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ST. PETERSBURG - State Sen. Dennis L. Jones has spent almost a quarter of a century in the Legislature, but he says he still has more to do. So he's running for another term in the Senate.
"I enjoy the political process," said Jones, 62, of Treasure Island. "And I think a lot can be said for the value of institutional knowledge."
Jones, a Republican, spent 22 years in the state House until he was forced out by term limits in 2000. He was elected to a two-year term in the Senate in 2002 and was named majority leader, one of the top positions in the chamber. Now he's running for a four-year term.
He also is vice chairman of the Health, Aging and Long-Term Care committee and a member of other committees, including Appropriations.
Jones' Senate District 13 stretches from St. Pete Beach to Dunedin. His only competition so far is Republican political newcomer Alan Rankin of Port Richey.
Jones said he's particularly proud of helping to establish secure funding for beach renourishment. It earned him the nickname "the Sandman."
In the 2004 legislative session, Jones sponsored a bill that increased spending for KidCare, a health care program for low-income children.
Opponents said the legislation was unfairly rushed through the system and would make it harder for children to enroll. But Jones said the law will help thousands of children who wouldn't otherwise have health care and created two new windows of opportunity for enrollment.
The Legislature also budgeted $9-million for a pet project of Jones', establishing the Florida State University Chiropractic School. He is a practicing chiropractor.
Florida TaxWatch, a nonpartisan Tallahassee research group, called it a turkey, Florida's name for pork barrel projects.
Jones, however, said the school will offer affordable education for Florida students who want to become chiropractors. The only option now is private schools, he said.
If re-elected, Jones said he wants to make school voucher programs more accountable and create a system for long-term budget planning. He also said he wants to make it harder to amend the Florida Constitution.
Jones is married and co-owns Community Care Medical Center in St. Petersburg with his son.
- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com