TALLAHASSEE — When friends say Senate President Jeff Atwater has Florida politics in his blood, they’re not just talking in metaphors. Governor No. 19, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1905-1909), is his great-grandfather. Governor No. 23, Cary Hardee (1921-1925), is his great-uncle.
But Atwater, 50, has had family members in a host of Florida industries — working on railroads and in orange groves. His father was an FBI agent and World War II fighter pilot; his mother always volunteered at his schools.
“I’ve had a family that has taught me much by their experiences,” said Atwater, whose middle name is Hardee and who hung a picture of Gov. Broward in his Senate office. Both governors have counties named after them.
Atwater said he’ll draw inspiration from those relatives and the Florida citizens and small business owners he has met as a banker and lawmaker since 2000. Atwater was elected Senate president in November, but his work will begin in earnest with the opening of the 60-day legislative session Tuesday.
It’s a difficult time to be leading the chamber. Over the next two years Atwater will preside over a Senate that will try to balance the state budget while facing shrinking revenues and increasing expenses. When House and Senate lawmakers can’t resolve differences over bills, it’ll be Atwater and incoming House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, who will negotiate agreements.
Already, Atwater has been an active leader. He helped call a special session of the Legislature in January, when lawmakers passed a $2.5 billion deficit-reduction plan that tapped reserves, borrowed from trust funds, raised traffic fines and cut the state’s budget to $65.5 billion because of declining tax revenues. He also created a committee to help find solutions for the state’s economic and financial problems.
Friends and fellow lawmakers say Atwater’s strength is making people feel heard and valued and creating consensus. That’s something he has done in the past by ordering pizza and letting two sides talk until late in his office, said former legislative aide Jessica Jaeger. As a boss, many Fridays he’d leave thank you notes on the chairs of staff members just to say he appreciated their work, Jaeger said.
Praise for Atwater doesn’t just come from Republicans, who outnumber Democrats in the state Senate 26-14.
“He’s really a very nice person who is very gracious and down to earth,” said Sen. Dave Aronberg, of Greenacres, the only Democrat in the Legislature who chairs a standing committee. He was appointed by Atwater.
Because their districts are near each other, Aronberg and Atwater used to sit at adjoining desks in the Senate, where Aronberg says he often caught Atwater snacking on peanut M&Ms but also sought his advice on legislation.
In particular, Atwater has worked on laws that make it tougher to change the Florida Constitution, so that 60, not 50, percent of voters must agree to make changes. As the head of a committee that regulates health care, he worked on changing Medicaid.
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