Jacob Ogles
To measure Rep. Jennifer Canady’s influence based on her freshman status requires turning a blind eye from many directions.
The Lakeland Republican’s brief political résumé — jumping from schoolteacher to state lawmaker as recently as 2022 — ignores both her remarkable network of influence before holding office and her rapid impact on The Process in her first term.
Married to Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady and endorsed by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Canady’s election to the House seemed a lock despite running for an open seat. When she crushed Lakeland City Commissioner Phillip Walker in a General Election by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, it barely made the news.
She has since effectively cemented a place in Florida history when she won a contentious leadership contest in the House. So long as Republicans hold a majority through the 2028 elections and Canady retains her seat (both pretty safe bets as far as 50-month-out political predictions go), she will become Florida’s first woman House Speaker.
“Rep. Jennifer Canady arrived in Tallahassee ready to lead,” said Natalie Brown, government and community affairs consultant for RSA Consulting Group.
“She assembled her team early, won a competitive and cutthroat speakers race, and then went straight to work. Diving into complex policy issues, Rep. Canady fought for Florida’s children and families. She carried legislation to expand educational and workforce opportunities for all and brought new life to the Schools of Hope program. With a commanding presence in and outside the Capitol, she asks the tough questions and uses the answers to shape meaningful policy. In the coming years, she will only grow her influence as she prepares to take the reins as the first female Speaker of the Florida House.”
Amassing influence in Tallahassee has only allowed the Polk County lawmaker to deliver for the Tampa Bay region with greater efficiency. As a freshman, she was already named Vice Chair of the House Infrastructure Strategies Committee, providing sway on critical transportation projects.
She also played a role in significant education reforms in the state, including sponsoring a recently signed legislation that requires school districts that opt to convert a failing traditional public school to a charter school to have a contract with a charter school company by Oct. one of the final year of control of the school.
Expect her influence to grow, as the future Speaker plays a greater role in coming Sessions, working with Speaker-designate Daniel Perez and then with future Speaker Sam Garrison’s team when the time comes. She also likely will play a greater role in recruiting candidates in coming years, helping to shape the makeup of the Legislature’s lower chamber significantly.
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Methodology
We define the Tampa Bay region as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, but can also include Hernando, Polk or Sarasota — if the politicians from those counties impact either Pinellas or Hillsborough.
We define a politician as being in office or running for office.
Being first on a panelist’s list earns the politician 25 points, second earns them 24 points and so on, to where being listed 25th earns a politician one point. Points are added and, voilà, we have a list.
Special thanks go to our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2024 list: Christina Barker of the Vinik Family Office, Ashley Bauman of Mercury, Matthew Blair of Corcoran Partners, Ed Briggs of RSA Consulting, political consultant Maya Brown, Ricky Butler of the Pinellas Co. Sheriff’s Office, Reggie Cardozo of The Public Square, Ronald Christaldi of Schumaker, Ana Cruz of Ballard Partners, Justin Day of Capital City Consulting, Barry Edwards, Joe Farrell of Pinellas Realtors, pollster Matt Florell of Vicidial Group, Shawn Foster of Sunrise Consulting Group, Adam Giery of Strategos Group, political consultant Max Goodman, Mike Griffin of Savills, Natalie King of RSA Consulting, political consultant Benjamin Kirby, TECO Energy Regional Affairs Coordinator Shannon Love, Merritt Martin of Moffitt Cancer Center, Mike Moore of The Southern Group, political consultant Anthony Pedicini, Ron Pierce of RSA Consulting, J.C. Pritchett, pastor of St. Pete’s Faith Church, Darren Richards of Tucker/Hall, Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group, Amanda Stewart of Johnston and Stewart, and Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors. With Michelle and Peter Schorsch.
