Mike Haridopolos Representing Florida Senate District 26

Haridopolos becomes Senate President-designate

Dec 8, 2009

by Aaron Deslatte

TALLAHASSEE—With some added pomp and fanfare, a Lee Greenwood musical homage, and an introduction by his physician wife, Sen. Mike Haridopolos was officially designated as the 2010-12 Senate president Tuesday evening on the chamber floor.

Looking on were Gov. Charlie Crist, former lawmakers Ken Pruitt, and Van Poole, House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon and others, as his wife, Stephanie, told the chamber that her husband was married to his job.

“Am I the luckiest guy on earth or what? My wife’s a doctor and she’s beautiful,” Haridopolos said, adding “without her blessing, I would not have sought the presidency.”

He went on to say his tenure would be defined as as a conservative one, resisting federal efforts to expand government, but not just one where Republicans were “the party of ‘no’ but the party of ideas.”

“God did not put us on this earth to be a ward of the state,” Haridopolos said.

The 39-year-old Merritt Island Republican will take over the chamber following the 2010 elections, assuming the 26-member GOP majority doesn’t get relegated to minority status in the 40-seat chamber. That seems unlikely. As part of the job, Haridopolos is overseeing 2010 campaigns and plans to raise $12 million for the handful of Senate races that could be competitive next year.

“He just keeps going and going and going. I’ve never seen anyone with the kind of tireless work ethics Sen. Haridopolos has,” said Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, the Lake Wales Republican who helped make Haridopolos’s presidency possible by swinging his pledges to him.

Another former rival, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, closed the nominations in the ceremonial end to any potential challenges to the designation.

Read the story the Orlando Sentinel wrote about Haridopolos last week.