Former Gov. Buddy MacKay dead at 91

Former Gov. Buddy MacKay, a longtime Florida politician who became governor for nearly a month following the abrupt death of Gov. Lawton Chiles in late 1998, died in his sleep on Tuesday afternoon surrounded by his adult sons and wife, Anne.

A spokesman for the family confirmed his passing at 91. No funeral arrangements has been announced yet.

MacKay was the last Democrat to serve as Governor in Florida, marking the bridge between two political eras. He had just lost to Jeb Bush in the 1998 Governor’s race when Chiles died in December of that year.

“Governor MacKay’s life was dedicated to serving the state of Florida, which he did with honor and distinction,” Bush wrote in a social media post on Thursday.

MacKay had been a mainstay in Florida politics when he joined Chiles in their challenge to incumbent Republican Gov. Bob Martinez in 1990. MacKay was just two years removed from a bid for the U.S. Senate that he narrowly lost to Connie Mack when he became Chiles’ running mate. Part of Mack’s signature line against MacKay was, “Hey, Buddy you’re a liberal.”

During his time as Lieutenant Governor, MacKay took an active role in the Chiles administration and was repeatedly tagged by the Governor to shepherd difficult projects, including trying to steer the state’s troubled child welfare agency, assist with Hurricane Andrew recovery, and help Miami when the city’s finances were in turmoil. Under the past two Republican Governors, the state’s Lieutenant Governor has had a much more limited role.

“He had a large role in everything Chiles did,” said Ron Sachs, who served as a top aide to Chiles. “He was the most active and accomplished Lieutenant Governor in modern Florida history.”

MacKay was born in Ocala in 1933 and obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida. He spent time in the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of captain. He was first elected to the Florida House in 1968 and then moved on to the Florida Senate six years later. MacKay was elected to a central Florida congressional seat in 1982.

Doug Cook first met MacKay in Washington, D.C., when he worked for then-Sen. Chiles. Cook also worked in the Chiles administration for both terms and was considered one of his closest advisers.

Cook, who worked in the Governor’s budget office before being named the first secretary of the state Agency for Health Care Administration, remembered MacKay as one of the great Florida politicians of the 20th Century. He described MacKay as a progressive Democrat who was able to win election from conservative Ocala.

“He managed to get elected and re-elected because I felt everyone felt like he was a good person and a dedicated public servant and he put the public service and the public interest first,” Cook told the Florida Phoenix in a telephone interview.

“Buddy was a man with a big, positive, thoughtful, and progressive vision for Florida. You know, he really, he really loved the state. Some people pursue power because it’s fun. You know, it’s fun to exercise power and that goes into it, but others pursue power to serve. And Buddy came to serve because he loved Florida.”

Linda Shelley, who worked in the Chiles administration in a variety of capacities before becoming Chief of Staff, said MacKay and Chiles were an electric combination but had different political points of view as well as personalities.

She noted that MacKay was a supporter of a proposed constitutional amendment to assess a penny a pound tax on sugar to help restore the Florida Everglades. She said Chiles didn’t support the constitutional amendment, which was rejected by a majority of voters in 1996.

She recalled MacKay as a “policy wonk,” but said the Governor was not.

“Chiles, you know, he would almost take his hearing aids out and fall asleep if you stuck him in a long, wonky, policy briefing, but not Buddy. Buddy would want to know the impact, not just a little bit, but fully,” she told in the Florida Phoenix in a telephone interview Thursday.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged MacKay’s death on social media.

“We mourn the passing of Buddy MacKay, who served as the 42nd Governor of Florida. A U.S. Air Force veteran and lifelong public servant, MacKay was dedicated to our country and our state. May he rest in peace.”