Staff Reports
Dana Young, a Tampa Republican, says she won’t be pursuing the presidency of the Florida Senate.
“As I’m completing my second session in the Senate, I’ve realized the commitment of pursuing and ultimately serving as presiding officer requires more time than I am willing to spend away from my family and my constituents,” she said in a text message.
The story was first reported Wednesday by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon.
With Young out, the race for president for 2022-24 leaves Republicans Travis Hutson of St. Augustine and Kathleen Passidomo of Naples as the remaining contenders.
Young added she is not backing any other senator’s bid “at this point.”
Bradenton Republican Bill Galvano has already been designated president to succeed Stuart Republican Joe Negron after the 2018 elections, assuming the GOP retains control of the chamber.
Trilby Republican Wilton Simpson is expected to succeed Galvano as president after the 2020 elections.
Young, an attorney, was elected to the Senate in 2016, after serving six years in the House, where she rose to Republican Leader.
Her decision means she won’t be following in her grandfather’s footsteps: Randolph Hodges served 10 years in the Senate, including as President in 1961-63.
