Jeff Brandes
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Jeffrey P. Brandes (born February 12, 1976) is an American politician serving as the
Florida State Senator The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopte ...
from the 24th district since 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he has been elected from the
Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical ...
area to the Florida Senate since 2012, representing the 22nd district from 2012 to 2016. Brandes previously served as the
Florida State Representative 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 ...
for the 52nd district from 2010 to 2012.


Early life and education

A native of
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, Brandes served in the
United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...
as a transportation officer from 1996 to 2007 following his graduation from the
Marion Military Institute Marion Military Institute, the Military College of Alabama, (MMI, sometimes Marion Institute, Marion Military, or simply Marion) is a Public college, public military junior college in Marion, Alabama. Founded in 1842, it is the official state mil ...
in
Marion, Alabama Marion is a city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolut ...
in 1996 and while he attended Carson-Newman College, from which he graduated in 1999 with a degree in business administration. From 2003 to 2004, Brandes served in the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, for which he earned a
Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry or special forces MOS, for being "present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, a ...
.


Political career

In 2010, Brandes ran for 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 ...
from the 52nd district, which was based in
Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical ...
, challenging incumbent Democratic State Representative Bill Heller. In a good year for Republicans nationwide and statewide, Brandes narrowly defeated Heller, winning over him with 51% of the vote. Following the reconfiguration of
Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
districts in 2012, Brandes opted to run in the 22nd district, which encompassed the southern part of Pinellas County and
South Tampa South Tampa is a region in the city of Tampa that includes the neighborhoods of Beach Park, Ballast Point, Bayshore Beautiful, Bayshore Gardens, Bayside West, Belmar Shore, Davis Islands, Port Tampa, Fair Oaks-Manhattan Manor, Golfview, ...
, rather than seek a second term in the House. In the Republican primary, he faced fellow State Representative James Frishe. Brandes was endorsed by former
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush a ...
; he defeated Frishe with 56% of the vote. He was unopposed in the general election. In 2016, he ran unopposed in both the primary and general election in the 24th district. During the 2018 general election, Jeff Brandes defeated Lindsay Cross for his reelection in the 24th district. While serving in the Senate, Brandes, an opponent of red-light cameras, attached a provision onto highway safety legislation that would "require the cities and counties hat have camerasto create an administrative appeals process for motorists who contest the initial red-light camera violations." Additionally, he sponsored legislation that was signed into law by Governor
Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. Scott ...
dealing with the "pension plans that cover public safety workers"; the legislation was strongly opposed by police and firefighter unions, who warned that it would "cause a spike in pension costs." Brandes received a 114.3% (A+) score from
Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
, a conservative advocacy group funded by the billionaire
Koch Brothers The Koch family ( ) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities and their control of Koch Industries, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $115 billion). ...
. He was the #1 rated legislator by far for AFP in Florida. Brandes's district was reconfigured and renumbered after court-ordered redistricting in 2016. It now includes only portions of the southern part of Pinellas County. On March 3, 2018, Brandes rejected a two-year moratorium on the sale of AR-15s. He voted yea for controversial Senate Bill 86 in 2021. Brandes opposed a 2022 bill that would repeal no-fault auto insurance, describing support for the bill as "legislative malpractice". He also voted with Democrats on the repeal of the
Reedy Creek Improvement Act The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, otherwise known as House Bill No. 486, was a law introduced and passed in the U.S. state of Florida in 1967, which established the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort, the Reedy Creek Improvement Distri ...
, meaning he voted against the repeal measure. In March 2022, Brandes voted for HB 5, which prohibits abortion after 15 weeks. The bill was later signed into law. Brandes has a history of voting for other bills to limit access to abortion, including HB 633 in 2015 that required a 24 waiting period and HJR 1179 in 2011 to prohibit public funding of abortion.


References


External links


Florida State Senate - Jeff Brandes

Florida House of Representatives - Jeff Brandes

Brandes for Senate
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Brandes, Jeff Republican Party Florida state senators Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 1976 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Marion Military Institute alumni 2020 United States presidential electors United States Army officers United States Army reservists