Dan Raulerson (born July 3, 1957) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 until his resignation in 2017. He represented the 58th District, including northeastern Hillsborough County.

Background

Raulerson was born in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, and attended Florida State University, where he graduated with a degree in accounting in 1979. He then moved to

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, where he worked for an accounting firm, and then moved to

Plant City Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census. Despite many thinking it was named for flora ...

, where first managed a new branch that his firm was opening there, but later started Raulerson & Company, which is an accounting firm and consulting enterprise. In 2007, Raulerson was elected to serve as a City Commissioner in

, and was elected by the Commission to serve as Mayor.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the Florida House of Representatives districts, Raulerson ran in the newly created 58th District, and won the nomination of the Republican Party unopposed. He faced Jose Vazquez, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. Raulerson campaigned on improving the efficiency of government, identifying his top priorities in the legislature as "Streamlining statutes, eliminating wasteful spending and making government more accountable for its performance." 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 ...

'' strongly endorsed Raulerson, calling him "the only credible choice," largely because Vazquez's plan "is a mishmash of incoherent ideas." 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 ...

'' also endorsed Raulerson, noting that " knows how to handle a budget and how to wring efficiencies out of an operation," while his opponent "has a checkered past that includes arrests, hardly an appropriate resume for public office." He defeated Vazquez by a solid margin, winning 57% of the vote. Raulerson was re-elected to his second term in the legislature in 2014 without opposition. Raulerson resigned from the House effective August 15, 2017, due to chronic health issues.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Dan RaulersonRaulerson for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raulerson, Dan 1957 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators Politicians from Jacksonville, Florida People from Plant City, Florida 21st-century Florida politicians