Jake Raburn (born January 15, 1985) is a Republican politician and a former member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing the 57th District, including eastern Hillsborough County, from 2012 to 2018.

History

Raburn was born in Plant City and graduated from

Plant City High School The Plant City High School is a public high school in Plant City, Florida, United States and is part of the Hillsborough County Public Schools. The current school building was completed in 1972 on Maki Road, now called Raider Place. History Th ...

, after which he attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, where he graduated with a degree in agricultural communication in 2007. He then joined the Florida Department of Citrus as a marketing specialist for two years. Afterwards, Raburn began working as a marketing director for Hinton Farms Produce, Inc., a farming operation owned by his wife's family.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the

districts, Raburn ran in the newly created 57th District, which was based in the rural, eastern parts of Hillsborough County. He was opposed in the Republican primary by Brian Hollands; the ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

'' endorsed Raburn over Hollands, praising him as "more supportive of the public schools" and noting that Raburn "also had a broader outlook on the need to invest in transportation and other infrastructure." He ultimately defeated Hollands with nearly 70% of the vote. In the general election, he faced Bruce Barnett, the Democratic nominee, and earned the endorsement of the ''

Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...

'', which, although it observed that "Barnett is more knowledgeable on growth and education issues," Raburn deserved the nod because he "offers the valuable perspective of a farmer and seems well-connected to the district." In the end, Raburn defeated Barnett by a solid margin of victory, winning 58% of the vote. In 2014, Raburn was re-elected to his second term in the legislature without opposition.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Jake RaburnRaburn for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raburn, Jake 1985 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians People from Plant City, Florida