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Senate Budget Chief Jack Latvala Running For Governor

Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater)
Nick Evans

Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) is running for governor.  The outspoken budget chief filed his paperwork Friday.

Latvala joins Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and a handful of relative unknowns running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.  Latvala is planning to announce his bid at a series of rallies next Wednesday.

“I’ll give you a little news this morning,” Latvala said at an education event last week, “one of the places that I’m going to address that is right here.  Right here in Panama City.”

He’ll also visit Hialeah and Clearwater.  The brash lawmaker came to control the Senate’s purse strings after cutting a deal to abandon his run for senate president.  Latvala’s campaign committee is sitting on nearly $4 million.  

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.