David Richardson (Florida politician)

David Richardson
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 113th district
Assumed office
November 20, 2012
Preceded by Richard L. Steinberg
Personal details
Born (1957-04-25) April 25, 1957
Houston, Texas
Political party Democratic
Alma mater University of Central Florida (B.S.) (B.S.B.A.)
University of Tampa (M.B.A.)
Profession Accountant

David Richardson (born April 25, 1957) is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 113th District, which includes parts of downtown Miami, Miami Beach, and North Bay Village, since 2012.

History

Richardson was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to Florida in 1968, where he attended Lyman High School in Longwood. After graduation, he attended the University of Central Florida, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1979 and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in accountancy in 1983. He then attended the University of Tampa while he worked for the United States Department of Defense as an auditor, receiving his Master of Business Administration in 1987. Richardson then worked for Ernst & Young as an accountant before starting his own advisory services firm.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the state's legislative districts and following the resignation of State Representative Richard L. Steinberg due to stalking and harassment charges,[1] an open seat was created in the 113th District. Richardson opted to run, and faced Mark Weithorn, the husband of Miami Beach City Commissioner Deede Weithorn; Adam Kravitz, the founder of JDate; and Waldo Faura in the Democratic primary. He emerged narrowly victorious over his opponents, receiving 33% of the vote to Weithorn's 26%, Kravitz's 24%, and Faura's 16%, and advanced to the general election, where he did not face an opponent and was elected unopposed. His victory in the general election, along with the victory of Joe Saunders that same year, allowed both Richardson and Saunders to be the first openly gay members of the state legislature.[2]

During the 2013 legislative session, Richardson authored legislation that would appoint an Inspector General to look over the affairs of the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, declaring, "After learning of severe managerial shortcomings at Citizens, including reports of lavish spending on travel, reports of severance packages for employees with abuse charges, and unprofessional behavior of staff, I immediately recognized the need for stronger state oversight."[3] When Darryl Rouson, who was set to serve as the Democratic floor leader in the Florida House of Representatives for the 2014-2016 legislative term, created an independent fundraising committee independent of the state party apparatus, Richardson called for Rouson to resign from his position in a letter sent to members of the caucus.[4] Richardson ended up making a motion to "vacate" Rouson's position, which was seconded and then passed, resulting in a new election for the position.[5]

In 2014, Richardson was re-elected to his second term in the legislature without opposition.

References

  1. ↑ Caputo, Marc; Ovalle, David (February 24, 2012). "State Rep. Richard Steinberg resigns over stalker-like text messages". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ Klas, Mary Ellen (August 14, 2012). "Miami Beach elects Florida's first openly gay state legislator". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lawmakers call for more oversight at Citizens Insurance". Tampa Bay Times. January 22, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Smith, Adam C. (September 7, 2013). "Effort underway to oust Fla House Dem leader Rouson". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ Van Sickler, Michael (September 23, 2013). "Florida House Democrats oust Darryl Rouson as next leader". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
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