Peter Schorsch
This week, both Jim Waldman and Gary Farmer breathed a sigh of relief as perhaps one of the most formidable challengers for the state Senate seat they covet made it clear she is staying put.
Kristin Jacobs, former mayor of Broward County and current Florida House member, said she is not going to run for Senate. In September, the first-term representative from Coconut Creek filed for re-election to HD 96.
“I just got elected to serve as a House member and feel I have an obligation to stay here as long as voters will have me. Running for a higher office at this time, just didn’t feel like the right thing to do,” Jacobs told FloridaPolitics.com Tuesday.
Jacobs refined her political skills through nearly two decades serving on a primarily Democratic Broward County commission.
She earned national-level recognition for her work on environmental issues, highlighted with an appointment by President Barack Obama as the only Floridian on the 26-member White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.
Jacobs would have indeed given Farmer, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, and Waldman, a former state House representative, stiff competition since Jacobs won her seat with 76 percent of the vote. She had also won her previous county commission races with similarly absurd numbers. Jacobs also proved to be a prolific fundraiser.
During the 2015 Regular Session, Jacobs’ first co-sponsored bill was a measure to ban the herbal supplement Kratom, which was listed by the state Drug Enforcement agency as a “drug of concern.”
And while Waldman and Farmer now have only each other – and a slew of Senate maps – to contend with, Democrat Steve Perman, who has been making the rounds in the Coconut Creek-centered district (and seen recently still wearing his House of Representatives lapel pin), will have to wait another few years for his comeback.
5 comments
Kelly Devine
November 8, 2015 at 1:34 pm
Kratom is a herb not a synthetic, all natural and saved countless lives including mine. Her attack on kratom look more personal and to allow emotions instead of facts to lead the way for legality decisions would be irresponsible. Do you research instead of trying to ban a herb you know nothing about. Not a personal attack, a suggestion if you refer to the Ol Mississippi study you’ll see the medicinal benefits kratom has
Sarah Bauer
November 9, 2015 at 9:52 am
I believe sometimes Kratom is mixed up with the thing called K2. It is absolutely NOT that. Kratom is a very safe, natural botanical that has been around thousands of years. So many people, including myself live better, very healthy lives by including Kratom in our health routine.
cyndiann
November 12, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Never seen it mixed with anything other than chocolate milk or juice. I think that is another false rumor going around. Kratom is much safer than the prescribed drugs it replaces and should be glorified not ostracized. It’s changing lives!
cyndiann
November 12, 2015 at 5:09 pm
Ms Jacobs needs to do her job based on facts, not because of a mother with a guilty conscience over her son’s suicide. Kratom should have never gotten the blame.
Alision
February 23, 2016 at 5:58 pm
#savekratom #keepkratomlegal
Jacobs is a paid shill, bought by the pharmaceutical industry. If you look at her highest campaign contributors, pharma is at the top of the list.
This war she has instigated against kratom is a prime example of where her loyalty resides, and it’s not for the people. She lost a lot confidence and votes with her witch hunt, trying to make kratom trees illegal. Thereby making criminals out of tax paying citizens that want to make their own decisions about their healthcare.
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