2006 Know Your Candidates

Views differ on how best to serve

State Senate: District 16

By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2006

Republican Kim Berfield and Democrat Charlie Justice agree: You should vote for the state Senate candidate who is going to fight for your interests in Tallahassee.

But the two candidates, both state representatives from Pinellas County who have served since 2000, disagree about whom that person is.

"I think I represent the values of the community better," Justice said.

He said he has worked hard on legislation to keep medical records private, to increase benefits for nationally certified teachers and had fought for such causes as proper funding of education.

He said he also was proud of his stand on Terri Schiavo. Justice opposed efforts in the Legislature that Berfield supported that were intended to invalidate a court ruling that Schiavo could be removed from life support.

Justice criticized Berfield for supporting a workers' compensation bill that made it harder for injured workers to receive benefits; for voting for a home insurance bill that gave insurers' more authority to raise their rates; and for voting for a bill that would have allowed phone companies to increase their rates. (The bill that Berfield voted for was vetoed by Gov. Jeb Bush. She voted against a later version of the bill.)

Berfield said she is a hard-working legislator who prides herself on representing constituents' needs. She said she is running for state Senate because, "We need more people who are more experienced leaders, leaders with character and leaders who actually care."

She said Justice "does not do much of anything."

Berfield, a former House Insurance Committee chairwoman who has raised at least 15 times more money from insurance companies than Justice, said she is studying ways to combat skyrocketing insurance premiums.

She also said she supports legislation that would allow elderly homeowners, and possibly others, to keep a state-mandated property tax break even after they sell their homes.

She said the workers' compensation and homeowners insurance bills cited by Justice were attempts to solve complicated, vexing insurance problems.

She also said she voted to intervene in the Schiavo case because it was a life-or-death situation, so caution made sense.

THE CANDIDATES

Democrat

Charlie Justice, 38, grew up in St. Petersburg. He has been a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2000 and spent five years as a legislative aide. Justice is an academic adviser at the University of South Florida. Justice is a graduate of Boca Ciega High School, St. Petersburg College and USF. Justice is married and has two children. Assets: House, retirement account, bank accounts. Liabilities: Mortgage, car loan. Sources of income: Legislative salary and USF.

Republican

Kim Berfield, 35, was born in Texas and grew up in Florida. She was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000. Berfield works part time for a Tallahassee advertising firm. She is a graduate of St. Petersburg College and the University of Central Florida. She is single. Assets: Bank accounts. Liabilities: None listed. Sources of income: Legislative salary and Creraytive Advertising in Tallahassee.

THE JOB

State senator, District 16

State senators serve four-year terms and make $30,996 per year.

[Last modified November 3, 2006, 13:10:34]