The Pasco County veterinarian says his history of domestic violence won't stop his House campaign.
By ROBERT KING
Published February 11, 2004
SPRING HILL - Pasco County veterinarian Dr. Jim Hughes knew his history of domestic violence would come up if he sought public office, but he decided to run anyway.
Hughes, 47, is a Democratic candidate for the House District 44 seat held by state Rep. David Russell, R-Brooksville. The district covers most of Hernando and parts of Pasco and Sumter counties.
Between 1997 and 2002, Elizabeth Hughes sought domestic violence injunctions against her husband four times. In each case, the charges were dismissed either because she failed to appear at a hearing or failed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Jim Hughes said he wants to serve the public, even if it means talking about his past. And he says domestic violence is an issue that needs to be discussed openly.
"I am still dealing with it. I am coming to peace with my wife and God and my children," said Hughes, 47. "I am ashamed by my history but, at the same time, I will not hide it."
Hughes says he never hit his wife.
"In domestic violence, if someone feels threatened, that in itself becomes a means of domestic violence," he said. "I sit here and I review what I've done and I take full responsibility for my actions. Most men don't understand that their partner can construe things as threatening that are not physical."
Hughes said he sought counseling and has participated as a facilitator in counseling for others.
Elizabeth Hughes could not be reached for comment.
Aside from the domestic violence, records show Jim Hughes has had other legal problems.
In 1984, while a student at the University of Florida, he was convicted of bouncing a check. Hughes said he wasn't notified about the problem so he could fix it.
In 1991, he was convicted of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to a year's probation. Hughes said his sister-in-law fell after he squirted her with a sterile disinfectant when she barged in on a pet surgery.
In 1992, he violated that probation. Hughes said his probation officer scheduled a meeting while he was out of town.
And in 1999, he pleaded guilty to a fraudulent check charge in Pasco County. Hughes said he canceled a $50 check to a housekeeper who refused to return a stolen camera.
More recently, records show his driver's license was invalidated last week after his failure to pay a traffic fine. He had been ticketed in the fall for failure to obey a traffic signal or device. Hughes said Tuesday he was unaware of his license being invalidated and that he would attempt to rectify the problem.
Hughes said he will leave it up to voters to decide if his past should preclude him from office.
"I believe that character is important - absolutely," Hughes said. "I do believe we grow by our mistakes as much as we grow by our successes. I've made a few. I'm so blessed that I haven't died because of it, and I'm blessed because my marriage has survived."
Rep. Russell declined to comment on Hughes' record.
Al Hernandez, a Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee member and president of the party booster organization Donkey Express, spoke with Hughes prior to his entrance to the race. Hughes did not mention his legal problems.
"I'm a little shocked," Hernandez said.
Hughes addressed his legal history with the Times after the newspaper conducted a background check it routinely conducts of political candidates.
Hughes lives with his wife and three children just east of the Pilot Country Airport on State Road 52, where he owns 20 acres of land and maintains a stable of nine horses. As a veterinarian, he developed a treatment for feline AIDS and owns two veterinary clinics with 22 employees and $1-million a year in sales. He says he can relate to the challenges small-business owners face.
Hughes said Russell has catered to the needs of developers while paying too little attention to preserving the area's most precious resource - land. He suggests developers be required to pay higher impact fees or contribute to a fund that could be used to purchase and protect large parcels of sensitive lands.
While Russell has introduced a bill to require that counties factor water availability into growth decisions, Hughes said the bill won't prevent thirsty urban areas from pumping dry water-rich areas, such as Hernando County.
Hughes said Russell has failed to provide money for fast-growing school districts in Pasco and Hernando, which he said spend less per student than other counties in the state.
Russell disputes Hughes' numbers on education funding. He said his proposed water bill puts restraint on development. And, Russell said an amendment he is proposing will strengthen the bill and protect local sources of water in Hernando and around the state.
Hughes said Florida needs more certified teachers, and he would support signing bonuses - even help with moving expenses - to draw teachers from other states.
He considers the state's private school voucher system a failure and says it should be scrapped. He says the FCAT - the achievement test administered yearly to students in grades 3-10 - distracts schools from providing a real curriculum and is too costly. It should be given less frequently, he said.
"The problem we're seeing is micromanaging. We're attempting to micromanage our public schools from Tallahassee," Hughes said. "To improve, we need to trust our educators again."
On social issues, Hughes' positions make him hard to label.
On gay marriages, he sees no need for Florida to establish state-sanctioned marriage for gays and lesbians. He said gays and lesbians already may assign power of attorney to their partners and can designate their partners as the key decision-makers in living wills.
"As a Catholic, I am absolutely opposed to abortion. But as a person who feels you cannot physically stop a person from sin, I think the woman deserves the right to make the decision herself," Hughes said.
- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Robert King can be reached at 848-1432 or rking@sptimes.com
