Storms considering race for state Senate
An announcement is expected next month in the race for the seat now held by Tom Lee.
By BILL VARIAN and JONI JAMES
Published December 17, 2005
TAMPA - As recently as October, Hillsborough Commissioner Ronda Storms said she wasn't even considering a run for the District 10 seat being vacated by Senate President Tom Lee.
"No, frankly," was her answer to the question in an Oct. 11 interview, while acknowledging she was being encouraged to do so.
The answer has changed. Storms confirmed this week that she is indeed contemplating getting into the race.
"Everybody understands that I've been heavily courted by constituents and those interested in this seat," Storms said. "People who understand this process, they say they've never seen anyone so heavily lobbied.
"Any time that happens, you have to give it serious consideration."
The acknowledgement is sure to feed speculation about her entry into the contest, which has ramped up considerably in recent weeks. Political insiders say she is widely expected to make an announcement in January.
"I'm hearing a lot about it," said east county Republican political consultant Mark Proctor. "The rumor is very strong that she'll probably get into the race right after the first of the year. I haven't talked to Ronda about it. But so many people who are close to her are saying it."
Al Higginbotham, chairman on the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee, said he, too, is hearing the talk, but hasn't confirmed it.
Storms, 39, a Republican, enjoys some of the greatest recognition of any politician in the Tampa Bay area, earned largely with her colorful tongue and the resulting ability to attract a media horde.
She also has a penchant for taking on issues related to morality. In recent months, she has led campaigns against public nudity and gay pride displays in government buildings.
Storms won re-election easily last year to a third term in the District 4 Hillsborough Commission seat representing much of the eastern and southern parts of the county.
The Senate seat takes in part of southeastern Pasco County and a small section of Polk county, but the bulk of it is in Hillsborough, in an area nearly identical to Storms' commission district, including some of the places where her backing is strongest, around Plant City, Brandon and Valrico.
To enter the race, Storms would have to resign from the commission with at least two years of her current term remaining. She would have to formally make that decision by the July 2006 qualifying period, though she can file for the seat earlier and begin raising money.
If she resigns with an effective date less than 28 months before her term ends, the governor would get to name her replacement. Otherwise, an election would be held to fill the vacancy.
Her potential candidacy is attracting attention at the state level. Among those pushing for a Storms' run is Republican state Sen. J.D. Alexander, who is watching the race as he leads his own charge to become Senate president in 2010.
Alexander, a citrus grower from Lake Wales who is a grandson of the late Ben Hill Griffin Jr., said Friday that he recently financed a poll with his own money to see how several potential Republican candidates would fare in the race.
Storms handily beat all of them - former House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, former Hillsborough school superintendent Earl Lennard, former state Rep. Sandra Murman and businessman Ray Young, Alexander said.
Lennard has since dropped out of the race, but Byrd, now in private law practice, is thought to be considering the seat.
"It's true I've got a vested interest," Alexander said, a reference to his hope that if Storms wins the seat she would cast a vote in favor of his presidency. "But I've known Ronda since she first ran for the county commissioner, and she's turned out to show strong leadership."
Murman and Young both have said Storms' entry in the race will have no effect on whether they stay.
"I'm fully committed to the race, and I intend to win," Murman said.
Staff writer Letitia Stein contributed to this report.