Conservative Titan William G. 'Doc' Myers Dies

William G. Doc Myers, one of the Florida Legislatures giants during the last two decades of the 20th Century a staunch conservative who helped change the color of power in Tallahassee from blue to red died Tuesday. He was 79.

Doc, who lived and practiced medicine in Hobe Sound, was more than my representative and later my senator. He was my doctor and a family friend.

Doc served in the Florida House from 1978 to 1982, and in the Senate from 1982 to 2000. He might have been there till the day he died except for term limits. Thats how popular he was in his district, which at times covered northern Palm Beach County, all of Martin County and southern St. Lucie County.

Doc briefly ran for governor in 1986, and though he lost to Bob Martinez in the primary, confessed to me at the time he wasnt all that disappointed to stay in the background. Im at my best when Im working for my district, he said.

He was good -- call it unselfish -- at mentoring Rep. and then Sen. Ken Pruitt, his prot Pruitt rose quickly to appropriations chairman in the House, and in the Senate was ultimately elected president. Pruitt never failed to give Doc credit for his success.

In April 2001, when some members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, meeting in Stuart, enthusiastically suggested the proposed second Palm City bridge be named after him, Doc had this to say:

"They're supposed to wait until I die. That's the kind of rules we passed in the Legislature. They can't do things like that unless you're dead, and I ain't dead yet. Close, but not there."

It was Doc who maneuvered the Legislature to set aside money for that bridge -- which still isn't finished -- just as he had for the Roosevelt Bridge years earlier. And it was Doc who began an era of conservative and legislative strength on Florida's Treasure Coast that continues to this day.