A political newcomer takes on seasoned politician Gus Bilirakis, who said he is not taking his opponent lightly.
By ED QUIOCO, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 31, 2002
In the race for state House District 48, voters can chose between the incumbent, a Republican lawmaker brimming with local name recognition, and his Libertarian challenger, who has lived in the district for about a month.
Gus Bilirakis, 39, is seeking his third term. His opponent is A.J. Brent, 55, a political unknown taking his first stab at politics.
"I'm taking this seriously," said Bilirakis, the son of longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs. "In a political campaign, you always run scared."
Brent calls for privatizing government services, reducing taxes and deregulation. He said he considers his lack of political experience an advantage.
"Most of the people who have come up to me and talked to me really like the idea that I'm not a career politician," Brent said. "They think it's a plus that I'm not an attorney. They think it's a plus that I'm new."
Bilirakis has extensive ties to the community and is active in the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs. The soft-spoken legislator said he wants to continue working to get state funding for community health centers for residents without health insurance.
Bilirakis also wants to continue working on legislation to protect voters from land speculators such as Don Connolly, he said. Bilirakis helped broker a compromise between Connolly and some East Lake residents after Connolly had erected a pink fence between the homeowners and a lake that he bought at a tax deed sale.
"I'm not in your face," Bilirakis said. "That's the way I am. But I'm real persistent and level-headed, and I think I can communicate well."
During the last term, Bilirakis was the chairman of the House Crime Prevention, Corrections and Safety Committee. He sponsored a bill in 2001 that gave retired state law enforcement officers and firefighters more pension benefits.
"That was a thrill for me to be able to help them out," Bilirakis said.
Brent said he has been campaigning 20 hours a week. A Libertarian has never been elected to the state Legislature.
"Sometimes people tell me they don't think I have a chance and all that," Brent said. "And I tell them until somebody taps me on the shoulder and says 'A.J., its time to go home,' I'm running like I'm going to win. I'm going to give it my best shot."
State House District 48 covers most of Tarpon Springs, all of East Lake and Oldsmar, the east side and a small part of the west side of Palm Harbor, a chunk of Countryside and small portions of Holiday and Trinity in Pasco County. State representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $29,328 annually.
GUS BILIRAKIS, 39, is an estate planning and real estate attorney with offices in Pasco and Pinellas. He grew up in Tarpon Springs and graduated from Tarpon Springs High School and St. Petersburg College. He received a political science degree from the University of Florida in 1986 and graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1989. He lives in Palm Harbor, is married and has three sons. ASSETS: home, law office, stocks, property and bank account LIABILITIES: mortgages SOURCE OF INCOME: law practice and salary as a legislator and adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College
A.J. BRENT, 55, does marketing and public relations for financial firm Lasting Legacy, which has offices in Palm Harbor and Tampa. Born in New Jersey, Brent graduated from the University of Tampa with a psychology degree. He moved to Tampa Bay in 1968. He is single with no children and lives in Oldsmar. ASSETS: house and bank account LIABILITIES: mortgage SOURCE OF INCOME: salary WEB SITE: www.ajbrent.com