Will W. Weatherford
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Will Weatherford (born November 14, 1979) is an American politician who was a Republican 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 ...
from 2006 to 2014, representing the 61st District from 2006 to 2012 and the 38th District, which included eastern
Pasco County Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...
, from 2012 to 2014. During his final term in the legislature, he served as the
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...
, which made him the youngest presiding officer of any state legislative chamber in the United States at the time.


History

Will Weatherford was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to the state of Florida in 1986. He was homeschooled by his parents, but played football at
Land O' Lakes High School Land o' Lakes High School is a four-year public high school in Land o' Lakes, Florida. It is a part of the Pasco County Schools District in Pasco County. The school mascot is the Fighting Gators. History Construction of Land o' Lakes High S ...
with his brothers. One of his brothers,
Drew Weatherford Andrew Skillern Weatherford (born June 22, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State University from 2004 to 2008. High school career Weatherford attended Land O' Lakes High School in Pasco Coun ...
, would later attend
Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
and play varsity football for the
Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...
. Will Weatherford attended Jacksonville University, where he received a degree in business in 2002. After graduation, Weatherford worked in commercial real estate but was recruited by Allan Bense, his father-in-law and the Speaker 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 ...
, to join state government.


Florida House of Representatives

In 2006, incumbent
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 Sta ...
Ken Littlefield initially planned to seek re-election, and won the Republican primary for the 61st District, which included most of
Pasco County Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...
and some of northern Hillsborough County. However, Littlefield dropped his re-election plans and resigned from the legislature when he was nominated to the Florida Public Service Commission by Governor Jeb Bush. Weatherford was selected to run in Littlefield's place and faced Donovan Brown, the Democratic nominee. Weatherford's nomination apparently caused Brown, who had a history of mental illness, to suffer a breakdown, and he was admitted to the Harbor Behavioral Health Care Institute in accordance with the
Baker Act The Florida Mental Health Act of 1971 (Florida Statute 394.451-394.47891 009 rev., commonly known as the "Baker Act", allows the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual. The Baker Act allows for involuntary examination ...
. Over the course of the campaign, Weatherford massively outspent Brown and attacked him for his opposition to "jail time for people caught possessing small amounts of marijuana," about which he said that, because his name was not on the ballot, "he had to go negative or his district ran the risk of electing someone being treated for a mental disorder." Weatherford ultimately defeated Brown in a landslide, winning over 60% of the vote. He was unopposed for re-election in 2008. In 2010, Weatherford was challenged in the Republican primary by Kevin Wright, but he easily won the renomination of his party, winning more than 80% of the vote. In the general election, he faced the Democratic nominee, Elena McCullough, a veteran, who campaigned as the "true fiscal conservative" in the race. Weatherford had no difficulty turning away her challenge, winning re-election with 65% of the vote to McCullough's 35%. In 2012, the legislative districts were redrawn and Weatherford ended up in the 38th District, which included most of the territory that he had previously represented in the 61st District, but was only based in
Pasco County Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...
. He faced no opposition in the primary or general elections and won his final term in the legislature entirely uncontested. As the Chairman of the House Redistricting committee, Weatherford presided over the decennial process that resulted in the Florida Supreme Court ruling 7-0 in favor of the House maps as well as the national record for most incumbents drawn together in state districts. Weatherford was formally designated as the leader of Republicans in 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 ...
for the 2012-2014 legislative session in March 2011 following a vote in which he received the support of every single one of his colleagues. On November 20, 2012, Weatherford was sworn in as
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...
, by virtue of the fact that his party was in the majority in the House. In 2013, Weatherford led the charge against the expansion of Medicaid provided for under the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...
, referring to it as "one of the worst forms of insurance you can get in America." Instead, 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 ...
offered an alternative that would have provided more than 500,000 Floridians with private health insurance without taking any Federal dollars. The 2013 Legislative session ended with approval of priorities of both Weatherford and Senate President
Don Gaetz Donald Jay Gaetz ( ; born January 22, 1948) is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016, representing parts of Northwest Florida. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014. He is the father of C ...
, outlined in the historic "Work Plan Florida." These priorities included campaign finance, ethics, elections and education reform as well as partial pension reform. In 2014, the presiding officers announced another joint legislative agenda, this time including priority legislation such as education reform, a veterans bill, measures to protect vulnerable Floridians, a tax cut and changes to improve state government. Weatherford supported a proposal that would "put a constitutional amendment on the 2014 ballot that would let voters decide if they should weigh in on the expansion of gambling," noting, "I have become over the years very concerned with the drip, drip, drip expansion of gaming that's taken place in the state of Florida. I am certainly warming up to the idea of having a constitutional amendment that would require all future expansion to go before the voters." Weatherford made overhauling the retirement plan for public employees in Florida a major legislative priority in 2013 and 2014, and was unsuccessful each time. Despite the fact that the Florida Retirement System is one of the most well-funded public pension plans in the U.S., Weatherford justified his pursuit by comparing the state pension plan to Detroit.


Weatherford Capital

Upon leaving office due to term limits for state representatives, Weatherford founded private equity firm Weatherford Capital with his brothers Sam and Drew.


References


External links


Florida House of Representatives - Will Weatherford
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Weatherford, Will 1979 births Jacksonville University alumni Living people Politicians from Dallas People from Wesley Chapel, Florida Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives