5 things to know about Rep. Greg Steube, seriously injured after fall from ladder

Sarasota, Florida, Congressman Greg Steube was hospitalized Wednesday afternoon and in intensive care overnight after falling about 25 feet from a ladder while cutting tree limbs, according to a Twitter post from his office.

The tweet said he was "making good progress and in good spirits."

Who is Rep. Greg Steube? Here are some things to know.

More:Sarasota Congressman Greg Steube in 'good spirits' in ICU as he recovers from 25-foot fall

Steube is the son of a Florida sheriff

William Gregory Steube, 44, is a Florida native. Born in Bradenton the son of former Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, he graduated from Southeast High, got a degree in animal science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor at UF's college of law. While in college he enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve as an Airborne Infantry Officer and a JAG Corps Officer. He was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

When he returned, Steube worked as an attorney, entered politics and moved upward quickly, jumping from the state House to the state Senate to Congress in just eight years. Steube served two years as a state representative first in the 67th district (southern Hillsborough County, eastern Manatee County and northern Sarasota County) and then, after districts were remapped in 2012, the newly renumbered 73rd district.

More:NEW: 911 call reveals Greg Steube was 'dazed' with injuries to multiple body parts after fall

In 2016 Steube was elected to the Florida Senate, and in 2018 he became a U.S. Representative for Florida's 17th Congressional District, getting re-elected to that position in 2020.

According to his official bio, Steube lives in Sarasota with his wife Jennifer, their son Ethan, "and their rescue dogs, Luke, Leia, Chance, and Matty."

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Steube is a staunch conservative who has been praised by former president Donald Trump

Steube has described himself as a "pro-life, pro 2nd Amendment, anti-illegal immigration fighter for our constitutional rights" and his voting record has certainly confirmed that.

Initially, he gained attention for filing gun rights bills but he found a national audience when he appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to defend then-president Donald Trump the day he was impeached. After one hearing when Special Counsel Robert Mueller was questioned by the House Judiciary Committee (a committee Steube held a position on) he got a call.

“Hey Greg it’s your favorite president, maybe favorite of all time,” Trump says in the message. “And I just wanted to say thank you. What you did on the committee was fantastic, one of the real stars, and I just wanted to thank you very much, you were really great. It’s a hoax, it’s a witch hunt, it’s disgraceful, but you were fantastic, so thank you very much, Greg, I appreciate it.”

In his career, Steube has filed legislation to allow certain teachers and other school personnel to carry concealed weapons in schools, voted against a resolution denouncing hate speech, voted against same-sex marriage protections, argued against capping prescription prices, voted against a government spending bill signed by Trump because he felt it wasn't conservative enough, co-sponsored a bill to restrict abortion in Florida, filed a bill banning trans women and girls in sports, blamed restaurant staffing issues during the pandemic on people "making more money staying at home not working on unemployment," and spoke out against the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. In the recent battle for the Speaker of the House, Steube spoke out against the group of 20 conservative hardliners voting against Kevin McCarthy, saying they were holding the nation "hostage." He also filed a bill to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a less-dangerous Schedule 3 one to allow research and study on its effects.

Throughout his political career, Steube has made regular appearances on conservative programs such as Fox Business as well as lesser-known networks such as One America News and Newsmax TV.

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Greg Steube is at home on a ranch

“I have a strong passion for agriculture,” Steube, who was considering a run for Florida Agricultural Commissioner in 2018, said.

Growing up in rural Manatee County, the future attorney and politician worked on a ranch and was involved with groups such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America while in high school. Steube raised animals, had a business offering artificial insemination of cows and did some rodeo riding.

He received a bachelor’s degree in beef cattle science from the University of Florida, where he worked on ranches and was president of the school’s agriculture fraternity and a student senator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

More:Lisa Carlton, Sen. Greg Steube weigh run for ag commissioner

Steube helped barricade a door during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots

On Jan. 6, 2021, Steube was at the U.S. Capitol for the vote to certify Electoral College results from the 2020 presidential election. He had to reroute his walk to the Capitol building due to gathering Trump supporters and said he saw the protesters breaking through the barriers to confront police officers and officers firing tear gas to keep them back.

During the certification debate, he left the House floor to get some water but was unable to return because the chamber had been locked down. Steube ended up sheltering with some other people in a conference room where he helped barricade the door with a table. Outside they could hear shouting, pounding on the door and window, and a shot.

“The moment the gunshot hit, you could hear the gunshot, you could hear everybody screaming,” said Steube. “As soon as the shot went out the officers said, ‘Shots fired, shots fired.’”

After about an hour officers cleared a hallway with tear gas and Steube was ushered away. Hours later, he was back on the House floor objecting to certifying votes for President Joe Biden from Arizona and Pennsylvania, saying that while what happened was "completely unacceptable behavior" it didn't change "the facts of the election."

Later, Steube opposed the bill that created the Jan. 6 commission, voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position, voted against medals for police who protected the Capitol,

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Steube led the fight to make daylight saving time permanent in Florida

It started out as a bill filed to see if anyone cared.

Steube filed legislation to end the bi-annual time change after hearing some constituents complain about it but was astounded at how quickly and powerfully it caught on.

“It’s amazing how many people think it’s dumb,” Steube said. “There’s nothing partisan about it and it affects every single citizen in our state.”

While Alaska and Arizona remain in standard time all year round, Steube wants to stay in daylight saving time to maximize sunlight hours in the Sunshine State and increase tourism dollars.

The bill passed in 2018 but before it can take effect, the federal government has to approve it. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the "Sunshine Protection Act," introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, to do just that, but it has not yet been taken up by the House.

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Contributor: Zac Anderson, Herald-Tribune

C. A. Bridges is a Digital Producer for the USA TODAY Network, working with multiple newsrooms across Florida. Local journalists work hard to keep you informed about the things you care about, and you can support them by subscribing to your local news organization. Read more articles by Chris here and follow him on Twitter at @cabridges

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Congressman Greg Steube from Florida injured in fall, what to know