, spread the word.
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Posted by ( ad ) on April 3, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Please, people of Florida, remember the Hillsborough County Commission's fiascos led by Norman, the not funding of the Woman's Justice Center, the $1,000.000 to private Cheval, the always just about fully funding the Sports Authority to the determent of social programs.
Enough of this guy, Blair, Hagan and White Let's get professionals in office and stop this "good old boy" style.
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