MEMBERS
Members:
Allan Bense, Chairman, of Panama City, is a partner with GAC Contractors. He was elected Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives where he served from 2004-2006. He was the first Republican elected to House District 6 and served that district for eight years. He is a board member of the Florida Council of 100, Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Enterprise Florida. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
James A. Scott, Vice Chairman, of Fort Lauderdale, is an attorney and founding partner of the Tripp Scott Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale. He was elected to the Florida Senate in 1976 and served more than 24 years, including two terms as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and one term as Senate President. Senator Scott was chairman of the Taxation Committee for the 1997-98 Constitution Revision Commission. (Governor’s Appointee)
Hoyt "Barney" Barnett, of Lakeland, is vice chairman of Publix Super Markets, Inc. He served as chairman of Florida TaxWatch and the Tampa Bay Partnership, as well as a member of the board of the James Madison Institute. Mr. Barnett served on the 1990-92 Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, as well as the Property Tax Reform Committee. (Governor’s Appointee)
Martha W. Barnett, of Tallahassee, is a partner in the law firm of Holland & Knight, where she serves on the Directors Committee. She served on the 1990-92 Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, the Florida Sales Tax on Services Study Commission, and the 1997-98 Constitution Revision Commission. Ms. Barnett previously served as president of the American Bar Association. (Governor’s Appointee)
R. Mark Bostick, of Winter Haven, is the president of Comcar Industries. He previously worked as director of purchasing, vice-president and senior vice-president of Comcar before becoming president in 1989. Mr. Bostick is a member of the Florida Trucking Association, Associated Industries of Florida, and the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center Advisory Board. (Governor’s Appointee)
Richard Corcoran (APPOINTED 3/7/08), of Tallahassee, is an attorney with the Corcoran Law Firm. He served as chief of staff of the Florida House of Representatives under Speaker Marco Rubio, legal counsel to the Florida House under Speaker Tom Feeney, and as an advisor to the Florida House under Speaker Daniel Webster. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Talbot "Sandy" D’Alemberte, of Tallahassee, is the former Chair of the Constitution Revision Commission appointed by Gov. Askew to serve in 1977-78. He is a former member of the House of Representatives where he served as the Chair of the Ad Valorem Taxation Committee. He was appointed by Gov. Claude Kirk to serve as a member of the Tax Reform Commission. Mr. D’Alemberte is the former President of the American Bar Association and the former President of the Florida State University. (Senate President’s Appointee)
Mike Hogan, of Jacksonville, currently serves as the Duval County Tax Collector. From 1991-1999, he served as a Councilman on the Jacksonville City Council. In 2000, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives representing District 13. While in the House, he served two years on House/Senate Budget Conference Committees and, in 2002, served on the Special House Committee to evaluate Florida’s Sales Tax laws. Before and during his service to elected offices, Mr. Hogan worked 25 years for BellSouth Telecommunications. (Senate President’s Appointee)
Julia Johnson, of Windermere, is the President of NETCOMMUNICATIONS. She was appointed as Chairman of the Florida Information Technology Development Task Force (Internet Task Force) by Governor Bush. Ms. Johnson also served on the Public Service Commission for seven years, including two years as Chairman. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Bruce Kyle, of Ft. Myers, currently serves as a Circuit Court Judge in the Twentieth Circuit. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, where he served in several leadership positions, including chair and vice-chair of the Legislative Budget Commission. After completing his education, Mr. Kyle spent six years as a prosecutor in the Twentieth Circuit State Attorney’s office, followed by time in private practice. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Carlos Lacasa, of Miami, is an attorney with Ruden McClosky, where he is part of the firm’s Corporate, Administrative, and Governmental Practice Group. He served for eight years as a member of the Florida House of Representatives and chaired the House General Appropriations Committee from 2000-2002. Currently, Mr. Lacasa is serving as a member of the Citizens Property Insurance Board of Directors. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Patricia Levesque, of Tallahassee, is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future and also managing partner of Meridian Strategies, LLC. