No. 21 on the list of Florida Politicians of the Decade: J.D. Alexander

POTD_JD Alexander
Alexander lobbied hard for Florida Polytechnic University.

J.D. Alexander spent only a couple of years as an elected official this decade, but his years of service before leaving the state Senate in 2012 left a lasting imprint on Florida.

Alexander served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998 until 2002 and then from 2002 until 2012 in the Florida Senate.

One of Alexander’s most lasting impacts on the state can be seen driving between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4.

The now-iconic white football-shaped structure rising from once vacant land in Lakeland near I-4 is a visual representation of Alexander’s legislative legacy — Florida Polytechnic University. 

The land was once home to a small regional tech-focused campus for the University of South Florida. During his final term in office, Alexander pushed hard to separate the campus and create the state’s 13th public university.

He proposed a $33 million budget in the 2012-2013 fiscal year to make it happen, the same year the state was facing a major cut to the state university system, a quarter or which coming from USF. 

USF leaders rallied against the proposal. Still, Alexander pitched it as an opportunity to put Florida on the map as a tech destination and rival places like Georgia and Virginia that had dedicated tech universities. 

“I think the pushback is kind of a badge of honor,” said Gus Corbella, senior director of government law and policy for the Greenberg Traurig firm in Tallahassee. “Because it’s a, ‘I took the risk of stepping forward and leading on something that might have been unpopular at the time’ sort of scenario.”

Now the university is both thriving and growing. It’s accredited and already amassing state, national and worldwide honors. And the campus is now named after Alexander

Alexander also fought fervently on a proposed toll road connecting Polk and Collier counties. Alexander proposed $34.5 million for the Heartland Parkway project. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, but the fight he began is still raging.

Led mostly by Republicans, lawmakers approved a bill during the 2019 Legislative Session to set in motion plans to build hundreds of miles of toll roads, including a span similar to Alexander’s Heartland Parkway.

“Sen. Alexander has always been a major presence in Florida politics. I learned very early as a House member that the key to getting anything done was support from Sen. Alexander in the Senate. I, like all who served with him, have tremendous respect for his work ethic, political acumen and raw tenacity. He has clearly made his mark on Florida,” said Senate President Bill Galvano

Janelle Irwin Taylor

Janelle Irwin Taylor has been a professional journalist covering local news and politics in Tampa Bay since 2003. Most recently, Janelle reported for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She formerly served as senior reporter for WMNF News. Janelle has a lust for politics and policy. When she’s not bringing you the day’s news, you might find Janelle enjoying nature with her husband, children and two dogs. You can reach Janelle at [email protected].


One comment

  • BC

    January 1, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    At the end of the day separating Poly from USF was the worst effort ever . Hundreds of staff lost their jobs and educators across Polk Highland and DeSoto Counties lost access to critical masters level courses. Under USF Poly the student population was over 5000, today Florida Poly struggles to hit a 1000 and the numbers continue to drop . Shame on you JD and those that supported him. At least he had a road named after him.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704