Broward Democrat and former state Sen. Jeremy Ring is tossing his name in as a possible contender for Chief Financial Officer in 2018.
Ring officially filed Tuesday.
Initially, Ring had been toying with the idea of running for the governor's mansion, but with a crowded field which only seems to get even more stuffed with Democrats by the day, Ring has opted to vie instead for another Cabinet position.
Ring told other news outlets he had been interested in the job after learning more about it.
To him, it seems like a perfect fit.
"I think I've been groomed for the last eight years for that," Ring told the Tampa Bay Times last November.
Ring has had a storied history in Florida politics.
He served in the Florida Senate for 10 years from 2006-2016, representing parts of Broward County in the 29th district until he was term limited out last year.
Ring worked to build up Yahoo as an executive and also had experience on the national political stage, lending a helping hand to the John Kerry for president campaign.
In 2008, he created the Florida Growth fund which invests money in state and local tech companies, a cause near and dear to his heart.
While in office, he pushed legislation to raise the minimum wage and also endorsed making computer coding a foreign language.
Ring has a net net worth of nearly $14 million.
The CFO job has been the talk of the town for months after current CFO Jeff Atwater announced he would be stepping down from his position in March to take over as CFO of Florida Atlantic University, where both he and Ring applied to be president in 2014.
A replacement for Atwater has not yet been chosen, but names like former Sen. Pat Neal's and Sen. Tom Lee have floated around as possible options for the job.
What's uncertain, however, is if Atwater's replacement will also run for the job next year. Sources with knowledge about Scott's thought process said it's likely the governor will opt to seek a candidate who will not aim for higher office or try and hold onto the position.
But Scott is also sometimes a man of mystery, and that's not to say someone -- especially Lee -- would try and keep the job after all.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
