State Rep. Jay Fant, R-Jacksonville, kicked off his bid to be Florida’s next attorney general on Tuesday, with a morning media appearance in Tallahassee with stops scheduled for Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville later in the day.
As he entered the race, Fant made his opening pitch, calling for government to get out of the way of free enterprise.
“I am running because I believe so strongly in defending our constitutional rights and protecting Floridians from the excesses of the federal government,” said Fant. “But that can only happen if we make sure government is on the side of the people. We will fight to keep our business climate free and fair so entrepreneurs can pursue their dreams and create jobs. We will stand by our law enforcement community that works so hard to keep us safe.”
Fant also tried to claim the mantle of current state Attorney General Pam Bondi who faces term limits in 2018.
“I will continue Attorney General Bondi’s fight against prescription drug abuse, human trafficking, and predators who target seniors and children,” Fant said. “I will keep pushing back against the federal overreach that chokes our small businesses. And the most vulnerable members of our society can count on me.”
Fant made his political debut in 2014, beating fellow First Coast Republican Paul Renner by two votes to represent parts of Jacksonville’s Westside in Tallahassee. During that campaign, Fant drew fire on his record at First Guaranty Bank, founded by his grandfather after World War Two, which the feds shut down in 2012 thanks in large part to loans that went south.
Since beating Renner, Fant has been working his way up the legislative ladder including serving as the vice chairman of the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee. Fant raised his profile considerably in this year’s legislative session, which closed on Monday, as one of the most prominent critics of House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s push to gut Enterprise Florida.
Fant insisted on the House floor that gutting Enterprise Florida would help set the state’s economy back and lead to job loss.
“Killing this program..will hurt people,” Fant said. “I will not be a part of this.”
Fant becomes the first major candidate to jump in the race. Other possible contenders for the Republican nomination include U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, state Senate President Joe Negron and former Hillsborough Circuit Judge Ashley Moody. Possible Democratic candidates include former state Sen. Rod Smith and Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler.
