TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Don Gaetz, a former Republican state Senate president and father of MAGA firebrand GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, is seeking a return to the Florida Legislature.
Gaetz, 75, planned to file paperwork on Monday to run for the state Senate seat now held by outgoing Sen. Doug Broxson, who is leaving office next year due to term limits.
Gaetz, who has held a variety of appointed positions since leaving elected office in 2016, said that he has been approached in recent weeks by voters in the Panhandle asking him to run.
“This will sound like maybe it’s not true, but there was a wellspring of support and encouragement and even demands that I run for office from people in Northwest Florida who I know and respect and people in Northwest Florida who I do not know,” Gaetz said.
One of the voices of encouragement to run was state Sen. Ben Albritton, the Polk County Republican in line to become the next Senate president in late 2024. In the last cycle, Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed several candidates to run for the state Senate even though Senate leaders had planned to back other candidates. Gaetz’ return to the Senate could provide a prominent counterweight to the governor.
Gaetz’s decision to enter the race prompted former state Rep. Frank White, a Pensacola Republican, to drop out of the contest even though he was the only candidate for the post.
Gaetz added that he is also concerned that, while Florida is a low-tax state, the rising costs associated with of property insurance, housing and utilities is making it expensive. He said that the Legislature can address the causes and the “political pressure” that are behind how costly the state is getting.
Don Gaetz began his political career as a school board member and later schools superintendent for Okaloosa County. He first ran for state Senate in 2006 and rose to Senate president after the 2012 elections.
During his time in office, Gaetz was more than willing to engage in his fair share of political brawls, including taking on then-Gov. Rick Scott. Scott, currently a U.S. senator, who lined up opposition to Gaetz’s bid to become president of the University of West Florida.
In his farewell note to his constituents when left the Senate, Gaetz wrote: “I cherish the smashmouth fights over matters of principle. I richly earned my opponents, giving, I hope, as good as I got. Politics can be thrilling and noble, just as it can be base and disgusting.”
While he was in office, his son Matt Gaetz ran for the state House and the two served in the Legislature at the same time and even roomed together in Tallahassee. In the Legislature, Don Gaetz became known for his oratory skills — and just like his son — the ability to come up with a snappy comeback or a tartly-worded reply.
And while the younger Gaetz was once in the shadow of his successful father, he has since eclipsed him as a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump and an enemy of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif), threatening over the weekend to oust McCarthy from his speakership.
Now, Rep. Matt Gaetz is seen as a potential candidate for Florida governor in 2026, but his father said that has nothing to do with his decision to run.
“Matt has encouraged me to run for the Senate, but I know in Washington he is laser focused on the budget issues, trying to control spending, trying to pass term limits,” said Gaetz, who said his son will run for another term in Congress next year. “He is not focused on running for governor. He has no plans to run for governor.”
After Gaetz left office, he held key appointed positions including a spot on Florida’s ethics commission and as the chair of the board of a non-profit corporation responsible for handing out tens of millions of dollars given to the state in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
The elder Gaetz was also drawn into the federal trafficking probe of his son after a Florida businessman tried to extort $25 million from him in exchange for helping Matt Gaetz secure a presidential pardon. The DOJ later closed its investigation into Matt Gaetz without filing charges.
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