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Bilirakis aide joins race for his seat

The lifelong Pinellas resident and former Safety Harbor city commissioner joins a crowded field in the state House race.

By NORA KOCH
Published May 13, 2005

PALM HARBOR - Another candidate has joined the stampede to fill Rep. Gus Bilirakis' state House seat in 2006.

Robin Borland, a former Safety Harbor city commissioner who worked for the outgoing representative until this week, said she filed her paperwork with the state Tuesday and officially announced her candidacy at a Young Republicans meeting that night. Her desire to run was no secret; for months GOP watchers have speculated when she would formalize it.

The 38-year-old mother joins a crowd of four other Republicans and a lone Democrat running in District 48, which includes parts of Palm Harbor, East Lake, Oldsmar and Clearwater in Pinellas County and Trinity and Holiday in Pasco.

So far, the Republican primary also will include Pinellas County Housing Authority member Brian Flaherty, Tarpon Springs City Commissioner Peter Nehr, Palm Harbor Fire Commissioner Ken Peluso and construction manager Christopher Schlenker. Former Oldsmar Mayor Jerry Provenzano also has said he plans to jump into the race.

On the Democratic ticket is teacher and business owner Carl Zimmermann.

Borland, a lifelong Pinellas County resident, was inspired to politics after she watched the city solve a creek erosion problem in her neighborhood while she was president of the Harbor Woods Village Homeowners Association.

She was elected to the Safety Harbor City Commission in March 2001 and resigned eight months early in July 2004 to work as a legislative assistant for Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor Republican. An administrative rule prohibits an employee of the House from holding a public office. She and her husband also had recently sold their home and moved to East Lake.

For nearly a year she worked in Bilirakis' Palm Harbor office, concentrating on constituent issues, she said.

"I have always, since I was a commissioner, been in touch with the taxpayer," Borland said.

Borland graduated from Pinellas Park High School and earned an undergraduate degree in fine arts from the University of South Florida and completed a computer graphics program at the county's vocational center. She has been married for 11 years to Bob, who is a manager at Nielsen Media Research and is her campaign treasurer. They have a 7-year-old son, Oliver.

She is involved with various civic and political organizations, and was recently elected president of the North Pinellas Republican Club.

Borland said she has many passions but will focus on improving the state of homeowners' insurance in Florida, issues surrounding mobile home park property and Medicaid.

"Robin Borland is going to be a fierce competitor," said Neil Brickfield, a former Safety Harbor city commissioner who served there with Borland for about four years and used to be her neighbor. "She has an incredible ability to connect with voters and residents' concerns and be proactive in solving those problems."

As a commissioner, Borland worked one day with every department in Safety Harbor, Brickfield noted. One day, Borland said, she worked a full shift on a garbage truck, spent another laying sidewalk and also cleaned creeks.

"After one day of laying sidewalks, she came back and reported that half of the day was spent waiting for the cement delivery truck to arrive," Brickfield said. "And now the city of Safety Harbor has their own cement-mixing machine."

Nora Koch can be reached at nkoch@sptimes.com or 727 771-4304.

[Last modified May 13, 2005, 00:57:16]