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Jeb Bush and Education Policy Coordinator in the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget. Ms. Levesque served six years for the Florida House of Representatives covering education policy in Speaker Webster’s administration, as Staff Director of the Education K-12 Committee, and as Council Director of the House Council for Lifelong Learning. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Alan Levine (RESIGNED 3/7/08), of Ft. Lauderdale, is President and CEO of the North Broward Hospital District. Previously, he served as Secretary of the Agency for Healthcare Administration and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Jeb Bush. Mr. Levine has served as CEO of South Bay Hospital and CEO of Doctors’ Memorial Hospital. In 2006, Modern Healthcare Magazine named him as one of 30 leaders nationwide likely to have a powerful impact on the future of healthcare. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Roberto "Bobby" Martinez, of Coral Gables, is a shareholder in the Colson Hicks Edison law firm. He currently is a member of the State Board of Education. Mr. Martinez served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Chairman of Governor-Elect Crist’s Transition Team in 2006, Chairman of Attorney General-Elect Crist’s Transition Team in 2002, and General Counsel of Governor-Elect Jeb Bush’s 1998 Transition Team. (Governor’s Appointee)
Jacinta Mathis, of Orlando, is a real estate and corporate attorney with the Law Office of J. Mathis, LLC. She served as a Commissioner on the 1997-98 Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a former Law Clerk to the First District Court of Appeal for Judge Anne Cawton Booth, and former Law Clerk to the Clerk of the Florida House of Representatives. Ms. Mathis received her Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law and she is active in community service. (Senate President’s Appointee)
John M. McKay, of Bradenton, is a real estate broker and President of John M. McKay, Inc. He has extensive real estate development, investment, and management experience. Mr. McKay served in the Florida Senate from 1990-2002, and was elected Senate President for the 2001-02 term. (Governor’s Appointee)
Bob McKee, of Leesburg, is the Tax Collector for Lake County. Prior to his election in 1996, he served as the Town Manager of Lady Lake and has been a public administrator in Lake County for over 20 years. Mr. McKee holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and serves on the boards of directors of several community based organizations. (Governor’s Appointee)
Lesley J. "Les" Miller, Jr., of Tampa, is currently the Director of Community Affairs and Student Ombudsman at The University of South Florida. During his 14 years of legislative service, Mr. Miller served as Democratic Leader of the Florida Senate from 2004-2006 and of the House of Representatives from 1998-2000. He also served on the Appropriations and/or Ways and Means Committees and was twice named Vice Chair of the Legislature’s Budget Conference Committee. (Senate President’s Appointee)
Randy Miller, of Tallahassee, serves as the Executive Vice President of the Florida Retail Federation. He is the former Executive Director of the Florida Department of Revenue. Previously, he served on the Sales Tax Exemption Study Commission, the Florida Telecommunications Task Force, and the State Tax Reform Task Force. In addition, he has served as President of the Southeastern Tax Administrators Association, and as a board member of the National Association of Tax Administrators and Florida TaxWatch. (Senate President’s Appointee)
Jade Thomas Moore, of Pinellas, is the Executive Director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. A former speech and English teacher, he has a Bachelors and Masters degree from the University of South Florida. In 1990, Mr. Moore served on the Florida Tax Revision Commission as a Senate appointee. He is a past president of Suncoast Tiger Bay and former Moderator of the Presbytery of Tampa Bay. (Senate President’s Appointee)
Nancy J. Riley, of Clearwater, a real estate broker for 35 years, she is currently with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Pinellas County. She is the 2007 President of the Florida Association of Realtors, a member of the Pinellas Suncoast Association of Realtors, and the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors, and serves as a director for the National Association of Realtors. Ms. Riley was elected Pinellas County’s Republican State Committeewoman and sits on the Board of Directors of the Republican Party of Florida. (Governor’s Appointee)
Darryl Rouson, of St. Petersburg, is a shareholder in the law firms of Rouson and Dudley, P.A., a personal injury firm, and Rouson, Dudley, & Jones, LLC, a commercial litigation firm. He serves as general counsel for several corporations, including utility and land development companies. He is the immediate past president of the St. Petersburg NAACP and the first chairman of the Substance Abuse and Addictions Task Force of the National Bar Association. Mr. Rouson serves on the boards of One Church One Child of Florida, Inc. and Urban Development Solutions, Inc. (Governor’s Appointee)
