Matt Gaetz

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Matt Gaetz
Matt Gaetz.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 1st district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded by Jeff Miller
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 1st district
In office
April 15, 2010 – 2016
Preceded by Ray Sansom
Succeeded by Clay Ingram
Personal details
Born (1982-05-07) May 7, 1982 (age 34)
Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
Political party Republican
Residence Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Alma mater Florida State University (B.S.)
College of William and Mary (J.D.)
Profession Attorney
Religion Baptist
Website House website

Matthew "Matt" Gaetz (/ˈɡeɪts/; born May 7, 1982) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017. A Republican, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 1st District, which includes most of Okaloosa County, from 2010 to 2016.

Gaetz is the son of Florida politician Don Gaetz, who has been a member of the Florida Senate since 2006 and the President of the Senate since 2012.

Early life and education[edit]

Gaetz was born in Hollywood, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University in 2003 and from The College of William and Mary in 2007 with a juris doctor.[1]

In 2008, Gaetz was arrested for a DUI as he was driving back from the Swamp, a nightclub on Okaloosa Island, Florida, in a 2001 BMW SUV registered to his father.[2] While he was arrested and refused to take a breathalyzer test, "[h]e didn't have his license suspended for a year when he refused the breath test — as Florida law dictates. And he didn't have that refusal used against him in a criminal proceeding."[3] At the time of his arrest and consequent criminal proceedings, his father was serving as a local politician and he avoided a DUI conviction, despite the fact that the police reported that "Gaetz fumbled for his license and registration, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he swayed and staggered when he got out of the car."[3]

Florida House of Representatives[edit]

In 2010, following the resignation of Republican State Representative Ray Sansom, who had briefly served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, due to corruption charges,[4] Gaetz ran in the special election to succeed Sansom in the 1st District, which included southern Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. In a crowded Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—that included Craig Barker, Kabe Woods, former State Representative Jerry Melvin, and Bill Garvie, Gaetz emerged victorious with 43% of the vote. In the special general election, Gaetz defeated Democratic nominee Jan Fernald in a landslide, winning 66% of the vote. He was re-elected without opposition in 2010. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of Florida House of Representatives districts, Gaetz's district lost its share of Santa Rosa County. He was unopposed for a full term that year, and was also unopposed in 2014.

While serving in the Florida House of Representatives, Gaetz joined with State Senator Joe Negron to propose legislation that is "designed to accelerate the execution of many of the 404 inmates on Florida's death row" by requiring the Governor to sign a death warrant for those inmates who have exhausted their appeals,[5] noting, "Only God can judge. But we can sure set up the meeting."[6] He also joined forces with State Senator Greg Evers to repeal legislation that requires that 10% of gasoline sold in Florida contain ethanol, saying, "This is the bill that removes and repeals Florida's burdensome ethanol mandate."[7]

Following the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of Trayvon Martin, Will Weatherford, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, announced that he would order hearings on the "stand your ground" law that was raised as an issue during the trial.[8] Gaetz, the Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, was tasked with reviewing the legislation, and announced before hearings that he would not support changing "one damn comma," though he indicated that he would listen to both sides' testimony during the hearings.[9] Following the conclusion of the hearings, he authored legislation that would allow defendants who successfully used a "stand your ground" defense during their trial "to apply for a 'certificate of eligibility' to expunge information related to 'stand your ground' from their criminal records."[10]

When his subcommittee was considering legislation that would "keep mug shots of people who are charged with crimes off the Internet until they are convicted," Gaetz brought up his 2008 arrest for driving under the influence, arguing that his mistakes made him who he is and that publicly available mug shots "could be a problem for those unaccustomed to publicity."[11]

Gaetz was re-elected unopposed to his third term in the legislature in 2014.

Florida Senate and U.S. House races[edit]

Gaetz announced that he would run for the Florida Senate in the 1st District, a seat held by his father, State Senator Don Gaetz, in 2016, when his father is term-limited.[12] On March 21, 2016 Gaetz withdrew to run for the seat representing Florida's 1st congressional district, since Jeff Miller announced he would not seek reelection.[13] On August 30, 2016, Matt Gaetz won the Republican primary for the 1st congressional district with 35.7% of the vote – defeating Greg Evers (21.5%), Cris Dosev (20.6%), and five other candidates.[14]

On September 25, 2016, following the death of Miami Marlins’ pitcher José Fernández, Gaetz criticized the athletes protesting the national anthem in a tweet: "To all who will kneel during the anthem today – just remember how Jose Fernandez risked his life just for the chance to stand for it".[15][16]

In February 2017, Gaetz proposed a bill that would "completely abolish" the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), writing, "Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans. It is time to take back our legislative power from the EPA and abolish it permanently."[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Matthew Gaetz". Martindale-Hubbell. Retrieved 11 July 2015. 
  2. ^ "Lawmaker's talk of mug shot raises questions about DUI arrest". Michael Van Sickler, Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 27 September 2016. 
  3. ^ a b http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/lawmakers-talk-of-mug-shot-raises-questions-about-dui-arrest/2166023
  4. ^ Bender, Michael (February 21, 2010). "Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom resigns". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  5. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (April 25, 2013). "Florida House approves speeding up executions". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  6. ^ Peters, Justin (November 7, 2013). "Meet the Uncompromising Ideologue Chairing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Hearings". Slate. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  7. ^ Flanigan, Tom (April 12, 2013). "Ethanol Fuels To Evaporate Under House Bill". WFSU-TV. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  8. ^ Van Sickler, Michael (August 2, 2013). "Weatherford calls for hearings on 'stand your ground'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  9. ^ Mitchell, Tia (August 22, 2013). "Matt Gaetz to rally base ahead of Stand Your Ground hearing". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  10. ^ Mullins, Dexter (March 25, 2014). "Proposed 'stand your ground' amendment would expunge records". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  11. ^ Van Sickler, Michael (February 18, 2014). "Matt Gaetz wants to talk about his mug shot, but not his arrest". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  12. ^ Henderson, Jeff (May 13, 2013). "Matt Gaetz Makes It Official, Will Shoot for Dad's Senate Seat in 2016". Sunshine State News. Retrieved May 2, 2014. 
  13. ^ Clark, Kristen (March 21, 2016). "Matt Gaetz launches bid for Congress, handing fathers state Senate seat to George Gainer". Miami Herald. 
  14. ^ "Florida House Races Results". Politico. Retrieved September 6, 2016. 
  15. ^ "Matt Gaetz Tweet". Matt Gaetz Twitter. Retrieved September 27, 2016. 
  16. ^ "GOP Lawmaker Matt Gaetz Ripped For Tweet Politicizing Death Of MLB Star Jose Fernandez". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2016. 
  17. ^ Kaufman, Alexander C. (31 Jan 2017). "Florida Congressman Drafts Bill To 'Completely Abolish' The EPA". Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 February 2017. 

External links[edit]

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jeff Miller		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 1st congressional district
2017–present		 Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Brian Fitzpatrick
R-Pennsylvania		 United States Representatives by seniority
405th		 Succeeded by
Mike Gallagher
R-Wisconsin
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