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Mike Haridopolos

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Mike Haridopolos
Official portrait, c. 2012
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 8th district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingBill Posey
President of the Florida Senate
In office
November 16, 2010 – November 20, 2012
Preceded byJeff Atwater
Succeeded byDon Gaetz
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 26th district
In office
March 25, 2003 – November 20, 2012
Preceded byHoward Futch
Succeeded byBill Galvano
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 30th district
In office
November 21, 2000 – March 25, 2003
Preceded byHoward Futch
Succeeded byThad Altman
Personal details
Born
Michael John Haridopolos

(1970-03-15) March 15, 1970 (age 54)
Huntington, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseStephanie
Children3
EducationStetson University (BA)
University of Arkansas (MA)
WebsiteCampaign Website

Michael John Haridopolos[1] (born March 15, 1970) is an American politician, consultant, and educator. He previously served in the Florida Senate and was President of the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2012. He also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2003.

He is currently the Member-elect of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 8th congressional district, an open seat following incumbent Bill Posey's decision not to seek reelection.[2]

Early life and education

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Haridopolos was born in Huntington, New York to his parents Ernie and Georgia Haridopolos. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stetson University in history and his Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Arkansas.[3]

Teaching career

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Haridopolos taught United States History and Political Science at Brevard Community College—now Eastern Florida State College—starting in 1993. [4]

Beginning in 2007, Haridopolos taught classes as an instructor at the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida.[5]

Political career

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In 2000, Haridopolos won an open seat in the Florida House, after winning a six-way Republican primary by over 30 percentage points and later won the November general election 65-35%.[6][7] He won the 2002 Republican primary following re-apportionment with over 82% of the vote and was re-elected to the Florida House with 79% of the vote in the general election.[8][9]

In January 2003, State Senator Howard Futch passed away, and a special election was called in order to elect a new senator.  Haridopolos won the Republican Party primary with 84% of the vote, and he won 63% of the vote in the general election to win the remainder of the four-year senate term.[10][11]

In 2008, Haridopolos passed on an open Congressional race with the retirement of Congressman Dave Weldon. Weldon and others asked Haridopolos to run, including the eventual nominee and now Congressman Bill Posey.[12] Haridopolos endorsed Posey. Posey went on to win both the Republican primary and general election.[13] Haridopolos said that he wanted to focus on his likely role as Senate President and continue his push to make the Florida Senate more conservative.

In both 2006 and 2010, Haridopolos was re-elected without opposition to the Florida Senate. Haridopolos actively supported conservative candidates throughout the state in the 2006, 2008, and 2010 election cycles.[14] In the Florida Senate, Haridopolos served as Majority Whip from 2006 to 2008 and, in 2009, was elected President of the Senate.[3] Haridopolos was sworn in as Senate President on November 16, 2010, for a two-year term. He presided over the largest Republican majority (28-12) since Reconstruction.[15] Before being sworn in, Haridopolos made headlines when he removed the doors from his Senate office, making a pledge to be transparent and accessible during his term as President.[16]

Haridopolos is a co-founder of the Freedom Caucus, which has signed Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge to "oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes" every year before the Legislature goes into session.[17]

Haridopolos family gathers for unveiling of Haridopolos portrait in 2012

Haridopolos sought the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Bill Nelson in 2012.[18][19] The Washington Post identified Haridopolos as "one of the state Republican Party's rising stars."[20] On July 18, 2011, Haridopolos released a campaign video stating that he would no longer seek the nomination for the 2012 U.S. Senate seat, effectively ending his campaign.[21]

His candidacy received a number of endorsements, including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, U.S. Congressman Connie Mack, CFO Jeff Atwater, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.[22][23][24] He dropped out of the campaign in July 2011 in order to focus on his position as President of the Florida Senate.[25]

Term as Senate President

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During his first term as Senate President, he oversaw the balancing of the state's budget which suffered a $4 billion shortfall.[26]

That same year, the Senate also passed more than $300 million in tax relief, including a measure that effectively eliminates the corporate income tax burden for nearly half the roughly 30,000 Florida businesses that currently pay the tax; reformed Florida's entitlement programs, including the state's pension, welfare and Medicaid systems; reformed the state's education system; tightened regulations on unauthorized sales of habit-forming drugs; and reformed the state's growth management laws.[citation needed]

Florida Innocence Commission

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In 2010, Haridopolos began to pursue the creation of an innocence commission. The commission sought to review cases where Floridians were possibly falsely imprisoned.[27]

In 2005, Haridopolos supported a claim from Wilton Dedge that he had been convicted and wrongfully imprisoned for 22 years. He was exonerated by DNA testing in August 2004. The claim bill, which awarded Dedge $2 million in compensation, passed in the Florida Legislature during a special session in 2005.[28]

Haridopolos with Senate President Don Gaetz.

In 2012, Haridopolos helped pass two claims bills to compensate victims of wrongful imprisonment.