Susan Story, of Pensacola, is President and CEO of Gulf Power Company. She is the immediate past vice chair of Enterprise Florida, chair-elect of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the board of directors of the Florida Council of 100, Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, James Madison Institute, and Southeastern Electric Exchange. Ms. Story also serves on the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission and the Board of the Florida Disaster Relief Fund. (Senate President’s Appointee)
William Gregory "Greg" Turbeville, of Tallahassee, is a governmental consultant with Smith and Ballard, Inc. He served as policy director for Governor Bush and chief of staff for former Florida House of Representatives Speaker John Thrasher. Mr. Turbeville worked as an economist for the Florida House of Representatives and as a member of the Revenue Estimating Conference under House Speaker Tom Feeney. (Governor’s Appointee)
Kenneth "Ken" Wilkinson, of Fort Myers, is currently the property appraiser for Lee County, having served in this position since 1980. He is a veteran of the United States Army Security Agency, president of the 1992 Save Our Homes Constitutional Amendment Initiative, and organizing chairman of the Enough Is Enough State Spending Limitation Initiative. Mr. Wilkinson is also currently the President of Save Our Homes/Portability, Inc. (Governor’s Appointee)
Brian Yablonski, of Tallahassee, is Vice President of Public Affairs for the St. Joe Company. He previously served as Director of Policy and Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Bush. Mr. Yablonski serves as a commissioner on the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (House Speaker’s Appointee)
Ex Oficio Members:
Senator Mike Haridopolos, (R-Melbourne), was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 where he served until 2003 when he was elected to the Senate and subsequently reelected. Mr. Haridopolos is co-founder of the Freedom Caucus and currently serves as the Majority Whip and chair of the Finance and Tax Committee.
Senator Gwen Margolis, (D-Miami Beach), was elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 where she served until 1980 when she was elected to the Senate and subsequently reelected. Ms. Margolis served as Senate President from 1990-1992 and as the Minority Caucus Policy Committee Co-Chair from 2004-2006. She currently serves as Vice Chair of both the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee and the Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee.
Representative Dan Gelber (APPOINTED 2/19/08), (D-Miami Beach), was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and subsequently reelected. Mr. Gelber has previously served as Chief Counsel to former United States Senator Sam Nunn from 1994 to 1996, and Democratic Message Coordinator from 2004 to 2006. He currently serves as the House Democratic Leader and on the Rules and Calendar Council where he is the Democratic Ranking Member
Representative David Rivera (APPOINTED 4/11/08), (R-Miami), was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2002 and subsequently reelected in 2004 and 2006. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Rules & Calendar Council of the Florida House of Representatives. Mr. Rivera has also been elected in Miami-Dade County as State Committeeman to the Republican Party of Florida. Mr. Rivera has served as Director of National Political Affairs and Director of Hispanic Outreach for the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF). Previously, he served at the United States Information Agency for 9 years, involved with international public diplomacy efforts on behalf of the U.S. State Department.
Representative Frank Peterman, Jr. (RESIGNED 2/19/08), (D-St. Petersburg), was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and subsequently reelected. Mr. Peterman has previously served as a Commissioner on the Pinellas County Housing Authority and on the St. Petersburg City Council. He currently serves on the Committee on Juvenile Justice where he is the Democratic Ranking Member.
Representative Ray Sansom (RESIGNED 4/11/08), (R-Fort Walton Beach), was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and subsequently reelected. He has previously served on the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners and the Florida Corrections Commission. Mr. Sansom currently serves as Alternating Chair of the Legislative Budget Commission and Chair of the Policy and Budget Council. On March 5, 2007, he was officially designated as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2008-2010 legislative terms.
Staff:
Susan Skelton
Kathy Torian
Nancy Frier
Thomas Cibula
Ann Gordon
Rob Shave
Chandra Godwin
2007-08 Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
Holland Building, Suite 245
600 S. Calhoun Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300
(850) 921-8905 Office
(850) 921-0492 Fax