Ryan Ray
Freshman state Rep. Jay Trumbull of Panama City has filed paperwork to run for re-election in 2016, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
The 25-year-old Republican won big during his first bid for office back in November, taking 69 percent of the vote against Democrat Jamie Shepard and Green Party nominee Henry Newman Lawrence, who received 28 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Trumbull’s true coup, however, was navigating a formidable GOP primary field running to replace District 6’s term-limited Jimmy Patronis. Patronis now regulates Florida’s utilities on the Public Service Commission.
District 6 covers all of coastal Bay County, including Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven and Mexico Beach.
Trumbull on Tuesday introduced HB 241, which would require boaters and those engaging in watersports like waterskiing and parasailing to use a lifejacket in accordance with the U.S. Coast Guard approval label. It has not yet attracted a Senate co-sponsor.
Trumbull is a fourth-generation Floridian who manages part of his family’s expansive water conditioning and car dealership business interests.
