1. Rick Dantzler was born on January 1956 and is an American lawyer, former Florida politician, and a member of the Democratic Party.
25 Facts About Rick Dantzler
1. 2.
From Winter Haven, Dantzler served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 1990, and in the Florida Senate from 1990 to 1998.
3.
Rick Dantzler was Buddy MacKay's running mate in the 1998 Florida gubernatorial election; they lost to Jeb Bush and Frank Brogan.
4.
From 2014 to 2017, Rick Dantzler was President Obama's appointed Florida State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency.
5.
Rick Dantzler's father was mayor of Winter Haven while Dantzler was a child, an office to which his younger brother Brad was appointed in January 2016.
6.
Rick Dantzler met Julie Pope in 1982 during his first run for the Florida House of Representatives.
7.
Rick Dantzler enjoys writing, having written articles for newspapers and magazines, as well as three historical fiction books.
8.
At Winter Haven High School, Rick Dantzler played quarterback on the school's American football team, and was the baseball team's "star shortstop".
9.
Rick Dantzler attended both the University of Puget Sound and the University of Florida.
10.
Rick Dantzler received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the latter in 1978, as well as his Juris Doctor in 1981.
11.
At the University of Florida, Rick Dantzler was a member of Florida Blue Key and Alpha Tau Omega.
12.
When Rick Dantzler returned to Winter Haven in 1981, rumour was that the local state representative, Democrat Bob Crawford, was considering a run for the Florida Senate, but because he would not publicly commit, it was stopping other Democrats from running for his House seat.
13.
Rick Dantzler instead approached Crawford in the representative's office, and plainly asked the man about his intentions.
14.
When Crawford admitted his senatorial plans, Rick Dantzler ran for the 43rd District seat and beat Republican Bill Siegel in the 1982 election with 11364 votes.
15.
Rick Dantzler was elected to the same seat four times, serving from 1982 to 1990.
16.
Fellow Senate Democrat Howard Forman told the Sun-Sentinel in 1998 that Rick Dantzler was known for his success at bringing together senatorial combatants.
17.
Rick Dantzler served in the Senate until resigning from representing District 17 on January 6,1998.
18.
In 1998, Rick Dantzler began his campaign for the Florida governorship.
19.
Rick Dantzler was a gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic Party's 1998 primary.
20.
When Rick Dantzler resigned from the senate, he said it was to preempt campaign finance improprieties that could arise due to his influence in the March 3,1998 legislative session.
21.
Supporters of the new joint venture expected Rick Dantzler would provide the aggressiveness, youth, and vitality that MacKay's campaign lacked in facing Jeb Bush.
22.
In 2013, then-president of the United States Barack Obama asked Rick Dantzler to serve as the Florida State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency.
23.
When initially approached, Rick Dantzler later admitted ignorance of the position, but became more interested the more he learned.
24.
The agency's responsibilities included the United States Department of Agriculture's programs concerned with Florida's environment, minority farmer outreach, and agriculture emergency response; these issues' importance to Florida are what Rick Dantzler said compelled him to accept the appointment and take over the office from the outgoing Debby Folsom.
25.
Rick Dantzler was the CRDF board's second choice for the position after Elizabeth Stobierski withdrew from consideration.