One was a claim for William Dillon, who had been wrongfully incarcerated for 27 years. He was exonerated after DNA testing. He was compensated $1.35 million by the Florida Legislature.[29]

The other was for Eric Brody, who suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck by a police cruiser in 1999. He was compensated $10.75 million for ongoing medical care.[30]

At the close of the 2012 Legislative Session, a News Service of Florida story noted that "Two lives may be changed for the better by the cash, a long-lasting effect of Haridopolos' persistence."[31]

Senate President Mike Haridopolos

Subsequent career

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In 2019, Haridopolos co-authored the book The Modern Republican Party in Florida with Peter Dunbar. The book chronicles the rise of the Republican Party in Florida from the 1950s through the 2018 elections. [32] He continued to teach at the University of Florida after he left the Florida Senate.[33]

He owns and operates MJH Consulting. He has been a lobbyist in Florida.[34] He also is active in both the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Republican Governors Association.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Haridopolos is a Baptist. He currently resides in Melbourne, Florida, with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos. They have three adult children; Alexis, Hayden, and Reagan Brooke.

Electoral history

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Republican primary results, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos 6,155 47.8%
Republican Peter DiLavore 2,176 16.9%
Republican John Tobia 1,298 10.1%
Republican Christopher Muro 1,219 9.5%
Republican Janet Simpson Bonder 1,186 9.2%
Republican Mary Jane Nail 833 6.5%
Total votes 12,867 100.00%
Florida House of Representatives District 30 general election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos 43,062 64.6%
Democratic Rajiv Chandra 23,595 35.4%
Total votes 66,657 100.00%
Republican hold
Republican primary results, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos (incumbent) 11,251 82.4%
Republican Steve Sherbin 2,398 17.6%
Total votes 13,649 100.00%
Florida House of Representatives District 30 general election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos (incumbent) 40,319 79.1%
Green Tim Doyle 10,651 20.9%
Total votes 50,970 100.00%
Republican hold
Florida State Senate District 26 special republican primary, 2003
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos 13,232 84.1%
Republican Mary Beth Fitzgibbons 2,499 15.9%
Total votes 15,731 100.00%
Florida State Senate District 26 special election, 2003
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Haridopolos 19,643 63.1%
Democratic Donna Hart 11,498 36.9%
Total votes 31,141 100.00%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ Service, Mcclatchy News. "New Senate president promises to spend less". St. Augustine Record. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos Declares Candidacy for U.S. Congress". Space Coast Daily. April 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Former Florida Senator Mike Haridopolos (R) | LobbyTools". public.lobbytools.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Haridopolos, Michael J. (1998). 10 big issues facing our generation. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Custom Publishers. ISBN 978-0-15-567778-4.
  5. ^ "Haridopolos planning for a conservative 'New Senate'". Orlando Sentinel. December 6, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  7. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Race for Congress gets crowded, heated". Orlando Sentinel. February 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Florida: Posey Pockets Weldon's Blessing For Open Seat". Roll Call. February 4, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  14. ^ Cotterell, Bill (November 17, 2010). "Local News | FLORIDA TODAY". floridatoday.com. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  15. ^ Vows to work deliberately but will use supermajority (November 6, 2010). "Mike Haridopolos Lauds More Conservative Senate". Sunshine State News. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  16. ^ "Haridopolos literally adopts open-door policy in Tallahassee | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY". Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  17. ^ "Mike Haridopolos - Representing Florida Senate District 26". Senatormike.com. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  18. ^ Catanese, David (December 1, 2010). "For Haridopolos, Senate bid more 'when' than 'if'". Politico. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  19. ^ "Mike Haridopolos for U.S. Senate 2012". Mike2012.com. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  20. ^ "Florida Republican Sen. George LeMieux mulling a 2012 bid against Sen. Bill Nelson". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010.
  21. ^ "Haridopolos drops out of U.S. Senate race – Central Florida Political Pulse – Orlando Sentinel". Blogs.orlandosentinel.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  22. ^ Miller, Joshua (June 27, 2011). "Haridopolos Snags Connie Mack Endorsement in Fla. Senate Race". Roll Call. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  23. ^ Man, Anthony. "Jeff Atwater bypasses Adam Hasner, endorses Mike Haridopolos for U.S. Senate". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  24. ^ "Adam Putnam endorses Haridopolos". POLITICO. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  25. ^ "Haridopolos Drops Florida Senate Bid". Roll Call. July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Florida 2012 ballot measures". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  27. ^ Maxwell, Scott (April 3, 2010). "Will Florida lawmakers help imprisoned innocents? - Orlando Sentinel". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  28. ^ "Senate Staff Analysis and Economic Impact Statement" (PDF). Archive.flsenate.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  29. ^ Deslatte, Aaron. "Scott apologizes, signs bill giving William Dillon $1.35M". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  30. ^ "Battle over Compensation for Eric Brody Finally Over". Sunshine State News | Florida Political News. March 8, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  31. ^ "Conventional Wisdom Right, Even in Unconventional Session". Wctv.tv. March 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 17, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  32. ^ UPF. "The Modern Republican Party in Florida". University Press of Florida: The Modern Republican Party in Florida. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  33. ^ "Mike Haridopolos". plaza.ufl.edu. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  34. ^ "Mike Haridopolos could earn nearly $500K for Q2 lobbying fees - Florida Politics". floridapolitics.com. August 15, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
[edit]
Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by
Howard Futch
 Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 30th district
2000–2003 		Succeeded by
Florida Senate
Preceded by
Howard Futch
 Member of the Florida Senate
from the 26th district
2003–2012 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Florida Senate
2010–2012 		Succeeded by
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