Larry Ahern (born April 26, 1955) is a

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 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, adopt ...

, representing the 66th District, which includes northwestern Pinellas County, stretching from Clearwater to

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

, from 2012 to 2018. Ahern previously represented the 51st District from 2010 to 2012. He ran for Pinellas County Commission in 2020, losing to incumbent Janet Long.

History

Ahern was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, and served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

from 1973 to 1977, including a tour at the

Iraklion Air Station Iraklion Air Station was a United States Air Force facility located east of the city of Iraklion near the village of Gournes, in the north central section of the Greek island of Crete. History Major commands to which assigned Detachment 2, ...

from 1975 to 1977. He then moved to the state of

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 ...

in 1978, where he started a swimming pool remodeling business.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, Ahern ran for the

from the 51st District, which included parts of Pinellas County, against incumbent Democratic

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

Janet Long. A contentious election ensued, in which Ahern campaigned on "conservatism and a business-friendly attitude," and in which Long aired a controversial television advertisement "in which her son, a war hero, characterized Ahern as a coward." Ultimately, Ahern defeated Long and Tea Party candidate Victoria Torres, receiving 50% of the vote to Long's 44% and Torres's 6%. When Florida House districts were redrawn in 2012, Ahern was redistricted into the 66th District, which included most of the territory that he had previously represented in the 51st District. He was opposed by Mary Louise Ambrose, the Democratic nominee and the owner of an insurance agency. Ambrose was endorsed by 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 ...

'', which criticized Ahern for voting "in lockstep with leadership and special interests to the detriment of his constituents." However, Ahern was re-elected over Ambrose with 53% of the vote. While serving in the legislature, Ahern sponsored legislation that would "make the death of an 'unborn child' a separate crime from an offense committed against the mother," which Democrats opposed because " person would not have to know a woman is pregnant to be charged with a crime." Additionally, he authored legislation that would make prosecuting identity theft easier by eliminating a legal requirement that the stolen personal information be "used to commit fraud." In April 2017, Ahern filed paperwork to run for the Pinellas County Commission District 6. Ahern lost in the Republican primary to Kathleen Peters. In 2020, Ahern ran for the

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

District 1 seat against incumbent Janet Long. In the general election, Ahern lost a close race, receiving 49.42% to Long's 50.58%.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Larry AhernAhern for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahern, Larry 1955 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Politicians from Detroit United States Air Force airmen People from Pinellas County, Florida 2016 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians

History

Florida House of Representatives

See also

References

External links