Mitch Perry
Local television stations in Tampa are now airing Joe Redner’s first ad in his independent bid to win the state Senate District 18 race.
The ad begins with the adult club entrepreneur referring to his successes in his business career and as an activist. It then segues into him talking about his concern that Florida’s environment “is under assault from corporate interests that have the Legislature in their pocket,” as the ad shows clips of the massive sinkhole at Mosaic’s facility in Mulberry and the poison algae bloom that occurred this summer in Martin County.
“I don’t take a dime from special interests. I’m not for sale. I’m for Florida!” he says towards the end of the ad. “I care about what’s in your kids’ water.”
As Redner told FloridaPolitics two weeks ago, he is all in when it comes to the Senate District 18 race, despite the fact that he’s running as an independent. He faces Republican Dana Young, Democrat Bob Buesing and fellow non-party-affiliated Sheldon Upthegrove in the contest.
Some Hillsborough Democrats were hoping Redner would pull out of the race as the election grew closer, but Redner has made that known that won’t be happening. Several have told FloridaPolitics off the record they fear his presence on the ballot will come at Buesing’s expense in what is expected to be an extremely close race against Young.
This is Buesing’s first time running for office. Redner has ran for office multiple times, but has never won. His closest bid was for a Tampa City Council seat in 2007, where he lost in a run-off election to Gwen Miller.
